It’s been a week since, WWDC, but the thunder of Apple is still there. This year there was something new and exciting about the software. In 2017, the Cupertino tech giant introduced the iOS and MacOS with minor improvements, but this year, they did their homework and for the very first time, they have actually listened to the users.
So, here in this post, we are going to discuss the 10 Hottest Features of iOS 12.
1. Grouped Notifications
This is one of the most exciting features which arrived in iOS 12. This feature was asked by every iOS user, as there was no grouping in previous notifications and if you are a busy or social person then, you could have received more than 400 notifications in an hour. It will make one crazy, even though a user can clear all the notifications at once, but still, you are missing some important notifications as well.
So, to solve this problem Apple brought Group Notifications to iOS 12. So, you will see a lot of space on your lock screen now.
2. Group FaceTime:
This is the feature which was once just a dream, but not anymore. Apple has introduced group FaceTime which can add up to 32 members in one call. If you can remember, a Sitcom named Silicon Valley, there were an app name piperChat which allowed users to add as many users as they want, looks like Apple has followed the show this year.
So, now with this feature, you can add your family members. Your friends or you can hold your meetings over there as well. If you are confused, how Apple is handling 32 members in a single call. The answer is simple. Whenever a user speaks up, he will be highlighted or in other words, his video area will be enlarged so that everyone can see him prominently. It is much better than IMO, a social chat app which allowed upto4 members group call. Skype is also doing the same, but for Apple, to Apple users, this is a big feature for them.
3. Siri Shortcuts:
Every year, we are hearing more about AI. Apple was one of the first company to introduce their voice assistant. So, this year what is new with Siri?
Apple has announced Siri Shortcuts which allows you to automate tasks on your iOS devices. So, with Siri Shortcuts, the voice assistant is now able to interact with many applications. We have also seen one of the examples at WWDC stage.
We have seen Craig, asking Siri that he has lost his key. So, what Siri Shortcuts is doing right now is understanding your command and accessing the Tile app, which is further messaging so that the user gets the number and everything back.
So, this is quite neat. Though we have seen Google Duplex at I/O 2024, which was very good, Apple is on their way too and can show us a feature like this in next WWDC.
4. Tongue Tracking:
Last year, Apple introduced iPhone X and with that, they have announced the Animoji. So, the users can see themselves as the emojis and also, they can do a lot more with that. This time, they have added the Tounge Tracking feature.
Now, whenever you will take your tongue out you will see the character bringing its tongue out as well. And, it works with all of the characters. Also, this year, they have introduced Moji. So, now, you can create your own emojis and to that Apple has introduced a lot of tools so that you can create an emoji just like you and also, you can add your own MeMoji to the FaceTime call as well.
5. ARKit 2
Have you seen the WWDC? If yes, then, in the beginning, you will remember that Apple showcased the Measure tool which allowed you to take the measure of an object with the help of ARKit 2 and its backend camera. The results were quite impressive. Now, with the ARKit 2, the gamers will get a chance to play in the real world and it will bring a better experience than they were getting before. Along with Measure, other tools are coming soon as well.
6. Do Not Disturb at Bedtime:
The do not disturb feature was hovering around for a long time, but during bedtime when we enabled this mode, we can see that there are no noises from the notifications, but they would clutter our screen. Removing that and many more new things, the Cupertino Tech giant has introduced many advanced features to this mode now.
So, it will make sure that there is no compromise with your sleep.
7. Share Photo Easily:
Apple is not only focusing on the core software improvements, but it also wants to improve our day to day life. Some of us click a lot of photos with our friends, family etc. But, when it comes to sharing we have to search through it where is his/her photo so I can share. Not anymore, with iOS 12 the photos will recognize the people in it and will suggest you share with them. So, it will make your life easy.
8. Activity Tracking:
We spend a lot of time with our iPhone regularly, but do we know the exact amount of time we are using the iPhone. No! But, now with iOS 12, the users will be able to track the phone behavior or we can say weekly tracking of the activity. So, it will tell you which applications have you used the most and how much time you have spent on it and it will also tell you to reduce the times on them so that you can reduce stress.
9. Emergency Situation Handling:
Apart from SOS, we do need a way so that the emergency service providers like 911 can track us from where are we calling so that they can reach us as quickly as possible. iOS 12 will come with Hybridized Emergency Location (HELO), which will allow the emergency responders to get your location and we really think that it will be very handy for all the iPhone users.
10. Refreshed News, Stocks, Books and Voice Memos:
Apple iPhones come with some pre-installed applications. The above mentioned are some of them. So, they have been there for a while, untouched and updated with minor tweaks. But, with iOS 12 you will get all of the updated and they will come with new designs. Voice Memos also get iCloud support now and on the other hands, Apple Books looks quite similar to Apple Music now.
So, there you go folks. These are the 10 Hottest features of iOS 12. Well, they have also missed a lot of things, but we think that they have done a better job this year than last year.
The operating system is available as the beta for the developers. The public beta is expected to be available in a few weeks, but iOS 12 will be released to the public around September 9th.