Apple has officially released iOS 12, the latest operating system for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The new iOS 12 is only available for devices like the iPhone 5s and later, the iPad mini 2 and later, the iPad Air and later, and the 6th-generation iPod touch.
iOS 12 is a major update, as Apple has revamped the operating system to make iPhones and iPads, especially the older models, enhanced for a faster and more responsive experience. For older iPhones, Apple notes that apps now launch up to twice as fast, while camera launches are up to 70 percent faster, and the keyboard appears up to 50 percent faster. The tech giant has also introduced optimizations for when the system is experiencing heavy workload, making iOS devices faster when you need performance most. This comes after Apple received heavy backlash for allegedly slowing down the performance of older iPhones.
For newer devices like the iPhone X, Xr, Xs, and Xs Max models, iOS 12 brings new Animoji characters (Ghost, Koala, Tiger, and T-Rex), along with "Memoji," which are customizable, personalized, humanoid iterations of Animoji, in addition to new camera effects in both of those apps.
Other notable features on iOS 12 is the addition of time management and monitoring tools with Screen Time, allowing you to track of how much time you're spending on your iPhone and iPad, an even smarter Siri with a new Shortcuts feature designed to let you create multi-step customized automations, updated Do Not Disturb options, Grouped Notifications, which make incoming notifications easier to view and manage, as well as an Instant Tuning feature that lets you tweak your notification settings right on the Lock screen.
Furthermore, improvements have been added to Photos and the camera, while Apple News has a new Browse feature, the Stocks app has been redesigned, iBooks has been revamped with a new look and new name, "Apple Books" and more.
ARKit 2.0 also offers new features such as shared experiences that let two people see the same AR environment on separate devices, and persistence, which allows AR experiences to be saved across multiple sessions. A new Apple-built Measure app for measuring objects using AR functionality is also a notable feature.
iOS 12 is free to download, and it's currently available on all eligible devices over-the-air, by entering the "Settings" tab on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
For a complete rundown on the list of features that are included in iOS 12, head over to Apple now.
Now, here are eight Apple iPhone Xs, Xs Max & Xr video reviews to watch before you cop, including our exclusive review below.
