iOS Secrets Uncovered

The latest iOS enables you to do a variety of tasks more easily than ever before. Find out how to unlock its extra potential

- Alex Summersby & Alan Stonebridge

Before it was released, the consensus was that iOS 12 was a ‘housekeeping’ update – a sort of iOS counterpart of Mac OS X Snow Leopard, focused mainly on stability and optimisation, tidying up under the hood. It’s certainly that, but now that it has been installed by such a high proportion of users – by the start of 2019, just three and a half months after launch, an amazing 75% of all active iOS devices were using iOS 12 – it’s clear that it has also delivered far more.

Like every version, iOS 12 delivers its share of new features and enhancements. Combined with capabilities from other recent versions, Apple’s latest operating system for mobile devices offers a wide range of benefits, but they can be hard to find unless you dig around.

So, we’ve compiled this collection of tips to help you get more from iOS 12. We’ll show you ways to take better pictures and tricks for enhancing them, share expert techniques for prolonging battery life, and help you make more of Mail and Messages. We’ll reveal Safari’s secrets, expert ways to customise your iPhone, and more. Let’s get started!

Camera quick tips

New features and tips to help you get more from iPhone photography

Focus & exposure

Tap on the viewfinder where you want the camera to focus. Now you can alter exposure: slide a finger up or down on the screen – the sun icon next to the yellow focus box indicates the exposure level. To lock both, hold a finger on the screen till AE/AF LOCK appears at the display’s top. Tap anywhere to unlock.

Avoid shake