Apple confirms launch of iOS 12.1 update with group FaceTime

Apple’s first big iOS 12 update is imminent. 

The company just confirmed that the update, which will add long-awaited group calling features to FaceTime, will roll out Tuesday, Oct. 30, the same day as its fall hardware event.

Group calling for FaceTime was first previewed over the summer during Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference, but the feature was removed from beta versions of iOS 12 because it was extremely buggy. Those early issues are apparently sorted out now, as Apple says the feature is ready for the masses. Besides supporting group calls of up to 32 participants, FaceTime will let you use animated filters, and Animoji and Memoji effects during calls.

In addition to the FaceTime upgrades, iOS 12.1 also comes with 70 new emoji, including red-haired characters and cupcakes and donuts. 

The update also offers some camera upgrades for Portrait Mode. The new depth control feature, which lets you adjust the depth of field on a photo after you’ve shot it, will be available.

And, finally, iOS 12.1 adds dual-SIM support for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which support an additional e-SIM, so you can use the same phone with two different cellular plans.

Though not unexpected — Apple often releases new versions of iOS on the same day as hardware events — it is somewhat unusual for Apple to confirm the launch date before the actual event. We still don’t know what time the update will drop, though, so stay tuned tomorrow for the details. Mashable will be covering the event live from Brooklyn with the latest updates.