iPhone

Stay up-to-date on the latest iPhone news and learn new tips and tricks with our comprehensive tutorials. From software updates to new features, we’ve got you covered.

Photo shootout: how the iPhone 6s compares to its predecessors

Cody Lee ∙ September 28, 2015

Photographer Lisa Bettany, co-founder of the popular iPhone app Camera+, on Monday posted a series of images comparing photos taken with the iPhone 6s with its predecessors. The comparison images feature identical shots taken with each of the 9 iPhone models (sans 5c).

The image you see above shows macro photos taken of colored pencils against a white backdrop. You start to notice more details with the iPhone 3GS, and furthermore with the 4s. After that it becomes harder to discern differences, but the iPhone 6s photo clearly looks the best.

Review: Password Chef—enjoy untethered password entry with recipes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

The App Store offers several high-quality apps that help you create strong passwords for various services, manage your passwords and synchronize them between devices with ease, AgileBits' freemium 1Password being perhaps the most popular one.

But there's now a brand new password manager on the block which takes a clever approach to securing all your online accounts with strong passwords but without having to actually remember them.

How about re-creating passwords from recipes?

Welcome to Naranja Studio's Password Chef, a novel $2.99 app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad which takes advantage of unique recipes to basically turn any site name into an easy-to-recall password, canceling the need for additional software or devices.

How to zoom in and out of your iPhone 6s screen with 3D Touch

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 28, 2015

We have been covering various 3D Touch features extensively here on iDownloadBlog and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

In addition to using your iPhone 6s keyboard in trackpad mode, adjusting the sensitivity of 3D Touch and turning the feature on and off, iOS 9 also provides a way for iPhone 6s owners to use its built-in zooming capability in conjunction with 3D Touch, based on the amount of force exerted on an on-screen controller.

They're calling it Peek Zoom and once activated lets you invoke iOS's standard Zoom feature through 3D Touch rather than requiring you to double-tap with three fingers.

Rumor: iPhone 7 will be water and dust-proof and ditch a metallic casing altogether

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 28, 2015

According to MacOtakara, a fairly accurate Japanese blog, the next iPhone could have waterproof and dust-proof features as Apple is apparently producing prototype 'iPhone 7' units that appear to be way more ruggedized than current models are.

In addition, the site claims that next year's iPhone will feature a new exterior design (we knew that, since 2016 won't be an S-upgrade year) and feature a newly designed non-metal chassis, which does sound interesting.

Some iPhone 6s users report poor low-light camera performance with Live Photos enabled

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 28, 2015

Some iPhone 6s owners took to Reddit to say that using Live Photos degrades low-light photography performance on their iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. We have yet to confirm their claims independently but it would seem that the issue stems from how taking Live Photos works.

When you enable Live Photos in the Camera app, your iPhone 6s records 1.5 seconds of video before and after the still photo is snapped, allowing you to see small bursts of motion and sound.

Here's why using Live Photos might degrade your camera's performance in low-light conditions.

iPhone 6s may suffer from iOS 9 bug affecting some apps which tap into compass and gyroscope data

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 28, 2015

Apple's new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus seem to be affected by a potential software bug present in iOS 9.0 and iOS 9.0.1 that appears to affect some, but not all apps which rely on data collected from the handset's compass and gyroscope sensors.

As first reported by AppleInsider, developer Fifth Star Labs has confirmed that reported issues with the Compass feature in its Sky Guide stargazing app are indeed limited to the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus and do not extend to older hardware.

Introducing Switch, a button that turns on Netflix, dims the lights and puts your phone in DND mode

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

In a somewhat amusing move, Netflix at the 2015 World Maker Faire show announced something called the Netflix Switch.

What's that, I hear you ask. It's basically an Internet-connected DIY physical button that turns on Netflix, dims the lights and puts your phone in Do Not Disturb mode to get you ready for a Netflix marathon with just one press.

Apple announces 13M iPhone 6s sales, expansion to 40 new countries beginning October 9

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 28, 2015

Apple on Monday announced record iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus sales of 13 million units this weekend, beating last year's opening-weekend sales of more than ten million units.

In addition, the Cupertino firm has said the new phones will be available in more than 40 additional countries beginning Friday, October 9 including Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain and Taiwan.

The new iPhones will be available in a total of over 130 countries by the end of the year, said the firm.

How to take photos while recording a video on iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 6, 2025

Learn how to snap up pictures while shooting video on your iPhone or iPad without having to stop the recording session or download camera apps.

How to turn iPhone keyboard into a trackpad with 3D Touch and select text with precision

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 30, 2019

iOS 9 brought out a new feature for iPads called easy text selection which lets you slide two fingers on the screen to turn the keyboard into a trackpad of sorts. While in this mode, you can control cursor movement and select chunks of text with precision.

Thanks to 3D Touch, you can bring up this trackpad-esque functionality on your iPhone 7 or later in order to easily select and manipulate text with great precision, here's how.

How to adjust 3D Touch sensitivity

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 9, 2019

Using a grid of 96 sensors that read microscopic changes in the distance between the cover glass and the backlight, your iPhone is able to detect different degrees of pressure. This headline feature, called 3D Touch, is used to reveal content previews and contextual menus within apps and quick actions on app icons on the Home screen.

Do you feel like 3D Touch requires you to press the screen too hard? If so, iOS offers a handy slide to change the amount of pressure you need to activate the feature.

How to turn off and on 3D Touch on your iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 9, 2020

So you got your brand new iPhone and decided that 3D Touch is more of a nuisance than gets in your way than a time-saving feature you'd like to use on an everyday basis. Worry not, for iOS gives you an easy way to disable 3D Touch on a system-wide level with just a few taps.

3D Touch, of course, offers shortcuts to commonly used app-specific actions right from the Home screen and lets you preview content or jump straight into it within supported apps by applying varying degrees of pressure to the screen.

People with disabilities, those with limited motor skills and everyone who would rather do without these handy shortcuts for one reason or another can easily disable 3D Touch on your iPhone.