Apple working on Animoji in FaceTime and tabs for iPad apps, says Bloomberg
Bloomberg reports that Apple will bring its Animoji characters to the iPad, thanks to a new model of the tablet that has a Face ID camera. Apple is also planning to bring Animoji to FaceTime, so iOS users can put virtual emoji over their faces like the filters found in Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram.
The new software features are part of a new iOS release codenamed “Peace,” says Bloomberg. The release will also reportedly include universal apps that work across iPhones, iPads, and Macs. These apps sound similar to Microsoft’s own work with Windows Universal Apps that run across pcs, tablets, phones, and even devices like the HoloLens headset. iOS 12 is also said to include improvements to the Do Not Disturb feature, and a redesigned built-in stocks app. While Apple is planning some software updates this year, it sounds like the bigger iOS features won’t arrive in time for iOS 12.
Bloomberg reports that redesigned home screens for the iPhone, iPad, and CarPlay won’t arrive in 2018, and that iPad owners will have to wait until 2019 for significant software updates. The iPad will reportedly get tabs within apps so you can run several windows inside a single app, and the ability to run windows from the same app side-by-side. Tabs have typically been used in browsers, but macOS was updated with this feature a couple of years ago and Microsoft is also planning to bring tabs to every Windows 10 app over the course of the next year. Apple is also reportedly holding out on new Apple Pencil features, and a simple toggle in the email app to mute threads.
The delays are part of what is being described as an internal culture shift at Apple, allowing engineers to work on new features without having to cram them into a single annual update. Apple Pay Cash and iCloud message sync both missed the iOS 11 update schedule, and Apple has been battling a number of software and security bugs in macOS and iOS 11 recently. If Apple can spread out its feature updates into steady point releases for iOS then this should hopefully allow for more test time and less bugs and crashes.
