The iOS 12 beta appears to support adding a second face to the Face ID feature, allowing a second person to unlock an iPhone X without entering the passcode. This was discovered and later confirmed by multiple users on Reddit.
Ever since the iPhone X was released last September, Apple's Face ID authentication system has been restricted to recognizing a single person's face to unlock the iPhone X. Though iOS is ostensibly designed as a single-user operating system, this restriction has frustrated some users who wish to allow their partner or other family member to unlock their phone for convenience and sharing purposes.
This is possible under the old Touch ID system, which has been around for nearly half-a-decade, because Touch ID allows up to five fingerprints to unlock the iPhone — so it's easy to allow your partner's thumbprint to your iPhone.
With iOS 12, an "Alternative Appearance" mode in Face ID allows iPhone X owners to add an entire second face to Face ID. This means two people can unlock an iPhone X, potentially making it easier for users to share their devices.
The feature doesn't appear to be intended for this purpose. In iOS Settings > Face ID & Passcode, Alternative Appearance is described thusly:
In addition to continuously learning how you look, Face ID can recognize an alternate appearance.
It's likely that Alternative Appearance is designed for people who have difficulty with Face ID because of more significant changes in appearance due to changing wardrobes like glasses or hats — but it has the happy coincidence of supporting a second person as well.
One thing to note is that if Face ID is reset for one "Appearance", it will also reset the other, meaning both users will have to start from scratch with Face ID if the system is reset.
We have reached out to Apple for clarity on what this feature is intended for and whether the side-effect of support for multiple users is expected to continue through the final release of iOS 12 this fall.
Apple didn't touch upon Apple Music at all during its WWDC keynote yesterday, leaving any potential new details about the streaming music service to be discovered by early beta testers of iOS 12. For now, it appears that Apple Music remains largely the same between iOS 11 and iOS 12, but some Redditorshave discovered at least one update for artists and their profile pages in the Music app on iPhone.
With the update, artist profiles now have larger images that take up half of the screen on iPhone. Under the image is the artist's name, accompanied by a new play button. According to users on Reddit, this button shuffles all the songs in the artist's catalog of music, making it easy to search for a band or singer and simply tap the button to start playing their music. Otherwise, the rest of the page appears normal with Top Songs, Albums, Top Videos, and more that can be discovered as you scroll down.
Apple Music in iOS 11.4 (left) compared to iOS 12 (right, via tynamite on Reddit)
In comparison, Apple Music artist pages on iOS 11 have much smaller artist images. As visible in the comparison image above, for some bands like The Raconteurs it's easy to see why Apple would want to switch to larger artwork when some artists have most of their images cut off by the current layout.
At the same time, the iPhone X and the notch still negatively affect some artist images even with the new iOS 12 layout (like Rihanna below), so it appears Apple has some more tweaking to do to get this section of Apple Music right.
Apple Music in iOS 11.4 (left) compared to iOS 12 (right, via kevinlim512 on Reddit)
Instead of a play button, Apple Music in iOS 11 currently has an ellipses menu next to the artist's name with options to Follow on Connect, Create Station, and Share Artist. Creating a radio station is somewhat similar to playing more of the artists music with the new play button, but it crucially diverges from that feature since radio stations also throw in songs from different artists, focusing on the genre/style of the chosen band and not the band itself.
Other images of the new profile pages have surfaced on Reddit, including for Green Day, and it appears that there is currently a slight gradient bug where the artist's name sits.
As Redditor tynamite explained, in the iOS 12 beta right now if you travel to an artist profile from your own library, a gray box will appear behind the artist's name. But, "If you search or find an artist through other ways of exploring (eg. "similar artists" option), it doesn't show the gray background at all." As such, this is likely a simple UI bug that will be fixed in future beta updates.
A Reddit user has discovered that the first beta of iOS 12 includes a Music app feature that allows Apple Music subscribers to search for songs using lyric phrases.
As the image below shows, using the search phrase "Loving you isn't the right thing to do" – the first lines of Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" – successfully returns the relevant song, and quotes the lyrical phrase in the single's entry in the results.
MacRumors can confirm that the lyric search does work, but seemingly not yet for all songs with lyrics in the Apple Music archive. Several beta testers on Reddit also chimed in to confirm the feature. As Reddit user abrb3192 notes:
It definitely works. Had a line in my head for weeks and no idea where it came from. Searched "6 gear speed" and it brought back the song Strip That Down by Liam Payne. It's not my cup of tea (the song) but at least I finally have context to the transmission reference.
Assuming the feature makes the final release of iOS 12, Apple Music subscribers should be able to discover songs for which they don't know the name, but only know a select lyric that they can recall hearing as part of a song.
In Apple Music in iOS 11, scrolling down on the "Now Playing" window brings up an option to show song lyrics on most Apple Music songs. Lyrics are not available for all songs, especially new releases, so that might be the reason for the hit and miss results in the iOS 12 beta.
Testers of the new watchOS 5 Beta that Apple released yesterday have discovered a new function that allows Apple Watch users to change the arrangement of icons in the Control Center menu, which is accessed by swiping up on a watch face.
As shown in this image shared by Reddit user brooksdbrewer, the option appears as an Edit button when you scroll down to the bottom of the Control Center menu. Tapping the button then allows you to drag the icons around into a new arrangement – placing the icons you most often use up to the top of the menu, for instance.
So for example, if you use Theater Mode frequently, you could locate the associated icon next to the battery percentage icon at the top, and move the Ping iPhone icon to the bottom of the menu to prevent accidental taps. Likewise, you could drop the Expel Water icon right to the bottom of the screen if you never use it.
As more users sign onto the first beta for Apple's iOS 12, new discoveries are quickly being made, with the latest centering upon a simple but highly useful new gesture for iPhone X owners.
Currently, when you hold up the iPhone X and Face ID fails, you either have to lower it and raise it again, or press the side button to put the iPhone to sleep and wake it up through another side button press or tapping the display. You can also tap "Cancel" after the failure then swipe up to start over. All of these methods will reactivate a Face ID scan.
As discovered by Redditor shakil-ali, Apple has provided a slightly simpler way to rescan your face in the iOS 12 beta: now when the biometric security feature fails multiple times you can swipe up from the bottom of the iPhone X to get Face ID to scan again, without having to tap or press another button first. This should help to alleviate a small but sometimes frustrating part of unlocking the iPhone X with Face ID.
In regards to other hidden features of iOS 12, we have collected a bunch in a tidbits roundup posted yesterday. These include setting up an "alternate appearance" for Face ID, a new QR code scanner in Control Center, a revamped Battery Usage section in settings, and more.
As a whole, Apple announced iOS 12 with a focus on user privacy and digital health, and when the update launches in the fall iPhone and iPad owners will be able to keep track of everything they do on their devices with features like "Screen Time" in Settings.
Yesterday at WWDC 2018, Apple revealed macOS Mojave, which is set to bring users a Dark Mode, redesigned Mac App Store, organizable Stacks, streamlined screenshots, and more when it launches wide in the fall. Alongside the new features, Apple has confirmed that it is deprecating OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) and OpenCL (Open Computing Language) in favor of Metal.
This means that apps built using OpenGL and OpenCL will still run in Mojave, but they will no longer be updated after macOS 10.14 launches. Apple encourages games and "graphics-intensive apps" built with OpenGL to adopt Metal ahead of Mojave's launch, and apps that use OpenCL for computational tasks "should now adopt Metal and Metal Performance Shaders."
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration is one of the latest Mac games to run on Metal
Launched four years ago, Metal is Apple's own 3D graphic and programming interface that combines the functions of OpenGL and OpenCL under a singular API. In explaining the move of deprecating the "legacy technologies" of OpenGL and OpenCL, Apple said that "Metal avoids the overhead inherent in legacy technologies and exposes the latest graphics processing functionality" of GPUs found in devices across iOS, macOS, and tvOS.
Although Apple's decision to deprecate the older technology in favor of its own graphics API may not be surprising, some game developers have begun criticizing Apple for the move, particularly how it affects the future of gaming on Mac. Notably, OpenGL is an open-source, cross-platform solution that made it simple for developers to build games on both Mac and PC at the same time, providing some parity to a platform that many have agreed is lacking as a gaming hub.
Since "many games and apps continue to use OpenGL," particularly those that released prior to Metal in 2014, the shift to Metal-focused development is leaving Mac developers worried about any potential to grow as a gaming platform (via PC Gamer). Game developer Sam Loeschen tweeted that he feels "conflicted" about the decision, calling Metal a "really, really good" graphics API but admitting that "this decision alienates macOS further as a gaming platform."
Speaking with PC Gamer, game designer Rami Ismail said that while "it's not doomsday," it appears that Apple is preparing for such an occasion in regards to fully terminating OpenGL/OpenCL on Mac. He explained that for now, "the worst that's going to happen" is that parts of old apps will "break," and pointed out that lacking a single cross-platform graphics API is a "pain" and "not very good for developer confidence" in Apple.
"With deprecation, abandonment can vary from 'soon' to 'never', so until we have information on that, we can't really say," he said. "All we know is Apple seems to have shown intent to rid itself of OpenGL in favor of its own graphics API, Metal. The problem with Metal is very similar to the problem with DirectX: it's not cross-platform.
"It's not doomsday, it's more like Apple building a giant EMP machine and saying 'we might or might not use this.' The worst that's going to happen is old stuff will break, and our engines and libraries will grow a bit to support both Direct3D and Metal. Not having a clear guideline for future actions Apple might take in this regard isn't very good for developer confidence, I'd guess, and not having a single cross-platform graphics API is just a pain."
More developers and programmers chimed in on the news to PC Gamer, including Alex Austin, who ultimately said that while he likes to develop on Mac to "support fans if I can," he's most likely "not going to spend any time on Metal because Macs are a pretty small percentage of the market and really probably not worth it even now."
This is the first of many warnings Apple plans to provide as it works to put an end to 32-bit apps on the Mac, as it did on iOS devices with the release of iOS 11. Apple has confirmed that macOS 10.14 Mojave, set for public release in the fall, will be the last version of macOS to allow 32-bit apps to run, but it will include more "aggressive" warnings about their use before they are phased out entirely.
In this article, we'll show how you can quickly find out which apps installed on your Mac are 64-bit and which are still living in the 32-bit age. If you don't rely on apps that fall in the latter camp, you can safely uninstall them. However, if you're a frequent user of one of these apps, try contacting the developer to find out if a 64-bit version is in the works. If one isn't planned, try and find an alternative app with similar functionality before the time comes when it refuses to launch.
As expected, Apple confirmed yesterday during its WWDC keynote that macOS 10.14 Mojave will be the last version of macOS to support legacy 32-bit apps.
Apple commenced its plan to begin phasing out 32-bit apps on Macs in macOS High Sierra 10.13.4. When a 32-bit app is opened in High Sierra, users get a warning about its future incompatibility with the macOS operating system.
Likewise, when opening 32-bit apps in macOS 10.14 Mojave (beta 1), users are shown a dialog box with a similar message telling them that "This app will not work with future versions of macOS". Clicking "OK" on the prompt then allows the app to open.
Currently, the warning is only shown one time for each app. That could well change in subsequent betas of macOS Mojave, however, since Apple previously said it would include "aggressive" warnings about 32-bit apps in the next version of macOS after High Sierra before they are phased out entirely.
32-bit app warning in macOS 10.14 Mojave (beta 1)
Apple's effort to phase them out on Macs mirrors the path it took when ending 32-bit app support on iOS devices. In iOS 10, Apple provided increasingly more insistent warnings to let users know that their apps wouldn't work with future versions of iOS before phasing out 32-bit support entirely in iOS 11.
Once 32-bit apps are phased out on Macs, they won't be able to be used at all, so users will need to find replacements for older 32-bit apps that aren't likely to be updated to 64-bit. You can find out which apps on your Mac are still running in 32-bit by following our how-to guide.
Apple revealed during its WWDC keynote yesterday that among other features, iOS 12 will include a new Password Manager API that will be able to hook into third-party password manager apps installed on devices and offer up their stored passwords as suggestions to the user when they're prompted for login information.
Today, the makers of popular password manager service 1Password confirmed that it is already working on integrating its app with Apple's new API, and even offered its Twitter followers a teaser video of 1Password AutoFill in action.
The short clip shows a screen recording of a login prompt from the Apple ID website in Safari browser. As the user taps on the password field, the keyboard pops up and the password stored in 1Password appears in the QuickType suggestion bar, ready to select.
It's unclear at this time how soon 1Password will support the API integration after iOS 12 is publicly released in the fall, but users can rest assured the developers at AgileBits are "very excited about it" and will be "playing around with it very soon". Those looking to get a look in sooner can join the 1Password for iOS beta test program by following the steps outlined here.
In other security-related news, iOS 12 will also offer password suggestions within third-party apps, and will also keep track of passwords that have been reused, prompting users to create new ones.
In another welcome iOS 12 feature, one-time passcodes delivered via SMS text message will automatically appear as AutoFill suggestions on login screens, so users no longer have to concern themselves with reading the message, memorizing the code, and returning to the login screen to input them.
Apple is rumored to be working on a new high-end 2018 iPad Pro that is said to adopt many design elements from the iPhone X including Face ID and the removal of the Home button, and several changes newly discovered in iOS 12 appear to bear out those claims.
As reported by MacRumors yesterday, Apple has tweaked iPad gestures in iOS 12 to bring them in line with gestures on iPhone X. For example, swiping up from the dock brings up the Home screen, as it does on iPhone X in lieu of a Home button.
Similarly, users now swipe down from the top right of the iPad to bring up Control Center, rather than swiping up from the bottom. This action was originally introduced in tandem with the iPhone X's notch, which houses Apple's advanced face detection sensors and leaves an "ear" on either side of it.
Likewise, status bar changes to accommodate a possible notch can now be found in iOS 12's iPad interface – the time, day, and date are located on the upper left hand side of the screen, while the right displays the current Wi-Fi/LTE connection, Bluetooth status, and battery life.
Of course, it's possible Apple simply brought over the gestural and menu bar changes to iPad to create interface parity across its iOS lineup, but it's likely Apple is paving the way for redesigned iPads widely believed to be coming later this year.
According to a November report by Bloomberg, the next-generation iPad Pro will feature slimmer edges, a faster processor, a custom Apple-built GPU, and a TrueDepth camera with support for Face ID. The new tablet device will reportedly do away with the Home button.
Well-regarded market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also stated he believes new iPad Pro models set to be released in 2018 will come equipped with a TrueDepth Camera and will support Face ID. Whether Apple will adopt a notch for the TrueDepth camera and sensors or simply integrate them into the surrounding bezel remains unclear.
There was some speculation whether Apple would unveil new hardware during last night's keynote, but that didn't happen, and we're now expecting the next round of iOS devices to appear in the fall. In the meantime, stay tuned to MacRumors for more details on all the announcements at this year's WWDC.
Among other headlining features, Apple is introducing a new redesigned Mac App Store with MacOS Mojave, and as part of the change, it looks as if Apple has decided to stop delivering system software updates via the Mac App Store's Updates tab.
Instead, Apple has moved the system update mechanism to System Preferences, and in doing so has re-introduced the Software Update preference pane of old. The re-instated pane, which was discovered by a Reddit user, includes Advanced options previously found in the old Mac App Store preference pane, which it replaces.
The change will likely be warmly received by Mac owners, as it means they will no longer have to open the Mac App Store to check for and download system updates, which has been criticized for being a slow and clunky affair in current versions of macOS. As expected, the Mac App Store will continue to be the delivery mechanism for individual app updates, the section for which can be accessed via a new sidebar.
macOS Mojave is limited to registered developers at this time, but later in the summer, Apple plans to make a public macOS Mojave beta available, giving public beta testers a chance to try the software before it sees a public launch in the fall.
Apple likes to focus on tentpole features when it unveils a new operating system, but there are always lots of small tweaks and improvements that gradually come to light in the days and weeks after the WWDC keynote. Stay tuned to MacRumors for upcoming coverage of all the little things new to macOS Mojave and iOS 12.
Apple CEO Tim Cook this evening sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN's Laurie Segall, where he discussed everything from his iPhone usage habits to the importance of privacy.
On the subject of device usage, Cook says that when he started using the new Screen Time feature built into iOS 12, he found he was spending too much time on the iPhone. "I found I was spending a lot more time than I should," he said. "I thought I was fairly disciplined about this. And I was wrong."
Cook said that Apple is aiming to provide the tools to consumers to let them make their own decisions about device usage, and what's considered too much will vary from person to person. He said that while Apple wants customers to be "incredibly satisfied and empowered," it's not the goal to get customers to spend all of their time on iOS devices.
I think the power is now shifted to the user and that has been What Apple has always been about - giving the power from the institution to the user. I am hopeful great things are going to happen from this.
Cook reiterated his stance on privacy, and called it a "fundamental human right," as he has done in the past. He said it's "not healthy" to point a finger at companies like Facebook, and instead, we should be focusing on making the web an "unbelievable place."
To me, and we feel this very deeply, we think privacy is a fundamental human right. So that is the angle that we look at it. Privacy from an American point of view is one of these key civil liberties that define what it is to be American.
Cook said customers can trust Apple to be "on their side." "We're the trusted adviser and company here," he said, explaining that people are not fully aware of how their data is being used and who has access to it. "I think this needs to be addressed."
The interviewer asked Cook whether or not he was concerned about machines taking over the world, and he said it's not something that he worries about. Instead, he is concerned about people becoming more machine-like.
I don't subscribe to machines the taking over the world. And I don't worry about that. I worry much more about people thinking like machines then machines thinking like people. I mean forgetting the humanity in things. Forgetting that all of our products should be infused with humanity. Forgetting that we have a broader obligation to society.
Cook said he doesn't consider himself to be political, and suggested that he would not run for political office.
I'm not political. I'm not sure I would really do well in that environment. I think that I can make the greatest contribution doing what I'm doing. [...] I love getting things done and I don't love the political machine in the background. I love Apple, it is the privilege of a lifetime to be leading this company at this time.
He also said that he believes Steve Jobs would support Apple's current trajectory when asked how Jobs would feel "about this moment in time."
In terms of the broader issue of humanity, that was his philosophy. That is the DNA of this company. Apple should always be trying to change the world, and change means make it better. That is the thing that we get up in the morning and focus on doing. And I don't see that changing. That is the north star that keeps us going.
Several snippets of Cook's full interview, which cover topics like DACA, immigration, tariffs, and more, are available over on CNN and are well worth checking out for those who want to see everything Cook had to say this evening.
Cook also did a separate interview with NPR, which covered topics like privacy, rumors that Apple had access to Facebook users' personal information, the new Screen Time feature, and the Trump administration.
Apple tonight announced the developers and apps who received an Apple Design Award, marking what Apple thinks are some of the best apps for various Apple platforms.
This year, Apple chose a total of 10 apps that work across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, with the winners listed below:
Agenda - A unique date-based note-taking app for iOS and Mac devices.
Bandimal - A music composing app that's designed for kids and uses cute animal-based graphics.
Calzy - A modern calculator app for iPhone, iPad, iMessage, and Apple Watch.
iTranslate Converse - A translation app that's designed to translate foreign languages in real time.
Triton Sponge - An app that uses an image processing algorithm to calculate a real-time estimation of surgical blood loss.
Playdead's INSIDE - A 2D puzzle platformer with impressive graphics and complex puzzles from the makers of LIMBO.
Alto's Odyssey - A desert-based endless runner that's a followup to the first ultra popular Alto's Adventure game.
Frost - Frost is a dreamlike Puzzle game where the goal is to draw paths to guide spirits to their home planets.
Oddmar - Oddmar is an action adventure platformer game that stars a viking named Oddmar who is trying to redeem himself and earn a place in Valhalla.
Apple plans to make a video of the Apple Design Awards ceremony available online in the near future, and it will be available on the Apple Design Awards website.
All Apple Design Award winners receive a unique cube-shaped award along with an iMac Pro, a 15-inch MacBook Pro, an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil, an iPhone X, a 4K Apple TV, an Apple Watch Series 3, and a set of AirPods.
Alongside the debut of iOS 12, which is available to developers for beta testing as of today, Apple has introduced new App Store Guidelines.
There are several tweaks that have been made to the App Store Guidelines, and one notable change appears to have been introduced specifically because of the Steam Link debacle that saw Apple approve and then renege on the Steam Link app for iOS.
A new guideline, 4.2.7, says that all Remote Application Mirroring apps, such as Steam Link, must comply with a specific set of rules. Such apps are not allowed to offer a user interface that resembles an App Store view or a store-like interface, nor can they include the ability to purchase software not already owned by the user. Apple is allowing transactions to be made by remote mirroring apps, as long as purchases are made on the host device rather than the iOS device.
The UI appearing on the client does not resemble an iOS or App Store view, does not provide a store-like interface, or include the ability to browse, select, or purchase software not already owned or licensed by the user. For the sake of clarity, transactions taking place within mirrored software do not need to use in-app purchase, provided the transactions are processed on the host device.
With the clarification of Apple's stance on games streamed from a PC or Mac, the Steam Link app may be able to launch on iOS devices after all. Valve has not yet commented on the policy changes, and it's not clear what Valve will need to tweak to comply with the new rules.
There are multiple other changes to the App Store Guidelines. A modified 3.1.1 rule, for example, says that non-subscription apps may offer a free time-based trial period using a free in-app purchase option that temporarily unlocks app functionality. This will allow all apps in the App Store to offer free trials, rather than just subscription apps.
Apps that offer auto-renewing subscriptions, meanwhile, are prohibited from attempting to trick users into purchasing a subscription under false pretenses or engaging in bait-and-switch practices. Such apps will be removed from the App Store.
Apps are no longer allowed to encourage users to disable Wi-Fi, turn off certain security features, and make other modifications to system settings that are unrelated to the core functionality of an app.
All apps (including third-party ads) are now forbidden from running unrelated background processes like cryptocurrency mining.
A new rule, 2.3.12, states that all apps are required to "clearly describe" new features and product changes in their "What's New" text. Apps can continue to use generic descriptions for bug fixes, security updates, and performance improvements, but anything more significant must be listed in the notes.
Apps are also now required to obtain explicit user consent and provide a clear visual indication when recording or making a record of user activity, and there's a new rule that says apps can use Unicode characters that render as Apple emojis within apps and app metadata, a change from earlier this year when some apps were rejected for using emojis in their App Store descriptions. Emojis can't be embedded directly into an app binary, however.
There are many other smaller guideline changes concerning content ratings, iCloud documents, data security, cryptocurrency, and more, with the full list of App Store Guidelines available on Apple's website.
Apple today introduced iOS 12 with a whole slew of updates, ranging from improvements to Do Not Disturb to a whole new activity monitoring system that tracks how much time you spend on your iPhone or iPad.
There are also new "Memoji," aka personalized Animojis, there's support for Group FaceTime, and there were tons of other changes covered in the keynote event. But in addition to all of these new features, there are dozens of smaller tweaks that Apple didn't cover in its iOS 12 announcement.
Below, we've rounded up a list of new, lesser-known or "hidden" features in the new iOS 12 operating system update.
- iPhone X App Switcher - You no longer need to hold down on apps to close them. Swiping up like on the iPhone 8 and older works.
- Siri Voices - In the U.S., there are new Siri Voice options for Irish and South African accents in both male and female genders.
- Multiple Faces in Face ID - In the Face ID Settings, there's an option to "Set Up an Alternate Appearance" which appears to be aimed at people who may need to drastically change their appearance on the regular or those who want to unlock Face ID with two faces.
- Face ID Rescanning - After Face ID fails, you can swipe up from the bottom of the iPhone X to initiate a rescan.
- Screen Time Widget - In the Widgets section, accessible by swiping to the right on the Home screen, there's a new Screen Time widget where you can see how much time you've spent on your iOS device lately, and what you've been doing. You can also see your full Screen Time usage metrics in the Settings app.
- Automatic Updates - iOS 12 introduces an option to turn on automatic software updates under General --> Software Update. This will update your version of iOS automatically when an update is available.
- Messages Shortcuts - If you tap on a person's name in the Messages app, there are now shortcuts to initiate a FaceTime audio call, initiate a standard FaceTime video call, or get info on the contact. This is also how group FaceTime calls are started from the Messages app.
- Notification Grouping - In the Notifications section of the Settings app, there are options to customize Notification Grouping for all of your apps. Notification Grouping Settings include Automatic, By App, and off. Notification settings have also been redesigned somewhat, and there are toggles for setting notifications to show up only in the Notification Center but not the Lock screen.
- New iPad Gestures - Apple tweaked gestures on the iPad to better match the iPhone X. You now swipe down from the top right of the iPad to bring up Control Center, rather than swiping up from the bottom. Swiping up from the dock goes to the Home screen.
- iPad Menu Bar - The menu bar at the top of the iPad has been redesigned, and it looks like Apple is making room for a notch that will be included on upcoming iPad Pro models that will feature Face ID. The time, day, and date are located on the upper left hand side of the screen, while the right shows Wi-Fi or LTE connection, Bluetooth, and battery life.
- Passwords - There's a new Password Manager API that can show passwords from 1Password and similar apps in the QuickType suggestion bar when you're inputting login information. iOS 12 also adds iOS password suggestions to third-party apps, like Keychain in Safari. Apple will also keep track of passwords that have been reused and prompt you to create new ones.
- One-Time Password Autofill - Apple says that one-time SMS passcodes will appear automatically as Autofill options so you don't need to hassle with quitting out of an app, opening the Messages app, copying it, and then entering it in the app that needs the code. In the Settings app, Safari Autofill has been replaced with the more general Password Autofill, and there's a new Autofill Passwords setting under Passwords & Accounts.
- Smarter Siri - Siri can answer questions about famous people, food, and motorsports. Siri can also look up passwords and search for memories in Photos.
- Scan QR Code in Control Center - There's a new Control Center shortcut for scanning a QR code.
- Wallpaper - There's a new iOS 12 wallpaper available.
- Siri Suggestions - Siri is smarter in iOS 12, and there's a new setting to allow Siri suggestions to appear on the Lock screen. You can also enable Shortcuts in the Settings menu, though Shortcuts are not yet available and will be coming through an app set to be released at a later date. Siri suggestions on the Lock screen can be enabled on a per-app basis.
- Lock Screen Options - There are new options to disable access to Wallet and USB Accessories when an iPhone is locked with a passcode. With USB Accessories disabled, you need to unlock the iPhone to allow USB accessories to connect when it has been more than an hour since your iPhone was locked. This setting will make it more difficult for law enforcement to access locked devices with USB tools like the GrayKey box.
- Voice Memos - Now that Voice Memos is also on the iPad and Mac and has iCloud support, there are settings for Voice Memos in the Settings app. You can choose when to delete Voice Memos, choose audio compression quality, and set a default recording name.
- Markup Colors - There are a lot more colors available when using Markup for editing screenshots, marking up images, editing PDFs, and more.
- Safari Icons - There's an option in the Settings app to enable Favicons for Safari tabs, a new feature in iOS 12. There are also several new Experimental WebKit Features that Apple is testing.
- Apple Books - With the Books app getting a revamp and a new name, there are several new settings for Books in the Settings app. You can turn on syncing options for the "Reading Now" feature to keep track of where you are in a book across devices, and you can choose specific devices where you want to update your place.
- Podcasts - You can set custom durations for the Forward and Back options in Podcasts. The two options are separate, and durations from 10 to 60 seconds are available.
- Battery Info - In the Settings app, the battery usage chart shows usage for the last 24 hours or the last 10 days instead of the last 7 days. There's also a whole new chart that displays battery usage information.
- Apple Music Changes - In Apple Music, you can search for songs by lyric in iOS 12. Artist pages also display larger artwork and a new "Play" button that plays an artist's entire catalog of songs.
- Siri in Low Power Mode - You can use "Hey Siri" with Low Power Mode turned on in iOS 12.
- Password AirDropping - In iOS 12, you can AirDrop your saved passwords to both your other devices and other people, which makes sharing passwords simple.
- 3D Touch - There are new 3D Touch options for the Camera and Notes apps. With Camera, you can 3D Touch to scan a QR code, and in Notes, there is a shortcut to scan a document.
Have you found other features in iOS 12 that we haven't mentioned here? Make sure to let us know in the comments, and stay tuned for more coverage on the new features in iOS 12, macOS Mojave, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5.
Apple today introduced a new App Store Connect app, which appears to be a replacement for the existing iTunes Connect app. iTunes Connect is, however, still available from the iOS App Store at this time.
App Store Connect allows developers to manage their app, see analytics trends, and respond to App Store reviews, features that are also available in iTunes Connect.
App Store Connect for iOS helps developers manage their apps that are available in the App Store. Developers can use App Store Connect to monitor their latest trends, receive notification from user reviews, as well as respond to customer reviews immediately from their iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
App Store Connect is available for both the iPhone and the iPad and can be downloaded right now. [Direct Link]
Today's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote featured more than two hours of non-stop coverage of the new features coming in iOS 12, macOS Mojave, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5.
For those of you who haven't had a chance to watch the keynote or don't want to spend two hours listening to software announcements, we've condensed everything Apple announced into six minutes, so you can get a quick recap of everything important.
There were no hardware announcements at today's event, with Apple electing to focus solely on iOS 12, macOS Mojave, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5. It's no surprise Apple decided to unveil software alone, as all of these updates bring some great new features.
iOS 12 speeds up many of the animations on the iPhone and iPad for faster performance, plus it brings a suite of new digital health tools for monitoring how much time you're spending on your devices and cutting back if desired.
Do Not Disturb at Bedtime minimizes nighttime distractions, while Group Notifications clean up your Lock screen. On the iPhone X, there are new emoji, including personalized "Memoji" characters that you can customize to look like you. ARKit 2 will bring improved multiplayer augmented reality apps that also offer object persistence, and Group FaceTime will let you chat with up to 32 people at once.
macOS Mojave introduces a new Dark Mode, a revamped and enhanced Finder, Desktop Stacks for managing items on your desktop, a redesigned Mac App Store, a Dynamic desktop that changes based on the time of day, and new apps that include Home, Apple News, Stocks, and Voice Memos.
As for tvOS, it brings long-awaited Dolby Atmos support and a new zero sign-on feature that's designed to let you access apps you're entitled to with your cable subscription when you're signed into your cable provider's WiFi.
watchOS 5 introduces auto workout detection for automatically starting and stopping workouts, new workout types, a Podcasts app, an activity competition mode for competing with friends, improvements to the Siri watch face, and a new Walkie-Talkie app for sending push-to-talk messages to friends and family.
Make sure you stay tuned to MacRumors this week, because we're going to be sharing in-depth videos highlighting new features in all of the software updates Apple introduced today. We'll also be publishing detailed roundups on everything you need to know about the new software, and we'll have coverage of all the new features as we delve into the updates.
In iOS 12, there's a new setting that will effectively put an end to law enforcement access to iPhones and iPads using USB devices like the GrayKey box, preventing USB accessories from connecting when it's been more than an hour since the iPhone was last unlocked.
Located under Touch ID & Passcode, the new setting, which requires a passcode to be entered to allow a USB accessory to connect after an hour, is enabled by default.
You can toggle off the setting to allow USB accessories to connect at any time, but most users are likely going to leave this set to the default setting as there's not a whole lot of benefit to turning it off. With this turned on, you'll need to enter your passcode for a data connection to the iPhone using a USB device, such as when you connect it to iTunes on a computer, but charging via the Lightning port will continue to work fine.
The new setting is of interest because it's an expansion of USB Restricted Mode, a feature Apple toyed with during the iOS 11.4 beta. USB Restricted Mode was designed to disable USB access to the Lightning Connector after 7 days, but iOS 12 cuts that time period way, way down.
Law enforcement officials use USB access to an iPhone or an iPad to connect accessories like the GrayKey box, a tool that plugs into the Lightning port of an iPhone and uses the data connection in an attempt to brute force a passcode.
With the new setting, an iPhone's Lightning port data connection will not work with the GrayKey box if it's been more than an hour since a passcode was entered, rendering it effectively useless unless used immediately after an iPhone is obtained from a suspect.
Law enforcement officials are likely going to be unhappy with the changes Apple is making in iOS 12 because it's going to make iOS 12 devices a lot harder to get into, but from a customer point of view, this setting offers protection from hackers and other bad actors who may be able to get ahold of this kind of technology.
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