iOS 12 is now available with performance boosts, Screen Time, smarter notifications, much more

Zac Hall | Sep 17 2018 - 10:00 am PT

iOS 12 is officially out of beta and now available for everyone. The major software update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch runs on any device that runs iOS 11 — including iPhone 5s and newer, iPad mini 2 and newer, and the latest iPod touch.

For older devices, iOS 12 should noticeably improve performance when launching the keyboard, share sheet, taking a photo, and much more. The update is also the first version to include Screen Time which helps you manage time spent in apps and significantly upgrades parental controls. Notifications are also grouped intelligently and Do Not Disturb is much more flexible.

Read on for the official release notes to see everything new in iOS 12:

iOS 12 brings performance improvements and exciting new features to iPhone and iPad. Photos introduces new features to help you rediscover and share the photos in your library, Memoji—a new, more customizable Animoji—make Messages more expressive and fun, Screen Time helps you and your family understand and make the most of the time spent on devices, Siri Shortcuts deliver a faster way to get things done with the ability for any app to work with Siri, augmented reality becomes even more engaging with the ability for developers to create shared AR experiences, and new privacy features help protect you from being tracked on the web. This update introduces new features and improvements to:

Performance

iOS has been enhanced for a faster and more responsive experience across the system
All supported devices see improved performance, going back to iPhone 5s and iPad Air
Camera launches up to 70 percent faster, the keyboard appears up to 50 percent faster and typing is more responsive*
Apps launch up to twice as fast when your device is under heavy workload*

Photos

New For You tab helps you discover great photos in your library with Featured Photos, Effect Suggestions, and more
Sharing Suggestions proactively recommend sharing photos taken at events with the people who are in them
Search enhancements make it easier to find your photos with intelligent suggestions and multiple keyword support
Search for photos based on the place, business name, or event where you were when you took them
Improved camera import with faster performance and a new large preview mode
RAW support for editing images

Camera

Portrait mode improvements preserve fine detail between subject and background when using Stage Light and Stage Light Mono effects
QR codes are highlighted in the camera frame, making them easier to scan

Messages

Memoji, a new, more customizable Animoji, make Messages more expressive with personalized characters that are diverse and fun
Animoji now also include T. rex, ghost, koala, and tiger
Make Memoji and Animoji wink and stick out their tongue
New camera effects bring Animoji, filters, text effects, iMessage sticker packs, and shapes to the photos and videos you capture in Messages
Animoji recordings can now capture up to 30 seconds

Screen Time

Screen Time provides detailed information and tools to help you and your family find the right balance of time spent with apps and websites
See the time spent in apps, usage across categories of apps, how many notifications are received, and how often devices are picked up
App limits help you set the amount of time you or your child can spend in apps and on websites
Screen Time for kids lets parents manage how their child uses iPhone and iPad right from their own iOS devices

Do Not Disturb

Turn off Do Not Disturb after a set time, location or calendar event
Do Not Disturb during Bedtime hides all notifications from your lock screen while you sleep

Notifications

Notifications from the same app are automatically grouped together to help you manage your notifications
Instant Tuning gives you control over your notification settings right from the lock screen
New Deliver Quietly option silently sends notifications directly to Notification Center without interrupting you

Siri

Siri Shortcuts deliver a faster way to get things done with the ability for any app to work with Siri
Add shortcuts using the “Add to Siri” button in supported apps, or in Settings > Siri and Search
Siri suggests shortcuts on the Lock screen and in Search
Get motorsports results, schedules, stats and standings for Formula 1, Nascar, Indy 500 and MotoGP
Search for photos by time, location, people, topic or recent trips to find relevant photos and Memories in Photos
Translate phrases in more languages, with support for over 40 language pairs
Check facts about celebrities, such as when they were born, and ask questions about food, including calories and nutrient content
Turn flashlight on or off
More natural and expressive voice now available in Irish English, South African English, Danish, Norwegian, Cantonese and Mandarin (Taiwan)

Augmented Reality

Shared experiences in ARKit 2 let developers create innovative AR apps you can experience together with friends
Persistence enables developers to save and reload experiences right from where you left off
Object detection and image tracking gives developers new tools to recognize real world objects and track images while they move through space
AR Quick Look extends AR throughout iOS, letting you view AR objects with built-in apps like News, Safari, and Files and share them with friends with iMessage and Mail

Measure

New augmented reality app to measure objects and spaces
Draw lines across surfaces or in free space to measure, and tap on a line’s label to see more information
Automatically measure rectangular objects
Capture, share and markup screenshots of your measurements

Privacy and Security

Enhanced Intelligent Tracking Prevention in Safari prevents embedded content and social media buttons from tracking cross-site browsing without your permission
Suppresses ad retargeting by reducing advertisers’ ability to identify iOS devices uniquely
Strong and unique passwords are suggested automatically when creating an account or changing a password in most apps and in Safari
Reused passwords are flagged in Settings > Passwords & Accounts
Security code AutoFill presents one-time security codes sent over SMS as suggestions in the QuickType bar
Sharing passwords with contacts is easier than ever using AirDrop from Passwords & Accounts in Settings
Siri supports quickly navigating to a password on an authenticated device

Apple Books

All-new design that makes discovering and enjoying books and audiobooks easy and fun
Reading Now makes it simple to get back to the book you’re currently reading or find great recommendations for what to read next
Add books to the new Want to Read collection to keep track of what you’d like to read next
The Book Store makes it easy to find your next favorite read with new and popular selections from our Apple Books editors and recommendations chosen just for you
The new Audiobooks store helps you find immersive stories and informative nonfiction books narrated by your favorite authors, actors, and celebrities

Apple Music

Search now supports lyrics so you can use a few of the words to find a song
Artist pages have an easier to browse design with a personalized station of any artist’s music
The new Friends Mix is a playlist of songs you’ll love from everything your friends are listening to
New charts to show you the daily top 100 songs in countries around the world

Apple News

Apple News is redesigned to make it easier to discover new channels and topics
The new sidebar on iPad and Channels tab on iPhone make it easy to jump straight to your favorite publications and discover new ones

Stocks

All-new design lets you easily view stock quotes, interactive charts, and top news on iPhone and iPad
Top Stories section includes articles selected by Apple News editors to highlight the latest news driving the market
Read Apple News stories right in the app, formatted to look great on iPhone and iPad
Watchlist includes color-coded sparklines that let you see daily performance at a glance
See an interactive chart for every ticker symbol, plus key details including after-hours price, trading volume, and more

Voice Memos

All-new design with improved ease of use
iCloud keeps your recordings and edits in sync across all of your devices
Available on iPad with support for both portrait and landscape orientation

Get notified when movies and TV shows are available to watch in Up Next
Share your favorite movies, TV shows, and sporting events with universal links

Apple Podcasts

Now supports chapters for shows that include them
Skip 30 seconds or to the next chapter with forward and back buttons in your car or on your headphones
Easily manage new episode notifications from the Listen Now screen

Accessibility

Live Listen now works with AirPods to help you hear more clearly
RTT phone calling now works with AT&T
Speak Selection now supports using the Siri voice to speak text that you have selected

Other features and improvements

Camera effects in FaceTime transform your look in real-time
CarPlay adds support for third-party navigation apps
On supported campuses, use contactless student ID cards in Wallet to access buildings and pay with Apple Pay
Website icons can appear in tabs on iPad by enabling them in Settings > Safari
Weather includes air quality index in supported regions
Quickly swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go home on iPad
Swipe down from the top right to access Control Center on iPad
Mark Up includes a palette of additional colors and options to change line width and opacity for each tool
Battery usage chart in Settings now shows your usage for the last 24 hours or 10 days, and you can tap a bar to see app use for that period of time
On devices without 3D Touch, touch and hold the keyboard Space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad
Maps adds support for indoor maps for airports and malls with indoor positioning in China
New definition dictionary in Hebrew, and bilingual dictionaries in Arabic and English, and Hindi and English
New English thesaurus
Automatic software updates allow iOS updates to be installed automatically overnight