iOS 7

Apple seeking feedback on iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks from Cupertino locals

In a somewhat surprising move, Apple is allegedly asking select Cupertino locals for feedback on the interface changes in iOS 7. Specifically, the firm is thought to be holding campus sessions where they challenge cherry-picked Cupertino residents to weigh in on iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks.

Additionally, the company is said to be polling its retail store employees by seeding the initial preview of OS X Mavericks to Genius Bar and on-floor Apple Retail employees, the practice seemingly in line with Apple's previous major software updates...

Feeling suicidal? Don’t do it, Siri can call National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for you

Sometimes, one just feels like life isn't worth living anymore. Maybe you've been trying too hard for too long or life hasn't been treating you fairly?

Perhaps love of your life has suddenly dumped you? Or, it could be the economy. Whatever the reason, far too many people are having suicidal thoughts these days.

And who could blame them - we're living in a time when the entire world is increasingly becoming a Prozac nation. When desperation sets in, suicide prevention centers step in to save lives. But those considering committing suicide are often way too depressed to even seek professional help on their own.

Apple feels their pain, too. In a recent server-side update, the company's digital assistant has gained ability to help individuals in suicidal crisis reach out to National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by automatically placing that potentially life-saving phone call for you...

A closer look at App Store in iOS 7

Like all stock apps, the App Store on iOS 7 has been graced with a sprinkle of Jony Ive's magic. Not only does the storefront looks a lot nicer now - gone is the dark-themed look in favor for sleek appearance with lots of white space for easier reading - the app is way smoother and nimbler than on iOS 6.

It also features several enhancements that will appeal to pretty much everyone, from parents and their kids to power users to the likes of Senator John McCain who will love not having to manually update apps on his iPhone. Here's a quick look at all the changes in App Store on iOS 7...

Hidden settings in iOS 7 beta show extra gesture, multitasking and folder options

As folks continue to dig through the first beta of iOS 7 that Apple seeded to developers last week, more details regarding the all-new OS continue to surface. Today, hidden settings have been discovered in the software with new gesture, multitasking and folder options.

The existence of these settings seems to suggest that Apple is testing a couple of unannounced features in the beta, including system-wide gestures like edge swipes and corner swipes, and the ability to both hide pre-installed apps and create folders within folders...

Following iOS 7 flattening, Apple changes Jony Ive’s title to SVP, Design

This is quite interesting. Just as Apple has taken the wraps off iOS 7 which has undergone a major facelift under the guidance of Apple's Jony Ive, the design guru's official title on the company's Leadership section has been tweaked, going from Senior Vice President of Industrial Design to just Senior Vice President of Design.

The subtle but signifiable change of nomenclature is for sure meant to signal Ive's tremendously important and much broader responsibilities at Apple, that now encompass both hardware and software design across the company...

pod2g is considering switching to Android

Frustrated with what he's seen thus far with iOS 7 beta 1, iOS hacker pod2g has announced via Twitter that he's considering switching to an Android device. Pretty surprising news for someone who is arguably the most famous iOS hacker of all time. This is significant, because pod2g has been at the forefront of the last few jailbreaks on iOS, and without him, it's quite possible that we wouldn't have any of the more recent jailbreaks to hit the scene.

Of course, this doesn't mean that pod2g is totally giving up on iOS — as he acknowledges, it is just a beta after all. But with a switch to Android, the possibility exists that the iOS 6 jailbreak, dubbed evasi0n, was the renowned hacker's swan song when it comes to Apple devices.

iOS 7 beta GUI PSD file now available for download

Heads up all of you designers and concept artists. The entire GUI (graphical user interface) for iOS 7 has just been uploaded to the web.

That’s right, all of the buttons, menus, icons and anything else you can think of graphic-wise in the developer beta are now available for download…

Features MIA in iOS 7

I'm sure technophiles by now are aware that Apple restricts beta code to registered developers, but that didn't stop iOS 7 Beta 1 from popping up in a lot of places on the web.

You can't blame the curious types for wanting to get a taste of Apple's most important software upgrade since the iPhone's inception.

But as a side-effect, those unfamiliar with Apple's betas are taking to blogs to write about crashes, UI inconsistencies and allegedly missing features. To be fair, teething issues are the norm for major software releases, let alone betas.

But tell that to concerned citizens who are blogging about iOS 7 "issues". We've scourged the web for top complaints in order to lay out Apple's thought process and explain why some features are "missing" in the first beta and what can be expected from upcoming beta releases...

What iOS 7 running on iPad might look like

Apple surprised a lot of folks last week when it announced that the first beta of iOS 7, it's next generation mobile software, would only be available to registered developers on the iPhone and iPod touch. Last year, Apple released a beta for all 3 of its mobile devices.

The reason behind Apple's decision to forego releasing the first beta on the iPad isn't clear. But for those of you wondering how the redesigned operating system looks on the popular tablet, we've come across several screenshots of just that—iOS 7 running on an iPad straight from the Xcode simulator...

How to add iOS 7 Control Center inspired toggles to iOS 6

iOS 7 Control Toggle Icons is a new jailbreak theme that brings iOS 7 inspired toggles to lesser firmware. The toggles, based on those that appear in iOS 7's new Control Center, help bring the look and feel of iOS 7 to jailbroken iPhones.

Designed by renowned designer, Surenix, the toggle theme integrates with NCSettings, and requires WinterBoard. It's also been recommended that you add a blur effect tweak to the Notification Center window, further emulating the signature style of iOS 7.

I've installed iOS 7 Control Toggle Icons on my iPhone, and I'd like to show you how it all comes together. Check out our hands on video walkthrough after the break...

Calm down, it’s only a beta

Now that Apple's iOS 7 is out of the bag, everyone seems to have an opinion on whether it hits the mark. If there was one word we would use to describe Apple's latest version of its iPhone, iPad and iPod touch software it would probably be 'polarizing' and with good reason. After all, iOS 7 is undoubtedly the biggest change to iOS since the iPhone was introduced all those years ago.

But one thing does appear to be getting lost in all the hysteria surrounding iOS 7. One thing that people do seem to be forgetting not just when forging their opinions on Apple's new direction, but when condemning existing App Store apps with poor reviews due to compatibility.

Calm down dear, it's only a beta...

Apple sticks it to cheaters with Game Center on iOS 7

All the talk about iOS 7 is, rightly or wrongly, revolving around the aesthetic changes that Apple has made, but that doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of alterations under the hood. Game Center, a feature often ignored by many, is receiving some much needed love with this update and those pesky cheaters are top of the agenda.

Whilst adding new Game Center features that aim to make recognizing cheaters as easy as possible for developers, Apple is also adding other development tools that will make the whole Game Center experience better as a whole. Improved leaderboards and challenges are just two of the changes coming in iOS 7.

With rampant cheating and high scores that have obviously tampered with, Game Center is set to receive its biggest overhaul yet, and most people won't even notice what's changed...