iOS 7

Ryan Petrich posts screenshot of jailbroken iPod touch running iOS 7

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Ryan Petrich tonight posted an interesting picture to his Twitter account that appears to answer the long-standing question of "can iOS 7 be jailbroken?" The image is of his popular tweak Activator running on what looks like an iPod touch with iOS 7 installed.

Of course, it's easy to speculate about something when there isn't much to go on. But looking at the stock app icons in the dock, the flat text in the alert box, and the Activator icon on the Home screen, it certainly looks like Petrich's iPod touch is jailbroken...

Apple trademarks new green FaceTime logo

Cody Lee ∙ June 30, 2013

Here we are, nearly 3 weeks after Apple took the wraps off of iOS 7, and folks are still talking about the drastic redesign. The overall consensus seems to be that most people like it, but many are hoping that Apple will do some serious fine-tuning before its public release this fall.

In fact, rumor has it that the software isn't nearly as far along as previous versions have been in their initial betas. So even the folks that are unhappy with iOS 7's current state are optimistic that it will see big changes. But if this new trademark filing is any indication, it won't...

A closer look at iOS 7 parallax effect

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

Apple's iOS 7 aims to delight through subtle use of lively user interface animations and effects, employing physics, translucency, smoked panels and other visual tricks to achieve its multi-layered appearance. Among them is the so-called parallax effect that creates a sense of dimension by putting your Home screen icons onto a layer separate from your background image.

It comes to life when moving your device around, which tilts the wallpaper behind the icons slightly. The effect is also observable in a few other places throughout the system and is coming to your favorite apps via new APIs in iOS 7. If you've ever wondered about the science behind the magic, here's your answer...

iOS 7 Beta 3 could drop on July 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 2, 2023

On Monday, Apple seeded iOS 7 Beta 2 to its registered iOS developers. The second beta arrived precisely two weeks after the launch of iOS 7 Beta 1, which was made available right following the June 10 WWDC 2013 keynote.

Now, you might recall that an hour before Beta 2 hit Apple's servers we ran an article saying the software could drop that day. The same source that called for it is at it again, now claiming the third beta of iOS 7 will see release on Monday, July 8.

It's kinda bad news for developers who must be looking to some time off for Independence Day. If true, July 8 would make iOS 7 Beta 3 available exactly two weeks following the launch of the current iteration of the software. Starting to notice a pattern here?

Apple highlights iOS 7 benefits in Business and Education

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 26, 2013

Apple last night started targeting big business and education with a pair of new promotional web page highlighting the benefits of iOS 7 in Enterprise and Education. For businesses of all sizes, the web page reads, "iOS 7 offers more advanced ways to deploy devices and deliver a great user experience for your employees".

And even though iOS already is by far the most popular enterprise mobile platform, the company isn't resting on its laurels and is now promoting new iOS 7 capabilities that it hopes will make the mobile operating system even more appealing to businesses big and small alike...

Apple enables direct Google Contacts sync in iOS 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 25, 2013

Google last September killed native sync for Contacts and Calendars on iOS devices. The announcement was part of Google's phasing out of Microsoft’s Exchange ActiveSync protocol in favor of CardDAV and CalDAV, which represent HTTP-based WebDAV client/server protocols for contact and calendar items, respectively.

Now, Apple actually adopted CalDAV and CardDAV with the release of iOS 4 nearly three years ago, but setting up Google Contacts sync on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices via CardDAV was anything but hassle-free.

With iOS 7, Apple appears to have implemented native Google Contacts sync. I'm guessing the feature works behind-the-scenes via CardDAV because it requires no setup and acts as a true two-way sync. It works like a charm, really, let me show you how...

iOS 7 allows developers to detect blinking and smiling in photos

Cody Lee ∙ June 25, 2013

As the tech community continues to dig through the iOS 7 betas, a new feature has been discovered. Apple's next-generation mobile operating system contains new APIs that allow developers to detect blinking and smiling in photos.

Now, iOS has had basic facial recognition for a couple of years now (since version 5). But according to a new report, Apple has added new image detectors in iOS 7 that are capable of identifying certain facial expressions in photographs...

Apple patents mysterious Nearby icon, believed to be part of iOS 7 AirDrop

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 25, 2013

Among the 35 patents the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple Tuesday was a design for a never before seen icon entitled Nearby. The icon could describe a wireless transfer feature expected in iOS 7, called Airdrop. This latest patent dump also unveils new emoticons for Messages, as well as another design patent for Apple's Lightning adapter...

iOS 7 Beta 2 enables HDR photography on iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 25, 2013

As Cody mentioned yesterday, iPad support is among the headline changes the newly-released iOS 7 Beta 2 has brought to the table. Jeff did a nice video tour of iOS 7 running on an iPad, highlighting key features such as Control Center, Notification Center, App Switcher, Photo Booth and more. In addition to these, the iPad versions of iOS 7 also enables High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography, an advanced imaging technique previously available only on iPhones and iPod touches...

iOS 7 lets you secretly take screenshots in apps like Snapchat

Cody Lee ∙ June 25, 2013

There's been a lot of talk over the past 24 hours about the many changes in beta 2 of iOS 7. Apple seeded the update to developers yesterday morning, and there's already been a number of new features and enhancements discovered.

But tonight an alteration was uncovered in the firmware that's been around since the first release. It's not clear yet whether it's by accident or design, but something in iOS 7 has broken the screenshot detection in apps like Snapchat...

A hands-on look at iOS 7 on the iPad

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

iOS 7 beta 2 is the first iOS 7 to feature support for Apple's iconic tablet, and we've got a hands-on demonstration of how it looks and feels. The first word that came to my mind when I initially fired up iOS 7 on the iPad was “modern.” The iPad feels more spacious, and lightweight with iOS 7 installed. Whereas iOS 6 felt heavy and weighed down by skeuomorphism, iOS 7 feels light free.

I think you're going to like the way that iOS 7 looks and performs on the iPad. Check out our full video demonstration inside...

New poll finds most people prefer iOS 7 icons to those in iOS 6

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

One of the best words I've heard used to describe the sweeping changes in iOS 7 is 'polarizing.' For the past two weeks, my Twitter timeline has been seemingly split between people who love the new UI and people who absolutely abhor it.

Most of the controversy seems to be focused around the new stock app icons, which have been completely redesigned. But for all of the grumbling I've heard about them, a new poll shows most folks actually prefer the new icons to the old ones...