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.

Twitter stops counting @usernames toward the 140-character limit

Twitter announced Thursday that it's no longer counting user names in tweets, such as @idownloadblog, toward its 140-character limit. With this change, any user names for mentions and replies will no longer shorten the amount of characters you could include in a tweet.

Last year, the micro-blogging service began allowing users to attach photos, animated GIFs, videos, polls, quoted tweets and direct messages to tweets without the links counting against the 140-character limit.

Infuse 5.3 brings optimized playback performance, parental controls, Blu-ray disk images & more

Infuse by aTV Flash Black developer FireCore is a versatile, very powerful media player that lets you watch non-iOS optimized media file types without the need for manual transcoding or a helper app to do the heavy lifting via your computer. The app was updated on App Store to version 5.3.

Infuse 5.3 for iOS and tvOS comes with a completely overhauled high-performance playback core that's now now faster and better than ever before.

Other new features are available in Infuse 5.3 as well.

The app now accepts your Blu-ray disc images and folders and lets you restrict access to videos and settings with built-in parental controls. The release also packs support for ISO 9960 (Joliet) disc images, country-specific age ratings for movies and much more.

PowerCaller allows one contact to bypass your iPhone’s silent mode

You can put your iPhone into silent mode by using the switch on the side when you don’t want the ringtone to make a bunch of noise. On the other hand, we all have someone special in our lives we still want to hear notifications from, regardless of everyone else.

PowerCaller is a new free jailbreak tweak by iOS developer Joe Merlino that lets you override the mute switch and boost the ringtone volume for one specific contact, and it’s perfect for the aforementioned scenario.

Here’s everything Samsung unveiled today

Wednesday, Samsung fired the first salvo against Apple's upcoming iPhone 8 with the official introduction of its Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones at media events in New York's Lincoln Center and London's Olympic Park.

But the South Korean conglomerate didn't stop there: they announced a 4K-capable 360-degree camera and other accessories, including a docking station that lets you connect your new Galaxy to an external display and wireless or wired keyboard and/or mouse to use it as an Android-driven computer with a desktop-like interface.

Without further ado, here's a quick recap of everything Samsung announced today.

Apple starts rejecting submissions with pricing info in app titles, screenshots & more

Apple's rules have always prohibited developers from spicing up their screenshots on App Store with annoying marketing messages although a quick glance at App Store pages reveals the firm hasn't been enforcing that particular rule. But things are now changing, for the better.

As first reported by VentureBeat, the Cupertino firm has began rejecting submissions that promote pricing like ”Free” in app titles/ icons and on App Store screenshots/previews.

Silly rumor claims iPhone 8 will feature vertical dual-cameras and Touch ID on the back

iDropNews, a blog without a proven track record, is claiming that Apple will move its Touch ID fingerprint reader to the back of iPhone 8. Citing an unnamed source who allegedly spoke privately with a Foxconn employee, the blog made other bold claims, saying iPhone 8 would come outfitted with vertical cameras, while reiterating some of the previously mentioned features, including “iPhone Edition” branding.

The best jailbreak tweaks for the Messages app

The Yalu iOS 10 jailbreak has been around for a few months now, and since developers have had ample time to launch some amazing tweaks for Apple's latest jailbreakable firmware, it would only make sense to follow up with a series of  themed recaps.

In this piece, we’ll discuss (in our opinion) the best jailbreak tweaks for the Messages app since the iOS 10 jailbreak was conceived.

Facebook adds Snapchat-style effects and auto vanishing Stories to its mainland app

As expected, Facebook on Tuesday announced that the camera feature in its mobile app for iPhone and iPad has been totally revamped with Snapchat-style filters and effects. Yes, they also added auto-vanishing Stories. Facebook's already cloned these Snapchat-esque features on the Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger apps, all of which include similar creative tools for your photos and videos.

A closer look at iOS 10.3’s streamlined App Store ratings and reviews capabilities

Following yesterday's OS update bonanza, Apple shared some additional details pertaining to iOS 10.3's new ratings and reviews capabilities that are available to developers.

As previously noted, iOS 10.3 is changing how reviews and feedback are handled within apps.

Rather than inundate users with endless prompts seeking feedback, like before, developers now have a new StoreKit API on iOS 10.3 at their disposal.

First and foremost, the StoreKit APIs allow users to provide ratings and reviews without leaving the app they're in. Developers simply choose when they’d like to prompt the user and identify places in their app where it makes sense to ask for feedback, and the system takes care of the rest.