Apple has finally added group video chats to its iPhones and iPads, thanks to an iOS update released Tuesday to devices. The group video calling feature is a highly anticipated addition to Apple devices. FaceTime now supports video chats with up to 32 participants, as well as the use of stickers, face and lens filters, and Animoji. The tech company revealed Group FaceTime at its annual developer's conference in June, but ended up pushing back the release from its initially scheduled date. Not to mention that the ability to group video chat has been available for years via apps like Google Hangouts and Skype, and more recently through Snapchat and WhatsApp. Unfortunately, group video calling is only fully available on devices that are an iPhone 6s or later, iPad Pro or later, iPad Air 2, or iPad Mini 4. If you have an earlier model of an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, you can still join, but as an audio-only participant. You'll want to make sure your device is updated to the latest version of iOS, because you won't be able to start a group video chat with anyone whose hasn't. You can check if you have iOS 12.1 by going to Settings>General>Software Update. Here are the many ways to use Group FaceTimee on your Apple device:<doc-sep>In a bit of a twist, Apple’s delayed Group FaceTime feature will ship to iPhones and iPads ahead of the company’s Tuesday product launch. This will come along with the iOS 12.1 software update that will also introduce new Emojis, depth-of-field control in the camera app, and dual-SIM support to the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR. The most exciting new feature is still Group FaceTime, which lets users simultaneously video chat with up to 32 different people at once (whether you want to Group Face Time with 32 people simultaneously, however, remains an open question.) The company formally announced the new changes on Monday. The capability was pulled from the second iOS 12.1 beta earlier in October, as early looks made the feature seem unruly even with only a handful of people on the call. But the fact that Apple is already re-introducing the feature after releasing a beta edition suggests they made substantial changes. Just like a standard FaceTime call, Group FaceTime will allow for the use of stickers, filters, and Animoji on the iPhone X or later. But how each person shows up on the screen, how people join a call, and what information appears on screen will all change. Chat with up to 32 people at once. Apple iOS 12.1 Group FaceTime: Automatic Portrait Resizing One of the biggest concerns during the introduction of Group FaceTime was how confusing a display with 32 people’s faces on it would be. Apple claims it’ll be able to keep work conferences orderly by simply resizing each portrait based on who is talking the loudest and most frequently. Callers who are not active will appear at the bottom of the screen, while those currently speaking be front and center. Users will also be able to drag who they want to see on their screen. While this might work for orderly business meetings, it’ll likely still be a mess if you’re chatting with a number of your best friends. All someone has to do is let out a yell to mess with everyone’s experience, which seems like an invite for trolling. iOS 12.1 Group FaceTime: Soundless Notifications On the other hand, you won’t have to worry about being that person that is disruptively late to the conference call. Group FaceTime now includes “ringless notifications” which will let people join a call without making everyone’s phone ring at the same time. There will still be evidence of your appearance, users can scroll through the different users in the call. So if offices ever adopt FaceTime conference calls, you won’t be able to get away with being late that easily. Apple will resize each portrait according to who is speaking the loudest and the most. Apple iOS 12.1 Group FaceTime: iMessage Integration Another change to Group Face Time? iMessage group chats can now become Group FaceTime video chats at the click of a button. The feature will basically make a video chat room that anyone in the message group can join at their leisure without blowing up people’s phones with notifications. iOS 12.1 Group FaceTime: End-to-End Encryption Just like how iMessage is secured by end-to-end encryption so is Group FaceTime. This means that only the users on the call will have access to the video call, not even Apple. This has become the standard, as far as chatting apps go. Apple has made privacy a big deal in the past in response to various data leak scandals in the tech industry.<doc-sep>Beyond the new iPad, MacBook Air and Mac Mini refresh, Apple also gave the world new emoji, the ability to do multi-person FaceTime video calling, and some cool photo tools in an update of iOS12, Apple's mobile operating system. These features are available on most recent iPhones, The update, a hefty 512 megabytes, adds two features touted back in June when Apple first previewed iOS12. The most eagerly awaited is Group FaceTime, which lets up to 32 people have a group conversation at one time. "The tile of the person speaking gets larger automatically, so you’ll never lose track of the conversation," Apple says. "You can start Group FaceTime right from a group thread in Messages or join an active one at any time." Additionally, Apple added 70 new emoji characters that can be used on the iPhone and iPad, in iMessages. New characters have red hair, gray hair and curly hair, a new emoji for bald people, more smiley faces and additional emoji representing animals, sports and food. Update your Apple Watch and Mac computers, and you can use the emoji on those devices as well. More:Apple launches new iPads, Macs at October event More:A souped up new iPad Pro could cost you nearly $2,800 -- more than a MacBook Air Additionally, a software feature for photographers lets you choose the level of background blur in a photo before you take the photo, not afterward. Apple calls this "Depth Control," and it's part of the Portrait Mode feature. Beyond traditional back-camera photos, it's also available for selfies. Finally, dual SIM is a way to have two different phone numbers on your iPhone, by adding what's called an eSIM card, a digital accessory that allows you to add the second phone number. This feature is only available to owners of the iPhone XS, XS Max or XR phones. To update to iOS12.1, on the iPhone and iPad, go to Settings, General, and click on Software Update. You need to be in Wi-Fi to download the update.<doc-sep>
Sarah Tew/CNET Apple's iOS 12.1 update arrives today iPhones and iPads, the same day the company announced its newest iPads and Macs. With iOS 12.1 you'll be able to video chat with up to 32 of your closest friends (or not so closest, I guess) using Apple's Group FaceTime. You'll also be able to send more than 70 new emoji such as a llama, a face with hearts, a softball and skateboard. The new emoji also will come to the Apple Watch and Mac with a free software update. "iOS 12 is off to an unbelievable start," Apple CEO Tim Cook said onstage at his company's press event in Brooklyn, adding that the new operating system is already running on 60 percent of iOS devices. Group FaceTime automatically detects who's talking and makes the image of that person bigger. Participants who aren't active will appear at the bottom of the screen until they speak, and if you want to see any particular participant's video larger, you can tap it to bring it to the front. Group FaceTime is integrated into the Messages app, which lets you start a group call from within a group iMessage Chat. Now playing: Watch this: New MacBook Air, 2018 iPad Pro and our other Apple event... iPhone XS, XS Max and XR users will be able to use dual SIMs after downloading iOS 12.1. And Apple will bring "advanced depth segmentation" in Portrait mode that lets you adjust the bokeh more. You can adjust the depth of field in a real-time preview as well as after you take a shot, giving you more control over the background blur. Apple Apple may be best known for its hardware, but it's really the seamless integration of its hardware with its software that's set it apart from rivals. The company's ability to control every aspect of its products -- something that began when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple 42 years ago -- has been key in making Apple the most powerful company in tech. The company's mobile software, iOS, gets revamped every year and launches when its newest phones hit the market. iOS 12 debuted last month with the introduction of the iPhone XS and the XS Max. The biggest changes to the software are a new Memoji feature, improved handling of notifications, a revamped Do Not Disturb feature and a Measure app. Apple also added new parental controls for those who want to keep a child's device locked down, and its Screen Time feature lets you monitor your kids' or your own device usage. As of Oct. 10, half of all of Apple's mobile devices on the market were running iOS 12. Another 39 percent used iOS 11, and 11 percent of devices ran an older version, according to the company's developer dashboard. By comparison, about 22 percent of Android devices ran Google's latest software, dubbed Oreo, as of Oct. 26. First published at 12:08 a.m. PT. Updated at 8:33 a.m. PT to add Apple's CEO comments. 5G is your next big upgrade: Everything you need to know about the 5G revolution. NASA turns 60: The space agency has taken humanity farther than anyone else, and it has plans to go further.