Apple releases iOS 12 GM version: officially pushed on September 18

At Apple's Gather Round conference early this morning, in addition to launching the Apple Watch Series 4 and three new iPhones, Apple also announced that it will release the GM version of the iOS 12 system today. This version has been pushed to developers and testers.

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Although the official version of iOS 12 will not be released until September 18, if there are no serious problems, this GM version will basically be no different from the final official version.

Currently, registered developers can download it from the Apple Developer Center, and users who have installed the corresponding description file can update to the iOS 12 GM version via OTA. Before installing the beta version, the editor recommends that you create a fully encrypted iTunes backup or iCloud backup, and do not install iOS 12 on the main device. After all, unofficial versions of software are not always stable and may have vulnerabilities.

iOS 12 is a major upgrade to the iOS operating system, introducing local multiplayer shared AR experiences, new Animoji, and a Memoji feature designed to let you create a personalized Animoji that looks just like you. All devices running iOS 11 can be upgraded to iOS 12, and Apple has optimized the performance of older devices.

Apple originally planned to introduce support for Group FaceTime in iOS 12, but the feature was removed in iOS 12 beta 7, and it may be reintroduced after the official release of iOS 12. After beta 7, the testing focus of iOS 12 seems to be on performance and stability, and no major feature changes have been found.

Here are the full release notes for iOS 12 GM:

iOS 12 brings performance improvements and amazing new features to iPhone and iPad. Photos adds features that help you review and share photos in your library; Memoji is a new, more customizable animated emoji that adds more expression and fun to Messages; Screen Time helps you and your family understand and make the most of your device usage time; Siri Shortcuts further improves your work efficiency and can be used with any app; augmented reality technology is getting better and better, and developers can create shared augmented reality experiences; new privacy features help prevent website tracking. New features and improvements in this update include:

performance

Improved iOS performance, faster system processing and response speed

Improved performance for all supported devices back to iPhone 5s and iPad Air

Camera launches up to 70% faster, keyboard display speed increases up to 50%, and keyboard input is more responsive*

When the device is under heavy load, apps launch up to 1x faster*

photo

A new "For You" tab that reviews the best photos in your library through "Featured Photos" and "Suggested Effects"

Sharing suggestions proactively suggest photos you take at an event to share with people in the event

Enhanced search functionality to easily find photos with smart suggestions and multi-keyword support

Search for photos based on the location, business name, or event where they were taken

Improved camera import speed and added a new large image preview mode

Supports editing of RAW images

camera

Optimized Portrait mode to preserve details between the subject and the background when using Stage Light and Stage Light Mono effects

The camera viewfinder highlights the QR code, making it easier to scan

information

Memoji are new, more customizable Animojis that add more expression to Messages with diverse and fun personal characters

Animoji now also include T. Rex, ghost, koala and tiger

Make Memoji and Animoji blink and stick out their tongue

New camera effects add Animoji, filters, text effects, iMessage sticker packs and shapes to photos and videos you take in Messages

Animoji can now be recorded up to 30 seconds long

Screen Time

Screen Time provides details and tools to help you and your family manage the time you spend on apps and websites

See how much time you spend in apps, how much you use by app type, how many notifications you receive, and how often you pick up your device

App Limits helps you set the total amount of time you or your children can spend on apps and websites

Screen Time for Kids lets parents manage how their kids use iPhone and iPad, right from their iOS devices

Do Not Disturb Mode

Turn off Do Not Disturb after a set time, when you leave a location, or when a calendar event completes

Do Not Disturb during Bedtime hides all notifications from your lock screen during bedtime

notify

Notifications from the same app are automatically grouped together to make it easier for you to manage notifications

Instant Adjustments lets you control notification settings right from your lock screen

New "Push silently" option to send notifications directly to Notification Center without interrupting you

Siri

Siri Shortcuts further improves your productivity and allows you to use Siri with any app

Use the Add to Siri button in supporting apps or add a shortcut in Settings > Siri & Search

Siri will suggest shortcuts on the lock screen and in search

Get results, schedules, statistics and standings for F1, Nascar, Indy 500 and MotoGP motorsports

Search Photos by time, place, people, subject, or recent trips to find related photos and Memories

Translate sentences in more languages, supporting more than 40 language combinations

Learn about celebrities' birth dates and other related information, as well as check food calories and nutritional information

Turn the flashlight on or off

More realistic voices now supported in Irish English, South African English, Danish, Norwegian, Cantonese, and Mandarin (Taiwan)

Augmented Reality

Shared Experiences in ARKit 2 allow developers to create innovative AR apps that can be experienced with friends

Persistence allows developers to store experiences and resume them from the same location

Object detection and image tracking give developers new tools to identify real-world objects and track images as they move through space

AR Quick Look brings augmented reality to iOS, allowing you to view AR objects in built-in apps like Messages, Safari, and Files, and share them with friends through iMessage and Mail

rangefinder

New augmented reality app for measuring objects and spaces

Draw lines on surfaces or in free space to measure, and tap the labels on the lines to see more information

Automatic measurement of rectangular objects

Take screenshots of your measurements, share them, and mark them up

Privacy and Security

Enhanced Intelligent Tracking Prevention in Safari blocks embedded content and social media buttons from tracking your browsing across sites without your permission.

Prevents ad retargeting by reducing advertisers' ability to uniquely identify iOS devices

Automatically suggest unique, strong passwords when you create an account or change a password in most apps and Safari

Reused passwords are identified in Settings > Passwords & Accounts

Security code autofill shows one-time security codes sent via SMS as suggestions in the quick input field

Easily share passwords with contacts using AirDrop in Passwords & Accounts in Settings

On authorized devices, Siri supports quick password lookup

Apple Books

New design for an easy and fun way to explore and read books and audiobooks

"Reading" allows you to easily continue reading or find the next recommended book

Never miss a book you want to read by adding it to your new "Want to Read" collection

The Book Store features hot new content curated by Apple Books editors, as well as personal recommendations, making it easy to find your next favorite read

New Audiobook Store helps you find immersive stories and educational nonfiction books narrated by your favorite authors, actors, and celebrities

Apple Music

Search now supports finding songs by lyrics, so you can find songs with just a few words

Artist pages are designed to be easier to navigate, and include personalized stations featuring all of an artist’s music

New "Friends Are Listening" playlist lets you find songs you'll love from the music your friends are listening to

The new chart brings you the top 100 daily hits from countries and regions around the world.

stock market

New design makes it easy to view stock prices, interactive charts and breaking news on your iPhone and iPad

Watchlist includes color-coded trend lines that give you an at-a-glance view of a stock's daily performance

View interactive charts for each stock symbol, along with important metrics like after-hours price and volume

Voice Memos

New design further improves ease of use

iCloud keeps your recordings and edits in sync across all your devices

iPad version now available, supports landscape and portrait display

Apple Podcasts

Now supports chapters in shows

Skip 30 seconds or jump to the next chapter with forward and back buttons in the car or on headphones

Easily manage new episode notifications from the Listen Now screen

Accessibility

Live Listen now works with AirPods to help you hear every word

RTT phone calls now compatible with AT&T

Speak Selection now supports using Siri voice to read selected text

Other features and improvements

Camera effects in FaceTime changes your appearance in real time

CarPlay supports third-party navigation apps

On supported campuses, use your contactless student ID card in Wallet to enter and exit buildings and pay with Apple Pay

Website icons can be displayed in tabs on iPad, which can be enabled in Settings > Safari

Weather now displays the air quality index in supported regions

Swipe up from the bottom of the iPad screen to return to the Home screen

Swipe down from the top right of your iPad to access Control Center

Markup includes a palette of additional colors and the option to change the line thickness and opacity of individual tools

The battery usage graph in Settings now shows usage over a 24-hour period or the last 10 days. Tap a bar to see app usage over that period.

On devices that don't support 3D Touch, touch and hold the space bar on the keyboard to turn the keyboard into a trackpad

Maps now supports indoor maps in China, showing the interior layout of airports and shopping malls

New Hebrew definition dictionary, as well as Arabic-English bilingual dictionary and Hindi-English bilingual dictionary

New English Dictionary

Automatic Software Update allows iOS updates to be automatically installed overnight

Testing conducted by Apple in May 2018 using iPhone 6 Plus supporting normal peak performance and prerelease iOS 11.4 and prerelease iOS 12. Keyboard tested using Safari; Camera tested using swiping from the Lock screen; Performance varies based on specific configuration, content, battery health, usage, software versions, and other factors.