Table of contents for Issue 133 in iPad & iPhone User

This year’s WWDC was all about software. That meant no new Mac announcements, no low-cost HomePod, no iPhone SE... nothing but iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and macOS. There was still plenty to get excited about, though. Apple’s upcoming operating systems are going to deliver a host of improvements and new features when they are released this autumn. Here’s everything Apple announced at its keynote presentation. iOS 12 This is the big one. Apple’s most popular devices run iOS, and they are getting a big, fat pile of improvements. Here’s a quick list of everything announced, but for a deeper dive, check out our iOS 12 feature on page 11. Performance: Apple is paying special attention to performance, particularly on older devices. The company says that, on an iPhone 6s Plus, apps…

After vowing to address the growing concern of smartphone addiction earlier this year, Apple is now making good on its word. During the WWDC keynote, Craig Federighi took some time to spotlight some of the new features in iOS 12 designed to help users get a grip on their smartphone habits. Rather than roll out small perfunctory capabilities, Apple is jumping right into the game with a slew of major changes that put it on par with Google’s impressive efforts in Google’s Android P. There are three components of Apple’s new digital health initiative: Do Not Disturb, Notifications, and a new app called Screen Time. Working together, they represent a whole new way to get a handle on how you use your iPhone and keep it from bugging you too…

WWDC 2018 is over, and Apple spent the entire keynote focusing exclusively on its new operating systems. Due to be launched in the autumn, as we’ve already seen they are full of interesting new features, but new features often come with a price. Major new operating systems don’t always support the same devices as the current version. Will your Apple device run the new OSes when they debut later this year? Consult our lists below. iOS 12 The new version of iOS will run on every iPhone and iPad that supports iOS 11. The operating system is chock full of awesome features, but if you have an older device, you shouldn’t worry too much about it slowing your iPhone or iPad to a crawl. A top focus for Apple this…

WWDC may be over, but once the iOS 12 dust clears all eyes will be on the next iPhone. With rumours suggesting three new models, including a 6.5in handset, Face ID enhancements, and faster charging, there’s a lot to be excited about, but a new report from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg suggests that the new iPhone could be revolutionary in a way most people might not even realize: the processor. iPhone supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has reportedly begun production on the processor for the next iPhone, and it could be an industry-first. While we know that the iPhone will have an A12 chip, following the pattern of annual chip upgrades, the new processor will reportedly use an 7-nanometre design. That obviously means it’s significantly smaller than the 10nm A11…

On the hunt for something new and fun to play on your iPhone or iPad? Luckily, the App Store is constantly being flooded with fresh games, and this month brought us a solid array of enticing debuts. Like on-the-go puzzle games? Tiny Bubbles and Homo Machina might fit the bill. Into role-playing adventures? We have Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth and Might & Magic: Elemental Guardians on our list. Looking for something else entirely? Read on to find the biggest and most interesting new iOS game releases. 1. Pocket Run Pool Price: Free from fave.co/2kYkavr As the title suggests, Pocket Run Pool plays with the classic game of pool, but turns it into a single-player high score chase. Here, you’ll need to carefully sink balls based on the number of points you…

Apple is serious about augmented reality. Tim Cook has been clear about how important it is, saying it will “change the way we use technology forever”. With ARKit in iOS 11, Apple brought AR capabilities to hundreds of millions of phones. With iOS 12, it brings developers ARKit 2 with enhanced capabilities like 3D object detection, persistent experiences, and shared AR spaces. It’s a robust improvement on what is arguably the best set of AR tools for mobile devices anywhere. What’s new in ARKit 2 When ARKit debuted with iOS 11 last September it immediately made waves, but the limitations were obvious. With iOS 11.3, the ARKit developer tools got more powerful, adding the ability to track vertical surfaces and non-flat surfaces. Now, just one year later, Apple is updating…

Now that the WWDC 2018 keynote has come and gone, we’ll be spending the next several weeks breaking it all down. Apple had a lot to say over the course of its two-hour-plus keynote, but there were several apps, features, and products that were conspicuously absent from the main stage. Unlike prior years in which Apple executives spent lots of time talking up features to death, there was a notable lack of filler during this year’s keynote. Apple had a lot to say about its four main operating systems – so much so, in fact, that some of iOS 12’s most interesting features didn’t even make the cut. But even beyond longer Animoji messages and AutoFill passwords, there were a few missing announcements that point to something big on the…

Price: £18.99 from fave.co/2xQoMNe Available for every iPhone model from 6 to X, the Wanle Gamers Console for iPhone is undeniably a conversation piece, although experience tells me that some of those conversations might occasionally involve someone sternly telling you to shut up. From what I can tell, the ‘Sound’ button doesn’t actually silence the case, which means you should never expect to play the 27 games packed within while you’re in a hushed reception room or waiting for a movie to begin. It might start chirping when you slip it in your pocket or when you hold the phone the ‘wrong’ way when making a call. Wanle’s case looks like a Game Boy from a few feet away, right down to the yellow-green display and the two jauntily slanted…

As we’ve already seen (page 4), Apple unveiled significant updates to all four of its operating system platforms at its WWDC 2018 keynote presentation, but by far the most time was spent on iOS 12 for the iPad and iPhone. The new iOS 12 update – which at the moment is available in beta – brings a speed boost (particularly on older devices), FaceTime conversations for up to 32 participants, new augmented reality features, smart sharing in Photos and tools for monitoring and limiting your own (and your children’s) app usage. But we’re most excited about the new ability to create your own custom Animoji. The new feature, called Memoji, lets you create an emoji of your own face – or the face of anyone you’d like to impersonate –…

Siri got a lot of stick in the early days, and it’s still some way behind the leading lights of the voice-assistant market, but you have to give the team credit for improvement. At WWDC 2018, Apple introduced us to Siri’s newest feature, Shortcuts, and it sounds great. Over the following pages we introduce you to the new Siri Shortcuts feature in iOS 12, explain what it is and what it can do for you, and how to set up your shortcuts. What are Siri shortcuts? They are customizable Siri commands. Instead of having to wait for Apple to add a particular action or command phrase to Siri in an iOS update, you can create your own voice command for pretty much any action you like. Because shortcuts are customizable,…

It looks like iOS 12 may shape up to be one of Apple’s best releases in years. It’s not a complete overhaul of the iOS ecosystem, but rather a welcome refinement on iOS 11. It takes the big steps from the iPhone X and iOS 11 – like Animoji and ARKit – and extends them in ways that make them truly useful. We’ve already seen the big iOS 12 features, but there’s a lot more to unpack. There are a host of small changes, tweaks, and features that should bring smiles to your faces, reminding all of us that little bits of polish and refinement are what make iOS a delight to use. Here’s a list of hidden delights awaiting you when it’s released in the autumn. Automatic Updates After…

With rumours swirling about the first Apple Watch redesign due to land in the autumn, Apple used its WWDC keynote to focus on some of the new features in watchOS 5. The new features just might keep some of those old models in circulation a little longer – though not the original Watch, which will be dropped from watchOS 5 compatibility. From workouts to watch faces, version 5 is shaping up to be one of the best upgrades to watchOS in years, and we can’t wait to get our hands... er, wrists on it. Here are five reasons why it’ll be a must-upgrade. 1. Fitness features Apple Watch is already one of the best fitness trackers you can buy, and watchOS 5 is only going to make it better. It…

iOS 11.3 was released in March after more than two months of beta testing. It added several new features, including battery health and performance settings, four new Animoji, Business Chat and Health Records betas, and a bit upgrade to ARKit. Now, iOS 11.4 delivers the rest of the features Apple spoke about at WWDC 2017. The big-ticket items are Messages in iCloud, AirPlay 2, and stereo pairing for HomePod. New features AirPlay 2 and HomePod stereo After a brief appearance in iOS 11.3 betas, AirPlay 2 was removed prior to the final release. Now, it’s back for good in the final release of iOS 11.4. AirPlay 2 is the first major update to Apple’s wireless audio streaming protocol in years. It primarily adds multiroom audio to iOS devices, when using…

Surfing the web on a public Wi-Fi can be a dangerous business, opening your iPhone or iPad up to spying eyes. To avoid that, you could use a VPN (virtual private network) to stay private and anonymous. It also hides your location online, which can allow you to access blocked content and blocked sites such as US Netflix when you are in the UK or BBC iPlayer when you are abroad. Here we talk you through the best iOS VPN options. It’s important to note that it is against Netflix, BBC iPlayer and other blocked content’s terms and conditions to access them using a VPN, so proceed with caution as you risk getting your account blocked. NordVPN Price: From $2.75 (around £2) per month URL: fave.co/2kXSrut Our pick…

There are plenty of interesting new features in the iOS 12 update unveiled at WWDC 2018, but the headline feature has to be group FaceTime. It’s something that’s been demanded almost as long as FaceTime has existed: the ability to hold a video chat with more than one other device. And it doesn’t seem like much to ask, given that rival services such as Google Hangouts and Skype have offered it for years, and even Apple’s own old iChat service offered something similar back in 2005. Well, we’re finally getting group calls in FaceTime (or at least, we will when iOS 12 launches in autumn 2018 – although you can try the feature now by installing the iOS 12 beta). In this article we show how group FaceTime calls work…

Sometimes iPhone and iPad apps don’t work the way they are supposed to (or the way they were advertised); other times they’re just plain broken, or they vanish from the App Store and cannot be downloaded from the Purchased tab. In situations like these, frustrated consumers can ask for their money back, but how is this done? And will they succeed in getting a refund? Here we explain how to apply for a refund from the App Store, and the rules governing this procedure. Apps that vanish from the Purchased tab Fans of EA games such as Bejeweled 2, Dead Space and Need for Speed Shift got a nasty surprise back in 2015 when they disappeared from the App Store. Games had dropped off the store before, but this was…