If we take into account the number of betas that have been released for iOS 12.1 so far, it is more than likely that the final version of iOS 12.1 will be released today, the first major update of iOS 12 And that will come hand in hand with a large number of new features, some of which should have arrived with the iOS 12 version.
I'm talking about group FaceTime calling, a feature that Apple spent a lot of time on last June's keynote, but that shortly after he announced that he would not reach the final version of iOS 12. In addition to group calls, iOS 12.1 will also bring us new emojis, dual SIM support and control over live depth of field.
What's new in iOS 12.1
Group FaceTime calls
As I mentioned above, Apple spent a lot of time showing us how group calls would work through FaceTime, a function that many users were waiting for and that until now forced them to have to turn to third-party apps like Skype. This new function will allow you to make video calls with up to 32 members, a figure that seems difficult to reach, especially to be able to maintain an understandable conversation. But there is the option.
So far, this function it was limited to only two interlocutors. With this update, the members who are speaking in the video call will appear large, while the rest of the members will appear in windows that float across the screen. While it is true that the interface is curious, it leaves a bit to be desired that the background of it is completely black, especially considering the care for the design that the Cupertino-based company has.
Dual SIM support
With the arrival of iOS 12.1, the new iPhone XR, XS and XS Max models support dual SIM. Apple uses a physical SIM as the primary phone number while for the second line you will use a eSIM, similar to the one we can find in the Apple Watch Series 4 with an LTE connection. iOS 12 will show us at all times, through the Control Center, which is the telephone line that is being used and which is the signal of both.
In China, one of the countries where Dual SIM phones are our daily bread, eSIM is not availableTherefore, in this country a special model is sold prepared to be able to include two physical SIMs in the terminal. In addition, the operator must offer this service if we want both lines to work simultaneously in the terminal.
Live depth of field
With the iPhone 7 Plus came the portrait mode, a portrait mode that has become one of the main attractions of each new iPhone model, although Android manufacturers are making it very difficult for Apple to continue dominating and offering the best results in this regard. When we take a photograph with our iPhone with a double camera, the depth effect is added afterwards, when the device has analyzed the photograph, a process that takes a little less than a second.
With the arrival of iOS 12.1 in its final version, it will be possible to modify the depth of field live before capturing. To do this, we just have to click on the «f» button and modify the depth so that the blur that is applied is greater or less. If, for whatever reason, we don't like the result we have obtained, we can modify it directly from the reel of our device, a function that was already available on Android terminals for just over a year.
New emoji
iOS 12 has added four new Animoji and the new customizable Memoji feature. iOS 12.1 adds several new emoji, including redheads, balds, and many more to be able to represent ourselves as they really are, regardless of our skin color, hair color (if we have) ...
watchOS 5.1, tvOS 12.1, and macOS 10.14.1
But iOS 12.1 it won't be the only final version that the guys from Cupertino will probably launch today, since this version of iOS will be accompanied by the final version of the Apple Watch operating system (watchOS 5.1), tvOS 12.1 and macOS 101.4.1, where group calls will also arrive through FaceTime, being the best device to enjoy this type of group call.