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.

SwiftKey keyboard launches theme store

SwiftKey, the popular gesture keyboard for iPhones, iPads ands iPods with iOS 8 or later, today launched a brand new theme store featuring a dozen themes for customizing the look and feel of its keyboard.

After debuting on Android in 2014, the built-in theme store is now available to iOS users with twelve newly designed themes, priced from 99 cents to $1.99.

Scanbot overhauls iPad UI, adds iCloud Photo Library support, per-scan settings and more

Scanbot, a freemium document scanner and QR reader for the iPhone and iPad, was bumped to version 3.8 this morning. The refreshed app adds several new features while overhauling the user interface on iPads, which now supports any orientation as well as collapsible document list.

All users now get to enjoy direct uploading to Evernote with PDF, Images or Text option available through a reworked sharing interface, the ability to delete documents after upload and apply quick per-scan settings with a touch of their finger.

New iPhone Lightning Dock requires iOS 8 for audio out via Apple headset with remote control

Apple yesterday surprised fans by releasing a $40 Lightning dock for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus which works with official Apple cases. A $10 pricier than Apple's previous docks, it can be used to listen to music and sync your device with a computer while charging your iPhone’s battery at the same time.

What the spec sheet available on the Online Apple Store doesn't tell you is that the dock requires iOS 8 or later for audio out. The requirement is listed in a support document for Apple’s Lightning docks, as noted by 9to5Mac.

Olloclip launches new telephoto and ultra wide-angle Active Lens for latest iPhones

Joining its existing range of various lens attachments and special cases for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Olloclip on Wednesday announced a new Active Lens accessory that combines a telephoto lens with an ultra wide-angle lens.

The pocket-sized accessory requires no extra parts, can be snapped on both front and rear-facing cameras and ships with three wearable pendants to keep your lens safe and within arm’s reach.

PCalc for Apple Watch released with Glance, Send to iPhone, tip calc, RPN support and more

Thanks to independent iOS and Mac developer James Thomson, you can now wear PCalc on your $400+ Apple Watch. The award-winning $9.99 calculator app for the iPhone and iPad was updated today with WatchKit support.

The app is very nicely done and feels native. It puts the full calculator with RPN Support on your wrist, along with a Glance to see the result of your most recent calculations from your watch face, a tip calculator and other goodies.

Google and Twitter team up to provide Tweets in mobile search results

Google and Twitter announced on Tuesday that they are partnering up to bring Tweets to Google Search on mobile devices. The move means that now, anytime you perform a search using the Google app (iOS or Android) or mobile browser, you'll see real-time content from Twitter in your results.

The search results are triggered by “Twitter” keyword searches, and include both hashtags and accounts. So you can either search for feedback on the new #TaylorSwift album or #MadMenFinale, or you can track down NASA's Twitter account, and view their recent Tweets without leaving Google.

Audible audiobooks service gains support for Apple’s CarPlay in latest update

Audible, an audiobooks service owned by Amazon, pushed a major update to its iPhone and iPad application this morning which added CarPlay functionality along with a couple nice-to-have improvements in the app's iOS edition.

After downloading today's update, the Audible app will automatically appear on the dashboard of CarPlay-enabled vehicles and those supporting CarPlay via aftermarket solutions from Pioneer, Alpine and other companies.

Fashion design house Kate Spade New York launching iPhone-charging women bags this fall

Kate Spade New York, a U.S.-based fashion design house, has partnered with the seed-funded startup Everpurse on a new autumn range of iPhone-friendly bags, purses and backpacks.

These fashionable accessories for women will sport the ability to recharge iPhones, including all Lightning-based models from the iPhone 5 through the iPhone 6 Plus, The Wall Street Journal learned Monday. The fashion label was founded as Kate Spade Handbags in January 1993 by handbag designer Kate Spade.

Court rules iPhone looks can’t be protected, adjusts Samsung’s $930 million penalty

Monday, The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said it's ruled that Samsung violated Apple's design patents but did not infringe on the Cupertino firm's trade dress intellectual property.

As reported by Reuters, the appeals court has now reversed part of Apple's $930 million verdict versus Samsung, ordering that the penalty be adjusted accordingly.

Smart screen protector gives your iPhone a handy back button

I love the additional screen real estate my iPhone 6 Plus gives me, but it makes one-handed usage very difficult. I can reach about halfway up the display comfortably, but anything higher than that—say, when I need to tap an app's back button—and I have to shimmy my hand up the device.

Halo Back is a new iPhone accessory that wants to help significantly reduce the need for shimmying. Billed as the world's first "smart" screen protector, the Halo attaches to the front of your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, and gives you a virtual back button within thumb's reach—left of the Home button.

Touch ID could gain new gaming features, scrolling and more

Touch ID could get significantly more useful in future iOS devices, according to an Apple patent filing revealed this week. The filing, first spotted by Patently Apple, is extremely lengthy (combines several patents) and offers an overview of where Apple thinks fingerprint technology is headed.

One of the more interesting inventions is a portable touch display with integrated fingerprint sensors. So instead of touching the Home button, you could simply touch a designated part of the display to unlock your device or authenticate something. Apple says it could even offer tactile feedback.

Analyst “confirms” 12MP camera with smaller pixels for the next iPhone

Apple's forthcoming iPhone refresh — presumably an ‘iPhone 6s’ and ‘iPhone 6s Plus’ — is set for a major upgrade in the camera department as Apple has reportedly relented and decided to join the megapixel race with a twelve-megapixel iSight camera on the back of the new phone(s).

But the megapixels don't tell the whole story.

According to Kevin Wang, IHS's Technology Research Director for China, the pixel size will be smaller, raising questions about the camera' performance in low-light conditions.