iPhone 6s

iOS 10 tidbit: managing app downloads in progress with 3D Touch

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 17, 2016

Pausing an in-progress App Store download has always been a cinch on iOS: you just tap the icon of the app being downloaded on your Home screen in order to pause the download, and then tap it again to resume it.

But cancelling the download is a trickier affair: you must tap the icon's X sign in jiggle mode. The problem is, entering iOS's signature jiggle mode often interferes with 3D Touch.

Thankfully, iOS 10 comes to the rescue with all-new 3D Touch shortcuts for managing downloads in progress.

iOS 10: app sharing made simple with handy new 3D Touch shortcut

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 16, 2016

In the run-up to the WWDC 2016 keynote, Apple announced a major shake up in the App Store with several new features, among them an easier way to share third-party apps with friends and family using 3D Touch.

Now that iOS 10 Preview has released to Apple's registered developers and we've had a chance to spend hands-on time with this feature, we're pleased to report that it works precisely as advertised.

iOS 10 tidbit: using 3D Touch to rename folders and seeing their notifications badge breakdown

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 16, 2016

iOS 10 makes extended use of 3D Touch-driven gestures on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. For instance, you can 3D Touch the bottom row of icons in Control Center to set flashlight intensity, start the timer, go to your last calculation and jump directly into a Camera mode.

You can also clear all notifications with 3D Touch and now I've stumbled upon another handy 3D Touch shortcut on iOS 10: folder renaming and seeing apps inside a folder with missed notifications.

iOS 10 tidbit: clearing all notifications at once with a simple 3D Touch gesture

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 15, 2016

One of the longest-standing complaints about iOS has got to be its inexplicable lack of a Clear All button in the Notification Center that would permit users to clear out all of their missed alerts in one go rather than dismissing them one by one, like an animal.

Not anymore: iOS 10 makes expanded use of 3D Touch throughout the system, including making all missed notifications disappear with a single press.

App Store to gain Categories tab and easier app sharing with 3D Touch

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 8, 2016

Aside from a pair of major developer-facing enhancements that are coming to the App Store this fall—Search Ads and Subscription improvements—Apple appears adamant to fix some of the longstanding pain points with store navigation and app discovery.

For instance, the Featured tab will no longer show apps a user has installed on their device.

Apple also said that it'll be bringing back the Categories tab for the store and let you share apps on social media right from the Home screen with 3D Touch.

Twitter’s iOS app gains Peek and Pop previews

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 28, 2016

Although you couldn't tell it by looking at official release notes for Twitter's version 6.54 update, which make a passing mention of “a few minor updates that you didn’t even know you needed”, the app has finally gained additional 3D Touch goodies in the form of Peek and Pop previews within the app. Before today, Twitter for the iPhone and iPad only supported Quick Actions on the Home screen. Grab Twitter for iOS for free on the App Store.

Eric Schmidt trolls Apple users (again): Galaxy S7 has better battery and camera than iPhone 6s

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 25, 2016

It's an established fact that Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt owns an iPhone because, you know, it pays to experience what the competition is doing firsthand. In a fireside chat at the Startup Fest Europe in Amsterdam, Netherlands, today with CNBC journalist Julia Chatterley, he publicly admitted for the first time to using both an iPhone 6s and Galaxy S7, teasing the mostly iPhone-totting audience that Samsung's device is better.

Apple airs new iPhone 6s ad, ‘Thank You Speech,’ highlighting tetherless Siri mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 9, 2016

Apple on Monday aired a new television commercial for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, titled 'Thank You Speech' and starring “How I Met Your Mother” star Patrick Neil Harris (he had a cameo on Apple's recent 'Onions' ad).

The 30-second clip shows off a tetherless Siri feature that users can optionally enable on their iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus in order to converse with the personal digital assistant using the 'Hey Siri' keyword even when their device is not connected to power.

Another technical drawing suggests iPhone 7 has same width and height as iPhone 6s

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Reliable French leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer via his blog NowhereElse.fr and Twitter handle @OnLeaks published this morning another claimed technical drawing of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 7 which suggests that the device will be as tall and wide as the current-generation iPhone 6s, measuring in at exactly 67.1 mm wide and 138.3 mm tall.

The leaked drawing does not specify the depth of the iPhone 7, but previous rumors did point to an iPod touch-thin phone so it's too early to tell if existing cases will fit the iPhone 7 or if these will need reengineering for a thinner form factor.

Top 3D Touch shortcuts and gestures available for the App Store and iTunes Store apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 8, 2016

The App Store and iTunes Store storefronts are 3D Touch-enabled on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, with each supporting some pretty smartly chosen Home screen shortcuts that'll save you a few taps once you get the hang of them.

On the other hand, previewing your apps and media via force-pressing isn't as developed as in other stock apps, such as Messages and Maps. But don't you worry—iDownloadBlog comes to the rescue!

This quick tutorial clearly demonstrates where on the App Store and iTunes Store common 3D Touch shortcuts and Peek and Pop gestures do and don't work.

Netflix picks up 3D Touch Home screen shortcuts, cellular video quality presets and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 5, 2016

Netflix today updated its iPhone, iPod touch and iPad application on the App Store with support for Quick Actions on the Home screen with 3D Touch.

This lets iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus owners press the Netflix icon on their Home screen to quickly search, continue watching and access the Trending Now or My List sections from the shortcuts menu.

Other enhancements in this edition of Netflix for iOS include VoiceOver navigation improvements and new controls to manage streaming data usage on cellular networks.

iPhone 7 may come outfitted with a slightly stronger battery than iPhone 6s

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 2, 2016

According to a post on the Chinese social network Sina Weibo, Apple's next-generation iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones may come outfitted with slightly larger batteries than the current-generation iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models. Based on a claimed spy shot of purported battery packages for the upcoming devices, the iPhone 7 should have a one percent stronger battery than the iPhone 6s while the iPhone 7 Plus should pack in a more than two percent stronger battery versus its iPhone 6s Plus counterpart.