iOS

SwiftKey note-taking iPhone app leaks, shows off custom auto-correct keyboard with predictions

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 23, 2014

TouchType is behind the popular SwiftKey software keyboard for Android phones and the company previously went on the record expressing hope that Apple would allow third-party software keyboard development for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

"The keyboard is the thing that needs work more than anything on that platform," TouchType's marketing chief Joe Braidwood said last summer.

For the record, Tim Cook did promise that his company would open iOS up more for third-party developers. While the stock iOS keyboard is still off limits, TouchType is now incorporating its popular SwiftKey keyboard technology into an upcoming new note-taking iOS app, SwiftKey Note...

Phil Schiller points to new mobile security report criticizing Android

Cody Lee ∙ January 21, 2014

Phil Schiller doesn’t tweet very often. But when he does, he tends to make good use of his 115,000+ followers. Early last year the executive tweeted a link to an Android-slamming mobile malware report, and today he's pointed to another report that highlights Android's security flaws.

This afternoon, Schiller tweeted a link to Cisco's 2014 Annual Security Report, which was released last week. The report notes that overall vulnerabilities are the highest they've ever been (since tracking began in 2000), and that 99% of all mobile malware is targeted at Android devices...

iOS 7.1 to bring Siri gender option for UK, Australian English, possibly other languages

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

As Apple gears up to unleash the fourth beta of the upcoming iOS 7.1 firmware update, possibly as early as tomorrow (carriers are already testing it), we've been tipped off about a nice improvement in the current iOS 7.1 Beta 3 release which has apparently escaped our and pretty much everyone else's attention.

Courtesy of the latest iOS 7.1 beta, male and female Siri voice with British English accent are now available on iOS 7.1 Beta 3 device. As the currently available non betas don't offer updated voices for Siri in the UK, this signals Apple is looking to enable Siri's gender option in more languages as the company continues to fine-tune its digital personal assistant...

BGR: Apple seeding iOS 7.1 Beta 4 to devs tomorrow, carriers already testing it

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 20, 2014

After seeding the third beta of iOS 7.1 to its registered developers, the company could release another beta as soon as tomorrow, according to BGR. While BGR's track record is not as stellar as it used to be, the tech blog did accurately predict several iOS 7 betas last summer.

According to the publication, iOS 7.1 Beta 4 will be out tomorrow as Apple continues to squash bugs and fix the remaining hiccups, including keyboard issues and problems with the Contacts app.

iOS 7 Beta 4 is also expected to bring more changes to the Phone interface "and other changes," reads the article...

VLC’s iOS 7 makeover: now with Google Drive integration, Dropbox streaming and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 20, 2014

The popular cross-platform desktop media player, VLC by VideoLan, has finally received its iOS 7 makeover in Monday's version 2.2 update. Launching later today in the App Store, VLC for iOS 2.2 includes a number of new features and refinements, and a long list of bug fixes.

Perhaps most notably, you can now stream media stored in your Google Drive and Dropbox. As you'd expect from any iOS 7 app refresh, there are some new multitouch gestures for easier navigation.

VLC has always had a very robust support for non-iOS friendly audio and video file types and today's update is no exception: matter of fact, VLC 2.2 expands on that with support for some new streaming formats and protocols...

Google readying iOS remote desktop app unofficially named Chromoting

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Google officially started work on Chromoting, a remote access technology for its Chrome OS, some four years ago.

Later rechristened to Chrome Remote Desktop, the VNC technology resembles Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection software and is designed to allow folks to access virtual desktops.

An Android Chromoting app has been in the works since last year and now a blogger has discovered evidence in the form of support documentation on the Chromium issue tracker website which indicates that an iOS version is also under development.

Why should you care? Read on...

How to use a Safari bookmarklet to send websites to 1Password for iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Despite Apple's pretty handy password-saving and syncing feature in iOS Safari, I myself continue to prefer AgileBits' 1Password for iOS and OS X (our own Jeff is a recent convert, too). The reason is simple: 1Password allows me to save and sync just about any piece of information rather than just passwords and credit cards.

There's just one slight annoyance: to take advantage of 1Password's auto-fill feature for usernames and passwords, I must open a website in its built-in browser.

I generally tend to avoid the embedded web view in third-party apps and instead spend most of my mobile web browsing time in Safari. From now on, whenever you want to visit a website that requires a login, you can use this handy Safari bookmarklet to send the current tab to 1Password.

Though far from perfect, this removes some of the friction when visiting websites that require logins and auto-fill information kept in 1Password...

New in iOS 7.1: remove over-the-air installer from your device

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2014

I'm still flabbergasted that many non-techies are totally oblivious to over-the-air iOS updates. I mean, I've seen way too many iPhones out there with a badge on the Settings icon denoting a pending iOS update.

When asked why they didn't act on the notification, the normals usually respond that they couldn't figure out what it was so they just left it sitting there, consuming valuable storage space.

Turns out that the upcoming iOS 7.1 includes a new feature which allows you to delete these over-the-air installation files from your device without applying the update, in order to free up storage space for apps and media...

Starbucks now lets you use your iPhone’s camera to redeem Pick of the Week cards

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 2, 2023

Starbucks, a Seattle-based global coffee company and coffeehouse chain and Apple's longtime marketing partner, started offering 'Pick of the Week' promotion via its recently Passbook-enabled App Store app back in 2011. The tie-in allows Starbucks customers to download paid iOS applications for free as they sip on their beverage of choice.

The company has now upgraded its backend system to allow folks to scan these redemption codes using their iPhone's iSight camera, a feature Apple added to iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices as part of its iOS 7 software release in September 2013...

Archos previews array of iOS-compatible wearable gadgets and connected home gizmos

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 30, 2013

Ahead of the looming 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, the French consumer electronics company Archos is previewing an upcoming line of devices and accessories, including 'Connected Self' smartwatches and health trackers and various 'Connected Home' appliances, all designed to be compatible with Apple's iOS and Google's Android mobile operating systems.

There will also be a Connected Self mobile application to “serve as the backbone application for all connected self devices” allowing folks to track their activity, check their health-related data, turn on the lights, automatically capture video when motion sensors are triggered and lots more. The full breakdown is right past the jump...

HTC infographic sheds light on ridiculously complex Android OS update process

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

HTC, the struggling Taiwanese handset maker and one of the early Android backers, on Thursday released an interesting infographic which details the incredibly slow, painful and complex process of developing, testing, certifying and deploying Android OS firmware updates to devices in the wild.

According to Apple, 74 percent of devices had iOS 7 installed two and a half months following its release versus 1.1 percent of devices running Android 4.4 KitKat, as per Google's developer dashboard. Compared to the ease of applying iOS updates, the Internet giant is unable to just launch a new Android OS software update by making it live on its servers.

Instead, the anatomy of an Android firmware update resembles a no-man's land where carriers, handset vendors and chipset makers, each with its own vested interests, often stall or even block these updates as a way of nudging customers to upgrade their hardware instead.

Often times, Android OS updates for specific devices never arrive at all and would get lost in the complex approval and certification limbo involving at least four stakeholders agreeing in order for an Android update to make it to customer devices...

CTIA launches Know My App web tool detailing mobile app data usage

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

The App Store hosts a myriad of utilities to measure your favorite app’s cellular data usage after downloading, ranging from DataMan Next to Apple's own per-app measurements in Settings > Cellular. However, no tool existed to estimate an app’s data usage before downloading it.

That's where a new solution called Know My App comes handy.

A website launched by CTIA on Thursday, an industry trade group that represents the international wireless telecommunications industry, Know My App features a growing list of popular mobile applications with their respective data usage broken down in several useful categories.

This lets folks on metered cellular plans educate themselves on how much data their favorite app is using when it's downloaded, at initialization, during active run time and during background time. The website also includes information about how smartphone and tablet owners can conserve data...