iPhone

Stay up-to-date on the latest iPhone news and learn new tips and tricks with our comprehensive tutorials. From software updates to new features, we’ve got you covered.

Mobile Photography Awards now accepting entries for this year’s contest

We're big fans of iPhoneography here at iDB—you've probably noticed our weekly segment on the subject. We love learning different tricks and techniques to help us take better-looking photos with our iPhones, and then sharing them with others.

So with that in mind, we thought we'd pass along the news that the MPA has begun accepting submissions for its 3rd annual Mobile Photography Awards. The contest is the largest of its kind, open to everyone, and features $15,000 in cash and prizes...

Yes, it’s safe for jailbreak hopefuls to update to iOS 7.0.3

Following its big iPad event yesterday, Apple seeded iOS 7.0.3 to the public. While there are no major new features in the update, it does include several fixes for issues like iMessage, inaccurate sensor data, and more.

Initially, we warned folks who are hoping to jailbreak down the road to stay away from the new firmware until we were sure it was safe to update. Well late last night, MuscleNerd gave jailbreakers a digital thumbs up...

Russian carriers that dropped Apple in 2012 now want it back

Two of the three Russian carriers that dropped the iPhone in 2012 now want it back. MTS and Vimplecom announced Tuesday they will begin selling Apple's new iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s starting Friday.

Vimplecom (which owns Russia's No. 3 carrier Beeline) said it signed a contract with Apple for the new handsets. MTS, on the other hand, will use a distributor to get the smartphones. Both Vimplecom and MTS stopped iPhone sales last year, complaining Apple's stringent contracts created "harsh conditions"...

iOS 7.0.3 apparently corrects iPhone 5s sensor calibration issues

A smaller percentage of owners of Apple's new iPhone 5s flagship have been inundated with inaccurate compass and inclinometers readings.

As you've likely heard by now, some of the affected customers in Apple's support forums reported readings consistently off by a noticeable margin. This has been blamed on a change of supplier.

Rather than tap its longtime supplier STMicroelectronics, Apple has opted to buy accelerometer sensor for these new iPhones from Bosch, a large German industrial company producing household appliances, automotive parts and many other items.

Haters came out of the woodwork screaming Bosch hardware was at fault to suggest Apple had run out of options and will now supposedly need to recall the affected units. Turns out the issue was easily fixable because the newly released iOS 7.0.3 update has made inaccurate sensor readings a thing of the past...

iPad Air wallpaper for iPhone and iPad

Since Apple unveiled the all-new iPad Air yesterday, one of the most popular questions we've been asked has been: "where can I download that blue-green gradient wallpaper shown in some of the iPad Air promo shots?"

We're not sure where the exact wallpaper is—it doesn't seem to exist in iOS 7. But we happen to have the next best thing. Designer Adriano Mendez has recreated the beautiful background for both the iPhone and the iPad...

iOS 7.0.3 is out with iCloud Keychain, iMessage fixes and more

Though there was no mention of it during the iPad event this morning, Apple has just released a new version of iOS. The update, which brings the firmware to 7.0.3, brings about a number of improvements.

On the new feature front, Apple has re-added in support for iCloud Keychain. And as for bug fixes, there are several of them, including ones for iMessage, iPhone 5s sensor calibration issues, and much more...

New iPhones pushed Apple to top US smartphone seller in September

According to data from market research firm Counterpoint Research, Apple was the top US smartphone seller in September. The company overtook the spot from Samsung, who had been #1 in the country since May.

And it's not hard to guess where the boost came from, Apple released not one but two new handsets last month. The iPhone 5s was the overall top selling smartphone in September, and the iPhone 5c came in third place...

BBM sees 5 million downloads in first 8 hours of availability

Less than eight hours after officially hitting Apple's App Store and Google's Play store, the BlackBerry Messenger app (free download) has seen more than five million active downloads on iOS and Android combined, BlackBerry announced in a tweet.

The messaging application is a staggered rollout which employs a reservation system to prevent the kind of a server strain seen after the Android build had leaked out prematurely. According to some repots, there's a workaround that could let you use the app without waiting...

Tim Cook joins board of China’s top Beijing university

As China becomes more important to Apple's bottom line, the iPhone maker will need to grease the wheels to ensure products are timely approved. In a step in that direction, Apple CEO Tim Cook has joined the advisory board of a prestigious engineering university - which also happens to include a number of prominent Chinese politicians.

Cook, who is also a Nike board member, has added his name to a panel assisting Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management (SEM), according to a report. As markets such as North America and Western Europe mature and growth slows, tech companies like Apple view China as a way to take up the slack...

Owl City founder Adam Young revealed as creator of iOS 7 sounds

You know those cool new alert sounds in iOS 7? Well as it turns out, a number of them were likely created by Owl City founder Adam Young. Owl City, as you may know, is an American electronica project responsible for several hit records.

Young confirmed last night that he was behind at least some of the new sounds in this year's iOS update, adding 'Sounds for iOS 7' to his discography on his website. He's since removed the entry, but we've posted a snapshot of it after the fold...

BlackBerry Messenger for iPhone is here, get downloading

After months-long back and forth, the horribly embattled Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry, formerly Research In Motion, has announced that its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) software has finally rolled out to iOS and Android devices today.

Announced as a staggered roll-out for Apple's App Store and Google's Play store, the secure instant messaging software employs a reservation system.

That's bad news for those who haven't signed up early at BBM.com as they will be forced to wait in line before they can use the app. On September 22, BlackBerry was forced to halt the planned roll-out of BBM for iOS after a leaked Android build had caused its servers to fold...

iPhone 6 may adopt IGZO screens as Sharp finally commercializes tech

Apple has long wanted to make a switch from the traditional LCD IPS display technology utilized on iOS devices to Sharp's cutting-edge IGZO technology.

Unfortunately, Apple's been unable to offer an IGZO iPhone because the struggling Japanese giant had been facing tremendous technical hurdles preventing mass production of these sophisticated panels.

According to the latest supply chain chatter, Sharp has now successfully commercialized production of IGZO panels for smartphones and will begin manufacturing them at its Kameyama Plant Number 2 before the end of 2013...