iOS 12 – Is it really worth the upgrade? As we all know, Apple recently announced the 12 th release of its operating system:- iOS. While this new release is full of eye-catching features, the main questions which arise in the minds of all Apple users are:1. 2. 3. 4.
Whether this new release actually improves iPhone functioning on a larger scale? Are the new features really useful? Is this upgrade successful in fixing all of Apple’s minor glitches? Is this new release really worth the upgrade?
Being a gadget lover as well as an iPhone user for the past 1.5 years, I would like to provide my answers to the above FAQs from my perspective. So, without any further ado, let’s get started! Assuming the most of you are aware of this, Apple recently became the first company in the United States to cross the trillion dollar mark in terms of market value. Well, isn’t it obvious? With its state of the art designs and never-before-seen features…who wouldn’t expect that? Jumping to the point:Whether this new release actually improves iPhone functioning on a larger scale? With all its earlier releases, the one most striking difference we all would’ve noticed upon upgrade is ‘Speed’. With every new upgrade, the iPhone speed shows a gradual increase by at least 10%. This is one of the biggest plus points of the upgrade. However, does the speed reduce upon consistent use? Well, the answer is unfortunately ‘Yes’. However, it solely depends upon ‘how you use it’. When we look at other aspects, such as an iPhone getting ‘hanged’ or ‘stuck up’, we happen to notice that such cases are far more minimal as compared to android phones. The easiest way to fix a ‘stuck up’ iPhone would be to ‘reboot’ it, just like its android cousins. Just press the One/Off button along with the Home button for a duration of approximately 6-10 seconds in order to reboot you iPhone. Personally speaking, my iPhone 7 has hanged only thrice during my entire 1.5 years of regular usage! The iOS 12 upgrade shows a 100 fold increase in the iPhone speed and performance. I personally happened to notice that my iPhone 7 showed a lag before the upgrade, whereas the problem soon diminished following upgrade. My iPhone is now smoother than ever before! Coming to the next and most important question:Are the new features really useful? Well, honestly speaking, not all are really useful or worthy. Here are a list of iOS 12’s major features and their pros and cons:-
1. Siri Language Options
Siri’s accents were earlier limited to only a few countries such as English (British and American) and few others such as English (Irish). The new upgrade has expanded the language option to support accents from many other countries such as Thai, Danish, Arabic, Chinese, Indian, South African and many more! The new Siri not only supports a mere change in the accent, but additionally supports a complete change in the language. For example: If a man from China would wish to have his Siri speak to him in Chinese, he would just have to switch the Siri language option in Settings from English (Default) to Chinese and his Siri would respond back to him in Chinese! (Pretty cool isn’t it?) The much more modernized personal assistant is now capable of providing answers to a wide variety of questions starting from food and drink and can also go as far as indulging in the latest celebrity gossips, which means, you can now gossip with your Siri for as long as you want! (LOL right?) Siri can also provide you the statistics for your favorite sports, be it motorsports, cricket or soccer. You no longer need to spend your time googling the scores! (Which is pretty useful isn’t it?) The new upgrade also allows you to create a wide variety of Siri shortcuts. All you need to do is go to Settings->Siri &Search->Suggested Shortcuts->All shortcuts. The Shortcut suggestions are based on the most frequently used apps. For example: If you happen to have a habit of frequently taking notes, the Notes suggestion pops up in Siri Shortcuts. Upon enabling this shortcut, you can customize your Siri to access a particular app and perform an in-app function from your Lock screen, without actually having to open the app, which was earlier impossible! (That is definitely cool!) The upgraded Siri is also capable of storing your passwords efficiently. Pros:The modern Siri appears to be pretty handy and useful. Cons:None (Except for the fact that, Siri answering celebrity questions does not prove to be useful in any way! LOL!)
2. Battery Information The new upgrade now provides much more detailed and precise information regarding battery life and consumption. Just go to Settings->Battery->Last Charge Level. You are now provided with graphs which allow you to view the battery level consumption and activity (including the screen on and screen off time) for a period of 5-10 days. You can also view the current battery heath and compare your iPhone’s present health to when it was new! Pros:-
The new feature enables you to monitor your iPhone’s battery capacity and also your general cellphone usage. Cons:None.
3. Do Not Disturb The Do Not Disturb feature is quite an old feature, which has also gone through a transformation during the recent iOS 12 upgrade. You can now schedule your Do Not Disturb time as you wish! Just add the feature to your Control Centre and long press the Do Not Disturb option to customize your timings! You can now set up certain phone numbers and messages as ‘Priority’ and restrict other phone calls or messages to enter into Voicemail! Sending out automated messages to certain contacts of your choice is also an option! Pros:This feature enables you to restrict your cellphone usage (Especially at night) and hence contributes towards maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Cons:None.
4. Screen Time The Screen Time feature is a relatively new feature which gives you a rough idea about the amount of time spent by you on social networking sites or browsing for information on the net. To access this feature go to Settings-> Screen Time You can also find additional features such as Downtime, which enables you to schedule your time away from the screen. By enabling App Limits, you can now set a limit to various app categories, which in-turn enables you to limit the time spent by you doing various activities such as Social Networking, Gaming, Entertainment or Net Browsing. The Always Allowed feature enables you to choose the apps which are available even during Downtime. Pros:-
As mentioned previously, this feature is similar to the Do Not Disturb feature and allows you to restrict your cellphone usage and highly contributes towards maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Cons:None.
5. FaceTime FaceTime now provides an option for group video calling with a maximum of 32 individuals simultaneously. The new update also enables you to use the Snapchat-like emojis, also known as Animojis during video calls with your friends and family. They most certainly make your calls much more entertaining and hilarious! A wide variety of filters and text styles have also been added, which without any doubt plays a major role in spicing up your video-calling experience! Pros:The group video calling option is extremely useful for sharing information with a large number of people at the same time. It definitely serves its purpose by being resourceful and less time consuming! Cons:The Animojis are fun but don’t serve any actual purpose though.
6. Measure Measure is an all new app which installs in your phone by default, following your iOS 12 upgrade. It acts as a measuring device and helps you to measure dimensions of either a flat surface or an object. It basically comes in two different modes: Imperial and Metric. You can easily switch between these modes on your settings panel. The only difference between these modes happens to be that the Imperial mode gives you the measurement in Inches whereas the Metric mode gives you the measurement in centimeters. Pros:The app is useful for measurement. Cons:-
Accuracy and precision may be lacking.
7. Photos The search function in the Photos App is now enhanced and provides you smart suggestions upon typing a single alphabet in your search box. It is indeed efficient in helping you find your pictures and videos more easily than ever before! The For You tab creates short and sweet music videos by combining all your photos taken on a specific date or during a specific month or year. This particular feature earlier existed in the iPhone Photos app, however, without the presence of a separate tab. Sharing your pictures has also become all the more easier by enabling you to share your pictures easily with people who are tagged in them! Pros:The new features make your gallery more organized and in turn makes photo sharing and searching more hassle free. Cons:Some features like the Search function and the For You Tab aren’t features which are unique to an iPhone and have been commonly seen in many android phones since the very beginning.
8. iMessage The iMessage app has also gone through a major transformation since the new update came up. The camera now comes with built-in filters and effects which liven up your conversations. The iMessage sticker pack has expanded and now includes a variety of different emojis (both big and small). The FaceTime Animojis and text effects are also available in the message app and make your conversations funny and a tad bit more awesome! The enhanced camera is now capable of detecting your facial expressions such as “winking” or “sticking out your tongue”. Pros:The new features make chats more fun-filled and lively. Cons:None.
9. Notifications The notifications are now organized and neatly grouped so as to make it easier to view, prioritize, sort out and clear. The Do Not Disturb feature allows notifications to deliver silently. However, critical alerts do appear even in the Do Not Disturb mode. You can also control which notifications need to be displayed on screen and which need to go into the notification centre via Siri Suggestions. Pros:Appearance has improved to a great extent. Notifications are now so much more easier to read and sort out. Cons:None.
10. Camera An improvised QR code scanner is now available in the new update. This feature was earlier available. However, the QR codes are now highlighted in a frame, thus making them easier and faster to scan. iPhone 7+ and higher versions have an improved portrait mode, in terms of effects and lighting. However, since my phone does not support this feature, I wouldn’t be able to say much about it. Pros:Extremely useful in every way. Cons:None.
11. iBooks The iBooks app has evolved with a better look. It is now easier to browse books and download and arrange them in the bookshelf according to their genres. 12. Keyboard The new update gives an overall classy appearance to the iPhone keyboard, as well as enhanced search suggestions which make typing smoother and faster than before.
PLEASE NOTE:The above review is genuine and is solely based upon my usage of these features following the iOS 12 upgrade. Some other additional features such as the Portrait Mode and Augmented Reality are available on higher versions of the iPhone such as the IPhoneX and above. Hence, unfortunately I won’t be able to review them. Coming to the next question….
Is this upgrade successful in fixing all of Apple’s minor glitches? We might have heard of or read about several Apple users complaining about tiny glitches in their iPhones. Personally speaking, the glitches I have experienced so far aren’t more than two or three. The glitch which I most frequently notice is the Keyboard glitch. While typing the letter ‘I’, the alphabet autocorrects to ‘u’ or any other random symbol or letter. This is honestly annoying and sometimes ends up messing up the meaning of the entire sentence. It is definitely a conversation spoiler! However, the new upgrade hasn’t been successful in fixing this glitch yet. The next glitch which I’ve frequently observed since the beginning, is my inability to subscribe to iTunes. I’m unsure whether anyone else has so far faced this issue or not. iPhone for some reason refuses to accept my card number and guess what, this glitch still persists even after the upgrade! Conclusion:Nope! The new upgrade hasn’t been successful in fixing all the minor glitches! Coming to the final question….
Is this new release really worth the upgrade? Definitely YES! Although some minor glitches still persist, the new upgrade is far better and proves to be more useful as compared to all the previous upgrades. Do let me know in the comments section regarding your view about this new upgrade! Have you faced any issues in the past or currently facing any? Any glitches other than the ones I’ve mentioned? Feel free to drop in your comments and suggestions!
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