iPhone user guide reveals iOS 12.1 update will add Group FaceTime, dual-SIM support

**Apple** has reportedly updated its iPhone User Guide for the upcoming release of iOS 12.1, indicating that the latest version of the mobile operating system (OS) will include Group **FaceTime** and dual-SIM support for its newly-launched iPhones. The e-book, which serves as a digital manual for new iPhone users, now lists Group FaceTime as a iOS 12.1 feature. It allows users to conduct FaceTime video conference calls with up to 32 participants. [caption id=“attachment_5384681” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Apple iPhone XS Max. Image: tech2/Prannoy Palav[/caption] “Available for free through Apple Books, the revised “iPhone User Guide for iOS 12.1” is largely unchanged from a previous version created for iOS 12,” Apple Insider reported on 26 October. “There are, however, two major additions that confirm upcoming availability of features teased at Apple’s **Worldwide Developers Conference** (WWDC) 2018 in June and Apple’s iPhone unveiling last month,” the report added. In addition to Group FaceTime, the user guide also notes dual-SIM functionality for iPhone “XR”, “XS” and “XS Max” will go live when the iOS point update sees release. A tentpole feature of Apple’s latest smartphones, dual-SIM support allows iPhone users to utilise two cellular plans on a single device without constant SIM card swapping. Apple’s solution relies on “Dual SIM Dual Standby technology”, which keeps both a physical SIM and an embedded eSIM – or a second physical SIM card in China addressable simultaneously. Apple has not specified a release date for iOS 12.1, though beta versions have been in testing since mid-September. The update could coincide with a media event next week, where the company is expected to unveil new iPad Pro and Mac hardware. Apple’s “iPhone User Guide” for iOS 12.1 is a free download from **iTunes** .