What's New in iOS 12 Beta 2: Screen Time Updates, Battery Usage Tweaks and More

Apple this morning released the second beta of iOS 12 to developers, and as expected, there are tweaks and changes to many of the new features introduced in iOS 12.

Changes to Screen Time include new options to sort by device and view additional details on a per app basis, while tweaks made to Battery Usage make it easier to see which apps are eating up battery. There are several other smaller changes in iOS 12 beta 2, which we've listed below.

- Battery Usage - The charts for activity and battery level for the last 24 hours have been redesigned in iOS 12 beta 2, and some of the wording has been updated in this section.

ios12b2batterycharts
- Screen Time - Apple has removed a toggle for clearing Screen Time data, and the interface for adding time limits to apps from the main Screen Time screen has been tweaked. In the first beta, when you tapped an app it went right into the limits interface, but now tapping on an app displays more info on the app, including daily average use, developer, category, and more, and lets you tap to set a limit. There's also a new splash screen when opening Screen Time for the first time.

screentimemoreappinfo
- Screen Time By Device - There's now an option to view activity on a single device or all devices.

screentimebydevice
- Notifications - There's a new toggle in the Notifications section of the Settings app that allows you to toggle off Siri Suggestions for individual apps. In iOS 12, Siri makes suggestions about limiting the notifications you receive from apps that aren't often used.

- Password AutoFill - There's a new interface for autofilling a password saved in iCloud Keychain.

twitterpasswordautofill
- Voice Memos - There's a new introductory splash screen for Voice Memos in iOS 12 beta 2.

- Face ID - When unlocking content using Face ID, the iPhone X now says "Scanning with Face ID."

- Photos - The text size for the "Media Types" and "Albums" listings in the Photos app is now much bigger, making it easier to read.

- Photos Search - In iOS 12 beta 2, Photos appears to support more advanced searches. For example, if you search for a specific date like July 10, it will show all photos from all years taken on July 10. This is different than the behavior in iOS 12 beta 1.

- iPhone apps on iPad - When you open iPhone apps on the iPad, like Instagram, they're now displayed in a modern device size (iPhone 6) in both 1x and 2x mode.

ios12ipadiphoneappsize
There are also multiple known issues in the second developer beta of iOS 12, with full details available from Apple's developer site. We've listed a handful of the more prominent problems users might run into:

  • The Weather widget is not functional.
  • Universal Links might not open the expected target app.
  • Netflix might unexpectedly quit when downloading a video.
  • Twitter might display a blank login screen.
  • Playback might not pause when one AirPod is removed from your ears.
  • CarPlay might not connect to certain vehicles.
  • Group FaceTime calls can't be initiated between iOS 12 beta 2 and iOS 12 beta 1. FaceTime calls may also be interrupted by a poor connection message, and FaceTime might unexpectedly quit.
  • Screen Time must be re-enabled after installing iOS 12 beta 2, and all Screen Time settings are reset after updating.
  • Voice Memos might not sync between devices even when iCloud syncing is enabled.

iOS 12 is limited to developers at the current time, but Apple has promised a public beta for its public beta testing group before the end of June, so we could be seeing a public beta as soon as later this week.

Related Forum: iOS 12

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Report Reveals Internal Chaos Behind Apple's Siri Failure

Thursday April 10, 2025 7:15 am PDT by
A new report from The Information today reveals much of the internal turmoil behind Apple Intelligence's revamped version of Siri. Apple apparently weighed up multiple options for the backend of Apple Intelligence. One initial idea was to build both small and large language models, dubbed "Mini Mouse" and "Mighty Mouse," to run locally on iPhones and in the cloud, respectively. Siri's...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Waiting for the Perfect MacBook Pro? 2026 Might Be the Year

Thursday April 10, 2025 4:19 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: New iOS 19, iPhone 17, and Apple Watch Ultra 3 Leaks

Friday April 11, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we catch up on the latest iOS 19 and watchOS 12 rumors, upcoming devices, and more. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Detailed new renders from leaker Jon Prosser claim to provide the best look yet at the complete redesign rumored to arrive in iOS 19, showing more rounded elements, lighting effects, translucency, and...
iPad Pro iPadOS

iPadOS 19 Will Be 'More Like macOS' in Three Ways

Sunday April 13, 2025 6:43 am PDT by
A common complaint about the iPad Pro is that the iPadOS software platform fails to fully take advantage of the device's powerful hardware. That could soon change. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS." Gurman said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like a Mac" in three ways:Improved productivity Improved multitasking Improved app window management...
apple intelligence black

NYT: Apple's AI Struggles Began with 2023 Chip Budget Dispute

Friday April 11, 2025 4:33 am PDT by
Apple's current struggles with Apple Intelligence and Siri began in early 2023 when AI head John Giannandrea sought approval from CEO Tim Cook to purchase more AI chips for development, according to a new report from The New York Times. Cook initially approved doubling the team's chip budget, but CFO Luca Maestri reportedly reduced the increase to less than half that amount, and instead...
Apple Vision Pro with battery Feature Blue Magenta

Vision Pro 2 Rumored to Have Two Key Advantages Over Current Model

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:15 am PDT by
Apple is working on a new version of the Vision Pro with two key advantages over the current model, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Specifically, in his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is developing a new headset that is both lighter and less expensive than the current Vision Pro, which starts at $3,499 in the U.S. and weighs up to 1.5 pounds. Gurman said Apple is also...
Apple Accessories Deals 2024 Anker Green

Anker Raises Prices on Amazon Due to Tariffs

Friday April 11, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
Chinese company Anker is one of many companies that will be raising prices due to the tariffs put in place by U.S. President Donald Trump, and prices are already starting to go up on Amazon. As noted by Reuters, Anker has increased pricing on about a fifth of its products since Thursday of last week. Prices are up approximately 18 percent, and there is a possibility for further increases. A...

Top Rated Comments

izyreal Avatar
89 months ago
But did they fix the stupid volume setting screen hog?

Attachment Image
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Exxhara Avatar
89 months ago
I'm so ready for iOS 12 in the fall! It'll be lit! Can't wait for the new emoji too :)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Textime Avatar
89 months ago
Did they fix the GPS issue?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfacts Avatar
89 months ago
How do we have battery usage over 100%?
I mean, why is it necessary to show the vertical axis ranging from 100% to 150%?
If the iPhone lasts 10 hrs of non stop usage and I recharge it for 4 hrs and then use it non stop for another 10 hrs, that's 200% usage in one day.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrisbrummel Avatar
89 months ago
They also seemed to indicate that Airplay 2 support for Airport Express is imminent: https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeKit/comments/8sb69n/airport_express_airplay_2_ios12_beta_2/

If they’re bothering to update the copy, that signals their intent.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OldSchoolMacGuy Avatar
89 months ago
How can I become a developer to try the betas. I can't wait until the fall. Thanks.
You need to pay $99 a year to gain developer access. And be aware that you will have to deal with lots of bugs and other issues. Many apps won't work or will crash frequently. That's all just part of being a developer and using beta software.

You can also wait until the end of this month and sign up for the public beta program. They get access later than developers but it's free. Keep in mind you will still have to deal with frequent crashes, bugs, battery drain, non-working apps and other issues that are just part of a beta.

https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)