iOS 12 rumors and news: What to expect?

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Although iOS 12 is still some months away from being released, this iteration of the Apple operating system will be vital for the corporation. At a time when Apple is battling harder than ever with its great rival Samsung, the iOS 12 system will play a key role in Apple’s product releases for 2018.

iOS 12 Release date

Firstly, we can reasonably expect the developer to stick to its release schedule from previous versions of the operating system. This will mean that the iOS 12 release appears during a keynote speech at the 2018 World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC). Expect CEO Tim Cook and Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, to be involved.

This will precede the public release of iOS 12, which is likely to be during the fall of 2018. While there will be all sorts of minor tweaks intended to ensure that the software runs more smoothly, Apple will also provide a raft of new features intended to paper over the cracks of iOS 11 and the iPhone 8 / iPhone X generation.

Keyboard fixes

Among the first issue that Apple may look to resolve with iOS 12 will be the keyboard feature included in the last generation. It is notable that even though the iPhone X has provided significantly more screen real estate to work with, that the keyboard feature fails to really take advantage of this extra space.

For some bizarre reason, Apple decided to position the keyboard with a sizeable chunk of space beneath the feature, presumably with the intention of not interfering with the home indicator. This does seem a bit of a waste, and Apple could surely do more with this feature in the iOS 12 generation.

Blank space could instead be devoted to emojis, or perhaps Apple could even enable developers to customize this gap with their own unique buttons. Every pixel on the enlarged screen should be treasured, and Apple could do more with this functionality in 2018.

Improved unlocking

Apple may also be tempted to build improved unlocking features into the iOS 12 operating system. There has been considerable debate over whether Face ID or Touch ID is preferable, but the fact that the smartphone must be unlocked every single time that a user wishes to take advantage of its functionality must be considered irritating.

Android phones enable devices to remain unlocked when connected to trusted Wi-Fi networks and certain Bluetooth devices, and iOS 12 should follow suit in this department. It would certainly add a lots of convenience if it was no longer necessary to utilize Face ID in order to unlock an iPhone X if an Apple Watch had been attached to it.

Camera notch

The camera notch in the recent iPhone release was a cause for some criticism initially, but ultimately it didn’t turn out to be too debilitating or unsightly. Nonetheless, Apple could make more of the space around this dent, by turning the status bar in the iOS 12 system into a fully interactive space that negates the requirement to continually utilize the Control Center.

This is underlined by the Reddit app Apollo, which uses the top right space to indicate sound adjustments, ensuring that the view of users isn’t obstructed just because the volume is raised. Ultimately, if iOS 12 can deliver a more flexible and customizable system akin to this, it would be hugely welcomed by Apple fans all over the globe.

Siri improvements in iOS 12

Apple is also highly likely to introduce new improvements to the Siri personal assistant system in 2018, and this could be a central focus of the iOS 12 release. Although Siri is undoubtedly a jewel in the Apple software crown, challenges from the likes of Samsung’s Bixby and also recent Google devices means that Apple must continue to improve its feature set and functionality.

It is hard to say at this juncture precisely what this will entail, but the IOS 11 system delivered a series that was better at recognizing voices than previous versions of the software. This could be developed still further, ensuring that iOS 12 users can get more usage out of the software.

More VR and AR functionality

Virtual reality and augmented reality will be big business in the coming years, and Apple has already enthusiastically thrown its support behind augmented reality in particular. While virtual reality has struggled to acquire a killer app that will sell video game systems such as Oculus Rift and the PlayStation VR headset in big numbers, the technology has still been established as somewhat mainstream by now.

With Apple having explicitly stated that it considers augmented reality as the future of the iPhone range, the iOS 12 operating system is certain to include new improvements in this area. It will be interesting to see whether Apple also embraces virtual reality, as Samsung has produced its own the headset and is fully behind the technology concept. There has been less from Apple on this subject, but it may consider a VR tie-in for iOS 12.

4K support

Will the iOS 12 operating system deliver 4K support? That is the question on everyone’s lips, as Samsung also ponders of the possibility of switching to 4K in the foreseeable future.

It possibly seems a little early for Apple to deliver a 4K resolution smartphone, though. After all, the iPhone X was its first ever quad HD unit, and Apple has been happy to stick to full HD until now.

But it is possible that the increasingly mainstream 4K resolution could be seen as an essential for the iPhone 9 generation, meaning that iOS 12 embraces 4K resolution in 2018.

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