During its keynote speech today at WWDC2018, Apple unveiled the features that will be available in its forthcoming iOS 12 release. If you're wondering when Apple's iOS 12 is available, there's no official word from Apple on the release date, it's likely that the update will be released before the end of 2018. Though TechRadar speculated that there could be three releases by the end of September. One release will likely be for developers, one for beta users, and the final release will be for the general public.
During the keynote Craig Federighi — senior vice president of software engineering at Apple — and Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that the update will be available for all generations of iPhones from the 5S forward. The iOS 12 update includes a Digital Health initiative to help you track and manage how you're using your iPhone with a feature called Screen Time, a tool called Memoji that lets you create your own customized emoji, Group FaceTime, new features for Siri, enhanced augmented reality features, group notification management, and more.
Federighi noted that the updates included in iOS 12 highlight Apple's commitment to double down on performance, and will actually make older Apple devices faster. With many users reporting a slow down and reduced battery life with the iOS 11 update, this is welcome news.
If the WWDC2018 keynote is any indication, the iOS 12 update is both the smartest update and an update that seems to have been designed with users in mind. Because of this, Twitter users are asking when they can expect it to be released because everyone wants these updates right now. According to Tech Radar, Apple seems to follow a regular schedule for its iOS updates, which means that if they remain true to form you might be able to predict when to expect iOS 12.
"The first developer beta typically launches within the week. Last year, it was at the official close of WWDC, so we may see the iOS 12 beta seeded on June 6," Matt Swider wrote for Tech Radar. He added that those who want to be included in the beta test must be registered Apple developers, which costs $99 for an annual membership.
If you want to get in on the free public beta test, Swider speculates that this might be available as soon as June 26. "Everyone else can wait for the final version of iOS 12, which is also free, and we anticipate to see in September, alongside new iPhones for 2018. That's how it seems to work every year."
iOS 12 is reportedly focusing on fixing issues associated with iOS 11, offering tools to help users get more out of their iPhones while using them less, and upping its AI game. However, some features that may be on your iOS 12 wish list could be shelved until a later date or until iOS 13. According to Tech vsGadgets, you won't see a home screen redesign, a refreshed camera app, an updated mail app, or a refined photos app in the initial iOS 12 release.
"Those may have to wait until iOS 13, if you are to believe the rumors about the Apple team's new mission. It’s all in an effort to make iOS 12 stabilization impeccable," Ankit Sinha reported. Basically, the iOS 12 release is focused on turning everything that annoys you about your iPhone into everything you love about your iPhone, and it's being touted as the broadest software update in Apple's history.
"Delivering all of these features across such a wide range of devices while maintaining a high level of performance is a challenge we take really seriously," Federighi said during the WWDC2018 keynote. For iOS 12, "We're working top to bottom making improvements to make your device faster and more responsive," he added that this is the largest customer base ever supported by an Apple release. Stay tuned to see how it all shakes out.
