These apps give you the best features of iOS 12 before the update rolls out

Be the first to experience many new features of iOS 12! No need to wait, you can now experience the many great features of iOS 12 with existing apps.

iOS 12 will be officially released in September, bringing many updates and features, including improved password management, smarter album collation, more powerful Siri, and new augmented reality (AR) apps. But you don't have to wait for months to experience these features in advance through existing apps, and most of them are free!

Multi-person video chat

Apple started late in multiplayer video calls, and other applications already have this feature. You can use these apps to simulate FaceTime group chat functionality in iOS 12 that supports up to 32 people. While these alternatives may not be as highly integrated with iOS systems as FaceTime, the functionality is basically the same.

We recommend Houseparty (up to 8 people), Google Hangouts (up to 25 people video calls) or Skype (up to 25 people). Houseparty is more relaxed and casual, consistent with FaceTime's simplicity and is suitable for relaxing gatherings between friends. The other two applications offer additional features such as text chat and file transfer, which are more suitable for professional purposes. All three apps are free to download to iOS devices (excluding data traffic charges).

Password management

Apple has also improved password management capabilities in Safari. The updated browser for macOS Mojave and iOS 12 will automatically generate and remember passwords and issue warnings when you log in to multiple accounts with the same password.

This is exactly what we expect from the best third-party password managers that are already available on iOS. We recommend 1Password, LastPass and Dashlane. All three apps can easily manage an unlimited number of passwords, remember your login information, generate powerful passwords, and remind you not to reuse passwords in multiple accounts. There is little difference between these applications in terms of functionality and perfection. Only Dashlane offers a free version that allows you to download apps to a phone or computer; to add more devices, you must upgrade to a paid plan of $3.33 per month. The plan for 1Password starts at $3 per month and LastPass is $2 per month.

Animoji, Memoji and photo filters

The iPhone X already has Animoji animation emoji feature, iOS 12 will add more Animoji and add Memoji - a customizable 3D avatar that you can design to your own. Both types of avatars will simulate your facial expressions, such as smiling and blinking. You can use them in video chats instead of your face, or record a short video to share later. Third-party apps can’t offer the exact same features, but they have some interesting alternatives, and unlike Animoji and Memoji, it works even without the iPhone X.

For example, Snapchat's Bitmoji app introduces the concept of customizable avatars. First, you can create your own personalized emojis, with hairstyles, outfits and facial features that match your own. You can then open Snapchat to add your avatar to your video messages and images.

Snapchat and its competitor Instagram also includes a number of photo and video stickers effects that are roughly the same as Apple added to iOS 12. Both apps allow you to add filters and stickers to images or clips, from wearing rabbit ears to falling love rain.

Control your screen usage time

One of Apple's best iOS 12 new features is the Screen Time app. It monitors how long you use your phone, tracks how often you unlock your phone, and how many minutes you spend in each app. Additionally, it allows you to set usage time limits for certain apps, although you can easily override these controls. Even without this new app, some existing iOS programs are designed to help you get rid of your smartphone addiction.

For example, RealizD functions almost exactly the same as "screen usage time". It records your phone usage, breaks the data into useful charts, and limits your access to particularly time-consuming apps. The basic version is free, while the upgraded version ($2 and above) provides more ways to collect and analyze data.

To encourage your digital health, other programs focus more on keeping you away from your phone than on using data. Two beautifully designed apps, “Space” (free with ads or $2 without ads) and Forest ($2), encourage you to put your phone down. You collect in-app points by reducing the frequency of opening apps and viewing social media.

Smarter photo management

The updated Photos app will get a lot of new features in iOS 12. These features include the Recommended For You tag, which automatically organizes highlights from your gallery; provides sharing suggestions based on individuals identified in your pictures; and support for more complex searches so you can use them by location, date , events and keyword filter photos.

You have now got almost all of these features in Google Photos, including sharing suggestions and highlight collection (via the Assistant). Better yet, you don’t have to pay for any cloud storage, as Google offers unlimited space—as long as it can resize your image to 16 megapixels and video to 1080p.

Deciding which app should store photos of your life is a major decision. Therefore, you should consider several factors, including which devices work well with the app and the privacy settings available. That said, before iOS 12 arrived, Google's competitor apps were still better than Apple Photos.

Siri shortcut command

We are very much looking forward to the Siri shortcut feature in iOS 12, which allows you to configure multiple responses for a single Siri command. For example, if you tell Siri you're going home, you can have an AI assistant respond by sending updates to your partner, increasing the temperature of your smart thermostat in your home, and enabling Wi-Fi on your phone.

Before iOS 12 arrives, you can start trying out such features on Workflow. This app helps you build automated task packages that are launched under your instructions. Since Apple acquired it in 2017, it can be speculated that Workflow inspires Siri shortcuts, and that any shortcuts you set in iOS 12 will work like routines in Workflow.

Siri has also become smarter in iOS 12, providing pre-emptive advice and accessing a wider range of knowledge. You can't add these features to Siri yet, but if you want to test them ahead of time, check out Google Assistant: It knows almost everything (as long as this information exists somewhere on the internet), and is like a real assistant Likewise, it monitors your behavior and suggests actions based on the time of day and your habits.

Augmented reality measurement

Apple's mobile operating system already includes an augmented reality engine called ARKit, which allows developers to build AR-enabled applications. Now, iOS 12 will bring some improvements, including a convenient AR app called Measurement. As the name implies, it allows you to use the camera on iDevice to measure distances in the real world.

However, the App Store already contains quite a number of AR-enabled measurement applications. The most comprehensive and accurate we found is AirMeasure, which allows you to draw floor plans, draw and measure everything from photo frames to tables. As with any existing AR application, you cannot rely entirely on measurements, so you should use them as a guide rather than the ultimate accuracy. Therefore, AirMeasure does have a convenient trilateral measurement tool that helps you verify results.

The above is the detailed content of These apps give you the best features of iOS 12 before the update rolls out. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!