Snapchat users will soon be able to launch the app’s camera directly from the iPhone lock screen, thanks to an app update and the magic of iOS 18. The latest update to the iPhone operating system allows people to use a number of other useful tools, replacing the flashlight and camera on the lock screen. These tools will now include the Snapchat camera.
Tapping the button will launch Snapchat’s “camera only” mode. This will technically let you create Snaps, but there’s a big caveat. The lock screen allows users to take photos, but not add filters or post anything. For this, you’ll need to unlock the phone with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode and open the actual app.
This unique feature will be available via an app update sometime this week. Of course, it also requires an update to iOS 18.0 or the upcoming iOS 18.1. To get started, tap and hold the lock screen and tap Customize. Follow the prompts to remove the default options and add the Snapchat camera.
Phones running iOS 18 offer another small update for Snapchat users. The volume buttons can now be used to capture snaps while the app is open. Simply press the volume buttons to take a photo or hold down one of the volume buttons to record a video.
Gurman said, “It will have a base-level A19 chip and a single-lens camera system,” and it will “serve as a testbed for future technologies, including technologies that allow for foldable devices.” According to Gurman, it and the upcoming new iPhone SE will use Apple’s first in-house modem.
We may also see upgrades to the entry-level iPad that will make it compatible with Apple intelligence. Gurman revealed that the next-generation iPad will get an A17 Pro chip and 8 GB of memory. According to Gurman, this news should arrive in the spring with the iPhone SE and new iPad Air models.
While the use of generative AI in games seems almost inevitable, as this medium has always toyed with new ways to make enemies and NPCs smarter and more realistic, watching several NVIDIA ACE demos back to back really gave me stomach pain.
It wasn’t just slightly smarter enemy AI – ACE can create entire conversations out of thin air, simulate voices and try to give NPCs a sense of personality. It’s also doing this locally on your PC, powered by NVIDIA’s RTX GPUs. But while this all might sound good on paper, I hated nearly every second I saw the AI NPCs in action.