Apple's iPhone 6s has introduced an untethered 'Hey Siri' feature which allows for always-listening functionality even when the device isn't charging, by utilizing the power-efficient M9 motion coprocessor to always listen for voice commands.
But as AppleInsider finds out, the handset automatically switches off untethered 'Hey Siri' when it's in your pocket or face down on a table.
This is another trick in Apple's arsenal of technologies to extend battery life.
At long last, iOS is allowing app makers to implement text replies in notifications, a feature Apple used to reserve exclusively for its Messages app.
Twitter was the first App Store app to gain this great time-saver of a feature. On iOS 9.1, WhatsApp for iPhone now supports a handy text field for quickly replying to incoming messages without leaving the app you're currently using.
This feature requires an iPhone with iOS 9.1 or later.
Runkeeper has refreshed its iPhone application with a fully native watchOS 2 app so you can record your runs and heart rates directly on your Apple Watch, without needing to bring your iPhone with you. If you typically go running with an iPhone strapped to your arm, you'll appreciate phone-free jogging with the new Runkeeper.
In other changes, new post-activity music analytics will create a full rundown of your playlist and your pace for each song after you've finished your run.
Two days ago, HTC unveiled a new flagship phone, the $399 One A9, with most of the headlines calling the device an iPhone lookalike due to its two-tone design, the antenna bands and a protruding camera lens on the back. The device indeed bears a striking resemblance to Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s smartphone series.
In an effort to set the record straight and maybe get a little more free press, the Taiwanese handset maker said that “it's Apple that copied” its antenna design and unibody construction as HTC first released a smartphone with these features about three years ago.
Facebook-owned Instagram is taking on Live Photos, one of Apple's headline iPhone 6s features, with a brand new 1-second video loop app called Boomerang. Available free of charge in the App Store, Boomerang aims to turn everyday moments into “something fun and unexpected.”
The app couldn't be simpler. You just point your iPhone's front or rear camera and press a button to take a burst of ten photos.
Boomerang then stitches the individual images together into a one-second sped-up video that plays forward and backward in a looping manner, similar in appearance and function to Apple's Live Photos feature.
UK-based iPhone developer and publisher BulkyPix today released a perplexing new game in the App Store, created in partnership with Four Quarters. Please, Don't Touch Anything, as it's aptly named, is a cryptic, brain-racking puzzler about bathroom breaks, screwdrivers and nuclear explosions. Yup, you read that right.
Featuring more than two dozen levels, retro pixel art, atmospheric chip tune soundtrack, touch-optimized gameplay with pinch-to-zoom and support for older devices like the iPhone 4, the iOS edition of the game brings nine exclusive new endings that cannot be found in the Steam version, which released earlier this year.
Fleksy Keyboard, one of the most popular software keyboards in the App Store, has received a major update this morning. The update to the freemium app strives to solve the problem of users constantly demanding that developers add an ever-growing collection of new UI themes to the app, so they've added a new custom theme photo builder feature to Fleksy Keyboard 7.0.
The ability to personalize the keyboard has been one of the top requests from users, Fleksy says, and has prompted the company to come up with a system for users to build exactly the keyboard that suits their liking, and even share their creations with friends and other Fleksy users.
Apple tonight announced the company is now generating enough clean energy to cover the totality of its operations in China, and then some. In addition, Apple also announced two new programs aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of its partners in the region.
In addition to today's major releases of iOS 9.1, OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 and watchOS 2.0.1 software updates, it appears that iCloud has gained a brand new web app: Find My Friends.
With both Find My iPhone and Find My Friends now preloaded on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices with iOS 9.0 or later, it does make sense to add Find My Friends to Apple's stable of web apps given iCloud's long had the web version of the Find My iPhone app.
In addition to releasing the iOS 9.1, OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 and watchOS 2.0.1 software updates, Apple today posted a minor update to iTunes for Mac and Windows. The new iTunes 12.3.1 doesn't introduce any new features and simply “improves overall stability and performance” of your Mac, according to release notes accompanying the download.
Twitter today said that it'll be rolling out the ability to embed custom polls in tweets to all users over the next few days.
Originally tested with a small subset of its user base, polls in tweets will permit everyone to interact with their followers and get the public's opinion on just about anything by embedding customized polls in tweets.
In addition, Twitter's Mac app will be getting a thorough revamp soon with a new dark mode alongside a bunch of new features borrowed from the mobile edition of the software, including in-line Vine and video playback, photos in Direct Messages and in-line replies and much more.
Although not apparently obvious, Apple's Reminders app on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac and iCloud.com lets you share to-dos and checklists with friends and family.
Sharing a reminder list with, say, your girlfriend (or wife) is particularly convenient as you’ll both be able to add, delete and check off items as completed, and all changes will instantly appearing on everyone's devices thanks to seamless iCloud syncing.
This isn't just great for grocery lists, shared to-dos and interactive lists among family members, but for business, too. For example, you could share a to-do list with team members to keep everyone apprised of what needs to be done on any particular day.
In this post, we're going to show how easy it is to create a list in Reminders and invite others to participate across iOS, macOS, and the web.