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Adventures in iOS 12
#49239 06/27/18 11:36 PM
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As of today I have iOS 12 up and running on my iPhone X and iPad Pro. The installation was completely uneventful and with the exception of a couple of apps everything is running smoothly. There are enough changes (over 150) that it will take some time to even find all of them, but so far so good. I am confident that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the screen display seems noticeably sharper and crisper. Other than that I have nothing to report — so far.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Adventures in iOS 12
joemikeb #49247 06/28/18 01:57 PM
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So far every first iOS beta I have tried has been a battery eater, iOS 12 definitely follows in that tradition. Last night the battery in my iPhone was down to 20%. Normally it would be down to somewhere between 75% and 90%.

COMMENT: I wish iOS 12 offered a dark mode along the lines of Mojave.

Last edited by joemikeb; 06/28/18 01:58 PM.

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Adventures in iOS 12
joemikeb #49280 06/30/18 04:38 PM
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It turns out iOS 12 Public Beta 1 is not the terrible battery eater I had thought. Using Settings > Battery > Battery Health (beta) I traced the battery eating to a word game I had/have become addicted to. It is a simple game with little animation and no data I/O but it does eat battery power. blush

MEASURE this app is so cool and so useful for so many things. Simply point click, and repeat to get accurate measurement of the length of objects. The range is not infinite, but it beats heck out of carrying around tapes, rulers, ladders, etc.

Last edited by joemikeb; 06/30/18 04:41 PM.

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Adventures in iOS 12
joemikeb #49281 06/30/18 05:03 PM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
MEASURE this app is so cool and so useful for so many things. Simply point click, and repeat to get accurate measurement of the length of objects. The range is not infinite, but it beats heck out of carrying around tapes, rulers, ladders, etc.

I would love to read up on how that works, because right now it is magic to me. confused

Re: Adventures in iOS 12
Urquhart #49282 06/30/18 07:19 PM
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Originally Posted By: Urquhart
I would love to read up on how that works, because right now it is magic to me. confused

Me too! confused It would appear they are using the second camera lens to get some 3D definition, but even that makes me look around for someone wearing a wizarding robe and carrying a willow wand with a phoenix feather core.

If I do see Hermione or Harry around I think I will ask them for a bit larger targeting pointer. Even with plastic lenses in my eyes the one they have now can be really difficult to pick up against a visually busy background.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Adventures in iOS 12
joemikeb #49316 07/03/18 04:25 PM
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A LESSON LEARNED — At least for now tongue

Since installing iOS 12, I have had a series of issues using my iPhone including:
  • The same Notification appearing again and again, and again. 20+ recurrences in one instance
  • Deleting Notifications from the iPhone and iCloud did nothing and the Notification persisted
  • When making an outgoing call, the iPhone would dial but there was no ringback tone and the call did not go through
  • Incoming calls ring inconsistently: one call yes the next no
This morning I followed my own often repeated advice and restarted the iPhone. As it restarted a message popped up requesting my ID code followed by a notice

Originally Posted By: iOS 12
Installing

Apparently the initial iOS 12 installation is in two parts and while the first part had completed and the internet online services were working well, but the second stage that handles phone and messaging services was still sitting there awaiting initiation to complete the install.

I think I will have to accept a major part of the blame for this beta glitch because I was having too much fun playing with my new toy and blithely overlooked its obvious serious problems. Even worse, once I noticed the problem it took me way too long to follow my own advice and reboot. blush


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Adventures in iOS 12
joemikeb #49657 08/04/18 04:04 PM
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So far nothing terribly exciting or dramatic in iOS 12, but there are lots of subtle improvements and some unexpected but nice fillips. In the latter category when I first wake my iPhone in the morning this screen greets the new day.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Adventures in iOS 12
joemikeb #49673 08/06/18 09:49 PM
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HOMEKIT:

Over the past two or three years I have accumulated several Homekit devices that are managed and controlled via Apple's Home app on iOS devices. They have generally worked reasonably well, but not as reliably as I might like. So when I was unable to update the firmware on some of my devices I decided the solution might be resetting the devices. That ended up requiring
  • deleting the devices in Homekit
  • erasing the data in the Manufacturer's apps (deleting the apps entirely and then reinstalling them from the App store)
  • Resetting some devices back to factory settings. (In the case of an August lock that required a phone call to August and they reset the lock remotely. Believe me the process is VERY secure.)
  • Reinstalling the device through the Homekit app — which in turn launched the manufacturer's app to effect some f the setup.
  • adding the various devices to Homekit and then adding them to specific automations
All of this was accomplished without reference to a manual or even a help screen, so it was all reasonably self explanatory.

Now that the firmware updates/upgrades have been installed I have some observations about Homekit in iOS 12...
  • installing new devices works much better and faster. Automatic camera recognition of the device code was so fast I often did not realize the installation had already been accomplished
  • interaction with devices via Apple TV is greatly improved (Apple TV relays Homekit signals received via Apple ID and the Internet.)
  • the number of "Failed" and "Device not responding" messages has dropped to near zero even for devices that are at or near range extremes.
  • IMO
    • Homekit has improved from an interesting toy/gimmick to a desirable tool.
    • Homekit's designed in security gives it an edge over most of the competition.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Adventures in iOS 12
joemikeb #49946 09/12/18 10:29 PM
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GOLD MASTER

I installed the iOS12 Gold Master this afternoon and it went smooth as silk. I have not found anything either good or bad to get particularly excited about. As usual some things have been relocated, some security features have an added step or so to tighten up on a potential vulnerability, but after using the iOS12 beta for a month or so the changes have become second nature and I don't even think about them any more. With the improved data flow between iOS and MacOS I find myself more and more often with my MacBook, iPad, and iPhone all open on my desk and passing data back and forth among the three devices to get a particular task accomplished.

IS THE UPGRADE WORTH IT?

My feeling is...
  • the upgrade is trouble free,
  • it is obviously laying the groundwork for new features later in iOS12 and iOS13, the beta has proven to be relatively trouble free,
  • if you have kids the ability to monitor their playtime could be a blessing
  • the Measure app is cool and could be a game changer for at least a few users
  • improved security
  • There are solid reasons to upgrade and I haven't found any reasons NOT to upgrade


NOTE:

iOS has been using APFS for a good while now and I have not heard the first problem caused by it. I want to its use expended on MacOS to include Time Machine and RAID.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Between now and June 2019 it will be a series of iOS update betas — maybe even with a few new features that didn't make it into the iOS12 initial release then in early to mid June it will be off and running with iOS13.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Adventures in iOS 12
joemikeb #50014 09/22/18 08:05 PM
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WatchOS and iOS are in even tighter lock step than iOS and MacOS. The recent iOS 12 update was necessary to enable the latest new WatchOS feature Walkie Talkie. Walkie Talkie is exactly what it sounds like, a watch to watch, push-to-talk app. The interesting thing to me is it is a watch app. Dick Tracy the future is now and it is the watch — not the phone.

Walkie Talkie is no threat to either the telephone or texting on the watch, but it is great for that, "Don't forget to get a gallon of milk on your way home" or "Where are you?"

My wife and I have already tested it out around town and it is dead simple to setup and use, the connections are near instantaneous, the signal quality is first rate, it works on cellular and wifi connections, and so far we have found only one negative. My wife does not like to be reminded that I can get in touch with her at the touch of a button, but she loves the fact she can get in touch with me so quickly. (I learned 59 years ago that sauce for the goose isn't necessarily sauce for the gander.)


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Adventures in iOS 12
joemikeb #50034 09/25/18 06:39 AM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
[Walkie Talkie] so far we have found only one negative […] get in touch at the touch of a button
Haha, thanks for sharing.


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