The first iOS 12 Public Beta is now available to download on your iPhone or iPad. This gives you a better look at what to expect when the final version releases this Fall.
There are a lot of new features and tweaks that have been added with iOS 12. These range from being able to quickly scan QR codes to create a new Memoji. But without further adieu, here is a list of 25 iOS 12 tips to get you started.
Grouped Notifications
My personal favorite addition to iOS 12 is Grouped Notifications. Instead of scrolling for ages through a million notifications, apps are now grouped on the lock screen.
There is nothing that you need to do or enable to get this working. As soon as the notifications start rolling in, you can interact with groups of notifications.
You can also swipe away an entire group if you don’t feel like interacting with them. Or, you can go directly into the notification settings for that app and tweak it to your liking.
Force close an app with a swipe (iPhone X)
A big gripe for those with the iPhone X on iOS 11 was how you were forced to press and hold on an app to force close it. With iOS 12, that is no longer the case as the process is much easier.
All you need to do is simply perform the same swipe and pause to bring up your App Switcher. From there, find the app that’s causing you headaches and swipe up. There is no longer a need to tap and hold the app preview, then tap the little red ‘x’ icon.
Use Siri Shortcuts to make life easier
Apple is aiming to improve Siri with iOS 12 and make your life easier. A new Shortcuts feature in the settings will allow you to create a series of actions that you can enable with just a simple command.
There are also a few suggestions that can be found and tweaked to your liking. In order to access these, follow these steps:
Open Settings
Scroll down and tap Siri & Search
From here, you are given some pre-suggested shortcuts, or you can tap More Shortcuts to create some of your own.
Monitor the amount of time spent on your iOS 12 device
There is a new initiative coming to smartphones which enables you more control over your device. With Screen Time in iOS 12, you can now get a better idea of what apps you are using throughout the day.
This is great for parents, as well as yourself, as you can see a breakdown of the types of apps being used. There are even more parental settings so that you can limit how long certain apps are used.
Set App and Game Limits
Speaking of limits, you can take advantage of Screen Time to limit the games and apps your children are using. Maybe you’re someone who plays too many games instead of actually triaging your emails.
Setting an app or game limit will provide a small notification letting you know how much time is left. After that limit has been reached, you will be “locked out” of the app until a password is entered or you can bypass it altogether (if you’re an adult).
Automatically fill-in passwords and account settings
This is truly a God-send. If you already take advantage of iCloud Keychain, then you know how convenient it is to enter passwords.
With iOS 12, you won’t have to worry about jumping through a bunch of hoops to enter passwords. Your iPhone or iPad will automatically enter your username and passwords with additional verification.
Auto-fill Security Codes
In addition to automatically entering logs from iCloud Keychain, iOS 12 will also automatically fill security codes. After a code has been sent to your iPhone via SMS, your device will show a prompt in the keyboard suggestions.
Tapping the suggestion will automatically enter the security code. From there, you can log in and enjoy whatever site or service you’re attempting to use.
Create a Memoji
We knew this was coming, but with iOS 12, Apple has introduced personalized Animoji. Memoji is going to be the new craze in 2018/2019 and allows you to create your very own Memoji.
The customization options are absurdly in-depth and you can even add accouterments like hats, glasses, and more. Or you can go crazy with it and create an alien of your own to use in pictures or FaceTime calls.
Record an Animoji for up to 30 seconds
You didn’t think that Apple would forget about Animoji, did you? Well, the company didn’t, as there were a few new Animoji added to the lineup.
Furthermore, users are no longer limited to recording Animoji clips in 10-second intervals. iOS 12 allows users to now record an Animoji clip for up to 30 seconds.
Quickly Rescan your face when Face ID fails
Another gripe about the iPhone X when it released was how you were forced to enter a passcode whenever Face ID failed. This was frustrating, especially for those who relied so heavily on Touch ID.
Apple hopes to make lives easier for everyone with iOS 12. Now, whenever your first Face ID scan fails, you can simply swipe up on the lock screen and your device will rescan your face.
Register a second Face ID Scan
Speaking of improving Face ID, Apple kind of took everyone by surprise with iOS 12. In the hey-day of Touch ID, users could scan and create multiple fingerprint readings.
Being able to do so made life easier for those who wanted to make sure their fingerprints were scanned properly. This wasn’t the case with Face ID, until the release of iOS 12.
Now, users can head into the Settings and create a second Face ID scan. This may be beneficial for those, like me, with a beard. Or maybe, you want to give your significant other easy access to your device while staying secure from others.
‘Hey Siri’ works in Low Power Mode
In previous iterations of iOS, the ability to use the ‘Hey Siri’ command in Low Power Mode was automatically disabled. However, iOS 12 changes things up and you can now get Siri to go to work for you, even if you are running low on juice.
Automatically install iOS updates
Apple already has a gigantic lead in the smartphone market when it comes to updates. As soon as a new update is released, it becomes available for everyone to download the same day.
However, users still have to remember to download and install the update. That is no longer the case with iOS 12. Users can now opt to automatically install any updates that Apple releases.
Here are the steps you need to take:
Open Settings
Select General
Tap Software Update
Tap Automatic Updates
Toggle the switch to the On position
Now, whenever a new software update is released, your iPhone or iPad will automatically install the update. This is extremely useful for those using the new iOS 12 Public Beta.
Group Calls come to FaceTime
Apple was expected to introduced Group Calls for FaceTime with the release of iOS 11. As we now know, that never happened, but instead, Apple was waiting for the release of iOS 12.
Once your device has been updated, you will be able to FaceTime with up to 32 different folks at the same time. You can even use your new Memoji if you don’t look super pleasant or want to have some fun.
Favicons come to Safari Tabs
If you use a desktop browser, chances are you already have seen a Favicon. It’s a little icon placed in your tabs which shows off the website’s logo.
Favicons have now been added to Safari on your iOS 12 device. This makes it much easier to differentiate and find the right tab that you’re looking for.
iBooks becomes Apple Books
There have been a few updates to iBooks over the years, but Apple is revamping a few of its apps. Apple Books is replacing iBooks on your iPhone or iPad with iOS 12.
Apple included a slight redesign, which makes it easier to access your “regular” books and audiobooks.
Stocks is finally revamped
In a rather surprising move, Apple decided to completely redesign the Stocks app from top to bottom. There is a new interface which shows you when surges are occurring for any of your followed stocks.
Apple has also integrated News into the app, with a separate section dedicated to any major financial news.
Voice Memos also revamped
Apple didn’t stop at Books and Stocks when it came to revamping some older apps. Voice Memos also finally got an update, which includes a new modern design.
Additionally, you can now use Voice Memos on the Mac and iPad for the first time. Combined with iCloud syncing, this aims to help you keep track of your thoughts much better than before.
Improved Battery Information
Apple has been in some hot water as of late with the introduction of battery restrictions for older devices. However, that has largely been fixed and iOS 12 brings a revamped view of your battery information.
With iOS 12, you can now view a more accurate analysis of your battery over the last few days. There are colorful charts and graphs, along with a new way to view your battery usage on an app-by-app basis.
Use your iPhone and ARKit 2.0 to measure objects
We knew that ARKit 2.0 was coming to iOS sooner rather than later. This is especially true considering that version 1.5 was released a few months back.
iOS 12 now brings AR Kit 2.0 to the masses, which includes a new “Measure” app. This app allows you to use your iPhone to measure objects, and it actually works pretty darn well.
Improved USB Security
If it wasn’t apparent, Apple has a huge focus on security when it comes to your devices. iOS 12 improves this even further with a new “USB Restricted Mode”.
This mode can actually prevent third-parties from accessing the data on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. It will prevent USB accessories from accessing your data if it has been locked for at least an hour.
Scan QR Codes much more quickly
While QR Codes are not as popular as they once were, there are still some that use them. Your iPhone camera was already capable of recognizing these, but iOS 12 improves this even further.
You can now add a shortcut to Control Center which makes it easy to pull up the QR Code scanner in your camera.
Search for everything in Photos
For some time, Apple has been lagging behind Google in the Photo apps department. It seems that Apple is now playing catchup with Photos in iOS 12.
The company has made it possible to search for a multitude of elements including the following:
People:John Smith, Mom, Friends
Objects:Cake, Camels, Cars
Locations:Home, Mexico City, John’s house
Scenes:In a forest, At work, In a museum
Events:Glastonbury festival, My birthday, New Year’s Eve
Dates and Key Moments:Last year, Summer holiday, January 2010
Businesses:Japanese restaurants, Starbucks, John’s Car wash
Access your camera 70% faster
Besides simply adding a bunch of features, Apple did a lot with iOS 12 to make your devices faster. One such improvement was the ability to use the ‘Swipe to Camera’ feature even faster.
With iOS 12, Apple claims you can now access your camera 70% faster than in previous iOS versions.
Do Not Disturb improved to help you get to sleep
We’ve already touched on Screen Time and how it will help you keep an eye on how you use your device. However, Apple wants to help you get more sleep by removing distractions.
Starting with iOS 12, Do Not Disturb will automatically turn on. This makes it easier for you to not be distracted by notifications, and get to bed when you really want to.
What did we miss?
This is not the end-all-be-all list of iOS 12 features and additions. However, we want to hear from you about which features you are most excited for.
Sound off in the comments and let us know what you think about iOS 12 and if you have installed the new beta.
Andrew is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US.
He has written for a variety of sites over the years, including iMore, Android Central, Phandroid, and a few others. Now, he spends his days working for an HVAC company, while moonlighting as a freelance writer at night.
iPhone SE using iOS 12…whenever I put my phone down or am not using it, it asks for my password authentication again. How can I set this so the phone stays active without repeating password all the time?
Sorry to hear about your iPhone SE issue. What you describe sounds like auto-lock–take a look at your auto-lock settings–go to Settings > Display & Brightness and change the auto-lock setting to either 5 minutes or Never (as an FYI, putting this on Never means you drain your battery faster.)
Another setting to look at is your passcode settings in Settings > Face ID/Touch ID & Passcode. Review these settings and make changes to suit your needs.
iPhone SE using iOS 12…whenever I put my phone down or am not using it, it asks for my password authentication again. How can I set this so the phone stays active without repeating password all the time?
Hi Sue,
Sorry to hear about your iPhone SE issue. What you describe sounds like auto-lock–take a look at your auto-lock settings–go to Settings > Display & Brightness and change the auto-lock setting to either 5 minutes or Never (as an FYI, putting this on Never means you drain your battery faster.)
Another setting to look at is your passcode settings in Settings > Face ID/Touch ID & Passcode. Review these settings and make changes to suit your needs.
Sam