While the iOS 12.1 update did come out in October of this year, there is still some confusion about what exactly Apple introduced through this update. Apple introduced bug fixes and improvements, but there were three new features that Apple announced. With the iOS 12 update, you will be able to experience Group FaceTime and more than 70 new emojis for both the iPhone and the iPad. If you have an iPhone model that is a Xs or newer, then you will also be given depth control thanks to this new update.
Group FaceTime:
Apple has now made FaceTime even more enjoyable than before. With this update, you can Facetime anywhere from 2 to 32 people at one time. You may be worried that you will miss out on some parts of the conversation, but Apple has you covered. When you are on a FaceTime call with multiple people, on-device intelligence will highlight the current speaker by bringing them to the front of your screen. FaceTime will also highlight the more active speakings, by keeping their pictures in the forefront of your screen. If a person is not that active in the conversation or not speaking at all, then you can find their picture at the bottom of your screen. You can tap on any picture to bring them to the front of your screen.
Apple has also announced a FaceTime feature that will make talking to your friends and family even more exciting. Group FaceTime is now integrated with the Messages app which allows you to add stickers or filters to your call. On your FaceTime call, you can also appear as your own personal look-a-like emoji. Since Group FaceTime is synced with the Messages app, you can also start a FaceTime call straight from the iMessage group chat.
New Emoji:
You no longer have to worry about not finding an emoji that suits your mood because Apple added over 70 new emojis. Some of these stickers included characters with red hair, gray hair, curly hair, bald hair, and more smiling faces. Apple also introduced more animal, sports, and food emojis. If you have an Apple Watch or Mac then you can also utilize these new emojis by accessing the software update.
Depth Control in Camera:
In the newer iPhone models, Apple has introduced the idea of portrait mode which gives you better photo quality when taking a picture of someone. This feature received an even further improvement by adding the ability to control the depth of field for the picture. This means that you can now control the level of background blurriness in portrait mode. Unfortunately this feature is only available on the iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone Xr.
These new features have made the Apple products even better than they were before. Now Apple just leaves everyone wondering what they will come up with next.
Written by: Megan Williams
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