12 New iOS 12 Features for App Developers

iOS 12

We recently saw the launch of iOS 12, Apple’s latest update to their operating system, on 17^th September this year.

Familiarising yourself with fresh versions of an operating system, however, isn’t just important for consumers, in fact, it may be even more important for developers.

Many users of Apple’s iOS products were thrilled with the new release and the new world of features that it opened up for them.

In this article, we’re going to be discussing 12 new features of iOS 12 that are worth knowing for app development companies, as well as individual application developers.

What’s New With iOS 12? – A Developmental Summary

“Is iOS 12 just more bug fixes and design changes?” –

It can be frustrating when new OS builds are released with very little new on offer for developers, after all, we make a large number of the apps that give the likes of Apple and Google (Android) their good name(s).

Luckily, the latest iOS release is definitely much more thanbug fixes and a re-skin. There are many fresh features that open new doors forapp developers.

Overall, iOS 12, Apple’s latest update to their iOS operating system is great news for developers as it introduces great new features that allow developmental professionals to get more creative with app development projects,also everything is generally much smoother on a whole.

So, what are the new iOS 12 features for developers to keep in mind?

Below is a list of 12 new aspects of iOS 12 that are worth noting for those in the development industry:

1. ARKit 2.0

– Discussed in more depth below. 

2.Interactive Notifications

You can now allow for users to interact with your app’s notifications in the drop-down notification bar by adding switches, buttons and other interactive items. Due to this, notifications can now be made a lot more powerful.

3. Apple Pencil Interactions

Developers can now enable users of their applications to access additional app functions by double-tapping their Apple Pencil. Consequently, the Apple Pencil finally has much more useful functionality.

4. Navigation Apps & CarPlay 

The new framework for CarPlay enables navigation applications to display navigation information on CarPlay.

5. Health Records 

– Discussed in more depth below.

6. Effects 

Images from iMessage apps and stickers from sticker packs are now able to be used as effects.

7. Authentication 

The new Authentication Services framework allows developers to integrate password management apps with Password AutoFill.

8. Siri Shortcuts 

– Discussed in more depth below.

9. Natural Language 

A new framework for the analysis of natural language text and gathering of language-specific metadata.

10. Network Framework 

Use this new Framework for direct access to protocols such as UDP, TCP &TLS.

11. Metal (Goodbye OpenGL ES) 

If you’re going to be developing graphics-intensive apps, such as mobile games, it is worth noting that OpenGL ES is being deprecated in the latest iOS release. Therefore, Open GL ES users should now switch to Metal. Metal is optimal for the development of modern graphics-rich applications.

12. Other Deprecations –

As with OpenGL ES, there are other APIs being deprecated in the latest iOS release that are worth mentioning for developmental purposes.

When an API is deprecated, it will still be available and usable, however, maintenance on it will be minimal, and it will eventually be replaced and removed.

We recommend avoiding the use of the deprecated APIs within iOS 12, this making your mobile applications more future-proof.

Our Top 3 Noteworthy iOS Changes for Developers

It’s always worth noting all the main changes in anoperating system update, but of course, some changes are always going to standout among the rest.

Here are the 3 iOS 12 features we find most interesting from a developer’s point-of-view:

ARKit 2.0

New multiuser functions in ARKit 2.0 enable you to create an augmented reality application that allows users to interact with each other inshared AR experiences.

Persistent AR features also allow your app to store data from an AR session so that it is easily accessible and ready to be revisited at a later point.

The inclusion of object detection in ARKit 2.0 allows real-world objects to be 3D scanned in order to be incorporated into an AR session.

For further information on ARKit 2.0, please refer to the ARKit 2.0 developer documentation on Apple’s website.

Health Records

For developers of health and fitness related applications, the HealthKit functionality in iOS 12 is a very interesting feature.

HealthKit allows your app users to share their medicalhistory with the application. As a result of this, your apps can be personalised forindividual users based on their medical history, considering things such asmedication, conditions, allergies, etc.

For further information on HealthKit, please refer to the HealthKit developer documentation on Apple’s website.

Siri Shortcuts

Siri can predict and suggest shortcuts for actions within your application to users based on relevant actions. These suggestions can appear in places such as Lock Screen, Spotlight Search & Siri Watch Face.

Siri learns about shortcuts available to users of your app using donations that your application makes to Siri. Therefore, you can decide which actions in your app are relevant, and point them out to Siri as shortcut-worthy actions.

For further information on SiriKit & Siri Shortcuts in iOS 12, please refer to the Sirikit developer documentation on Apple’s website.

Get in Touch with Appoly for Mobile App Development Services

If you’re in need of mobile application development services, Appoly are here to help. We offer many developmental services, as well as consultation for when you need to get your idea(s) off the ground.

No project is too big nor too small to discuss with our experts. Our team are always happy to discuss potential projects and provide help and support where necessary.

You can contact us via email, phone or our contact page.

We look forward to hearing from you.