iOS 12 introduces several significant new features like Memoji, Siri Shortcuts, Screen Time for keeping track of the time you're spending on your iOS devices, Group FaceTime with up to 32 people, new parental controls, ARKit 2.0, and more.

Along with all of the major additions, there are dozens of smaller, more hidden features. In our latest YouTube video, we've pulled out several of the most useful, less well-known features that are included in the iOS 12 update.

  1. Accidental Screenshot Prevention - In iOS 12, accidental iPhone X screenshots are less likely to happen through a new feature that prevents a screenshot from being taken while the iPhone X's display is turned off. With the change, the screenshot feature is deactivated until the iPhone X's display is activated. iOS 12 also prevents screenshots from being captured and the camera from working when an iPhone or iPad has been restarted or powered back on after being shut down.
  2. Quitting Apps on iPhone X - In iOS 11, you need to open up multitasking and hold down on an app to bring up a red "X" to close it. In iOS 12, things are simplified. With the multitasking interface open, just swipe up on an app to close it, just like you do on every other device.
  3. Multiple Faces for Face ID - On the iPhone X, you can register two faces that will work with Face ID. Prior to iOS 12, you could only register a single face. Registering multiple faces is useful if you dramatically change your appearance on the regular, like putting on ski goggles, a scarf, and a hat.
  4. Lyric Search - In the Music app in iOS 12, you can search for songs by their lyrics.
  5. Do Not Disturb - Get to Do Not Disturb Controls in iOS 12 quickly through the Control Center. Just 3D Touch or long press to get Do Not Disturb options like activate for one hour, activate until this evening, or activate until I leave this location.
  6. Bedtime Mode - iOS 12 has a new Bedtime Mode linked to Do Not Disturb, and if you enable it, all of your notifications will bypass the Lock screen and go straight to Notification Center so if you glance at your phone for the time during the night, you won't see a list of pending distractions. When you wake up, you'll see a nice "Good morning!" lock screen with a list of everything that happened overnight.
  7. AirDrop Passwords - If you need to share a password between devices or with a friend in iOS 12, you can AirDrop it. With the iOS Password Manager open, choose a login, press on the password field, and select the AirDrop option that pops up.
  8. Quickly Scan QR Codes - There's a Control Center option in iOS 12 that opens right up to the built-in camera to scan a QR code. It's the icon that looks like a QR code, and it can be enabled through Settings > Control Center > Customize Controls. Alternatively, 3D Touch on the Camera icon on the Home screen to get to a Quick Action for scanning a QR code.

To see all of these features in action, make sure to check out the video. What are your favorite hidden tips and tricks in iOS 12? Let us know in the comments.

Related Forum: iOS 12

Top Rated Comments

christarp Avatar
96 months ago
Seriously unexciting list of "features". Apple should concentrate on making iOS faster while increasing battery life and all will be well.
That's literally what they're doing. That's the reason for the "unexciting features" Because development time went to other things. I don't know why you're complaining about them doing the exact thing you're calling for.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NervousFish2 Avatar
96 months ago
Seriously unexciting list of "features". Apple should concentrate on making iOS faster while increasing battery life and all will be well.
Well, by the looks of things, they've made serious inroads on that, too, with iOS 12.

(But of course, these are just minor possibly unknown features, as the headline said. So maybe lets not get all super overreacty and wild tangenty?)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jarman92 Avatar
96 months ago
Anyone have idea for why Apple would include a "QR Scan" button to open the camera, which can scan QR codes anyway?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac Fly (film) Avatar
96 months ago
Anyone have idea for why Apple would include a "QR Scan" button to open the camera, which can scan QR codes anyway?
Feature visibility. Many typical iPhone users don’t know the feature exists. Likely comment: ‘Yeah, only Android can scan those code-thingies, pity our iPhones cannot’. “Look Mary, our iPhones can now scan those QR Code thingies! Pity there are none around right now to scan”.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kalafalas Avatar
96 months ago
“Deleting Apps on iPhone X“ is incorrect and misleading. Please change to closing, force quitting, or removing from multitasking.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
96 months ago
Try to register a second FaceID appearance with the phone sitting on a table and the face just inside the circle: it will unlock when laying on a flat surface with no need to stretch the head out.

Can you guys confirm?

UPDATE: on my iPhone it consistently works, so I believe this is quite the big deal for X users.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
General Apps Messages Redux

Singapore Orders Changes to iMessage by December

Tuesday November 25, 2025 6:39 am PST by
Singapore has ordered Apple to block or filter messages on iMessage that impersonate government agencies, requiring the company to implement new anti-spoofing protections by December as part of efforts to curb rising online scams, the Straits Times reports. Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it had issued an Implementation Directive to Apple under the Online Criminal Harms...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Crease-Free iPhone Fold on Track for 2026 Launch as Development Advances

Monday November 24, 2025 10:25 am PST by
Apple is making progress on the development of the book-style foldable iPhone expected in 2026, according to a report from Chinese site UDN. The device has reportedly entered the engineering validation stage, and Apple is gearing up for mass production. Citing supply chain sources, UDN says that Apple has solved "the crease problem" that has plagued most foldable smartphones, and the...