Apple

iPhone 6s Plus teardown reveals a 165 mAh battery downgrade versus last year’s iPhone 6 Plus

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

After taking apart the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s, repair wizards over at iFixit have now disassembled its bigger brethren, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus (model A1687/A1634) After popping the handset open, the iFixit team immediately discovered a largely unchanged layout from the iPhone 6 and a slightly smaller battery versus last year's iPhone 6 Plus.

In line with the rumors, the battery inside the iPhone 6s Plus is of a 2,750 mAh variety, representing a modest 165 mAh downgrade versus the iPhone 6 Plus battery rated at 3.82 V and 11.1 Wh of energy, for a total of 2915 mAh.

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Viber for iPhone and iPad gains group likes, 7,000-character messages and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 30, 2015

Viber's free mobile application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad was updated earlier today in the App Store with four new features. Bumping the version number to 5.6, the new Viber for iOS lets you express yourself in a more detailed manner than before with support for 7,000 characters long text messages.

In addition, you can now like messages in group chats, forward the contents of public chats and take advantage of better video messaging features that improve your experience.

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Is iPhone 6s waterproof? iFixit has the answer

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 30, 2015

So, is the new iPhone 6s waterproof or not? A lot of ink has been spilt following a video that showed an iPhone 6s surviving being submerged in bowls of water for over an hour. People have been wondering whether the poster had used Liquipel to protect their device from water damage or if Apple has in fact done something to improve water resistance of the new iPhones.

iFixit was wondering the same so they set out to put this debate to rest once and for all. So then, is the new iPhone waterproof or not? Read on to find out.

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Apple Music, iTunes Movies and iBooks make their long-expected debut in China

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 30, 2015

Apple on Wednesday announced that users in China can now enjoy Apple Music, as well as browse and download their entertainment from the iTunes Store and iBooks Store, marking the first time customers in the 1.33 billion people market will have access to Apple’s entertainment ecosystem with music, movies and books right at their fingertips.

“Customers in China love the App Store and have made it our largest market in the world for app downloads,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “One of the top requests has been more great content and we’re thrilled to bring music, movies and books to China, curated by a local team of experts.”

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Chromecast support, people labeling and shared albums coming to Google Photos

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 29, 2015

In addition to a pair of new Nexus smartphones and an upcoming $14.99 Google Play Music family tier, the search giant dedicated a few minutes of stage time at its media even this morning to the mobile Photos app, which launched on iOS and Android in May 2015.

An upcoming update to Google Photos, the company said, will add a few missing features to the software, like people labelling, Chromecasting, album collaboration and more.

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How to make your iPhone and iPad more secure with 6-digit passcodes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 6, 2017

Starting with the release of iOS 9.0.1, Apple has increased your security by defaulting to 6-digit passcodes on Touch ID devices. “If you use Touch ID, it’s a change you’ll hardly notice,” says Apple.

Compared to 4-digit passcodes which have 10,000 possible combinations, their 6-digit counterparts strengthen your security with one million possible combinations, meaning 6-digit passcodes will be a lot tougher to crack.

Non-Touch ID iPhones and iPads still default to less secure 4-digit passcodes, however. You can enable a 6-digit passcode with a quick trip to Settings, here's how.

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OS X 10.11 El Capitan software update launching tomorrow on Mac App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2024

OS X 10.11 El Capitan is launching tomorrow and Apple just issued a reminder in the form of a media release alerting customers of the impending update.

“Apple today announced that OS X El Capitan, the latest major release of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system, will be available on Wednesday, September 30 as a free update for Mac users,” reads the press release.

Will you be taking the plunge?

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Apple Music free trials expiring tomorrow, here’s how to disable auto-renewals

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Apple faces a big day tomorrow as free three-month Apple Music trials are set to expire on Wednesday, September 30. Just yesterday, the firm posted a series of guided tour videos to help new and existing users understand the various features of the service.

Ahead of the initial wave of free trial expirations, Apple is pushing notifications to those who signed up for a free-trial to encourage them to renew their membership.

If you signed up for your first three months of free services and have forgotten to disable the Auto-Renew option, you can still do so before Apple charges your credit card on file, here's how.

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New patent points to lusciously animated Apple Maps with photorealistic visual effects

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 29, 2015

Three-dimensional Flyover aerial photography in Apple Maps is cool, but wouldn't it be great if things like water, foliage and other dynamic objects were animated based on touch, motion and sound?

That's exactly what Apple appears to be researching if a new patent application uncovered by AppleInsider is indicative of future Apple Maps features. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Tuesday awarded the iPhone maker a new patent on “Non-static 3D map views.”

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Apple details what it does and doesn’t collect in Privacy website refresh

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 29, 2015

Apple on Tuesday refreshed the Privacy section of its website with new information on what “we do and don't collect.” In a post titled “Apple’s commitment to your privacy,” Apple CEO Tim Cook explains the great lengths his company goes in order to protect your private data from prying eyes.

Among other things, Apple's approach to protecting your privacy entails employing strong encryption and strict policies that govern how all data is handled.

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