Protect your AirPods case with PodPockets

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

If you are lucky enough to own a set of AirPods, you love them, you take them everywhere, you show them to everyone, you run back into the house if you forget them. You are constantly grabbing and going these little wizards, which by most standards, are the best technology forward product Apple released in 2016. With all Apple products, I want to keep them safe and sound, but the high polish white plastic does not hold up very well against scratches.

Within about two days, my AirPods case was scratched and ruined. I use ruined fairly loosely, but any scratch on my Apple products is a total travesty. Thankfully, I stumbled across PodPockets, which now safely cradle my AirPods case.

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Head of Apple’s speech team explains how Siri learns new languages

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 9, 2017

Just how exactly does Siri learn a new language? In today's interview with Reuters, Apple's speech team head Alex Acero offered a behind-the-scenes look at how Siri is being taught new languages, a process that involves script-writing, capturing voices in multiple accents and dialects and using machine learning and artificial intelligence to build and evolve new language models over time. The system requires a team of people tasked with reading passages of manually transcribed text.

Before actually updating Siri, Apple first rolls out Dictation support for a new language.

Siri currently speaks 21 languages in 36 countries. By comparison, Microsoft's Cortana supports eight languages tailored for thirteen countries, Google Assistant speaks four languages while Amazon's Alexa works only in English and German.

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Developers required to submit a new app version before updating App Store descriptions [U]

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 9, 2017

Developers could refresh App Store's meta data for their apps at any time, but not anymore. According to 9to5Mac, which first spotted the change, Apple's iTunesConnect tool for developers used for editing metadata now requires that a new version of the app be submitted for review before its description, release notes and other metadata can be edited. Any changes made to an app's metadata won't go live on App Store until the new binary has been approved by Apple's editorial team.

UPDATE: Several developers we talked to have confirmed that this was indeed a glitch in the system, saying they're now able to update an app's description and other meta data without submitting a new binary for approval.

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Facebook Messenger now lets everyone post status updates that disappear after 24 hours

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 9, 2017

Facebook announced Thursday that a feature in its mobile Messenger app that allows people to post auto-disappearing photos and videos has now begun rolling out globally following a previous soft launch in select countries like Poland and Australia. They're calling it Messenger Day because anything you post there disappears automatically after 24 hours, just like with Instagram Stories or those auto-vanishing status updates on WhatsApp.

You're in full control of the scope of your Messenger Day and can choose to share it with everyone on the service, people you're friends with or cherry-picked contacts.

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How to check Activation Lock status via Apple’s support pages

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 22, 2022

In the past, you could check the Activation Lock on a dedicated official iCloud page by entering the IMEI number. However, Apple removed it a few years back. Now the only reliable option to check a device's Activation Lock is by having physical access to that iPhone or iPad.

But, there is a workaround that might work for some. So the tutorial below talks about that trick which involves using the Apple Support page to check the Activation Lock. If it works for you, great! If it doesn't, you can follow these tips to check Activation Lock before buying a used iPhone.

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Google Photos picks up auto white balance editing feature in latest update

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 9, 2017

Google Photos for iPhone and iPad has picked up a brand new editing feature—auto white balance. Requiring Google Photos for iOS version 2.11, the app's improved Auto Enhance tool now includes white balance correction that adjusts the white tone of your images to make them pop and given them a more natural look. Launch Google Photos on your device, select a look and the app will now correct not only exposure and saturation, but also automatically correct the white balance of the image.

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Apple working to address remaining CIA exploits, but many additional vulnerabilities exist

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Apple said yesterday that “many” CIA exploits revealed in WikiLeaks' dump codenamed “Vault 7” are already patched in the latest version of iOS. As for the remaining exploits, Apple engineers are working to address them as well, according to The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

A person familiar with the situation told the paper that Apple engineers have been coordinating the company’s response to this new security threat.

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Alto makes a top-contending leather case for most iPhone models

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 9, 2017

Over the last few weeks, we have shown you a number of the top leather case brands for iPhones, but another that we feel deserves attention is Alto.

Hand-crafted with fine Italian leather, Alto cases are subtly formed out of what feels like surreal perfection. If you’re one to judge products closely, and every bit of quality matters to you, then Alto’s attention to detail is likely to impress.

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PreferMyFi 2 lets you designate preferred Wi-Fi networks

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 9, 2017

A lot of times, there might be more than one Wi-Fi network in a given location. Sometimes one wireless router is broadcasting multiple channels on a guest/private basis, and other times there are simply more than one wireless network. In any case, you likely have a personal preference in terms of which one you like to connect to.

For anyone in this kind of predicament, a new free jailbreak tweak called PreferMyFi 2 by DillanCodez can be very useful in ensuring you’re always connected to your network of preference whenever possible.

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