iPhone News

Apple announces iPhone USB charger replacement program over ‘safety risk’ concerns

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 13, 2014

Apple Friday announced a replacement program for certain USB iPhone power adapters sold in Europe and elsewhere that "may overheat and pose a safety risk". The affected adapters that carry a model number of A1300 have been recalled and will be replaced with a new variant, the A1400 model.

According to the firm's official statement, the five-watt Apple European USB power adapter that "in rare cases" may overheat came with the iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s units.

These iPhones shipped from October 2009 to September 2012 to a total of 45 countries, mostly European. The broken adapter was sold as a standalone accessory, too...

Tweetbot 3 for iPhone updated with support for viewing/posting multiple images

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

The Tapbots have updated their popular Tweetbot 3 app for iPhone this morning. The update brings the Twitter client to version 3.4, and brings about a handful of new features, including support for multiple image viewing/posting, and more.

Users can now view and post multiple images from within Tweetbot 3, although Tapbots cautions that multiple images won't show up in search or streaming timelines until Twitter enables support. We have the full change log after the break...

Apple launches new ‘Browse by Category’ section in App Store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Apple has introduced a new section in the App Store entitled 'Browse by Category.' Available in the Featured section of both the iOS and desktop versions of the App Store, the new area makes it easier for users to discover and browse app categories.

While users have long been able to browse apps by category, the past experience was fairly truncated: users had to click on the Categories label in the upper left hand corner and scroll through a drop-down menu. This way is far more visually appealing...

Facebook Messenger updated with Instant Video Sending and Big Likes

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Facebook has posted an update for its iOS Messenger client this morning, bringing the app to version 6.0. The release includes the usual bug fixes and improvements, as well as two new features in 'Instant Video Sending' and 'Big Likes.'

Both new features are exactly what they sound like. Instant Video Sending allows users to shoot and play 15-second video messages from the camera, right in the app, and a Big Like is essentially a larger thumbs up for things you really like...

Samsung unveils the Galaxy Tab S with multi-user fingerprint sensor

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Samsung hosted an event in New York yesterday afternoon to take the wraps off a new version of its Galaxy Tab. It's calling the tablet the Galaxy Tab S, and it includes a high resolution Super AMOLED display that comes in 2 sizes: 8.4 and 10.5-inches.

Perhaps one of its most interesting features, though, is its fingerprint sensor. It can recognize up to eight different users, and each scan will load a different custom user profile based on the fingerprint with personalized settings, app shortcuts and more...

Apple’s Angela Ahrendts sends out first memo to retail staff

Cody Lee ∙ June 12, 2014

Angela Ahrendts began here tenure as Apple's senior vice president of retail and online sales in early May. The former Burberry CEO has made a good first impression in her first month, garnering praise from folks inside and outside the company.

Today, Ahrendts sent out her first memo to Apple retail employees, which officially sets the tone for her incumbency. In the letter she thanks everyone for their hospitality, and pledges to continue to evolve the customer journey in stores and online...

AT&T increases activation fees for customers with 2-year contracts

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

AT&T has increased its activation fees for customers who opt for two-year contracts. The increase is only a couple of dollars, from $36 to $40, but when you consider that you have to pay that for every device, every upgrade, it starts to add up.

The move is part of a larger effort by the carrier to push more subscribers away from the traditional contract/subsidy model, and towards Next. The upgrade program allows customers to get a new device every year for $0 down, and zero fees...

Skitch gains swipable design, better sharing, deeper Evernote integration and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Evernote-owned Skitch is my favorite OS X/iOS annotation tool. It's even impressed Apple enough to borrow some of its trademark features for Yosemite's fancy new in-line attachment annotation tool.

If you use Skitch, there's a new update in town packing in several improvements, alongside a refreshed design which lets you swipe between Skitch's various tools easily.

You can download the new Skitch 3.2 for the iPhone and iPad free in the App Store..

App Store, iTunes and iBooks are down for some users [update: it’s back to normal]

Joe Rossignol ∙ June 12, 2014

There are multiple reports on Twitter and elsewhere indicating that the App Store, iTunes and iBooks services are either down or functioning erratically. The downtime appears to be affecting users in the United States, Sweden and possibly other regions. On top of that, the App Store appears to be loading incorrectly for some users as well. Hit the break for the latest updates…

New in iOS 8: reply notifications for Mail threads

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2014

Apple really seems laser-focused on further removing communication hurdles and friction in iOS 8 by advancing Mail and Messages stock apps in ways more than one.

For the most part, the changes in these two apps are for the better: Apple hasn't cluttered their interfaces nor has it changed the familiar design.

Apple's thinking and consideration for the end user is especially evident in how iOS 8 handles group chats in Messages and email threads in Mail.

While you can now finally leave a group chat in Messages, Mail in iOS 8 sports a really useful feature where you tell it to issue a push notification each time someone has replied to a designated email thread...

Skype 5.0 for iPhone is back in the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2014

The wait is over as Skype 5.0 for iPhone has finally started to roll out to international App Stores this morning. Microsoft previewed the remastered Skype for iPhone with a brand new design earlier this week and unleashed the updated software upon the App Store the following day.

But something was amiss as Skype 5.0 went live in the Canadian App Store only, with some international users briefly spotting the update before it disappeared quickly.

As of this morning, the VoIP application appeared to propagate through the App Stores around the world so go ahead, update your copy of Skype and let us know how you like its new Windows Phone-style swipable interface...

Scanbot 2.0 brings iPad support and smart QR code scanner

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2014

Scanbot is an awesome PDF scanning utility that allows you to create high-quality PDF or JPEG scans with 200 dpi and higher. You can then upload the images to a number of cloud storage services, share them online and what not.

It's an indispensable productivity tool for paperless office aficionados and good for just about anyone who needs to scan those receipts, contracts, print outs and other document types. Plus, it's now available on the iPad.

The new Scanbot 2.0, available as a free update for those who've purchased it, is now a universal binary whose UI has been specifically tailored for both the tiny iPhone screen and the iPad's larger canvas.

Filed as Germany-based Doo GmbH's biggest release yet, the refreshed software also brings out a smart QR code scanner (more on that later), an improved grayscale filter and a host of other improvements and bug fixes...