Apple introduced IOS 12, the new version of the IPhone and IPad operating system during its annual keynote WWDC 2018. The new mobile operating system finally brings a lot of novelties, from virtual reality to Siri, Memoji and Facetime group video calls. Let's get to the point.
ARKit 2.0: Augmented reality moves to higher speed
Apple's first emphasis on the novelties of IOS was on augmented reality. The firm is investing with the True Depth camera of the IPhone X, and the new superinflated Pro Macs in terms of graphical computing capabilities in augmented and virtual reality technologies. The first announcement consists of a new unified file format, now compatible with the entire Adobe suite in the cloud. This should push the development of games, items and other applications for smartphones and tablets.
A new application, "measure", allows to measure objects, their surface and their volume using new ARKit algorithms. In addition, Apple announces a partnership with Lego for truly engaging games leveraging augmented reality.
Siri is catching up on Google Assistant
It is now possible to learn new things from Siri, which can now control "millions" of applications. A real revolution while the orders that we could so far give him remained hopelessly limited. Siri is also better at suggesting actions based on your lifestyle. From the moment you repeat an action every day, Siri will suggest an action to save time.
To return to the voice commands, a "shortcut" editor still allows to make all this more and more useful. Phrases can be associated with series of actions: This is probably the most important feature. An "Add to Siri" button in the applications allows you to add new actions in a gesture. The demonstrations seem formidablely effective. It will still have to be tested in real.
Apple News and Stocks merge, Dictaphone reviewed and corrected, books change design and Car Play accepts third-party applications
Apple News merges with Stocks to become more useful to those who follow the stock market closely. Dictaphone changes design, like books that changes everything, even the name (finally almost): Apple book. Finally because Play becomes more useful, with the arrival of third-party applications.
IOS 12 now fights night and day addiction to smartphone
A new Screen time application allows you to analyze in a very precise way the use of the smartphone, how much time you spend there, the type of activities you do, etc. It is also possible to set application-by-application usage limits. The Do not Disturb mode also evolves by blocking for example the notifications at night, and letting you reactivate them at your leisure.
Notifications: A lot of changes
You can now adjust the display of notifications directly from the screen. Siri detects those that are useless and automatically proposes to delete them. Finally there is a feature that may appeal to more than one user: Notifications are now grouped, by date but also by type. You can now delete all notifications of SMS or tweets at a time. Undeniable progress.
New Animoji and New Memoji
Several new Animoji make their appearance as the T-Rex, Phantom, Tiger, Koala... But also the all new Memoji. These are custom Animoji according to your features, avatars that are reminiscent of the Nintendo Amiibo – if only those are controlled via the True Depth 3d camera of the IPhone X. These Animoji and Memoji are much better integrated into the system, and are available with a series of effects to the Snapchat directly via the photo-taking application.
FaceTime: Group video calls land, up to 33 participants
In addition to group calls, FaceTime is better integrated with the Messages application. You can directly pass the group call (or join one) via a group message. At the interface level, Apple has found an elegant way through tiles that grow when the person is talking. In addition, Animoji, Memoji and other effects and filters are now available live.