The Department of Justice announced on Sunday that it has filed a lawsuit against California to block its new net neutrality law, just hours after it was signed by governor Jerry Brown. The lawsuit was first reported by the Washington Post. Senior Justice Department officials told the newspaper it is filing the lawsuit because only the federal government can regulate net neutrality and that the Federal Communications Commission had been granted that authority by Congress to ensure states don’t write conflicting legislation.

In its announcement, the Justice Department stated that by signing California’s Senate Bill 822 into law, the state is “attempting to subvert the Federal Government’s deregulatory approach by imposing burdensome state regulations on the free Internet, which is unlawful and anti-consumer.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said “under the Constitution, states do not regulate interstate commerce—the federal government does. Once again the California legislature has enacted an extreme and illegal state law attempting to frustrate federal policy. The Justice Department should not have to spend valuable time and resources to file this suit today, but we have a duty to defend the prerogatives of the federal government and protect our Constitutional order.”

This is the latest of several legal showdowns between the Trump administration and California, the largest blue state.

Under Attorney General Sessions, the Justice Department has already filed separate lawsuits against California over immigrant sanctuary laws and a law meant to stop the Trump administration from selling or transferring federal land to private corporations. The Trump administration is also clashing with the state over environmental protection regulations.

Senate Bill 822 was introduced by Democratic Senator Scott Wiener to reinstate Obama-era net neutrality protections tossed out by the FCC last year.

Even though Washington and Oregon have also passed their own net neutrality laws, the outcome of the federal government’s battle with California will have ramifications throughout the country because the state’s new net neutrality law is the most stringent one so far, banning most kinds of zero-rating, which allows telecoms to offer services from certain providers for free.

As such, it has been the target of fierce lobbying by telecoms like AT&T and Comcast. While the FCC’s chairman Ajit Pai and telecoms argue that zero-rating allows them to offer better deals (Pai claimed in the Justice Department’s statement today that they have proven popular “especially among lower-income Americans,”) net neutrality advocates say it gives Internet service providers too much power by forcing users to rely on certain services, stifling consumer options and freedom of information.

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Editor’s note: This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and TechCrunch may earn affiliate commissions.

When you’re ready to start a small business, having some helpful essentials will make the process a bit easier. Whether you need to print your own business cards or you’re ready to process orders on a reliable laptop, we’ve put together a few of our recommendations that will cover the basics.

Photo: Michael Hession                                                                                   

Business Card Printing Service: Vistaprint

Vistaprint has the best print quality of all the services we tested, and its website offers the best ordering and design experience. If you don’t need a large quantity of business cards, Vistaprint will allow you to order batches as small as 100. You can choose from thousands of templates and a variety of finishes. During printing testing, we were able to read small type and we found that the service’s colors and trimming were accurate.

Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

Website Builder for Small Businesses: Wix

For an easy-to-use website builder that makes editing, creating, and finding your business’ site manageable, we recommend Wix. Compared to other site builders we tested, Wix’s template-editing tools get a working site up and running fastest. The platform offers a broad range of plug-ins for integrating tools like Google Maps and OpenTable. Adding plug-ins for things like contact forms, menus and reservations is also painless. There aren’t an overwhelming number of website templates, but the ones that are available offer a good mix. Plus Wix has an intuitive editing interface and built-in SEO tools.

Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

 Windows Ultrabook: Dell XPS 13

The Dell XPS 13 is a powerful laptop that can be used on the go or with your home office setup. It’s light, has a durable build, plus it’s equipped with an impressive 13.3-inch screen. Previous versions of the XPS 13 have been our top pick for over three years, because it offers the best balance of features and performance of any ultrabook we’ve tested. We like that it’s compact, comes with a good trackpad and keyboard, and that it has a mix of new and old ports. We recommend the configuration that has 8GB of RAM, a 256 GB PCIe solid-state drive, and an Intel Core i7-8550U processor.

Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald                                                                                                               

All-in-one Printer: HP OfficeJet Pro 8720

Having your own all-in-one printer will let you print and scan important documents whenever you need to. The HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 offers simple installation and it’s paired with intuitive software and ink that’s affordable. It has a durable build and a large, responsive touchscreen. In addition to handling everyday printing tasks, the OfficeJet Pro can produce colorful graphics and high-quality photos. You can connect to and operate the printer from a computer, tablet, mobile device or the printer control panel. In our tests over Wi-Fi, we didn’t experience any connectivity issues.                          

Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

VPN Service: IVPN

A trusted virtual private network provides more online protection beyond device encryption, secure passwords and privacy plug-ins while using a home network or public Wi-Fi. After spending over 130 hours testing 32 VPN services, we chose IVPN as the best VPN provider for most people. It’s easy to set up, has easy-to-use apps, and can be used with most any device running macOS, Windows, iOS or Android. Overall, IVPN offers solid performance and doesn’t cut corners on security nor transparency. You don’t have to worry about your activity or logins being monitored. It’s pricier than competitors but worth the investment because it’s fast, stable, integrates with all major platforms, and comes with features that block data on unsecured connections.

These picks may have been updated by Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter’s independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and TechCrunch may earn affiliate commissions.

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Measure sets up possible legal challenge from the Federal Communications Commission.

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To better understand how artificial intelligence (AI) is being adopted differently by nations around the world, we sat down with Virtusa's Executive Vice President of Global Digital Solutions, Frank Palermo.

• We've also highlighted the best AI platforms for business

1. Is there much disparity between different global regions’ approaches to robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles or, indeed, their policies on these technologies?

As AI takes a more prevalent role in our society, the issue of ethics and governance has become critical, and policymakers around the globe have a collective responsibility to be forward thinking when deciding how best to regulate it. It is imperative that AI is managed in a way that allows the technology to reach its full potential, while ensuring it doesn’t have a negative impact on humans and society.

The US has historically left technology companies relatively unimpeded by government oversight or stringent regulation, with the market dominance of the FAANG companies (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Alphabet's Google) serving as a perfect example of this. While China has taken almost the opposite approach, with the Chinese government having a more ‘hands-on’ role, specifically mentioning AI in their ‘grand vision’ for the country, this has somehow still resulted in a similar ecosystem of tech giants, namely the BAT companies (Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent). Like America’s FAANGs, China’s BATs have established their own AI-dedicated labs, with Baidu in particular investing 15% of its revenue in R&D in AI related research.

Elsewhere, Europe has a growing AI industry presence, inviting considerable attention from European regulators, though there is currently no overarching legislative approach towards AI in the region. Additionally, in the Middle East, attitudes towards AI are fairly liberal. For example, Saudi Arabia grabbed international headlines for granting citizenshipto Sophia (the AI robot) and the Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai launched the UAE Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031 – aiming to enhance sectors like education, transportation, energy and space to achieve 100% reliance on AI for government services and data analysis by 2031.  

2. Can you comment on the investment environments in these different regions?

With the global business value derived from AI projected to total $1.2 trillion in 2018, it stands to reason that global investments in the technology continue to skyrocket.   

China is aggressively investing in AI, with the country’s AI startups benefitting from government support as state agencies are directing capital to these companies. One such beneficiary, facial recognition startup Megvii, received a $460 million investment from a Chinese government-backed venture capital fund. 

3. What is your view on mature and emerging technologies within the AI sphere?

The field of AI is rapidly maturing due to the availability of data, data storage and compute power that is now readily available through cloud and API services. The technology has moved from simple back-office automation, revolutionising the way businesses interact with their customers.

Voice-enabled digital assistants are a great example of this, having quickly become a staple in the consumer and home market. Expect to see more companies adopt virtual assistants to support people in their use of technology in the workplace, with the assistants developing more human characteristics in the future, and better interpreting context and meaning.

The world of robotics is also changing, with robots becoming more sophisticated, mobile, collaborative and human friendly. This improved level of maturity has caused rapid expansion of robots into industries beyond manufacturing, including healthcare, service industries and transportation. Robotics were initially focused on improving efficiency and enabling greater productivity but now, the technology is beginning to address other global concerns such as skills shortages, workplace safety, and keeping up with the accelerating pace of business.

4. What are some of the areas causing uncertainty within AI?  Anything, perhaps, controversial?

There are many areas of uncertainty and controversy with regard to AI, with some even proving to be deadly. 

For example, if AI accidentally kills a human being, who is responsible? Last year, Tesla reported its first Autopilot fatality when its sensors did not detect the white side of a tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky. A controversial debate immediately surfaced on whether Tesla had to be held responsible for this. Similarly, there are concerns on how we can control the weaponising of AI. The United Nations recently discussed the use of autonomous weapons and the possibility to institute an international ban on “killer robots.”  

There are also many questions surrounding how can we control AI from being unleashed in cyber-attacks. Last year, two data scientists from security firm ZeroFOX conducted an experiment to see who was better at getting Twitter users to click on malicious links: humans or artificial intelligence. The researchers taught an AI to study the behaviour of social network users, and then design and implement its own phishing bait. In tests, the artificial hacker was substantially better than its human competitors, composing and distributing more phishing tweets than humans, and with a substantially better conversion rate. 

These uses of AI and many others need to be carefully considered and regulated to protect humans and society from harm. To accomplish this, organisations must come together to discuss the proper governance and ethics mechanisms that must be implemented to minimise the risks of AI, while harnessing the full potential of this technology.

5. Finally, what will be the ultimate effect of AI?

AI-powered technology such as robotics and machine learning has already improved productivity and enhanced the economies of many nations, and will continue to do so. Future advancements will certainly have an even greater effect on some classes of jobs, though it is important to bear in mind that apocalyptic predictions of robot overlords are hyperbolic, and AI will also create jobs and roles we have not yet fully envisioned. Ultimately, AI is about improving human performance and intelligence, not replacing it.

AI will be the battlefield of the future, with the successful deployment of the tech influencing how countries compete, shifting the balance of power in both the global economy and international relations. Countries that master AI first will have a crucial strategic advantage in writing the rules for the next global order. That’s why investing in AI is becoming a major initiative for both emerging and well-established economies.

Frank Palermo is Executive Vice President – Global Digital Solutions at Virtusa

• Also check out how to successfully implement an AI system 

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Creating unbiased, accurate algorithms isn’t impossible — it’s just time consuming.

“It actually is mathematically possible,” facial recognition startup Kairos CEO Brian Brackeen told me on a panel at TechCrunch Disrupt SF.

Algorithms are sets of rules that computers follow in order to solve problems and make decisions about a particular course of action. Whether it’s the type of information we receive, the information people see about us, the jobs we get hired to do, the credit cards we get approved for, and, down the road, the driverless cars that either see us or don’t, algorithms are increasingly becoming a big part of our lives. But there is an inherent problem with algorithms that begins at the most base level and persists throughout its adaption: human bias that is baked into these machine-based decision-makers.

Creating unbiased algorithms is a matter of having enough accurate data. It’s not about just having enough “pale males” in the model, but about having enough images of people from various racial backgrounds, genders, abilities, heights, weights and so forth.

Kairos CEO Brian Brackeen

“In our world, facial recognition is all about human biases, right?” Brackeen said. “And so you think about AI, it’s learning, it’s like a child and you teach it things and then it learns more and more. What we call right down the middle, right down the fair way is ‘pale males.’ It’s very, very good. Very, very good at identifying somebody who meets that classification.”

But the further you get from pale males — adding women, people from different ethnicities, and so forth — “the harder it is for AI systems to get it right, or at least the confidence to get it right,” Brackeen said.

Still, there are cons to even a one hundred percent accurate model. On the pro side, a good facial recognition use case for a completely accurate algorithm would be in a convention center, where you use the system to quickly identity and verify people are who they say they are. That’s one type of use case Kairos, which works with corporate businesses around authentication, addresses.

“So if we’re wrong, at worst case, maybe you have to do a transfer again to your bank account,” he said. “If we’re wrong, maybe you don’t see a picture accrued during a cruise liner. But when the government is wrong about facial recognition, and someone’s life or liberty is at stake, they can be putting you in a lineup that you shouldn’t be in. They could be saying that this person is a criminal when they’re not.”

But in the case of law enforcement, no matter how accurate and unbiased these algorithms are, facial recognition software has no business in law enforcement, Brackeen said. That’s because of the potential for unlawful, excessive surveillance of citizens.

Given the government already has our passport photos and identification photos, “they could put a camera on Main Street and know every single person driving by,” Brackeen said.

And that’s a real possibility. In the last month, Brackeen said Kairos turned down a government request from Homeland Security, seeking facial recognition software for people behind moving cars.

“For us, that’s completely unacceptable,” Brackeen said.

Another issue with 100 percent perfect mathematical predictions is that it comes down to what the model is predicting, Human Rights Data Analysis Group lead statistician Kristian Lum said on the panel.

Human Rights Data Analysis Group lead statistician Kristian Lum

“Usually, the thing you’re trying to predict in a lot of these cases is something like rearrest,” Lum said. “So even if we are perfectly able to predict that, we’re still left with the problem that the human or systemic or institutional biases are generating biased arrests. And so, you still have to contextualize even your 100 percent accuracy with is the data really measuring what you think it’s measuring? Is the data itself generated by a fair process?”

HRDAG Director of Research Patrick Ball, in agreement with Lum, argued that it’s perhaps more practical to move it away from bias at the individual level and instead call it bias at the institutional or structural level. If a police department, for example, is convinced it needs to police one neighborhood more than another, it’s not as relevant if that officer is a racist individual, he said.

HRDAG Director of Research Patrick Ball

“What’s relevant is that the police department has made an institutional decision to over-police that neighborhood, thereby generating more police interactions in that neighborhood, thereby making people with that ZIP code more likely to be classified as dangerous if they are classified by risk assessment algorithms,” Ball said.

And even if the police were to have perfect information about every crime committed, in order to build a fair machine learning system, “we would need to live in a society of perfect surveillance so that there is absolute police knowledge about every single crime so that nothing is excluded,” he said. “So that there would be no bias. Let me suggest to you that that’s way worse even than a bunch of crimes going free. So maybe we should just work on reforming police practice and forget about all of the machine learning distractions because they’re really making things worse, not better.”

He added, “For fair predictions, you first need a fair criminal justice system. And we have a ways to go.”

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VC firms haven’t been the only ones raising hundreds of millions of dollars to invest in a booming market. After 15+ years of being the last industry anyone wanted to invest in, the music industry is coming back, and money is flooding in to buy up the rights to popular songs.

As paid streaming subscriptions get mainstream adoption, the big music streaming services – namely Spotify, Apple Music, and Tencent Music, but also Pandora, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, and others – have entered their prime. There are now over 51 million paid subscription accounts among music streaming services in the US. The music industry grew 8% last year globally to $17.3 billion, driven by a 41% increase in streaming revenue and 45% increase in paid streaming revenue.

The surge in music streaming means a surge in income for those who own the copyrights to songs, and the growth of entertainment in emerging markets, growing use in digital videos, and potential use of music in new content formats like VR only expand this further. Unsurprisingly, private equity firms, family offices, corporates, and pension funds want a piece of the action.

There are two general types of copyrights for a song: the publishing rights and the master rights. The musical composition of a song – the lyrics, melodies, etc. – comes from songwriters who own the publishing right (though generally they sign a publishing deal and their publisher gets ownership of it in addition to half the royalties). Meanwhile, the version of a song being performed comes from the recording artist who owns the master right (though usually they sign a record deal and the record label gets ownership of the masters and most of the royalties).

Popular songs are valuable to own because of all the royalties they collect: whenever the song is played on a streaming service, downloaded from iTunes, or covered on YouTube (a mechanical license), played over radio or in a grocery store (a performance license), played as soundtrack over a movie or TV show (a sync license), and for other uses. More royalty income from a song goes to the master owner since they took on more financial risk marketing it, but publishers collect royalties from some channels that master owners don’t (like radio play, for instance).

For a songwriter behind popular songs, these royalties form a predictable revenue stream that can amount to tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars per year. Of course, most songs that are written or recorded don’t make any money: creating a track that breaks out in a crowded industry is hard. This scarcity – there are only so many thousands of popular musicians and a limited number of legendary artists whose music stays relevant for decades – means copyrights for successful musicians command a premium when they or their publisher decide to sell them.

Investing in streaming economics

In 2017, revenue from streaming services accounted for 38% of worldwide music industry revenue, finally overtaking revenue from traditional album sales and song downloads. Subscription streaming services hit a pivot point in gaining mainstream adoption, but they still have far to go. Goldman Sachs media sector analyst Lisa Yang predicted that by 2030, the global music industry will reach $41 billion in market size as the global streaming market multiplies in size to $34 billion (nearly all of it from paid subscriptions).

Merck Mercuriadis is seen on the left. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage for Conde Nast media group)

Earlier this week, I spoke with Merck Mercuriadis who has managed icons like Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, and Beyoncé and raised £200 million ($260 million) on the London Stock Exchange in June for an investment vehicle (Hipgnosis Songs) to acquire the catalogues of top songwriters. His plan is to raise and invest £1 billion over the next three to five years, arguing that the shift to passive consumers paying for music will take the industry to heights it has never seen before.

Indeed, streaming music is a paradigm shift from the past. With all the world’s music available in one interface for free (with ads) or for an affordable subscription (without ads), consumers no longer have to actively choose which specific songs to buy (or even which to download illegally).

With it all in front of them and all included in the price, people are listening to a broader range of music: they’re exploring more genres, discovering more musicians who aren’t stars on traditional radio, and going back to music from past decades. Consumers who weren’t previously buying a lot of music are now subscribing for $120 per year and spreading it across more artists.

Retail businesses are doing the same: through streaming offerings like Soundtrack Your Brand (which spun out of Spotify), they’re using commercial licenses – which are more expensive – to stream a broader array of music in stores rather than putting on the radio or playing the same few CDs.

Much of the music industry’s market growth is happening in China, India, Latin America, and emerging markets like Nigeria where subscription apps are replacing widespread music piracy or non-consumption. Tencent Music Entertainment, whose three streaming services have roughly 75% market share in China (a music market that expanded by 34% last year), is preparing for an IPO that could give it roughly the same $29 billion valuation Spotify received in its IPO in April. Meanwhile, music industry revenue from Latin America grew 18% last year.

Western music is infused in pop culture worldwide, so as these countries enter the streaming era they are monetizing hundreds of millions of additional listeners, through ad revenue at a minimum but increasingly through paid subscriptions as well.

At the talent management, publishing, and production firm Primary Wave, founder Larry Mestel is seeing emerging markets drive more revenue to his clients (like Smokey Robinson, Alice Cooper, Melissa Etheridge, and the estate of Bob Marley) as new fan bases engage with their music online. He raised a new $300 million fund (backed by Blackrock and other institutions) in 2016 to acquire rights in music catalogues amid a market he says has improved substantially due to growth opportunities stemming from the streaming model.

It’s not just streaming music platforms that are driving growth either. Streaming video has exploded, whether it’s from short YouTube videos or the growing number of shows on platforms like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, and with that comes growing sync licensing of songs for their soundtracks; global sync licensing revenue was up 10% year-over-year in 2017 alone. Over the last year, Facebook signed licenses with every large publisher to cover use of song clips by its users in Instagram Stories and Facebook videos as well.

The inflating valuations of songs catalogues

Catalogues are commonly valued based on the “net publisher’s share,” which is the average amount of annual royalty money left over after paying out any percentages owed to others (like a partial stake in the royalties still held by the artist).

When Round Hill Music acquired Carlin for $245 million in January to gain ownership in the catalogues of Elvis Presley, James Brown, AC/DC, and others, it paid a 16x multiple on net publisher share, which is high but not uncommon in the current market when trading catalogues of legendary artists. Just three years ago, multiples anchored in the 10-12 range (or less for newer or smaller artists whose music has not yet shown the same longevity).

Avid Larizadeh Duggan left her role as a general partner at GV to become Chief Strategy & Business Officer of Kobalt

Kobalt, which raised $205 million from VC firms like GV and Balderton Capital to become a technology-centric publisher and label services powerhouse, has also become an active player in the space. Aside from its core operating business (where it stands out from traditional publishers and labels for not taking control of clients’ copyrights), it has raised two funds ($600M for the most recent one) to help institutional investors like the Railpen pension fund in the UK gain exposure to music copyrights as an asset class. In December, their fund acquired the catalogue of publisher SONGS Music Publishing for a reported $160M in a sale process against 13 other bidders looking to buy ownership in songs by Lorde, The Weeknd, and other young pop and hip-hop artists.

Too high a price?

The natural question to ask when there’s a rapid surge of money (and a corresponding surge in prices) in an asset class is whether there’s a bubble. After all, last year’s industry revenues were still only 68% of those in 1999 and the rate of growth will inevitably slow once streaming has captured the early majority of consumers.

But the fundamentals driving this capital are in line with a secular shift – it’s evident that music streaming still has a lot of room to grow in a few short years, especially as a large portion of the human population is just coming online (and doing so over mobile first). Plus as new content formats like augmented and virtual reality come to fruition, new categories of music sync licensing will inevitably accompany them for their soundtracks.

Each catalogue is its own case, of course. As Shamrock Capital managing director Jason Sklar emphasized to me, the rising tide isn’t lifting all boats equally. The streaming revolution appears to be disproportionately benefiting hip-hop, rap, and pop given the youth skew of streaming service users and the digital-native social media engagement of the artists in those genres.

Beyond the purchase price, the critical variable for evaluating a deal in this market is also the operational value a potential buyer can provide to the catalogue: their ability to actively promote songs from the past by pitching them to new TV shows, ad campaigns, and any number of other projects that will keep them culturally relevant. This is where strategic investors have an advantage over purely financial investors in publishing rights, especially when it comes to the longer tail of middle-tier artist’s whose music doesn’t naturally get the inbound demand that the Beatles or Prince catalogues do.

With strong long-term market growth and a wide range of possible niches and strategies, music copyrights are an asset class where we’ll see a number of major new players develop.

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Apple launched new iOS 12 features two weeks ago and changes keep coming with iOS 12.1 beta. It's a big shift for your iPhone and iPad we recommend downloading, even if there are some iOS 12 problems.

What's in the iOS 12 update? The features list includes Memoji, Grouped Notification, Screen Time and, importantly, better performance for older iPhones. iOS 12.1 adds Group FaceTime, live bokeh photo adjustments, and new eSIM support.

Best of all, you don't need the pricey iPhone XS or XS Max to get iOS 12. In fact, the software update makes your old iPhone and iPad feel like new. We have a how to download iOS 12 guide in case you're looking to update still. or want iOS 12.1

Good news: perks like Group Notifications make the UI easier to navigate and Siri Shortcuts will save you time. Bad news: Group FaceTime was delayed to iOS 12.1, and isn't expected to launch until October, maybe with iPhone XR on October 26.

Apple has made its mobile operating system and competitive in the wake of Google's Android Pie update and impending Google Pixel 3 launch. Here's what you need to know about iOS 12, whether you're upgrade an older iPhone or getting it out of the box with iPhone XS Max.

What's the difference between the latest phones showcasing iOS? Watch our handy explainer to find out:

Here's what is in the iOS 12.1 update

• Group FaceTime for up to 32 users is part of the iOS 12.1 beta
• Adjust photo background blur (bokeh) in real time (not just afterward)
• eSIM support menus are live in the beta – but carrier support is needed
• References 'iPadfall2018' – a big iPad Pro 2018 hint

The iOS 12.1 release date is expected in October, and it could very well launch at the same time at iPhone XR on October 23. Until, then iOS 12.1 beta is out for both developers and the general public.

There are four important iOS 12.1 changes:

First, Group FaceTime for up to 32 users is here. To test it out, however, you're going to have to pair up with people who have iOS 12.1 beta, so its use cases are limited right now.

Second, Apple expanded upon the bokeh (blur) adjustments you can on an iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max in portrait mode. Before you could adjust the blur in post, meaning after a picture was taken. Now, with iOS 12.1, you can also adjust the blur in real-time, as you're snapping a photo. This helps you better frame portrait photos.

Third, eSIM iPhone support is live with the proper setup menus. But there's a catch for setting up the simulated dual-SIM. You'll have to wait for your carrier to start supporting the feature. That may come about on the official iOS 12.1 release date.

Third, and even more interesting, the iOS 12.1 code references 'iPad2018fall'. We're likely to see the iPad Pro 2018 launch in October. New iPad Pro rumors point to a bezel-reduced iPad, one with a TrueDepth camera for Face ID and Memoji. There are plenty of hints in iOS 12.1 that Animoji and Memoji are going to be supersized on Apple's tablet soon.

The top iOS 12 features

1. iOS 12 makes your old iPhone and iPad faster

• Older iPhones are 40% to 70% faster at certain tasks
• Apple's looking to put the problematic iOS 11 behind it

iOS 12 focuses on reliability and performance with this update, and it supports all of the same iPhones and iPads that iOS 11 worked with.

Apple calls out the iPhone 6 Plus, specifically, saying iOS 12 makes this phone 40% faster at launching apps, 70% faster at launching the camera app, and 50% faster at displaying the keyboard. Keyboard typing and other routine features on older iPhones can slow down with every new iOS update, and Apple is looking to change these pain points with iOS 12.

This makes your existing iPhone and iPad more reliable, and your older devices can be used by family members or be sold now that they'll be more function with iOS 12. They don't have to sit in a drawer because they're too slow.

2. Grouped notifications

• Grouped notification on iOS 12 clean up individual notifications mess
• Smartly grouped by app, topic, thread. Tap in to look to unbind them
• Can clear a whole group of notifications with a single swipe

Grouped notifications are a part of iOS 12. This is a small, but very important tweak (maybe the most important in the iOS 12 update) because it changes the lock screen alerts you see each and every day. 

It binds together notifications by message threads and topics, making it easier to see everything at a glance. Right now, individual notifications in the morning are a big pain to check as they pile up.

3. Memoji and changes to Animoji

• Personalized 'Memoji' to look like you or 'the real you'
• Four new Animoji masks: Ghost, Koala, Tiger and T-Rex
• Animoji and Memoji clips last 30 seconds (up to 10 seconds)
• Tongue and wink detection for iOS 12 masks

Memoji is a customizable mask that can look like you – or the real you, according to Apple. It still resides in Messages. You can select hairstyles, eye color and accessories like earrings and sunglasses.

Like Animoji, this is a feature for newer iPhones in the X lineup due to requiring Apple's TrueDepth front-facing camera.

Animoji is expanded, not just with new masks, but with tongue detection and wink detection. Ghost, Koala, Tiger, and T-Rex will be joining the cast of Animoji masks.

4. iOS 12 allows for more than one Face ID face

Face ID on iOS 12 supports more than one face within the Setting menu labeled 'Face ID & Passcode.' Look for the 'Set up an Alternative Appearance' sub-menu to add a second look.

This is helpful for two reasons: You can either allow a partner to have access to your iPhone or iPad with Face ID, or you can add your alter ego to make sure Face ID unlocks your phone no matter what you look like today, tomorrow or the next day.

5. Siri Shortcuts can find your lost keys, more

• Siri Shortcuts allows you to assign phrases to tasks
• 'I lost my keys' can ring your Tile tracker to find keys
• 'Heading home' sends ETA notification to roommate, sets thermostat and fan, and brings up the fastest route via Apple Maps
• Gallery and library full of pre-configured Siri Shortcuts

Siri is smarter. If you set up Siri Shortcuts, a brand new app, It‘ll know that “I lost my keys” means to ring your Tile tracker. 

Sure, Tile is a handy gadget, but getting to the slow app is a pain when you've lost your keys. An integrated Siri is a game-changer for both Tile and our peace of mind.

Siri Shortcuts go far beyond this example. Apple allows for all sorts of formulas. The app can suggests coffee orders from the place you always order from, and nudge you to message contacts to tell them you're running late. 

There's also Kayak-based flight information you can call up via voice. By pressing the add to Siri button, you can then say “Travel plans” and Siri will read back information such as your hotel address.

Apple's IFTTT-like Siri Shortcuts app launched alongside the final iOS 12 software. However, not all shortcuts will be found in the new app. Some companies, like the aforementioned Tile, will host shortcuts within their own app, so look out for that.

6. Group FaceTime (now launching later)

• Group FaceTime for up to 32 people with dynamic UI
• Can use Animoji and Memoji in FaceTime
• Won't launch with the final software on day one

Group FaceTime is coming to iOS 12 with up to 32 participants, and you go directly from a group chat to a group FaceTime in the Messages app.

Update: Apple has delayed the launch of iOS 12 Group Notifications, according to release notes indicating that it'll come out this 'fall'. To us, that sounds like an iOS 12.1 launch – like Apple Pay, Apple Cash, AirPlay 2 and other features didn't make it live on day one in previous operating system updates.

People can drop in and drop out at any time. The interface is filled with tiles that can expand, and 'the roster' along the bottom for everyone else in the Group FaceTime chat. When people start to speak, their window gets bigger, even if they're in the bottom roster of participants. It works on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and you can even answer on the Apple Watch and HomePod with just audio.

Animoji is coming to FaceTime and Group FaceTime. You'll of course need to update to iOS 12 and an iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max or an iPhone XR to make that magic happen.

7. Screen time – using your iPhone less

• Reports give a weekly activity summary on how you use iOS 12
• Breakdown: ranks app usage, highest phone pick up times (and what app draws you in first), and apps that send you the most notifications
• Set self-imposed time limits via reminders and temporary app blocking
• Limit kids time in apps by category or individual apps via Family Sharing

Screen time is Apple's way of limiting your iPhone usage – calculating how much time you're spending on apps, which apps you use the most, and which apps are sending you the most notifications. Screen time doesn't lie.

For those without self-control, Apple has created app limits. You can set your own limit, with a notification letting you know when time is almost up. A 'Time is up' message will display when you've reached your self-imposed-Siri-assisted limit.

Parents can create limits for kids with Allowances, time-of-day-based downtime controls, and category controls. Education and essential message apps can also be greenlit thanks to an always-allowed settings. 

The best part? Setting limits for your kids uses Family Sharing, so you can manage it all remotely from your parental device – no need to get hold of your 12-year-old kid's phone to execute on these new iOS 12 controls.

8. Do Not Disturb goes visual in iOS 12

• Do Not Disturb during bedtime to hide visual display of notifications
• It offers a clean lock screen with only a reminder than DND mode is on

Apple has expanding its Do Not Disturb capabilities with a cleaner 'Do Not Disturb During Bedtime' mode. It'll silence not just the notification delivery sounds, but also the visual notifications clutter that can distract you when you're trying to sleep.

The lock screen remains clear until you unlock your iPhone in the morning. You can allow certain apps to break through, just like with DND mode right now. Apple refers to these as critical alerts, and they're opt-in.

We really like the solo DND notification hanging out on the lock screen. It's peaceful without distracting visual clutter at night and it reminds us that DND mode is on. All notched iPhones don't have the DND icon at the top, so it was always hard to tell before iOS 12.

9. Instant Tuning for axing notifications

• Instant Tuning to send future notifications silently or turn them off
• Siri can suggest which notifications to silence based on usage

Instant Tuning is an iOS 12 feature you'll love if you've ever gotten a notification from an app you always seem to dismiss (HQ trivia, breaking news alerts, etc), but don't have time to turn off future notifications in the many submenus of Settings. Apple is allowing you to control individual app notification profiles right from the lockscreen, without making you leave what you're doing.

Deliver Quietly is an option within Instant Tuning, and it'll allow you to choose to have notifications delivered silently Notification Center by default so you’re not interrupted by alerts on the lockscreen. It's a nice in between option.

Siri helps clean up your messy lock screen with notification delivery suggestions based on how you interact with notifications. Siri will understand which notifications it should deliver prominently and which ones to send to Notification Center. It's like iOS 12's version of 'clean up your desktop' system nudges.

10. New 'Measure' app and USDZ file format

• New USDZ file type dedicated at augmented reality
• Measure app replaces your old-fashioned measuring tape

'Measure' is getting its own AR app. It uses the iPhone's and iPad's sensors to measure objects in front of you, including suitcases, as shown in the first iOS 12 demo. All it takes it just tap-and-drag along the edges of the object on the screen. 

It also automatically detects the approximate dimensions of a photo – we've used it to buy a photo frame when we couldn't find the old-fashioned tape measure. iOS 12 to the rescue.

For AR developers, Apple has created a new file type called 'USDZ.' The company worked on USDZ with Pixar, and Adobe is supporting it, too. The file format can be shared across FIles, Mail, Messages and Safari. This is an important step forward for developers working on AR apps.

11. Apple News, Stocks, Voice Memos and CarPlay

• Apple News: new Browse tab and sidebar navigation
• Stocks: robust chart design and stock news integration
• Voice memos: easier menus, iCloud support, on iPad (finally)
• CarPlay: third-party app support, like Google News and Waze

Apps are indeed getting updates with iOS 12, starting with Apple News. There’s a new Browse tab and a sidebar for better navigation. Stocks is finally being rebuilt with a helpful news design, complete with charts and Apple news headline integrated into into stocks. The top stories will be business news curated by Apple News editors.

Voice Memos has come to iPad (as well as macOS), and it’ll get iCloud support, long overdue changes. Now you won't have to AirDrop conversations between devices in order to listen back. It'll also be easier to assign names to voice clips thanks to an overhauled Voice Memos redesign.

Apple Books is the new name for iBooks, allowing you to pick up reading where you left off and a new store interface to browse buy ebooks and audio books.

CarPlay now support third-party applications, with Waze and Google Maps appearing on-screen. Apple didn’t call out the Google-owned apps by name, but they were there on the screen. This was a major highlight of iOS 12.

12. Some NFC features work even with a dead battery

Apple delivers a clever trick with NFC, allowing you to use a metro pass or student ID in the Wallet app, even if your iPhone has a depleted battery.

Express Cards with power reserve ensures you're not stranded outside of a train station or a dorm room because there's still some low-level power in your phone. This is one of our biggest fears for users who routinely rly on NFC. 

Apple solves this, and though there's not enough power to give you visual feedback, when you touch your dead iPhone to an NFC-equipped terminal and you'll get a haptic response. And like magic, it works.

Just don't expect this new feature to work with Apple Pay. That requires Face ID, so you're going to have to possess a powered-on smartphone for that to work. 

13. Closing apps in multitasking mode is easier

For 12 and 13, iOS 12 fixes some irksome features we hated about iOS 11. They're the kind of problems only first-year iPhone X users will know about.

Closing open app windows in iOS 12 is easier. All you have to do is slide up on an open app to dismiss it from the multitasking menu. iOS 11 had us press down on the app until a bunch of red close icons appeared over top of each app, and then to tap those little red icons to dismiss the app. That was unpleasant.

14. Accidental screenshots are less common

Whenever we picked up our iPhone X, we'd always press the volume up and power button accidentally, which is the new 'take a screenshot' button combination on iPhone X. Apple has disabled this action whenever the phone screen is off. Our iOS 12 Photos app is no longer going to be filled with errant screenshots on the daily.

15. ARKit 2 and multiplayer gaming

• ARKit 2 allows for 'shared experiences' for AR multiplayer
• Lego, Fender, Adobe and Pixar are all working on AR with Apple

iOS 12 cements Apple as a leader in augmented reality (AR) with the arrival of groundbreaking multiplayer capabilities it calls Shared Experiences in ARKit 2.

These multi-user virtual environments allow for multiplayer gaming and experiences through iPhones and iPads. iOS 12 creates a more collaborative (and competitive) way of experiencing AR. 

Lego demoed a four-player game at WWDC in June, pledging that it was in when it came to Apple's “creative play possibilities.” Players were involved in building up an AR town. It was like The Sims was reimagined for the future.

ARKit 2 opens up AR to hundreds of millions of users, according to Apple, and that makes iOS 12 the broadest AR platform in the world. We got a taste of AR last year, but multi-user virtual environments bring more advanced tools and gameplay.

16. Camera app changes

Smart DHR is reserved for the A12 chip-equipped iPhone XS and iPhone XR phones, but iOS 12 also tweaks the default camera app on older devices with new tricks.

First, the Portrait Lighting mode (on newer iPhones with dual-lens cameras) looks more natural. The software will be able to define crisper edges by more effectively separating a person from a background scene. Apple is also allowing third-party apps to use the software to separate the foreground and background.

Second, it's the end of an era for our how to scan a QR code from your iPhone and iPad guide. The default camera in iOS 12 makes QR code reading automatic.

Third, while not part of the camera app, RAW photos can be imported and managed on an iPhone and iPad, with the bonus ability of editing RAW photos on an iPad Pro.

17. Photos app is now smarter with iOS 12

• Betters search and a new 'For you' tab
• Suggestions on who to share photo collections with
• Share back suggestions nudge friends to send their photos

The Photos app expands its search capabilities in an effort to compete with Google Photos. It recognizes photos by event now and indexes them accordingly. Apple says it takes into account over four million events, citing the Aspen Ideas Festival as a very niche example. 

This lets you search by event without any thankless manual tagging. Searching by event joins other smart suggestions, including filtering by people, places, and relative dates (searching via Siri works with all of these and is quite handy in our experience). 

The iOS 12 Photos search capabilities have also been broadened to let you use multiple search terms at once. Seeking "dog, animal" should weed out all of your gourmet hotdog results (this is a real problem we just tested at TechRadar).

A new tab 'For you' is a part of the iOS 12 Photos app, and it's filled with personalized suggestions on how to improve and share your pictures. Sharing has gotten smarter, letting you share at full-resolution and suggesting who to share these photos with.

Share back suggestions is a neat feature that lets you send photos to a friend, and it uses machine learning to poke them to send photos they took to you. Bonus: iOS 12’s photo sharing features uses iMessage's end-to-end encryption.

18. iPad switches to iPhone-like gestures

It's confusing owning both an iPad and a new iPhone X right now because returning to the home screen and opening Control Center are executed by different gestures.

The iPad takes cues from the iPhone X with the iOS 12 update: swipe up from the bottom to return home and check Control Center by pulling down from the top right-hand corner.

This may be a prelude to the iPad Pro 2018 that's rumored to include Apple's TrueDepth camera for Face ID, Animoji, and Memoji.

19. Siri translates new languages, learns motorsport scores

• Siri can now translate over 40 language pairs
• Motorsports scores, schedules and stats knowledge
• Food and celebrity facts knowledge expanded upon
• Password search not part of Siri's duties in iOS 12

Try asking Siri to translate something into Spanish. It works, and with iOS 12 it'll be even more robust with over 40 language pairs to aid your international travels.

So far, Siri will translate English (US) into Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Spanish. We really hope Siri will be able to translate foreign words into English. That may have to wait for iOS 13.

Siri will also learn the language of motorsports, per se. Asking for Formula One and NASCAR information will have Siri recite live standings, schedule, roster and stat info.

Food knowledge and celebrity facts are also part the Siri update. Right now, asking "How healthy is fish" gives a smatter of search results and requires opening up Siri. In the future, a specific answers about food will come from the USDA database, citing calories, vitamins, and how healthy the food is overall.

Password hunting is now within Siri's grasp, letting you search any saved passwords, according to Apple. This applies to both apps and websites.

20. Pinpoints 911 calls in the US

You won't have to worry about reciting your exact location when calling 911 in the US thanks to iOS 12. It'll pinpoint your whereabouts during emergency calls.

Apple says it'll "automatically and securely" share your iPhone location with first responders, but only with them and only during such emergencies. It's an effort to reduce response time, yet maintain your privacy.

21. iOS 12 compatibility

• Compatible with iPhone 5S, iPad mini 2 and iPad Air and newer
• 11 iPhones, 10 iPads, 1 iPod touch – the broadest iOS update yet 

iOS 12 will run on all devices that have its 64-bit chipset. It'll work on the iPhone 5S and newer, while the iPad Air and iPad mini 2 are the oldest iPads that are compatible with iOS 12. 

That's means this update is supporting 11 different iPhones, 10 different iPads, and the sole iPod touch 6th generation, still clinging to life. It’s the broadest support for a software update Apple has ever offered, and this is one of the biggest advantages Apple has over Android phones.

22. Weather app warns unhealthy air quality

Apple's official weather app contains new messaging that indicates air quality in cities. This is where Sunny, Cloudy, and Partly Cloudy messaging usually sits. iOS 12 puts it in a spot where you'll see it more regularly, as opposed to a separate air quality app.

The forecast New York City as of writing this, for example, tells us that the area has 'Unhealthy Air Quality for Sensitive Groups'. People with asthma therefore may want to stay indoors.

When did iOS 12 launch?

• June 4 – Developer beta launched (to paid Apple Developers)
• June 25 – iOS 12 public beta launched (it's free)
• September 17 – the final iOS 12 software (still free)

iOS 12 released on Monday, September 17 following the iPhone XS launch event, where Apple announced the official launch date. You can now download it.

There were actually three phases to the iOS 12 launch: one for developers, one for public beta testers, and one final version launching in mid-September.

First, the developer beta launched at WWDC and got more frequent refreshes, but it was early software. You have to be a registered Apple developer, which costs $99 for the annual membership. It's for people who like to tinker with Xcode and make apps.

Second, iOS 12 public beta launched on June 25 and was completely free. It was less problematic than the developer beta. The downside? It was always one step behind what the developers have access to.

Third, the final software, meant for everyone, launched on September 17. There's no need to jump through hoops to enroll in a beta. iOS 12 is now here in its final form, right in time for the iPhone XS release date.

That's a wrap for new iOS 12 features. 

The two biggest highlights were Grouped notifications and Group FaceTime with Memoji. Of course, Group FaceTime is not due to launch just yet, which means an inevitable iOS 12.1 and more updates for us to write about.

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