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Shopify offers iOS 12's AR features to its 600,000 stores
iOS 12 made a lot of strides in terms of augmented reality, thanks to the addition of features like AR Quick Look. This allows users to place 3D objects using AR, and now ecommerce platform Shopify is taking advantage of the feature for everyday shoppers.
Making the most of iOS 12's Siri Shortcuts
iOS 12 is here, and while many of the improvements focus on processing and performance, there are a few notable features you shouldn't ignore. Shortcuts is definitely one of the biggest -- not only will it use notifications to suggest actions you can take, such as returning a missed FaceTime call or turning on Do Not Disturb before a meeting on your calendar, but you can also use the brand new Shortcuts app to create your own customized Siri-based triggers for third-party apps.
Apple's iOS 12 is out today
If you've been waiting with breathless anticipation for Apple to drop the latest version of iOS, your time is now. The company just released iOS 12, though like any iOS update, Apple's servers are currently slammed so it might be awhile before you're able to download and install it.
iPhone Xr hands-on: Premium power for everyone
Apple's iPhone Xr wasn't exactly a surprise -- tons of leaks saw to that. Even so, the Xr is easily the most fascinating device the company released today. As expected, this less-expensive version of the iPhone X packs a 6.1-inch LCD display and an aluminum frame, all in the hopes of keeping costs down so more people can benefit from the work Apple poured into this generation of smartphones. And like the iPhone 5c before it -- way before it -- it comes in a host of pretty colors. Actually, hold on. iPhone 5c comparisons like the one I just made are almost impossible to avoid, but they're not exactly fair. The iPhone 5c packed year-old phone guts into a charming, plastic body. The iPhone XR takes much of what makes the iPhone Xs special -- like that A12 Bionic chipset -- and squeezes it into a body that would've felt premium not long ago.
iPhone Xs and Xs Max hands-on: The new normal
After months of rumors, leaks and breathless speculation, Apple's iPhone Xs and Xs Max are here -- and they're exactly what we expected. The former is the logical, technically impressive sequel to the iPhone X, and the the latter is, well, the same thing but bigger.
iOS 12 will fix your notifications September 17th
iOS 12 will be released September 17th. After spending nearly half of June's WWDC keynote espousing the virtues of Memojis, Photo search and sharing, a half-hearted digital wellness initiative, and so much more, at the tail end of today's keynote Tim Cook announced that it won't be long before you can install the shiny new operating system on your cadre of Cupertino-designed devices. It's said that the software will improve the performance of your older Apple gadgets too (fingers crossed for my iPad Mini 3), with apps getting up to a 200 percent speed boost in launch speed.
Apple's iOS 12 beta is driving everyone crazy
Apple promised a lot of bells and whistles with its iOS 12 update -- better performance, grouped notifications and the coveted Pixar-like Memojis, for example -- but its pre-launch spiel never mentioned the surprise feature everyone on the public beta is talking about today. Thanks to, presumably, a bug, iPhones are showing update notifications every time you unlock your phone, without an option to actually install the update.
Apple will reveal its new iPhones on September 12
Reports have long suggested that Apple has been working on a trio of new iPhones for 2018, and now we know when we'll actually get to see them. The company just sent out invites for an event on September 12 at its massive spaceship of a campus in Cupertino -- one year to the day from last year's event, no less -- and one thing is already clear. It's going to be a very busy morning.
iOS 12 won't launch with FaceTime group chats
We hope you weren't planning a group FaceTime chat the very moment iOS 12 and macOS Mojave reached your devices. The release notes for Apple's latest iOS 12 and Mojave developer betas reveal that group FaceTime won't be available in either operating system on launch, and will instead arrive in an update "later this fall." Much like Apple Pay Cash, you could be waiting weeks or months to try the tent pole feature.
iOS 12 developer beta points to bezel-less iPad with Face ID
Last year, early iOS leaks gave us a preview of the eventual iPhone X and some details on Apple's HomePod speaker. Now, 9to5Mac points out an icon in the iOS 12 developer beta that seems to show an iPad design with tiny bezels all around and missing the home button. Separately, code for accessibility features shows evidence of Face ID support in an upcoming iPad Pro likely scheduled for release this fall. The image doesn't show an iPhone X-like notch, so presumably new iPads would manage to squeeze a TrueDepth camera into the remaining bezel. With iPad sales remaining flat compared to last year, it seems likely that we'll see new devices soon, and now we have some idea at least of what they'll look like.
HomePod phone calls could arrive with iOS 12
Since its announcement at WWDC, Apple has been teasing a range of iOS 12 improvements scheduled for release in the fall. The roster includes a streamlined Siri, speeding up elderly iPhones, and a FaceTime overhaul, with no mention of HomePod updates. However, it has emerged that the smart speaker could soon receive a much requested feature: phone call support.
HomePod may get phone call support and multiple timers
While Apple was quiet about HomePod updates at WWDC, that doesn't mean it's twiddling its thumbs -- its staff are privately testing pre-release software. And now, we might know what that software entails. French site iGeneration claims to have details of the HomePod's iOS 12-based beta, and it could address a laundry list of feature requests for Apple's smart speaker. Most notably, it would include native phone call support. Instead of having to start the call on your iPhone and switch audio inputs, you could both place and receive calls through the HomePod. Your smartphone would just supply the cellular connection. This wouldn't be a new concept by a long shot, but it'd be extremely helpful if you'd rather not stay within earshot of your iPhone's modest speakers.
iOS update adds security-focused USB restricted mode (updated)
Apple just released iOS 11.4.1 with an improved Find My AirPod feature and some stability fixes. It also appears to include USB Restricted Mode, a feature that was part of the 11.4.1 and iOS 12 betas. Though it wasn't in the release notes that popped up on your iOS device, we have confirmed that the mode is included.
iOS 12 code hints at iPad with Face ID
Apple's iOS 12 has hinted from the outset that an iPad with a notched display was in the works (the status bar conspicuously made room for it). If you were wondering whether or not that meant an iPhone X-style TrueDepth camera and Face ID, though, you can rest assured after today. Developer Steve Troughton-Smith has discovered that AvatarKit, the framework behind Animoji and Memoji, now supports the iPad. Given that you need a TrueDepth camera for these face-tracking personas to work, and the iPad Pro hasn't been updated in over a year... well, you do the math.
Apple is fixing Maps using its own data
Apple Maps has come a long way since the fiasco when it first launched, but there's no question that there's room for improvement. It just isn't as robust as Google Maps, which has the luxury of both a years-long head start and complete control over the mapping process. And Apple knows it. In an interview with TechCrunch, the company's Eddy Cue has revealed plans to revamp Maps using its own data set rather than the current piecemeal approach, which has relied on info from the likes of OpenStreetMap and TomTom. The new technique promises not only greater mp accuracy and detail, but faster updates that take days rather than months.
iOS 12 public beta is available right now
Did Apple's teases of grouped notifications and digital wellness efforts at WWDC last month make you swoon? Well the beta for iOS 12 -- the software those features and countless others will run on -- is available to the public starting today. The Cupertino company has promised that the software's finished version will significantly speed up older phones in addition to adding fun new features like Memoji for iPhone X owners and FaceTime group chat for up to 32 people.
Apple iOS 12 preview: It's all about the polish
It's been three weeks since Apple officially revealed iOS 12, and since then developers have been putting that new software update through the wringer. Now it's your turn: The company just dropped its first public iOS 12 beta build, and if you're feeling particularly brave, you can enroll in the beta program here. I've been playing with the public beta for a few days now, and needless to say, I've spent more time than I care to admit making sure our Memojis look just right. (I'll leave whether I was actually successful up to you.) To be clear, though, there's a lot going on in iOS 12 -- it took up about half of Apple's WWDC keynote this year for a reason. We'll have a full, more nuanced review when the software actually ships this fall, but here are a few things you can expect once you take the plunge and start getting a feel for Apple's new software today.
iOS 12 will automatically share your location during 911 calls
Apple is joining Google, Uber and others in providing accurate location data that could save your life in an emergency. The company has revealed that iOS 12 will automatically (and importantly, securely) share your location with first responders during 911 calls in the US, including with RapidSOS' quicker, more accurate internet-based technology. So long as a 911 center supports it ("many" do), iOS should meet the FCC's 2021 requirement of pinpointing your location within 165 feet a minimum 80 percent of the time.
iOS 12 uses third-party apps to report spam calls and messages
Right now, there isn't much you can do to fight spam calls and text messages directly from your iPhone. You can report iMessages, but not much more. That's all set to change with iOS 12, however. Hidden amidst the many other feature updates is support for third-party app extensions that will let you report unwanted calls or texts from within the Phone and Messages apps. You'll just have to swipe on an offending number or chat to pop up the option to flag it, block it or both.
iOS 12 connects AirPods to Apple's built-in hearing aid app
iOS 12 will apparently have a lot more more to offer other than what was announced on stage at Apple's annual developers conference. One of those unannounced features could be a game changer for those hard of hearing: Cupertino's upcoming mobile platform will make AirPods compatible with Apple's Live Listen assistive hearing app. TechCrunch first reported the feature, and an Apple spokesperson confirmed it to Engadget. At the moment, Live Listen is only compatible with third-party devices like hearing aids or implants, but iOS 12 will make it a lot more accessible. Even those who can hear enough and can't justify purchasing a hearing aid will be able to take advantage of what it can do.
