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Photos: The iOS 12 features you need to know

By // September 19, 2018, 9:16 AM PST // bviglia

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  • ​iOS 12: Available now

    iOS 12 is available now, so all the exciting features revealed at Apple's WWDC 2018 are accessible to anyone who owns an iOS 12-compatible device. Wondering whether you should install iOS 12 now, or wait until later? This rundown of features in iOS 12 might help you decide.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: Apple

  • New items in the Settings app

    Do Not Disturb features more prominently in the Settings app, and Screen Time settings and statistics are now available in Settings as well. If you're looking for all that Screen Time data, this is where you'll find it.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • Screen Time gets a widget in iOS 12

    When you swipe right on the iOS home screen to get to the widgets view, you'll notice a new Screen Time widget that gives you a quick summary of your device use for the day. Tapping the widget will take you to a detailed view of your iPhone use.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • Screen Time options in iOS 12

    Screen Time isn't just for tracking your device usage--you can use it to limit app time, schedule notification-free downtime, and control the device use of family members (e.g., children).

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • Limiting your app time

    Alarmed by how much time you're spending looking at certain apps? If so, you can set daily limits that will block you from using apps in a specific category after a certain amount of time.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • Quiet the world with scheduled downtime

    Screen Time allows you to schedule downtime each day; this blocks all apps from pushing notifications unless you specifically allow an app to do so.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • Screen Time content settings in iOS 12

    Screen Time includes robust content settings and parental controls that can prevent children from purchasing apps, making in-app purchases, viewing objectionable content, or wasting too much time on social media.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • Stacked notifications in iOS 12

    You can see that I've received several PayPal notifications, and a couple from the Workouts app. Instead of displaying them one after the other, notifications from the same app (or category of app) will all display in an expandable stack. This is great for saving screen real estate.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • Manage notifications more easily in iOS 12

    Prior to iOS 12, making changes to notification settings required going into the Settings app, scrolling through a long list of apps, and tweaking individual settings.

    iOS 12 makes notification management a snap. Simply swipe left on a notification to see the Manage option--tapping that option will allow you to force the app to send quiet notifications. You can also disable app notifications.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • Add and remove Control Center items

    The Control Center is even more useful in iOS 12 because users can customize what shows up.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • Siri Shortcuts

    You can add custom Siri Shortcuts, like the news spotlight one I created (left). Siri Shortcut settings are limited to just a few apps for now, and they can only perform simple tricks such as opening an app, composing a text message, or opening an email account.

    SEE: 5 ways new Siri Shortcuts in iOS 12 can automate your work day (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • The Siri Shortcuts app

    iOS 12 will eventually get a dedicated Siri Shortcuts app where users can build custom Siri-triggered workflows and download those others have created. The Siri Shortcuts app is currently only available to developers via a Test Flight invite and will release to the public this fall.

    SEE: How to try out Apple's Siri Shortcuts app for iOS 12 to automate your life (Download.com)

    Image: Apple

  • Multi-person FaceTime

    FaceTime calls can now be made into FaceTime conference calls, making team collaboration and quick group chats easier.

    Due to bugs with this feature, Group FaceTime calls are not currently available in iOS 12. iOS 12.1, which is currently in developer beta, has re-enabled the feature for testing, but there is currently no release date scheduled for Group FaceTime calls. Apple has said it will be coming with an iOS 12 update this fall.

    SEE: How Apple Group FaceTime could replace Google Hangouts Chat and Skype for Business (TechRepublic)

    Image: Apple

  • Photos gets an overhaul in iOS 12

    The Photos app added a For You tab that displays photos relevant to your current location or the date along with other AI-generated albums.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • Siri search gets more powerful in iOS 12

    In iOS 12, Siri can perform more detailed searches, especially of your personal stuff. Asking Siri for pictures of cats, for example, will pull up your Photos app filtered to only include pictures that Apple's AI has determined feature cats.

    SEE: Apple Siri: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • New photos features in Messages in iOS 12

    A new Messages-exclusive camera mode allows iOS 12 users to draw, add stickers, and add text to images taken in the Messages app. Simply tap on the star in the lower left corner of the screen after taking a photo in Messages, and all the markup options will appear.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • New Animoji features in iOS 12

    Apple has added more facial recognition capabilities to its Animojis, which can now recognize specific things such as winks or sticking out a tongue.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: Apple

  • Build your own Animoji

    Want an Animoji that's a bit more you? Now you can create it in iOS 12!

    SEE: Memoji turns you into an Apple Animoji in iOS update (CNET)

    Image: Apple

  • Stocks gets a redesign in iOS 12

    The Stocks app has been redesigned for iOS 12. New features include cross-device sync and a business news feed.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • The News app has changed too in iOS 12

    New features of the Apple News app include a Browse tab, where you can view stories sorted by your subscriptions or topics of interest, and new spotlight features add morning leads and other briefings to your day.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • Siri has more useful info in iOS 12

    Tired of having to run to your Amazon Echo to get measurements conversions or calorie information? Siri can now find that data for you, along with other things such as health data pulled from the USDA database, information about celebrities, and more.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • The New Apple Books in iOS 12

    In iOS 12, Apple's ebook app has received a total overhaul, and it's for the better. Navigating your library is easier than ever before, and new book recommendations will help you find things similar to what you've read or shown interest in.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: Apple

  • New Voice Memos features in iOS 12

    Voice Memos has a new interface, and now also syncs voice recordings to iCloud so those recordings are accessible from every Apple device your iCloud account is signed into.

    SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

  • The Measure app in iOS 12

    A new AR app called Measure has been added in iOS 12. The Measure app takes advantage of new ARKit tools and capabilities to take measurements of objects or surfaces.

    I tried measuring the dimensions of my Apple keyboard without great success. The size of the keyboard was only off by a half an inch in the width, but the anchored in space measurements didn't stay in place as well as they should have, likely due to some conflicting readings from my camera and my iPhone's positioning sensors.

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    Image: TechRepublic/Brandon Vigliarolo

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​iOS 12: Available now

iOS 12 is available now, so all the exciting features revealed at Apple's WWDC 2018 are accessible to anyone who owns an iOS 12-compatible device. Wondering whether you should install iOS 12 now, or wait until later? This rundown of features in iOS 12 might help you decide.

SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Image: Apple

About Brandon Vigliarolo

Brandon writes about apps and software for TechRepublic. He's an award-winning feature writer who previously worked as an IT professional and served as an MP in the US Army.

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