iOS 12 first public beta released to see if it is worth upgrading

Apple has officially pushed the first public beta version of iOS 12 to iPhone and iPad users. Users who are not registered developers can now experience iOS 12 in advance.

Apple users can now update the public beta version by registering for the "Apple Beta Software Program" on Apple's official website. macOS Mojave and tvOS 12 also started public beta at the same time.

In terms of stability, the public beta version also needs to be installed with caution. Although 9to5mac rated iOS 12 Beta 1 and the public beta version as the "most stable iOS test versions" in recent years, the current iOS 12 beta versions have some bugs, including incorrect location data in maps and other applications, and FaceTime disconnection during multitasking. Fortunately, the overall system operation of the beta version is relatively stable.

In previous media surveys, users who installed the beta version were most satisfied with iOS 12 because it made their devices run faster, followed by Siri shortcuts and third-party map support. This latest system brings more than 100 new features and changes to iPhone and iPad users, and I think most Apple fans can't wait to upgrade and experience it.

Starting with operating system updates, iOS 12 is faster than iOS 11, including on older devices. In the past, upgrading an old iPhone or iPad to a new version of iOS usually made people regret it and want to downgrade immediately because the upgrade only made the old device slower. Apple hopes to reverse this trend and make iOS 12 run faster on the iPhone 5s or iPad mini 2.

According to the goals set by Apple, after upgrading to iOS 12, applications will start faster, the keyboard will respond faster, and the camera will be called up faster. Previously, there have been many beta version comparison videos showing us a series of speed changes. We can only say that there has been an improvement, but it is not very obvious. Of course, the official version in September may be the final result, which makes us look forward to the official version.

There is another important theme in iOS 12 - preventing addiction to mobile phones. This goal is reflected in three new features - Screen Time, better notifications, and a more precise "Do Not Disturb" mode.

Screen Time is a brand new feature that lets you see how much time you're wasting scrolling through notifications. You get weekly reports, and parents can set app limits that sync across all iOS devices (especially iPads for kids). Do Not Disturb is now more precise because you can set it for an hour until an event ends or you leave a location.

You can now tap a notification to turn off notifications from a particular app, or turn them into silent notifications. In short, Apple hopes that through these features, users will feel that they are in control of their phones and mobile apps, rather than being controlled by the iPhone.

FaceTime now supports group conversations, a feature that's sure to increase iPhone stickiness in its own right, Stocks and News are getting some design improvements, and Voice Memos will now store your recordings in iCloud and sync them with your iPad and Mac without using iTunes.

As for iMessage, most iPhone users won't feel any difference, as iOS 12 focuses on improvements for the iPhone X in this regard. In addition to the new Animojis, iPhone X can now create its own image using Memoji. The only problem is that if you don't send a message to the person who is using the iPhone X, it feels like a one-way conversation. Of course, this feature will become more and more popular in a few years when Face ID is basically universal on the iPhone.

There are two other big things in iOS 12 for developers. The first is that Apple's augmented reality SDK has received a major update. With the launch of ARKit 2, developers can create applications that share the same AR world between multiple users. You can imagine multiplayer games and shared worlds. Apple is also working on improving the overall performance of the framework. How powerful ARKit 2 will be in the future depends not only on Apple's technology, but also on how many developers are willing to use their creativity on this platform.

The second big thing is Siri Shortcuts. After Apple acquired the iOS automation app Workflow, it quickly digested a series of features of Workflow. App developers can now configure shortcuts to let users add restaurant reservations, favorite takeout orders, or favorite sports teams to Siri. In theory, it is very powerful, but this openness is still limited.

For advanced users who love to tinker, you can also study how to implement multi-step workflows in the Siri shortcut function. Just like Workflow, a series of operations can be completed through a Siri command macro. Unfortunately, in the previous beta version and today's public beta version, the Siri shortcut function was not fully open. It is expected that iOS 12.1 or 12.2 may add Shortcuts.

In addition to the above, Apple has also brought many small improvements in iOS 12, which we will not list one by one. Those who want to try it out can upgrade to the iOS 12 public beta to experience it for themselves, and users of old Apple devices can also see how the new system can revitalize old devices.