Apple kicked off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday and as it does each and every year, it started off the big event with a keynote presentation. There are always tons of big announcements made during Apple’s keynotes, which is obvious since software is such a huge and important part of Apple’s products. At WWDC 2018, Apple took the wraps off of new versions of tvOS, watchOS, and macOS, showing off the latest and greatest features set to come to Apple’s various product lines in 2018. Of course, the most popular products in Apple’s portfolio are the iPhone and iPad, so iOS 12 was obviously the star of the show at WWDC 2018. Want to check out all of the best new iPhone and iPad features Apple showed off during its big WWDC 2018 keynote presentation? Don’t worry because we’ve got you covered right here.
Compatibility
iOS 12 will be available on all devices that currently support iOS 11, which is crazy! Apple says older devices that will get the iOS 12 update will see huge performance benefits, with key functions getting speed boosts of up to 70%.
Here’s the full list of devices that are compatible with iOS 12:
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone 6
- iPhone 6 Plus
- iPhone SE
- iPhone 5s
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2nd generation
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro 1st generation
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- iPad Air 2
- iPad Air
- iPad 5th generation
- iPad mini 4
- iPad mini 3
- iPad mini 2
- iPod touch 6th generation
Augmented Reality
Apple created a new USDZ file format that’s optimized for AR sharing, making it much simpler to share 3D objects with other people. All iOS and macOS devices will support the new file format, as will popular third-party software such as all of the relevant apps in Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite.
ARKit 2 was introduced during the event as well, giving developers access to awesome new AR tools such as the ability to have multiple devices see the same 3D virtual objects in AR from different perspectives.
Apple also announced a new app called Measure, which allows you to measure objects and distances in augmented reality.
Photos
Search in the Photos app gets a big update in iOS 12. Search Suggestions highlights important things before you even start typing, and Apple’s smart search features are more robust as well. For example, you can search “sporting events” or multiple search terms like “surfing” and “vacation.”
A new For You tab in the Photos app highlights different photos and photo groups, and it also recommends different effects for photos and shows you previews. Basically, this update brings the iOS Photos app a bit closer to Google Photos, though Google’s app is still more robust and feature-rich.
Siri Shortcuts
A new Shortcuts feature lets third-party apps add shortcuts to Siri. So for example, you can create a shortcut so when you say “I lost my keys” it’ll open the Tile app and locate your keys. Developers can make shortcuts for their own app, or users can use the new Shortcuts app that lets you create personalized shortcuts with multiple apps. This is based on the Workflow app Apple acquired, and the possibilities are limitless.
Popular app updates
Several Apple apps are getting big updates in iOS 12. The Apple News app gets a new browser tab that helps with channel and topic discovery, and favorite sources are more accessible now. There’s also a new side bar in the news app that simplifies navigation.
The Stocks app was rebuilt from the ground up with a new UI, and Apple News integration is being added to Stocks as well. Curated business news will be accessible right in the Stocks app. Also of note, after-hours prices are now accessible in the Stocks app, and there’s finally an iPad version of the app.
The Voice Memo and iBooks apps have received big updates as well. iBooks has been renamed to Apple Books and the UI gets a big overhaul in iOS 12.
CarPlay
CarPlay gets a big update as well, most notably with support for third-party navigation apps. You guys… WAZE ON CARPLAY!!!!!
Notifications
New grouped notifications let you group notifications by app… FINALLY! There’s also a new Instant Tuning feature in notifications on the lock screen that lets you stop specific apps from displaying notifications on the lock screen moving forward.
Screen Time
Apple introduced several new features to improve Do Not Disturb and make driving safer. The new Screen Time feature is the biggest news, giving you a weekly activity summary that details how you used your iPhone or iPad. You can also set limits so you get alerts when you use an app too much. Parents can also create allowances for apps to limit the amount of time they can use a specific app, or create downtime at certain time so all nonessential apps are blocked at certain times.
Messages, Animoji, and Memoji
Apple’s animated emoji feature now has tongue detection in iOS 12. Lord help us all. New Animoji include ghost, koala, tiger, and T Rex have been added to iOS 12 as well. More importantly, the new Memoji feature in iOS 12 lets users create their own Animojis that look like themselves (or anyone else they want).
Aside from new Animoji and Memoji, the Messages app gets some other cool new features as well. Snapchat-like filters and video stickers are among them, but the big news here is live Animoji and Memoji, which can be combined with other effects in the Messages app.
FaceTime
Group FaceTime has been introduced in iOS 12, with support for up to 32 simultaneous participants in FaceTime. You can also create a Group FaceTime right from a group chat in Messages, quickly adding all the chat participants to a group video call. And guess what… live Animoji and Memoji are also supported in FaceTime now!
