Hot iOS & iPhone News Stories
News: HomePod Firmware Leaks iPhone 8 Design
Who knew the HomePod would stir up so much excitement? Apple's soon-to-be home speaker is an intriguing product, if not a "must-have." I know I'm excited to compare it to the other big-name Bluetooth speakers out there to see if Apple is putting their money where their mouth is. But there's more important news to discuss — the HomePod's firmware has revealed some pretty big secrets about Apple's highly anticipated phone, most notably its bezel-less design, and facial recognition technology.
News: Could We Soon See a 5G iPhone? Apple to Test 5G Network
5G is showing up more and more in the news, as an increasing number of companies jump on the bandwagon. AT&T made a splash earlier this year with their embarrassing "5G Evolution" debacle, and the other three major wireless carriers soon followed suit, detailing their own vague plans for 5G. Today we find another company has joined the fray, just not a cellular one — Apple has officially been approved to test 5G networks.
News: Showing Support for Disabled Customers, Apple Teams with Cochlear for iPhone Implant Sound Processor
While many have their own strong opinions on Apple and their products, few have complaints about the way they embrace accessibility. Apple typically finds ways to make products functional to all customers, regardless of their situation. This philosophy can be seen in Apple's partnership with Cochlear, as the two develop a new cochlear implant sound processor for iPhone.
News: Are You on the iOS 11 Developer Beta? Version 4 Is Available Now
There's good news for iOS 11 beta testers — Apple just dropped the fourth version of the iOS 11 developer beta today. That means the newest iOS 11 public beta 3 will be released in a day or two.
News: Man Takes Apple to Court, Claiming iPhone Started House Fire
After watching Samsung's exploding phone fiasco this past year, I took comfort knowing that the likelihood my iPhone would suddenly combust was slim. However, after hearing about a recent incident in Wisconsin, iPhone owners may have reason to worry.
News: Today Is World Emoji Day & Apple's Giving Us All Gifts to Celebrate
As we all know, and certainly have marked on our calendars, it's World Emoji Day! Considering that over five billion emojis are sent daily on Facebook Messenger alone, emojis deserve to be celebrated, and Apple's doing just that. On this monumentous day, the tech giant is gifting us all with images of its newest emojis. From dinosaurs to headscarf-clad women, the releases are sure to please emoji fanatics throughout the world.
News: Our B.I.R. (Blind Man-in-Residence) Immerses Self in Microsoft's New 'Seeing AI' App
Microsoft recently released "Seeing AI," an app aimed to help the blind understand their surroundings. As Microsoft puts it, "the app narrates the world around you by turning the visual world into an audible experience."
Review: Street Fighter IV Champion Edition Is a Knock Out
Full disclosure — I have almost zero Street Fighter experience. The first time I played the game was at Barcade, way back in ... 2017. Yes, to the shame of gamers everywhere, this reviewer is a Street Fighter noob.
News: Microsoft's 'Seeing AI' App Helps the Visually Impaired Through Narration
When the iPhone first came out, using them seemed like an impossibility to the visually impaired. Luckily, the iPhone now provides a multitude of resources to make sure that the visually impaired have accessibility to the phone.
News: July 4th Sales Mean Big Savings on iPhone SE
This Fourth of July, stock up on hot dogs, ice cream, and smartphones. Yep, this Independence Day is a surprisingly good time to get your hands on the iPhone SE. If you're interested, head to your nearest Best Buy to check out this major deal. (Or wait for the iPhone 8 to come out ...whenever that will be.)
News: You Can Now Support Our National Parks by Using Apple Pay
These past few days have brought more bad news for our national parks. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke confirmed that there will definitely be big cuts to national park budgets. This comes after Donald Trump's budget request revealed a call for $300 million cuts to national parks.
News: Finally! These 5 MLB Stadiums Now Accept Apple Pay
Baseball fans can now leave their wallets behind at specific stadiums throughout the country. A new upgrade by Appetize to the foodservice and retail technology used at ballparks means you can now use Apple Pay to make purchases at 5 Major League Baseball stadiums.
News: Apple Pay Makes Children's Debit Card App Safer & Easier
Parents rejoice, Apple Pay is making it much simpler for your kid to use Greenlight, the MasterCard for kids app.
News: iOS 11 Public Beta Is Now Available for Your iPhone
Apple promised at WWDC to release the iOS 11 public beta by the end of June, and they've just followed through on their promise.
News: Do Not Disturb While Driving Now Live on iOS 11 Beta 2
Attention iOS 11 Developer Beta users — Dev Beta 2 is now ready for a software update. If you're running the beta already, you're going to want to download this one because it combines two excellent features: much, much needed bug fixes, as well as Do Not Disturb While Driving.
News: Are You on Virgin Mobile? Your Next Phone Will Have to Be an iPhone
Virgin Wireless, perhaps best known for Sir Richard Branson and all of his antics, is an affordable cellular option here in the US. Virgin customers can enjoy — if that's the right word for it — Sprint's cellular service, at a discounted rate, however, there are usually some compromises for that. Now, there will be yet another compromise for Virgin customers who don't like iPhones — Virgin will now only carry Apple's phone on their network.
News: Know How to Repair iPhones? You Could Make $20,000
Are you looking for a get-rich-quick scheme? Need a way to buy that Tesla you lied about having? Well, I don't know how to get you that. But what I can tell you is there is an emerging market that pays pretty darn well, for work that's more than interesting. I'm talking, of course, about iPhone repairs.
PSA: You Might Not Be Able to Login to iCloud, Errors Plaguing Some Users
iCloud can occasionally be the worst part of being an Apple user. It's useful for backing up your information, however, sometimes the problems that stem from Apple's cloud service are so tremendously frustrating they almost seem intentional. Well, buckle in, because it's possible there may be a widespread login issue.
News: Leaked iPhone 8 Screen Protector Could Provide Glimpse into What the Phone Looks Like
Update 6/20/17: Olixar, a smartphone case manufacturer, has released images of an iPhone 8 case design. While at first glance this might seem to confirm the iPhone 8's final design, 9to5 Mac reports that Olixar admits they produced these renders based on "information and schematics they've acquired through their factories and contacts in the far east."
News: Apple's Newest Venture Is Unlike Anything It's Done Before
From the iPhone to the HomePod, Apple has revolutionized the tech industry. The company has changed the devices we use and how we use them, creating a new reality for all of us. As Apple continues to innovate, there's no guessing what the company will do. In fact, Apple's newest venture is possibly the most surprising one yet. With the hiring of two television executives from Sony, it appears that the tech giant is gearing up to take their phones and tablets back from Hulu, Netflix, and other...
News: With Frenzy, You'll Online Shop Like You Never Have Before
With the massive popularity of online clothing brands like Missguided and Fashion Nova, it seems that shopping in-store is a thing of the past. I admit that I love browsing from the comfort of my own bed, but there's something to be said for actually going to a store, speaking to people with similar tastes and penchants for shopping. Fortunately, with Frenzy — Shopify's new app for iOS — you get all of the convenience of online shopping, plus the opportunity to interact with other users in pe...
News: iPhone 8 Is Waterproof & Has Wireless Charging, According to iPhone Assembler
What a week for iPhone rumors. Monday saw an intriguing photo leak on Reddit of what could be the final designs for the iPhone 8, 7S, and 7S Plus (highly suspect, of course). Today continues the intrigue — iPhone assembler Wistron told reporters in Taipei that Apple's newest smartphones will be waterproof and feature wireless charging.
News: New Apple Update Brings Collaboration Features to Pages, Keynote & Numbers Apps
With the hype surrounding the iPhone 8, Apple's announcement that it's developing driverless software, and the new iOS 11 beta out, it seems like the tech giant is constantly in the news. Today, Apple's continuing this streak with updates for its iWork app suite on iOS and macOS.
News: Banks Arrive Late to Instant Money Transfer Scene, Just After iOS 11
After 6 years of development, the big banks seem to be ready to combat Venmo on the money sending frontier, but now it might be too late.
News: New Leak Claims This Is the Final iPhone 8 Design
Update: Twitter user Benjamin Geskin (@VenyaGeskin1), known for his iPhone renders, tweeted on Monday alleging that the leaks are fake:
News: Scam Alert — iOS App Store Users Robbed of $400 a Month
We all know the internet isn't exactly a safe place. While plenty of its users are innocent and kind, you won't last long unless you treat every new screen name like a criminal (we're all this cynical while surfing the web, right?). Well, that cynicism is proven correct today, a post on Medium uncovered a group of scammers on the iOS App Store that are costing victims up to $400 a month.
News: Say Goodbye to Annoying Rating Requests with New App Store Policy Changes
In the changes to the App Store Review Guidelines for iOS 11, Apple has announced that developers must use the App Store rating API. The API was introduced in the iOS 10.3 beta period as something that would eventually become mandatory. Now, Apple has followed through on that promise.
News: Apple Is Bringing Business Chat to iMessage in iOS 11
It looks like Apple is coming straight for Facebook with their new Business Chat functionality, built into iMessage.
News: iOS 11 Adds OIS, Flash & HDR Support to Portrait Mode on the iPhone 7 Plus
Arguably the most impressive aspect of the iPhone 7 Plus is its dual-lens camera, or better yet, the Portrait mode that comes with it. This mode creates a dramatically shallow depth of field behind a subject, and was pretty impressive as is. Now, in iOS 11, Apple is making it even better with support for more camera options.
News: iOS 11 Gets New Echo & Spotlight Screen Effects for iMessages
Apple introduced iMessage effects in iOS 10, which offer creative ways to send messages to other iPhone users. These effects can either be applied to the screen, like seeing an explosion of confetti falling down the display, or to the message bubble itself. iOS 11 brings two new screen effects to iMessage, named "Echo" and "Spotlight," and they look like they'll be a fun addition to the current lineup.
News: iOS 11 Finally Fixed One Big Problem with Home Screen Icons
Apple's iOS is a great operating system, but it's not without its faults. Minor quirks have plagued the Apple community for years, such as a general lack of customization, a poor notification system, and some interesting UI choices like the intrusive volume popup. With iOS 11, Apple's tackling many of these pain points, not the least of which is being able to select multiple home screen icons at once.
News: After Error 53 Disaster, Apple Is Making It Much Easier to Fix Touch ID
Replacing your iPhone fingerprint sensor has been one of Apple's most cruel tortures. It's a slow and painful process made worse last year when Error 53 messages started appearing on the phones of users who had tried to repair their sensors outside of Apple. The error rendered the phones essentially useless. Since then, Apple has provided fixes but is now finally making it much easier to replace your iPhone fingerprint sensor with the releasing of "Horizon Machines" to official repair locations.
News: People Are Pissed About iOS 11's New Notification System
There's never an Apple announcement without some good ol' anger and backlash. To be fair, Apple received some really positive feedback from parts of the iOS 11 presentation at WWDC back in June. Fans had been waiting for years to customize the Control Center, as well as for native screen recording. But if there was one thing that got fanboys and Apple haters raging about in unison, it's that weird, incomprehensible notification system.
News: Safari to Block Third-Party Tracking & Autoplay
Apple announced upcoming changes today to prevent third-party tracking of users and prevent autoplay, on Safari. Safari will prevent the recording (by anyone other than Apple) of users' browsing behavior, and by doing so prevent advertisers from targeting ads based on individuals' history.
News: How to Watch Apple's WWDC 2017 Presentation Today
It's that time of year again — Apple will be hitting the stage in California to talk about new features coming to iOS and macOS devices in the near future. Of course, you're going to want to tune in and be up to date on all the changes coming to your Apple products.
News: Finally, Apple Is Doing Something to Improve the Accuracy of Apple Maps
According to the French Blog iGeneration, Apple Maps is hoping to get itself back on the map. How? By taking a page out of Google Maps' book and hiring freelancers from TryRating to manually check the accuracy of their locations.
Wish List: 18 Features We'd Like iOS 11 to Embrace on iPhones
WWDC 2017 is right around the corner, where Apple is expected to reveal iOS 11, the newest version of their mobile operating system. There have been many rumors floating around about what iOS 11 will have in store for us, but not all of those features will end up in the final product — and a lot of the features you want won't actually make the cut, either. But that doesn't mean we can't hope for the best.
News: Google Assistant on iOS Is Absolute Garbage
Google Assistant was just released for iOS today. You may know it as the AI-powered assistant that makes Google Home tick, or perhaps you've heard from one of many review sites about how much better it is than Siri. Well, before you run off to the App Store to install Google Assistant, let me save you some time: It sucks.
News: Your iPhone Will Someday Be as Sensitive as You Are
Tuesday gave us what I am dubbing a "patent dump." Can you blame me? The U.S. Patent Office released 56 patents from Apple. 56! Among them, there are patents confirming Apple is working on embedded Touch ID, edge-to-edge displays, and a 3D camera system (surprise, surprise). Some of those things we've heard rumors on for some time, but what is new is one of the patents hidden amongst the bunch, describing an Apple-made avatar system. One whose end-goal is to reflect your current emotional sta...
News: So Long, Siri! The Superior Google Assistant Is Coming to iOS
Rumor has it that Google Assistant will be coming to an iPhone near you. A "trusted source" broke the news of GA's arrival on iOS to Android Police ahead of Google's I/O conference this week.