iPad

From the latest news to the most comprehensive tutorials, learn how to get the most out of your iPad with our step-by-step guides and expert tips.

Apple to offer local Xcode downloads in China, posts official XcodeGhost malware FAQ

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 23, 2015

The XcodeGhost malware couldn't have arrived at worst time for Apple as the company prepares to launch its iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus tomorrow. The company has already removed the App Store apps infected by the malware, which has been found to inject its payload into apps compiled with compromised copies of Xcode that were distributed on non-Apple servers in China.

Wednesday, the Cupertino firm has confirmed plans to mitigate the threat by hosting local Xcode downloads within China. In addition, Apple has posted an XcodeGhost FAQ webpage on its Chinese website detailing the XcodeGhost malware and how customers might be affected by it.

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How to silence Siri audio feedback when your iPhone is on silent

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 10, 2019

Starting with iOS 9, you are able to shut Siri up as easily as turning the mute switch to silent. Prior to iOS 9, Siri would not respond to the state of the ringer switch.

Indeed, how many times did you wish you could chat with Siri in the middle of the night but didn't out of fear her loud voice might wake up your significant other?

As it turns out, a quick trip to the Settings app and a couple of taps is all it takes to tell Siri to honor the state of your ringer switch.

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Twitter adds Quick Reply to iOS app (this time for real!) and other enhancements

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 22, 2015

A Twitter update last week was supposed to make the mobile iPhone and iPad app play nice with iOS 9's new text-based replies that are now available to third-party apps directly from notification banners, except it didn't.

Tuesday, the micro-blogging startup issued a new version of the iOS client which fixes last week's botched update.

Now iOS 9 users of Twitter's mobile app can take advantage of full support for the Quick Reply feature from push notifications, the ability to access muted and blocked accounts in Settings and more.

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Apple educates developers on validating Xcode downloads following XcodeGhost malware attack

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 22, 2015

A new type of attack called XcodeGhost is wreaking something of a mini-havoc in the App Store, injecting its malware payload into popular iPhone and iPad apps and prompting Apple to pull the infected apps.

The malware itself is pretty harmful—it collects and sends information about your device—but the method of spreading is cunning. Rather than target the App Store itself, attackers have distributed hacked versions of Xcode, Apple's tool required for iOS and OS X development.

As Xcode is a multi-gigabyte download, developers in countries like China where Internet speeds are slow have downloaded these modified Xcode builds from non-Apple sources without realizing a hacked Xcode injects malware when compiling apps.

This morning, Apple issued an email to developers providing an update on the XcodeGhost situation while laying out easy-to-follow instructions for checking if their Xcode copy has been tampered with.

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Why iOS 9’s Facedown detection doesn’t work on iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPad and iPod touch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 9, 2022

Facedown detection stands as one of the underrated features in iOS 9's rich arsenal of power-saving tactics designed to help extend your run time by up to an additional hour.

Facedown detection avoids turning the display on when a notification comes in and your phone is put facedown. But as it turns out, Facedown detection doesn't work on all devices compatible with iOS 9 and there is a good explanation for that  why.

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Shazam update brings support for iOS 9’s enhanced Spotlight Search and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 21, 2015

Shazam, the popular music and media identification software, has rolled out a brand new 9.0 update to its iPhone and iPad application in the App Store, bringing out support for Spotlight Search on iOS 9, improved Bluetooth listening and other tidbits.

Shazam songs and artists can now be searched from the Home screen on iOS 9 and tapping a Shazam result takes you directly into that content within Shazam's mobile app.

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iPad mini 4 has iPhone 6-class display tech with record-low reflectance for improved readability

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 21, 2015

A thorough analysis of a much improved screen utilized on Apple's fourth-generation iPad mini conducted by DisplayMate has determined that the tablet's display technology is comparable to the iPad Air 2, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The long story short, its screen has richer colors and better color accuracy with a 36 percent better reflectance versus the iPad Air 2 for improved readability.

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Some Skype users experiencing issues with calling and messaging, Microsoft working on a fix

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 21, 2015

Are you plagued with various Skype issues, such as the inability to place VoIP calls, update your status or send instant messages? Are all of your Skype contacts showing as offline? Don't worry, you're not alone.

According to a support document published Monday morning, many people are reporting issues with Skype status and calling and Microsoft is working on a fix.

“We're doing everything we can to fix this issue and hope to have another update for you soon,” the company wrote. “Thank you for your patience as we work to get this incident resolved.”

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New in iOS 9: a more detailed upload indicator in stock Photos app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 9, 2022

Apple's streamlined Photos app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad has not gained major new features in iOS 9, unlike Photos for Mac whose upcoming OS X El Capitan release contains several new features that didn't make it into the inaugural version of Photos for OS X last fall.

But there's one tiny refinement in iOS 9's Photos app that I think will delight people like myself who rely on iCloud to keep their photos and videos synchronized across their devices: a more detailed upload progress indicator.

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How to upload HD photos and videos on Facebook

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

One of the more annoying things about Facebook has got to be the diminished quality of photos and videos you upload to the service, be it via iOS's Facebook integration integration or through the official mobile app for the iPhone and iPad, a free download in the App Store.

For whatever reason, Facebook's mobile app defaults to low-resolution photo and video uploads, likely in an effort to minimize bandwidth usage in this digital age of capped cellular data.

Fortunately, there is an easy yet not immediately obvious way to configure Facebook for iPhone and iPad to record and upload videos and photos in glorious high-definition.

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