Useful iOS 12 Features You Might Not Know About

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.

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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.

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.

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.

Lyric Search - In the Music app in iOS 12, you can search for songs by their lyrics.

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.

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.

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.

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 Roundup: iOS 12

Top Rated Comments

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christarp

14 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.

Rating: 14 Votes

NervousFish2

14 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?)

Rating: 6 Votes

Mac Fly (film)

14 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”.

Rating: 5 Votes

jarman92

14 months ago

Anyone have idea for why Apple would include a "QR Scan" button to open the camera, which can scan QR codes anyway?

Rating: 5 Votes

kalafalas

14 months ago

“Deleting Apps on iPhone X“ is incorrect and misleading. Please change to closing, force quitting, or removing from multitasking.

Rating: 4 Votes

djcerla

14 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.

Rating: 3 Votes

hlfway2anywhere

14 months ago

Anyone have idea for why Apple would include a "QR Scan" button to open the camera, which can scan QR codes anyway?

I've been thinking the same thing and I can only conclude that they are drawing attention to the capability, because previously you had to just know it could do it.

Rating: 3 Votes

mariusignorello

14 months ago

Seriously unexciting list of "features". Apple should concentrate on making iOS faster while increasing battery life and all will be well.

That is literally the headline feature of iOS 12. And the first thing they talked about at the keynote.

You want no other features added to iOS? No...you’d then complain Apple isn’t innovating.

Rating: 3 Votes

preetb

14 months ago

Seriously unexciting list of "features". Apple should concentrate on making iOS faster while increasing battery life and all will be well.

Rating: 2 Votes