Apple also gave its its watch operating system some loving with a handful of new features that will ship as part of watchOS 5.
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Apple has unveiled iOS 12 at its WWDC 2018 conference in San Jose, California.
However iOS 12 is expected to introduce some improvements to Siri, one of which is a new app called Siri Shortcuts.
But Apple’s other features that limit app time or control children’s use seem a little more suspect. The iOS Do Not Disturb feature will also be expanded to not show notifications on a device’s lock screen at night.
Another new feature is grouped notifications, and as the name applies, your notifications cannot only be grouped by apps, but also by topic, thread, etc. You can add shortcuts from travel apps as well, to get notifications on when you should leave, and any changes that occur.
FaceTime has also been integrated into Messages, so a group message can be turned into a group FaceTime call.
Apple is gearing up for a huge iOS 12 update!
Four new Animoji are coming to the fray: Ghost, Koala, Tiger and T-Rex. Animojis also now includes tongue detection, so you can stick your tongue out if you want.
Once you set the feature up in the iOS 12 beta, you are not allowed to remove just one of the two recorded faces.
Upon closer look, however, you’ll find that some of these new features have previously been announced by Google or are in Android already. Users can select skin color, freckles, hairstyle, head shape, eye wear and more.
With the Memoji users can send a message with stickers to other users. “Group FaceTime”, as it’s called, will support up to 32 users in the same conversation.
Video chat app FaceTime is getting an overhaul. It also highlighted how some developers, such as Lego, are incorporating the trendy technology into apps. Parents will be able to choose times when certain apps or app categories can’t be used. The update will be available to developers today, with a general public release coming later in the year. So don’t anticipate news about new iPhones: The company traditionally introduces big hardware upgrades at a later media event in the fall. The display can also be set to dim automatically just before bedtime.
Apple has grabbed another major Photos feature for iOS 12 in the form of intelligent sharing suggestions. A new Discover tab has an emphasis on curation, with Apple-produced editorial content shining a light on new and interesting apps.
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Comment fields and like and share buttons are now turned off by default in Safari. As Apple noted in its release, customers can now see how often they spend using specific apps. In an on-stage demo, Apple showed an image of a browser blocking “Facebook.com” from using cookies and website data while you browse the web. After bringing up the app switcher, you are required to long press on an app to enter the force quitting mode. Google will also offer an App Timer feature, which grays out an app after you’ve exceeded X minutes or hours of usage. This is due to the numerous bugs and problems that arose in iOS 11 which many users weren’t too thrilled about, leading some to question Apple’s attention to detail and quality.
