Apple has just officially unveiled iOS 12 at its annual WWDC conference. This is the software that will define the experience of 2018's new iPhones, and also update current iPhones and iPads when it comes out to devices later this year.
"With iOS 12, we're doubling down on performance," Apple's senior VP of software engineering, Craig Federighi, said on stage at the keynote. iOS 12 will come to all the same devices as iOS 11. Apple says it's focusing its efforts on the oldest devices, like the iPhone 6 Plus. Apps will launch up to 40 percent faster, and you can slide to take a photo at up to 70 percent faster than with iOS 11.
iMessage: Make an animoji ("memoji") of yourself
Memoji: Taking on the Galaxy S9's AR Emoji, will let you make an animoji of yourself, including customization options for skin tone, hairstyles, facial features (like freckles) and accessories like sunglasses.
New anomoji: Apple adds a koala, ghost, tiger... and a T-rex.
Stick your tongue out: It's pretty self-explanatory, but now when you stick out your tongue, your animoji does, too.
New effects into the messages camera: Now you'll see filters similar to Snapchat, stickers from your favorite sticker packs, and the ability to put your custom memoji in a chat.
Siri shortcuts burrow deeply into your day-to-day
Siri's new shortcuts feature was created to provide the information and services that Apple thinks you need throughout your day. For example, if you go to a movie, Siri can remind you to turn off your ringer. It'll prompt you to call your mom on her birthday.
And if you do the same thing every day, Siri will identify the repeat behavior or your upcoming schedule and offer actions to help you out. So, saying "order my coffee" can place your usual order. Or you may see a button on your lock screen that offers to do this for you.
You can create a voice prompt (or shortcut) to ask Siri to do something. "Find my keys", "order my coffee," game time" lets you program what you want Siri to do.
A new shortcuts tool with a shortcuts editor will help you set up your own. You can make shortcuts as detailed or numerous as you'd like. You can run shortcuts from the iPhone, iPad, HomePod and Apple Watch.
Notifications
You'll be able to send notifications from specific apps or simply turn them off for specific apps. Notifications will now be grouped by app, topic, or thread -- and you can swipe old notifications away in bulk.
Do not disturb and Screentime aim to make you less of a phone addict
Do not disturb during bedtime: Your device won't show you all the chatty notifications that will keep you up. In the morning, you can tap to keep those notifications coming. This is a new mode in control center that you can set up.
Screentime: Weekly reports show you how often you use your device, day and night, and how much time you spend in maps. The app gets really detailed: how many notifications from each app, how many per hours, and so on.
App Limits: You can set a limit on apps and receive a notification that you've been using an app too long (you set the limit). You can grant yourself an extension, but they'll remind you to move on later on. Set it up for yourself or your kids. You can create allowances, including downtime. You can limit your kids in individual apps, like movies and games.
Photos improves search
Search: You can now search for multiple search terms, people, and scenes.
New tab: For you: You'll see recommendations for memories to revisit, suggestions to share photos with your key people and suggestions like apply loop to this photo. Photos share at full resolution out of your iCloud photo library. When a friend receives them, iOS 12 will search on their library (assuming they have an iPhone or iPad too), to suggest pics that they can share with you, too.
Augmented Reality (AR)
AR is a highlight in iOS 3, where multiple people on their own devices can interact in the same AR experience in real time.
Measure app: A new app that uses the phone's camera to measure real-life objects accurately. This is important for placing objects, like a new desk you want to check out, in AR apps.
3D graphics: Apple wants you to be able to drop any 3D object into the "real world", like a toy or lamp or character. To help make it easier for app developers to do this quickly and easily, Apple made a new file format called USDZ, which was developed in conjunction with Pixar.
ARKit 2.0: The second version of Apple's AR software toolbox for developers is all about making multiuser experiences in VR happen. That means playing games or building Lego with friends, even sharing a virtual document. ARKit 2.0 also improves face tracking. Lego's app will let up to four people into the AR experience at once.
These apps get a refresh
News: This app gets a personalized feed of stories from trusted sources. Top stories are hand-picked by Apple's news editorial team. A new browse tab shows you new channels and topics. It's easier to jump to favorites, and a new side bar lets you dig into other topics.
Stocks: New charts show stock performance throughout day. Apple News comes to the stocks app, as well as top stories and business news curated by Apple editorial. After-hours stock pricing. Tap on the headline to get the full article without leaving the app. Stocks is coming to iPad in iOS 12.
Voice memos: Recordings stay in sync across all your iOS 12 devices.
Books: Previously iBooks, Books has a new store. Reading Now offers a preview that helps you pick up where you left off.
Carplay: It now supports third-party traffic apps -- woohoo!
Stay tuned...
This is a developing story, which will update as quickly as my fingers can type while Apple makes announcements in real time. Keep refreshing the page for the latest, and stick around for what it all means for your device.
You can also follow our WWDC 2018 live blog or Apple's livestream. Here's how to watch Apple's WWDC keynote right now.
Rumors have suggested that Apple's plans for iOS 12 will make this refresh a bump, not a jump, a fine-tuning that fixes past problems and buffs up the quality of day-to-day use. Read below for the most promising rumors, while Apple reveals its plans for iOS.
Digital Health will help curb your phone addiction
One feature Apple may highlight is digital health, with the iPhone-maker talking up new tools to help you manage (and cut back on) how much time you spend on your phone, Bloomberg reported. Similar to Google's Android Dashboard, Apple's Digital Health tools would help combat phone "addiction" and give parents more granular tools to monitor their kids' phone use.
Playing games with friends in AR life
While AR gaming might not take center stage, Apple might package at least one key update into iOS 12, Bloomberg added.
ARKit 2.0 could contain a new mode that lets you and your friends play against each other in the same augmented reality world. Google takes it one step further with software that can bring Android and iPhone players in the same AR space using digital anchors. It's likely that Apple would use a similar technology in iOS 12 to bridge the reality gap.
A more refined Face ID
Keep your ears cocked for Apple to refine Face ID, Apple's secure biometric face unlock tool that uses the 3D front-facing camera. Mac Otakara, a blog out of Japan, reports that Face ID could get support for landscape mode.
More animoji, please
Apple could also branch out with more animated emoji -- animoji -- and pave the way for both Face ID and animoji for future iPads. Building in software support for Apple's tablets would hint at future iPads getting a 3D depth-sensing camera like the iPhone X.
Other little things we could see in iOS 12
Minor tweaks could arrive, according to the same Bloomberg report, including features to:
- Make Siri voice assistant more predictive
- Snooze notifications
- Monitor the stock market
- Place video calls
- Share animoji
Read: 12 things we want from iOS 12 at WWDC 2018
What we probably won't get
The alleged tighter focus on stability and bug fixes means that Apple is saving its bigger iPhone and iPad changes for later, including a redesigned home screen in iOS 12, an overhaul to Siri, Apple's voice assistant, or a heap of photography enhancements, according to Bloomberg.
While it's unlikely Apple will lavish attention on virtual reality, CNET was first to report that Apple is working on a standalone VR headset for 2020, with an 8K resolution for each eye, so it's possible we'll see a nod in this direction. Or rather, a wink.
We're also slashing all expectations of hardware, like the iPhone SE 2 or AirPower wireless charging pad that we've been so breathlessly awaiting.
Reminder: How to watch WWDC 2018
WWDC 2018: All the rumors on iOS 12, iPad Pro, new MacBooks and more
Editors' note: This story was originally published June 2, 2018 ad most recently updated June 4 at 7:15am PT.