Apple's IOS 12.1, available Oct. 30, includes support for Group FaceTime and Dual SIM.

Apple announced Monday that its next iOS 12 release, iOS 12.1, will be available for download on Oct. 30, bringing with it the next generation's promising features, including Group FaceTime and dual SIM support for iPhone XS owners. and iPhone XR.

In a press release, the company said that iOS 12.1 would offer the FaceTime group, new emoji, real-time depth control previews and dual SIM features when it was released tomorrow.

Launched at the WWDC in June, Group FaceTime allows FaceTime videoconference calls for 32 people. The feature was originally scheduled to come out with iOS 12 in September, but Apple postponed its launch in August.

Retailer group calls, Apple reminds users of the new features of FaceTime, including automatic detection of active speakers. The feature uses intelligence on the device to determine the most important callers during a call and highlights these people by placing their discussion window in the foreground. Windows are automatically resized during a conversation based on the duration of speech, volume and motion, says Apple. The chat windows of less active users stay at the bottom of the screen, even if you press a pane to move it forward.

A new behavior allows FaceTime to display "no ring" notifications when calling multiple people, allowing users to participate in a conversation without being annoying.

Finally, through direct integration into messages, users can start or join a FaceTime group call without leaving any text thread. For example, Messages displays a list of active calls in the Conversation List and in individual conversations. Apple notes that individual or multi-person FaceTime calls are encrypted end-to-end.

In addition to Group FaceTime, iOS 12.1 enables dual SIM functionality for iPhone XR, XS and XS Max.

The dual-SIM feature of Apple's new smartphones allows iPhone owners to use two cellular plans on a single device without constant switching of the SIM card. The Apple solution is based on Dual SIM Dual Standby technology, which allows both a physical SIM card and an integrated eSIM card (or a second physical SIM card in China) to be addressed simultaneously.

Apple's camera software has also been successful with iOS 12.1. The update supports dynamic previews for the new feature of controlling the depth of the operating system. The feature allows the user to dynamically adjust and display depth-of-field previews in the Camera application, providing quick access to the new effect in Portrait mode. The depth control functions, which can also be applied after capture, are also available on selfies taken with the TrueDepth front camera of the iPhone.

In addition, Apple adds more than 70 new emoji with iOS 12.1, including new characters with red, gray and curly hair, as well as other additions such as more expressive smiling faces.

Apple has not specified the exact time of its release, but iOS 12.1 should be available shortly after the end of the company's media event in New York. With the slogan "There is still a lot to be done", the Apple meeting is expected to start at 10:00 am EST, and should be talking about new iPad Pro, Mac and, potentially, AirPods hardware.

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