 Apple iOS 12 Review

The much anticipated iOS 12 update was released this Monday and I wanted to write this blog post as a quick review and recap of what was in the update. I have only been using the software since Monday so I haven’t used everything to it’s full potential but I have a pretty good idea of how things work and what updates have been integrated.

Animoji

The animation above shows Animoji in use where you can apply a mask to your face. This uses the technology in the iPhone (X / XS / XS Max / XR Models) and infrared sensors to map the mask to your face and have it react. This feature works on your eyebrows, eyes, mouth and tongue etc. to make the animation simulate what you are doing with your own face and portray different emotions. This is now available not only in Messages but it is also integrated into FaceTime.

Mimoji

Another feature of iOS 12 is Mimoji which can be used the same as Animoji above. You can personalise it to your own face and make it match as best as possible. Mine is actually pretty accurate and I am quite impressed with it. I did have a haircut and trimmed by beard this week as well so I updated my Mimoji mid-week.

Do Not Disturb

I love DND on the iPhone. At the moment I have mine activated at 10pm and it switches off at 7am to try and reduce my screen time before going to bed. The changes to DND now take into account calendar events to more helpfully schedule this.

Screen Time

I love this feature and it is something that other companies have introduced as well within their apps after the announcement at WWDC 2018. I am really interested in the data provided by Screen Time and I’m looking forward to using this more as months go on. You can put restrictions in place for specific apps to allow you an allocated time on them per day. At the moment I am off all social media for the month of September so don’t have the apps on my iPhone. I will be interested to see how long I spend on Instagram per day!

Photos

The photos application has been enhanced to make use of the new processors in the iPhone XS / XS Max. It uses machine learning to recognise and pinpoint objects, faces and places to create memories and sharing suggestions. The iPhone now allows you to share images between your friends for certain events and intelligently know which it has sent already.

Augmented Reality

AR Kit has had an update and has more features now ahead of the new iPhone launch. This will make the absolute most of the new processors. I don’t have much experience using AR or the apps that use this but I am looking forward to seeing how it works on the new iPhone XS Max. One app that uses it is Measure which allows you to take dimensions of objects in the room using the camera and AR software.

Apple Books

iBooks is no longer, it has been replaced with Apple Books. It has had an overhaul to improve the app and increase functionality. I haven’t really been much of a reader so don’t have the Apple Books app on my iPhone but I do have it on my iPad (not had chance to use it yet).

Apple News

The news app has also had some adjustments made to it. I no longer use the News app or similar on my phone as I listen to BBC Radio 1 in work and hear updates every hour or so. I also found that there was too much negativity in the headlines so decided to remove the BBC News and Apple News apps from my phone.

Siri

This is something that has been enhanced in iOS 12 allowing apps to automate specific tasks throughout your day. This example below shows the app KAYAK with a hotel check-in. Siri then notices this and gets you an ETA to drive to your destination. There are many other things that you can do with Siri’s new enhancements and with third party app support opens up massive possibilities from developers as well.

Stocks

The stocks app has had an update also to integrate news features. This will be helpful for seeing the latest business news alongside stocks data for those who hold shares or invest.

Summary

I do like the annual iOS updates and I think that it makes the handset feel like a new phone during every big update. I am a bit disappointed that FaceTime with several people hasn’t been released with the first iOS 12 version. It was one of the things I was looking forward to most following WWDC event and announcements earlier this year.

Have you updated to iOS 12 yet? If so, what do you think? You can do this on iPhone by opening Settings > General > Software Update. Have a great day and thanks for reading!