Apple
iOS 12 will officially be released in fall of 2018, after the new iPhone X
series for the year has been showcased. Here's what is expected.
Apple
iOS 12 will officially start rolling out in the fall of 2018 (September). But
the company will also give a glimpse of the new iOS upgrade at its annual
Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) at San Jose, California. WWDC takes
place from June 4 to June 8 this year. Apple has already confirmed the dates
for WWDC. The keynote usually showcases the upcoming iOS, macOS, tvOS and
watchOS upgrades.
Apple’s
iOS is one of the most awaited upgrades, given the sheer number of users on the
product. Unlike Google’s Android, most iOS devices are eligible for the new
update. Currently close to 65 per cent of devices are on the latest iOS 11
software, according to Apple’s Developer website. Apple’s older iOS 10 has a
base of 28 per cent of current devices. In contrast, Google’s Android Oreo 8
has barely crossed the one per cent mark, even a year after its release.
So what
will Apple’s iOS 12 upgrade offer? Apple’s iOS 12 is codenamed “Peace.”
According to a report in Bloomberg from February 2018, Apple will focus on
improving quality, and this time new features which are not perfect will be
pushed to the iOS 13 upgrade. It should be noted that iOS 11 has been plagued
by a lot of issues, and Apple has pushed out quite a few updates to tackle the
problems.
Apple iOS 12 Expected release
date,
Apple
iOS 12 will likely release in September 2018. However, the first look will be
revealed on June 4 at the WWDC conference. Apple will make the public beta also
available sometime after WWDC 2018, as it has done for the past couple of
releases. However, the final iOS 12 build will come only in mid-September.
Users who are interested can sign up for public betas of iOS and test them out
before the official launch of the software.
Apple iOS 12 and cross-platform
apps
According
to the Bloomberg report, iOS 12 will explore the idea of universal apps,
something which Windows 10 has also tried to do. According to the report, macOS
10.14 and iOS 12 will ensure that developers can create one app, which will
work iPhones, iPads, and Macs. MacOS has its own store, but unlike the iOS App
Store, it has not been such a big hit.
Apple’s
Home app could also come to the Mac, thanks to this cross platform
availability. Continuity is one of the key features of iOS and macOS, which
allows users to take calls, access web pages seamlessly across their iPhone and
MacBook. Apple could take this further in 2018 with cross-platform apps.
Apple iOS 12 and focus on Animoji
There
will renewed focus on Animoji in iOS 12 with newer characters. Currently,
Animoji is limited to iPhone X, but reports have claimed Apple will introduce
three new iPhone X variants for 2018 with Face ID on the front. So it makes
sense that Animoji will get some new features in iOS 12 as support for this
will likely be expanded to newer products. Animoji could also come to the
next-gen iPad Pro, which will have a similar True Depth camera. According to Bloomberg, Animojis could be
integrated into FaceTime app as well.
Apple iOS 12: More parental
controls, quality focus
Apple’s
iOS 12 will let parents know how much time their kids spend in front of iPhone
screens, thanks to an all new new Digital Health tool. This could allow parents
to monitor screen time. Also iOS 12 will focus more on quality improvements,
rather than just cramming it with new features. Apple wants to make sure
everything works as claimed when the final build is rolled out.
Apple
could redesign its Stock App and the Do Not Disturb feature. This focus on
quality also means that some features won’t be introduced till 2019 when iOS 13
gets launched. This includes iPad related upgrades, according to reports.
