Apple is putting its proverbial foot down and introducing changes in its iOS 12 update to make you less attached to your phone, a device you can only read this story on, I’m so sorry, please keep reading.
At the WWDC conference, Apple focussed more on improving performance and eliminating bugs, than introducing fancy new things.
In a bid to sound more like a caring dad, Apple is also trying to help us maintain healthier relationships with our screens. This includes the Screen Time feature, which is a report on how much time you’re spending on each app and provides a handy weekly summary. It even tracks your activity and sets limits, and if you go over the limit, a pop up will shame you about it and maybe even block you from using the app oh no (you can ask for more time). They are not messing around here.
Another feature is a designated time for notifications. The “do not disturb” mode for notifications means you no longer have to be woken up at 4am by Quartz news bot alerts.
Apple is also working to speed things up a bit, especially for older iPhones and iPads. They claim that apps launch 40 percent faster, the keyboard comes up 50 percent faster and opening the camera is 70 percent faster. No word yet on how it affects the speeds of people responding to something with “this is not news”.
Personal is the word with this update, with the introduction of “Memoji”, or personalised avatars that look like you. It has detail like skin colour, hairstyle, outfits and accessories. I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t this a lot like Bitmoji and Nintendo Mii’s characters? And you’re not wrong. I don’t know what else to tell you, this is Apple’s little baby and they’re really leaning into this feature. Let them have this.
They look just like us.
One of the best features is by far is the “measure app” – an augmented reality tool that measures objects around you.
It also wants to do some basic things like grouping your notifications together (FINALLY), making it easier to cut down on notifications, and for some bizarre reason FaceTime for up to 32 people, making most people who don’t have 36 cousins, think only of conferences.
Here’s a quick guide for how to deal with 32 people in one video group chat:
Drop your phone.
Run.
DO NOT LOOK BACK THEY CAN ALL SEE YOU.
cool running.