iOS 12.1: Tips and tricks to help you get the most from your iPhone or iPad

There are a lot of new and updated features buried in Apple's new iOS 12 update, so if you are feeling confused, overwhelmed, or just want to see if you've missed something, you've come to the right place.

Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Senior Contributing Editor Nov. 1, 2018 at 3:17 a.m. PT

iOS 12 has now been out for over a month, following a long - and I would say, successful - beta process, making it one of the best iOS releases that I've seen in years. Now Apple consolidated this with the release of iOS 12.1, which brings with it more improvements and bug fixes.

Must read: iPhone XR: Here's nine things you need to know about Apple's 'affordable' iPhone

How to get iOS 12.1

iPhone

First things first. If you've not downloaded iOS 12 yet - and more than half of all devices that can run iOS 12 are now running this release - here's how to get it.

The recommended way is to tap Settings > General > Software Update and carry out the update from there. You will now receive the latest iOS 12 update, which at the time of writing is iOS 12.1.

You will need Wi-Fi access and your battery to be charged above 50 percent, or the device will need to be connected to a charger (although I recommend that devices are connected to a charger during the update process no matter what the battery charge level).

Alternatively, you can connect the iPhone or iPad to a PC running iTunes and do the upgrade from there.

Oh, and to answer the common question of "Should I install iOS 12 on my old iPhone or iPad?" Yes, yes you should.

Change privacy setting

The first thing I recommend you do after installing iOS 12.1 is to tweak your privacy settings in order to better secure your data.

Here I look at how to set a strong passcode, how to use password autofill and make use of third-party password apps, how to turn on iOS automatic updates, set brute-force protection, check for password reuse, and more.

iOS 12.1: Change these privacy and security settings now

Password AutoFill and third-party password managers

New iOS 12.1 features you should try today

Now that you've secured your data, you can have some fun with the new iOS 12 features. Here are what I think are the top 10 new iOS 12 features.

These features include taking better control over notifications, setting up enhanced Do Not Disturb, and how to use stickers and text effects in Messages.

Top 10 iOS 12.1 features you should try out today

Master iOS 12.1 with these tips and tricks

Everything you need to know about your iPhone or iPad's battery in iOS 12.1

The top complaint that iPhone users tend to have about their device is related to battery life. Either they start to suffer poor battery life after installing a new update, of battery life seems to take drop dramatically for no reason.

Fortunately, starting with iOS 1, Apple built a number of battery related tools into the release that allows you to dig deeply into what's going on and track down what's going on with your battery. Is it an app that's gone rogue and is burning through it, or is the problem down to a software bug that Apple will have to fix?

iOS 12 tells you (almost) everything you need to know about your iPhone's battery

iOS 12.1: iPhone battery draining fast? Here how to diagnose the problem and get more battery life

Use your iPhone or iPad less

Believe it or not, Apple wants you to spend less time looking at your iPhone or iPad, and has built tools into iOS 12 to help you find out how much time you are spending in apps, and to control how those apps can interact and distract you.