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If you do not have enough money to buy a new iPhone with X on its behalf, you can refresh your existing device with the latest Apple mobile operating system, iOS 12.
Available Monday, the free update contains many features that encourage you to use it more, as well as tools allowing you to use it less.
This version is compatible with all iOS 11 devices, dating back to the iPhone 5S. It will also ship on the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. It should begin at 10 am Pacific time.
The usual OS update tips apply. If you can, wait a week or longer to install it on your phone to avoid any undiscovered bug. Back up your phone before upgrading. And do not bomb your loved ones with animated Koala emoticons.
Here are the best new features:
1. Screen Time Tool
You spend too much time on your phone, you're overwhelmed with e-mail and social notifications, and your kids have not seen Instagram since coming home from school. As the creator of the modern smartphone, Apple is a little responsible for these problems. But he also wants to help.
A new feature called Screen Time, located in Settings, is used to determine the level of use of your phone. You can see detailed breakdowns, including how often you pick up your device and set limitations for certain types of applications. There is a set of similar tools allowing parents to control their children's devices.
I've been testing beta versions of iOS 12 since its announcement in June. Since the initial shock of learning the iPhone addiction, I have returned to my old habits and I do not dwell much on weekly updates on my excessive screen time.
iOS 12 also adds new notification tools to give you more control over pop-ups and pings that fill the lock screen. You can change the notification settings from the lock screen, for example by setting an application to deliver silent notifications. When the Do not disturb option is enabled, no notification is displayed on the screen.
2. Memojis: a strange new way of flirting
Perhaps the most fun new feature is the "memoji", an animoji (cartoon animated by emoji) that can be customized to look like any other. Apple has also added four new animoji characters – a ghost, a koala, a tiger and a T-rex – with blink detection and language detection.
But the animoji features only work on X lines of iPhones. They need face detection cameras.
Apple has also introduced new features such as stickers, but only if you use the camera directly from the Messages application. This is not something I do regularly, so I mostly forget that it exists, except for writing articles on the Messages application.
3. An application to measure
A new silly app called Measure shows the augmented reality capabilities of the iPhone allowing you to measure things. That's all; it's all that it does. But I loved measuring every surface and every person in my house.
4. A more useful Siri
It takes a bit of work to improve Siri in iOS 12. The voice assistant has some new tips, like the ability to turn on the flashlight, get information about celebrities or ask the number of calories a lawyer. But the real improvement is the shortcut feature in the settings.
You can record your own Siri commands, based on common tasks and recommendations from recent application usage. For example, you can add one that launches a voice memo recording when you trigger Siri and say "Captain's Journal", or the one you name Google when you say "Google me".
The options built into Settings are limited, but Apple will release a standalone shortcut application that will allow you to create more complex custom commands.
5. The little things
My favorite part of any new iOS is to find small fixes or tips. In iOS 12, Apple News has been redesigned to include a Channels tab for browsing your best publications. Two-factor authentication security codes, which offer better password protection, appear in auto-typing suggestions, so you do not have to type them.
The FaceTime feature of the group promised by Apple, which will work with up to 32 people, is a little delayed, but the next software update is likely. For now, you can test new fun filters and animoji in FaceTime chats.
CNNMoney (San Francisco) First published on September 17, 2018: 11:13 ET
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