WWDC 2018: Top 5 iOS 12 new added features that you need to know

This year's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) introduced the iOS 12 for iPhone and iPad. We've rounded up here the top 5 features and of course, everything that you need to know.

Apple iOS 12 upcoming features

Top 5 iOS 12 Features

1. Memoji: Personalized Animoji

If Samsung Galaxy S9 has an AR emoji, well the Apple iPhone and iPad will now carry, the Memoji. In iOS 12, you can now make personalized avatars that mimicks yourself, from skin color, hairstyle, facial features (like freckles), choosing your dress, and accessorizing your Memoji. In short, you become the picture.

For the Animoji, Apple has added more characters like a koala, a ghost, a tiger, and... a T. rex. Before, when you stick your tongue out, your Animoji doesn't, but with iOS 12, it now does stick its tongue out just like you do. 

2. Group FaceTime: Up to 32 people

Before, you can only talk to only one person via FaceTime. But iOS 12 made it possible for you to talk to three of your closest friends and even up to 32 people! FaceTime will make use of moving tile display of faces in the current chat. The faces will float and come into greater prominence once the person begins to talk. 

You can also double-tap a person's face and bring it to center and front. You can now also use the Animoji or Memoji and you'll get sticker packs too in FaceTime. 

3. Performance Updates: Twice faster than iOS 11

Craig Federighi, SVP Software Engineering of Apple Inc., said in his keynote speech that apps of older iPhones will now be faster by up to 40%. He also mentioned that the keyboard display will be faster by up to 50% and sliding through the camera app will be 70% faster. 

This just shows that Apple is not giving up on their older iPhone devices.

4. Screen Time: To curb your Phone Addiction

Apple will now help you manage your iPhone usage. You can now set time limits on apps, so you don't use them too much. You can grant yourself an extension, but the apps will remind you to move on later on. You can set up the limit for yourself or for your little ones. You can create allowances, including downtime. You can limit your kids in individual apps, like movies and games.

Through the improved Do Not Disturb, your device will not show you the 'chatty' notifications that will keep you up. This is a new mode that you can set on the Control Center.

5. Siri Shortcuts: Help you from day-to-day

Siri is now smarter. It can now execute multistep actions with assigned commands via its new feature called 'Shortcuts'. Such features will be identified with an 'Add to Siri' option within apps. 

You can also train Siri to trigger a series of commands with custom commands, for instance, setting up a routine that would both message a spouse and adjust a connected thermostat when you tell the voice assistant you're "heading home".

Aside from these top five latest features you should await in the upcoming iOS 12, there are new apps too that will definitely make life easier.

For Augmented Reality, Apple has worked with Pixar on a new file format called the USDZ. According to Federighi, it is “something like AR Quick Look.”  

A number of companies including Adobe, Autodesk, and Sketchfab have already announced that they’ll be integrating and building apps around USDZ (Universal Screen Description).

Apple has also announced of their new 'Measure' app. As the name suggests, the app will allow you to measure objects or walls around you. All you have to do is to put the object in the camera frame, tap and drag out a line, and the app will measure it. 

Several third-party apps already offer this functionality using ARKit, but now Apple is creating its own and taking advantage of the new, more precise AR capabilities in the upcoming version of iOS.

Apple has also an update for their ARKit app. The latest ARKit 2 give developers the ability to create shared experiences; two users on different iPhones can see the same thing when running the same app.

There are a lot of changes in its current apps like the Photos will have a 'For You' feature that will suggest filters and effects you might want to apply to images you’ve taken. To make it short, a lot of these new features are a clear attempt by Apple to catch up to Google Photos.

Apple CarPlay will now support the two of the most popular turn-by-turn directions apps, the Google Maps, and Waze. 

Apple News will get the minor update of 'Browse tab'. iBooks will now be called the Apple Books. 

These iOS 12 features will be available for update by Fall 2018 or estimated September onwards for the Philippines.