Introduction to iOS 12

iOS 12 is the twelfth major release of the iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc., being the successor to iOS 11. It was announced at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 4, 2018. It is aesthetically similar to iOS 11 but contains numerous performance and battery life improvements, security updates, and additional functions within native applications. It was released to the public on September 17, 2018.

iOS 12 focuses on performance and quality improvements.

It was succeeded by iOS 13 and iPadOS on September 19, 2019 and September 24, 2019.

Performance:

Performance optimizations were made in order to speed up common tasks across all supported iOS devices. Tests done by Apple on an iPhone 6 Plus showed apps launching 40 percent faster, the system keyboard activating 50 percent faster, and the camera opening 70 percent faster.

Screen Time:

Screen Time is a new feature in iOS 12 that records the amount of time a user spent on the device. The feature also displays the amount of time the user used particular apps, the amount of time the user used particular categories of apps (such as games), and the number of notifications the user received.

Screen Time also provides blocking features to limit usage of apps (with time limits) or set other restrictions such as on purchases or explicit content. It replaces Parental Controls in the iOS Settings app, but can also be used by adults to limit their own usage. These features can be used with or without a passcode. Without setting a passcode, the limits can easily be bypassed but may serve as a useful reminder of usage goals.

Shortcuts:

A dedicated application in iOS 12 allows users to set up Shortcuts, automated actions that the user can ask Siri to perform. Using the Shortcuts app, a user can create a phrase and type in the action they want Siri to do for them. Once they tell the phrase to Siri, Siri will automatically do the task they set for it in the Shortcuts app. The Shortcuts app replaces the Workflow app that Apple acquired in March 2017.

ARKit now allows users to share their view with other iOS 12-supported devices. ARKit 2 additionally allows full 2D image tracking and incorporates the ability to detect 3D objects.

CarPlay can now run third-party navigation applications. (Waze, Google Maps, etc-).

The Voice Memos and Stocks apps are now available for iPads.

Control Center is separated from the app switcher on iPad and can be opened with a swipe down on the top right corner. In addition, iPhone X-style gestures are introduced across all iPads running iOS 12.

In iOS 12, the trackpad mode (which allows the user to freely move the cursor) is enabled by long-pressing the space bar on devices without 3D Touch.

For devices with gesture navigation and no home button (iPhone X and later), users can now force quit applications by swiping up from the bottom of the screen (without having to press and hold on them when in the app switcher).

Measure is a native AR application that allows the user to take measurements of real objects. It also works as a level, a feature that was originally packaged as part of the Compass app.

Apple Photos has been completely redesigned with four new tabs, including “Photos”, “For You”, “Albums”, and “Search”. The new “For You” tab replaces the “Memories” tab previously found in iOS 11 and makes sharing recommendations, creates short-length video collages, photo editing suggestions, as well as featured photos from a specific day.

While the “Photos” and “Albums” tabs received only a few cosmetic changes, the “Search” tab includes new Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning features which show the user photos by place and categories (e.g. animals, cars, objects).

The above is a brief about iOS 12. Watch this space for more updates on the latest trends in Technology.

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