Navatar brings messaging avatars to unsupported devices
Smaller iPhones lack the recipient’s avatar in the navigation bar of the Messages app. This tweak changes that to make things more consistent with your larger handsets.
iPhone 5s
Like iOS 11, iOS 12 will support iPhone 5s
iOS 12 is supposed to focus on under-the-hood performance optimization plus stability and reliability fixes so it’s not surprising that it will work on the same hardware as iOS 11. What’s notable is that iOS 12 would make iPhone 5s the oldest iPhone model supported by Apple’s mobile software.
Futuremark debunks speculation that Apple intentionally slows down older iPhones
The myth that with every major new version of iOS Apple deliberately throttles its older CPUs and GPUs in order to make legacy iPhones feel sluggish has been debunked.
Apple won’t release a fix for Secure Enclave’s exposed decryption key
A source says Apple doesn’t plan to roll out a fix for the iPhone 5s Secure Enclave’s exposed decryption key at this time.
Apple allows Indian retailers to discount older iPhone models to boost sales
Looking to boost its smartphone market share in India, the world’s fastest-growing market for phones, Apple has allowed local retailers to slash prices of older-generation handsets.
FBI confirms a tool it bought to unlock terrorist’s iPhone 5c does not work on iPhone 5s and newer
James Comey, Director of the Federal Bureau of iPhones—that is, Investigation—confirmed in an interview with CNN yesterday that a tool that the agency had purchased from a third-party to unlock San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s iPhone 5c cannot be used to bypass security protections on newer models, from the iPhone 5s onward.
This implies the tool relies on the fact that the iPhone 5c and earlier models lack hardware features like the Secure Enclave embedded in Apple’s mobile processors (from the iPhone 5s’s A7 chip and onward) which keeps encrypted sensitive information and stuff like the number of passcode attempts isolated from the rest of the system.
iFixit tears down iPhone SE, reveals some interchangeable 5s parts
Following the first day of availability of the iPhone SE, iFixit has gotten their hands on their own unit and has started their ritualistic practice of disconnecting every little screw, cable, and hinge that comes on it.
The iFixit teardown comes a day after Chipworks’ version, which revealed a lot of familiar parts in the iPhone SE that could be found in previous iPhone models, such as the 5s, 6, and 6s.
iFixit has not only confirmed these findings from Chipworks, but also provides some new insight about the iPhone SE’s parts that is sure to interest its consumers.
Teardown of iPhone SE finds hardware is a collage of 5s, 6, and 6s parts
The first legitimate hardware teardown of Apple’s new 4-inch smartphone, the iPhone SE, has been conducted by Chipworks. Apple just unveiled this new handset at its recent ‘Let us loop you in’ event alongside the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro.
The teardown finds that the iPhone SE is more than just a new generation of smaller iPhone from Apple, but that it’s actually a very clever device that takes the best from the performance world and combines it with the economics of older devices. This allows Apple to provide a product at a cheaper cost, but with similar performance.
As the teardown reveals, the iPhone SE is actually a Frankenstein of iPhone 5s, 6, and 6s parts that all work together to create a powerful 6s-like performance experience in a smaller 4-inch package.
T-Mobile promo takes half off any iPhone when you buy a second iPhone and add a line
In time for the new iPhone SE, which lands on store shelves tomorrow, wireless carrier T-Mobile announced a new BOGO (Buy One Get One) promotion that gives qualifying Simple Choice postpaid customers half off any iPhone when they buy a second iPhone and add a line.
Devices eligible for this promotion include all iPhones that the company currently stocks, including the new four-inch iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. Certified pre-owned iPhones are not eligible for this time-limited offer, which goes live on Thursday, March 31.
How to name your Touch ID fingerprints to easily identify them
Enrolling multiple fingers is a great way to improve Touch ID accuracy. By default, iOS names each new fingerprint as “Fingerprint 1,” “Fingerprint 2,” “Fingerprint 3” and so forth. Thankfully, you can rename your saved prints to something more descriptive so you can quickly distinguish them.
DOJ threatened to seize iOS source code unless Apple complies with court order in FBI case
The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has slid a disturbing footnote in its court filing against Apple that could be interpreted as a threat to seize the iOS source code unless Apple complies with a court order in the FBI case.
The DoJ is demanding that Apple create a special version of iOS with removed security features that would permit the FBI to run brute-force passcode attempts on the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone 5c.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has made public where he stands on the Apple vs. FBI case, which has quickly become a heated national debate.
Apple sends out invites for March 21 event: “Let us loop you in”
Following weeks of speculation, Apple on Thursday sent out invites for a media event later this month that should serve as a launchpad for new iPhone and iPad models, Apple Watch bands and possibly more.
The press event will be held at Apple’s Cupertino campus on Monday, March 21, 2016, at 10:00am PT, and will be live-streamed using HTTP Live Streaming.
As you may have guessed, iDownloadBlog will continue covering everything there’s to know about about Apple’s product refreshes.