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.

NoClose prevents you from accidentally force-quitting apps that are currently playing media

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 18, 2017

Sometimes when force-quitting apps from your App Switcher, you end up closing an app that’s playing media in the background by accident. This forces you to re-open the app and re-play the song you were just listening to from the beginning... all over again.

If you do this quite often, then you probably have App Switcher OCD and are clearing your App Switcher more often than you need to, but that’s beside the point; a new free jailbreak tweak called NoClose by Skylerk99 can help prevent you from accidentally force-quitting apps that are playing media in the background by prompting you beforehand.

Check out stealth case for iPhone prototypes Apple uses to prevent leaks

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 17, 2017

More than six years ago, an Apple engineer mistakenly left an iPhone 4 prototype on a bar stool in a nice German beer garden in Redwood City, California. The rest, as they say, is history.

The random dude who originally found it didn't really have a clue he'd gotten hold of Apple's biggest secret at the time as the prototype device was cleverly disguised as an ordinary iPhone 3GS.

Australian leakster Sonny Dickson gave MacRumors a closer look at a special stealth case Apple uses to prevent leaks and conceal handset prototypes during transport between its Cupertino headquarters and manufacturing partners in China.

Google’s dedicated search app gains filters for local results, Gboard & enhanced AMP support

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 17, 2017

Google's dedicated search app was updated this morning on App Store with a trio of nice-to-haves. For starters, you can now easily filter your local search results for museums, coffee shops, restaurants and other places of interest. With an expanded support for Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), more webpages will now load instantly within the app. AMP-optimized webpages are denoted on search results with a lightning bolt icon. Lastly, you can now use Google's gesture-driven Gboard keyboard in the mobile search app.

iPhone 8 concept imagines rumored “function area” replacing Touch ID and Home button

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 15, 2017

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, along with other analysts, told clients that iPhone 8 would most likely feature a 5.8-inch OLED screen with an active display area of 5.1 inches.

It's now becoming clear that Apple's upcoming handset will probably adopt an almost bezel-less full-screen front face design by ditching the physical Home and Touch ID button.

Its function would be supplanted by a set of dynamic virtual controls sitting in a new “function area” at the bottom of the display. That, in turn, would allow for a range of time-saving shortcuts without degrading the experience, as evidenced in a batch of nicely done renderings created by a MacRumors Forum member “deuxani”.

Pokémon GO gains 80+ new creatures and a bunch of new features in latest update

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 17, 2017

Pokémon GO developer Niantic Labs announced two days ago that an upcoming update would bring over eighty new Pokémon and other new features to the popular augmented reality game. Yesterday, the developer said that the new Pokémon GO 1.27.2 update containing those perks began rolling out.

It's a staggered release so you might need to wait a little bit longer if it's not live on your local App Store yet. Here's everything new in Pokémon GO 1.27.2 for iOS.

Watch Apple’s latest ads promoting Portrait mode on iPhone 7 Plus

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 17, 2017

Lately, Apple has been amping up its advertising efforts concerning its flagship dual-lens iPhone 7 Plus model, as part of its broader “Shot in iPhone” campaign. Following its “Creek” and “Soul Mate” ads earlier this month which showcased Portrait mode on iPhone 7 Plus and prior commercials highlighting the handset's enhanced low-light photography features, the company yesterday posted two new ads on its YouTube channel, titled “Boyfriend” and “Profile Picture”.

Reuters: Apple to start building iPhone SE in India in coming months

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 17, 2017

Apple is set to start assembling its lower-priced iPhone SE in India in the coming months, an industry source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday.

All iPhone SE units will be made in a facility that Apple's contract manufacturer will set up at Peenya on the outskirts of Bengaluru. All devices will be targeted at the domestic market.

MessageFilter: blacklist and whitelist words for specific conversations

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 17, 2017

If you have all kinds of contacts on your iPhone or iPad, ranging from friends and family, to significant others, to business partners and bosses, then you have a responsibility to take extra care to ensure your messages never go to the wrong person.

Helping to prevent sending messages that are intended specifically for certain people to the wrong person is a new free jailbreak tweak called MessageFilter by Frozen Penguin. It works by allowing you to set up a special blacklist and whitelist system to manage where certain kinds of messages are allowed to be sent.

PassButtonStyle allows you customize your passcode buttons look

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 17, 2017

Most modern Apple mobile devices are Touch ID-enabled and rarely get any passcode button screen time at all; nevertheless, any time your Touch ID sensor decides not to work correctly, or when rebooting your device, you will be introduced to it from time to time.

For those who see the passcode input screen more than others, a new free jailbreak tweak called PassButtonStyle by developer CydiaGeek will let you customize the appearance of your passcode buttons.

Mitsuha adds a wave animation to the Now Playing screen in the iOS 9 Music app

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 17, 2017

Although many people are using the Yalu iOS 10 jailbreak these days, some remained on iOS 9.3.3 with the Pangu jailbreak. If you’re one of these people, then you’ll be happy to know that developers are still making tweaks specifically for your firmware.

A new free jailbreak tweak called Mitsuha by c0ldra1n is just one example, and this tweak will improve the look and feel of your Music app by providing a sleek ‘Jell-O’ wave effect in the Now Playing interface any time music is playing.

How iPhone 8’s rumored biometric facial scanning could supplant Touch ID

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 23, 2017

Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities predicted that iPhone 8 would supplant Touch ID with advanced sensors capable of recognizing one's face with very high accuracy. JPMorgan analyst Rod Hall corroborated Kuo's report, speculating that facial recognition would utilize a front-facing 3D sensor.

For many people, this has been one of the tougher iPhone 8 rumors to swallow. For starters, how would iPhone 8 authenticate the user in the middle of the night? Or in complete darkness? Touch ID lets you unlock your iPhone without looking whereas facial recognition would require you to face the sensor, a major inconvenience.

A few reports have attempted to shed some light on the subject, explaining the basics of 3D motion and object scanning and how Apple might leverage 3D sensors in iPhone 8.

You’ll soon be able to apply for a job in Facebook’s mobile app and on the web

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 16, 2017

Facebook on Thursday announced it's rolling out a new Jobs section on the mobile app and via the web interface at facebook.com/jobs. This new feature will allow users to find and apply for hourly-paid job openings advertised on the service by small businesses in the United States and Canada.

Designed for lower-skilled workers and people who aren’t actively looking for a job, the new section is currently in limited testing in the US. Job posts will be accessible through News Feed via a dedicated Jobs tab and promoted on the business' Facebook Page.