iOS 12 adds new group FaceTime calls with up to 32 people
Finally, Apple is adding the ability to make group FaceTime calls on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The news was shared on Monday at Apple’s annual week long World Wide Developers Conference which saw the company announce iOS 12 that is packed with a whole-host of new features.
Apple is taking the group FaceTime experience to the next level by allowing users to chat with up to 32 people on one single FaceTime call… ? If only I had 32 friends to call, anyway… moving on. With FaceTime in iOS 12 users can apply fun face filters and stickers, including Animoji and the newly announced Bitmoji-like, Memoji.
Group FaceTime has been a feature highly requested by users for years, and will no-doubt be a hit amongst teens. When on a group call users will see their friends shown on difference size “tiles”, Apple notes the “tiles” will move dynamically based on when a user speaks, so for example; when in a group call the loudest speaking member will have their face shown on the biggest “tile”, with others shown in the background.
iOS 12 doubles down on performance and most importantly will be supported on all current iOS 11 devices, including the ageing iPhone 5s. The software makes advancements to Siri, News, Stocks, Voice Memos, and iBooks (now known as Apple Books), and much more.
Apple’s new group FaceTime feature will be available later in the year when iOS 12 rolls-out to the public. In the meantime, developer and public beta testers will be able to get their hands upon the software sooner via Apple’s beta programs.