iOS 12 can now be downloaded for exactly one day, and chances are that the update is already on your iPhone or iPad. But what new iOS 12 features can you really get started with? These are the 14 most important.
iOS 12 features: an update with subtle improvements
Unlike previous iOS versions, iOS 12 is primarily an update in which Apple makes adjustments to functions that have been on your iPhone and iPad for years. That makes it a bit more difficult to get started with all the news immediately after installing the update. Unless you know where to look.
1. The Measure app
The ARKit Measure app makes every tape measure superfluous from now on. Thanks to ARKit, you can measure every surface in augmented reality via the camera of your iPhone. The Measure app is very simple. You open the app, move your iPhone back and forth to scan the room and then you can start measuring.
Read more: This is how the iOS 12 Measure app works: a tape measure on your iPhone
2. New Memoji and Animoji
After the hype of Animoji Karaoke in iOS 11, it was to be expected: with the arrival of iOS 12, the moving emoji are even more prominent on your iPhone X. Not only are there new animated characters to choose from, but now you can also imitate your own face as Memoji.
You can then use this in iMessage, but also during video calls in FaceTime. At that moment, the Face ID camera replaces your face with that of an Animoji. You can read below how that works and what the options are.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Animoji and Memoji in iOS 12
3. Smarter sharing in the Photos app
The Photos app was overhauled last year, but will also receive a handy upgrade this year. Thanks to improved facial recognition, Apple knows with which of your contacts you are in the photo, so that the app itself suggests which photos you can share with that person. Handy if you’ve been away for a week, and that way you can immediately send all the photos to your travel companion without having to look them up one by one yourself.
Siri Shortcuts
From iOS 12, Siri is getting a lot smarter, at least; if you want to put the time and effort into this. With Siri Shortcuts, Apple puts you in control to better tailor the assistant to you. Siri Shortcuts is a combination of two new features that Apple is adding to its voice assistant in 2018.
First of all, there’s the Siri Shortcuts app, along with a new Siri feature that gives the assistant access to your lock screen. We discuss the two below.
Read more: Siri Shortcuts in iOS 12: Here’s how to make Siri smarter and more useful to you
5. Bedtime mode
Many people find it difficult to put their iPhone away when they go to sleep. The WhatsApp messages, interesting articles and videos on YouTube just keep coming in. Very nice of course, but not when you have to go to bed.
Fortunately, iOS 12 has a function that makes it a lot easier to ‘dim’ such notifications. New is the option to mute all incoming messages and notifications while you sleep. For this you have to combine Do Not Disturb and Bedtime mode. We show you how to do this.
Read more: A worry-free night’s sleep thanks to Bedtime Mode in iOS 12
6. Screen time
From iOS 12, Apple will help you to curb your iPhone use. Apple is introducing a set of new features designed to make you aware of your iPhone usage. Without realizing it, we use the smartphone all day long, even if there is actually no reason to take the device out of your pocket and look at it. Are you too busy with your iPhone and do you want to do something about it?
Read more: Thus, iOS 12 makes your iPhone less addictive
7. Silent notifications
iOS 12 introduces several options for curbing your iPhone use, or making your phone less distracting. A small, but handy feature is the option to set ‘silent notifications’. That makes it a lot easier to silence WhatsApp right from your lock screen when that one group conversation fills your entire screen with new messages.
Read more: This is how you use the ‘silent notifications’ of iOS 12
8. Grouped notifications
With iOS 12, Apple is finally tackling notifications on the iPhone and iPad. With some smart adjustments it becomes much easier to manage your notifications. This allows you to see at a glance which apps have sent a notification, and it is easier to take action directly from your lock screen. This works in several ways, which we’ll walk you through below.
Read more: For example, iOS 12 finally makes notifications better on the iPhone and iPad
9. CarPlay supports third party apps
Apple is giving CarPlay a major overhaul with iOS 12. Apple’s car software is getting some new features that users have been asking for for years. The main one is support for third-party navigation apps, so you can also just use Google Maps to navigate somewhere. In this overview we list them.
Read more: iOS 12 CarPlay: These major improvements are coming to your car
10. Autofill for your passwords
Password apps like LastPass and 1Password are also becoming a lot more user-friendly. Apple has added support for Autofill, so you can now automatically enter passwords if they are stored in your digital safe.
This allows you to generate extra difficult passwords in your password app of your choice. At the same time, it is easier to actually use them and log into your online accounts quickly. In one fell swoop, Apple improves both the security of your online accounts and the user-friendliness of the iPhone.
11. Favicons in Safari
A small, but useful improvement to iOS 12 (and macOS Mojave) is the support for favicons in Safari. These little icons make your browsing experience more enjoyable and can be used in the latest test versions of Apple’s software. You just have to turn them on yourself to take advantage of it.
Read more: This is how you use favicons in Safari with iOS 12 and macOS Mojave
12. Better picture of iPhone battery usage
Apple is working to give you more insight into the way you use your iPhone and iPad. This mainly happens thanks to the new Screen Time function in iOS 12, but the battery settings will also give you new insights.
IOS has long had options to see which apps consume the most energy, but this goes a big step further. From now on you will see a handy graph that shows exactly at which times of the day your battery is most heavily burdened.
Read more: For example, iOS 12 provides more insight into your iPhone battery usage
13. Automatic updates
In addition to the major innovations, we also discuss the smaller features of iOS 12 on iPhoned. One of them (but a very important one) is the option to install updates automatically. And that is a godsend for many users.
Updating your iOS device is extremely important, but many people forget to do this, or don’t always know that an update is available. To ensure that every user stays up to date, the new iOS 12 has an option to install updates automatically.
Read more: This way you turn on automatic updates on your iPhone or iPad
14. Improved privacy
This year, Apple is again taking steps to ensure user privacy better than ever. In total, there are four improvements that are incorporated in iOS 12 to make the software even more secure against snoopers. For example, Facebook Like buttons are blocked and data from the Lightning port is automatically stopped after an hour.
Read more: 4 ways iOS 12 protects your privacy better than ever
Looking for more iOS 12?
Can’t get enough of Apple’s big annual software update? Take a look below at our list of eleven small functions that you probably didn’t know yet, read our iOS 12 review and watch our video review of the update.
- You did not know these 11 smaller iOS 12 functions yet
- Read our in-depth iOS 12 review
- Check out our iOS 12 video review