Apple iOS 12.1 brings Group FaceTime and new emoji to iPhone and iPad

Apple said that all FaceTime conversations are encrypted end to end so they remain private and viewable only by the participants.

San Francisco/New Delhi: Apple has brought Group FaceTime with up to 32 people simultaneously and over 70 new emoji to iPhones and iPads via iOS 12.1.

iOS 12.1 will be available Tuesday, Apple said. iOS 12.1 also brings Depth Control in real-time preview and Dual SIM support to iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR customers.

Apple said that all FaceTime conversations, both one-to-one and multi-person, are encrypted end to end so they remain private and viewable only by the participants.

Here are the additional features on Group FaceTime

FaceTime uses on-device intelligence to display the most prominent speakers on the call, automatically highlighting the current speaker by bringing them to the forefront. It automatically sizes each person’s image depending upon how active they are in the conversation, based on duration of speech, volume and even motion. Participants who are not active will appear at the bottom of the screen until they speak. A simple tap also brings a participant front and center.

When calling more than one person, FaceTime displays a notification that lets you instantly join a call without being disruptive.

Group FaceTime is integrated into the Messages app, making it easy to start a Group FaceTime right from a group iMessage chat. If people in a conversation have already started a FaceTime session, Messages shows the active call in the conversation list and inside your conversations.

Apple has added More than 70 new emoji come iPhone and iPad with iOS 12.1, including new characters. New emoji will also be available on Apple Watch and Mac with a free software update, Apple said.

With iOS 12.1, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR gain Dual SIM support, featuring a nano-SIM and digital eSIM.