The beta version of iOS 12 was recently released to the public by Apple. The new iOS 12 comes in with new performance enhancements and new features including Screen Time, a revamped “Photo” app, group notifications and lots more.
I installed iOS 12 on my iPhone 6S Plus and gave it a spin to see what it was all about. Here’s a couple of my impressions.
Performance
One thing Apple promised with iOS 12 is making the OS perform faster across all Apple devices. According to Apple’s tests on an iPhone 6 Plus, apps launch 40 percent faster, the system keyboard comes up 50 percent faster, and opening the camera is 70 percent faster.
In reviewing iOS 12 beta, the phone’s performances aren’t as noticeable but I did notice that battery life seems considerably better.
Screen Time
Do you feel like you spend too much time on your phone? Well, Apple just like Google is trying to help users strike a better, healthier balance between gadgets and life.
In iOS 12 beta, there’s a new feature called Screen Time, which will detail how much time you’re spending on your device and using individual apps. It can break down app usage by category (games, social media, etc.) and track which apps are sending you the most notifications.
https://gph.is/2KmxODy
You can set time limits for each app and iOS 12 will automatically notify you when you’re running out of the allotment of time you’ve given to each application.
Grouped Notifications
iOS notifications have been a mess if we’re being honest and it looks like Apple agrees. So they decided that they’re going to try and fix the problem. In iOS 12, users will now have grouped notifications. Users will now see grouped notifications show up in a stack to show multiple notifications from one app.
Photos
The Photos app has been upgraded and will now automatically offer search suggestions for users. You can also use the search feature to find specific photos. If you type in “Cat”, Photos will try and find pictures with a cat in them, just like Google Photos.
There’s a new “For You” tab which will suggest filters and effects you might want to apply to pictures you took.
Overall Impressions
After installing iOS 12 Beta on the iPhone 6S Plus, performance has so far been good. Battery life seems to have dramatically improved since the beta version was installed. So far, there’s been no hiccups or bugs.
The screen time feature is a great addition. If you’re someone who’s been trying to cut down on using your phone or apps too much, screen time can give you all the data you need to help cut down that time. Whether you actually decide to actually reduce your screen time is up to you.
If you’re interested in trying out the beta on your Apple device, you can go to the Apple Beta website (Advice: Don’t try out beta software on your main device if you’re uncertain)
iOS 12 comes out in the fall (September) and will be available on all Apple devices including:
iPhone:
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
- iPhone 6
- iPhone 6 Plus
- iPhone SE
- iPhone 5s
iPad:
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2nd generation
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro 1st generation
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro
- 9.7-inch iPad Pro
- 9.6-inch iPad
- iPad Air 2
- iPad Air
- iPad 5th generation
- iPad mini 4
- iPad mini 3
- iPad mini 2
iPod touch:
- iPod touch 6th generation
