Here’s How To Prepare For iOS 12.1, Expected To Be Released Tomorrow

Conventional wisdom is that iOS 12.1 will be officially announced and available in some form tomorrow after the Brooklyn Apple event. Geeky Gadgets backs up conventional wisdom with more confirming details.

“The company is holding a press event tomorrow where it will announce its new iPad Pro tablets and also it new range of Macs, the iOS 12.1 software is expected to be made available to everyone after the event.”

Beyond the fact that there is historical precedent to expect this, there are significant features already announced for iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max that require the update.

“Some mobile carrier have confirmed that the eSIM feature will be available on devices like the iPhone XS Max from the 30th of October, this means that iOS 12.1 is coming on the 30th of October as it is required for the feature to work.”

This will be a major feature upgrade. So there are some things you will need to do to prepare and ensure that everything goes smoothly. First, you need to do a complete backup of your iPhone. If something goes wrong, you will always be able to return to a known good state.

Next, you need to check the amount of free space that you have. The operating system needs to have a little room to move things around. If you are within 3GB of free space, you will want to free up more space. Apple provides detailed instructions in the following video tutorial.

There are a few compelling reasons to upgrade. First, the 12.1 version of iOS will always have the latest bug fixes that usually solve any difficulties caused by the new release. If you are having an iPhone issue, there is a good chance tomorrow’s release will fix it.

Second, group FaceTime has been announced but delayed for technical reasons. It will be present in the iOS 12.1 update. You will be able to audio or video chat with 32 of your closest iPhone-wielding friends at once.

The already stellar iPhone camera will be updated to wipe out what has been labeled, “beauty-gate” by some in the media. The overly aggressive face smoothing in portraits and HDR photos will be a thing of the past. Photos will now have more detail.

There is one other new feature in the camera app worth mentioning. Currently, you can adjust the amount of bokeh that appears in portrait mode images after the fact. With the new update, you will be able to make that adjustment in real time before taking the picture.