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.

New iPhones use two accelerometers for better power management

Cody Lee ∙ September 27, 2014

Apple is using two accelerometers in both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Chipworks has discovered in its extensive teardowns of the two handsets. The first is the three-axis BMA280 accelerometer, made by Bosch, and the second is believed to be InvenSense's six-axis MPU-6700.

Why two? Interestingly enough, Chipworks believes that Apple decided to go with two accelerometers to improve power management and overall user experience. The InvenSense is more sensitive, and can do more things, than the Bosch, but it also draws a lot more power.

Consumer Reports: new iPhones ‘not as bendy as believed’

Cody Lee ∙ September 27, 2014

Consumer Reports says the new iPhones "aren't as bendy as believed," after testing both handsets, alongside other top smartphones. Using a three-point flexural test, the outlet found that the iPhone 6 can withstand 70 pounds of pressure before deforming, and the 6 Plus can take up to 90.

That was good enough to beat HTC's One (M8)—which makes this bendgate tweet a bit ironic—but both iPhones still finished well behind the LG G3 and Samsung's Note 3. The bottom line, though, is Consumer Reports says it expects "that any of these phones should stand up to typical use."

MLB live streaming every World Series game, select postseason games via At Bat app

Cody Lee ∙ September 26, 2014

Baseball fans rejoice, the MLB.com At Bat app has just been updated with some great new features in time for October. For the first time, the League will be live streaming every World Series game and select postseason games to mobile devices.

Obviously, you'll need to be an MLB.TV Premium subscriber to access the new content, but it'll cost you $3.99 to get in for the rest of the season. And if you want to watch Major League Baseball on your iPhone or iPad, there's no better way to do it.

FitPort wants to be your health & fitness dashboard

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 26, 2014

I briefly touched upon FitPort in my article about HealthKit apps. The app debuted today as the App Store's first HealthKit-enabled application following yesterday's iOS 8.0.2 software update that fixed a bug in iOS 8.0 which prevented HealthKit apps from functioning properly.

Created by Flask, FitPort isn't yet another daily activity, health and fitness tracker, but a wannabe replacement for Apple's stock Health app in iOS 8.

Having spent an hour or so playing with it, I can safely conclude that FitPort deserves your attention so let me discuss it in greater detail.

iPhone 6 reportedly nearing approval for sale in China

Cody Lee ∙ September 26, 2014

Apple is in the final stages of securing regulatory approval for the iPhone 6 in China, reports Tenacent, meaning it could soon go on sale in the country. It's a major market for the Cupertino firm, as it contains two of the largest carriers in the world.

The news outlet quoted China's Ministry of Industry and Information technology as saying "it's just a matter of time" before regulators complete the approval process for Apple's new handsets, which have already gone on sale in several countries.

MyFitnessPal brings its data to iOS 8’s Health app in latest update

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 26, 2014

As Apple earlier this morning began approving HealthKit-powered apps following yesterday's release of the iOS 8.0.2 software update, makers of health and fitness software, life-tracking programs and food intake tracking apps are now releasing updates adding HealthKit compatibility.

Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker, a free of charge iPhone and iPad app by MyFitnessPal, has been bumped to version 5.6.6, for example.

Taking advantage of Apple’s HealthKit in iOS 8 which makes it easy for supported health and fitness apps to work together and share data through the stock Health app, the refreshed MyFitnessPal app now lets you add your meal summaries and sync your weight with HealthKit, as well as add excercices from other HealthKit-enabled apps to your diary.

Poll: are you having second thoughts about buying iPhone 6 Plus over #Bendgate?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Are you concerned over Bendgate following this YouTube video? Responding to the controversy that blew up on social media before taking the world by storm, Apple said it'd received complaints from nine customers over the supposed iPhone 6 Plus bending.

The company even took select members of the press on a tour of its facility just a a few blocks away from the Cupertino campus, where it torture-tested 15,000 iPhone 6 and 15,000 iPhone 6 Plus handsets.

I think Bendgate is a non-issue, but I could be wrong. One thing is certain: the meme won't go away if I choose to ignore it. That said, it doesn't surprise me at all that some fans are now questioning Apple's “just works” mantra, especially in light of other snafus in the form of the iOS 8.0.1 update gone terrible wrong, Apple's U2 “gift”, Celebgate and iCloud security.

After reading about these PR disasters, some folks may be thinking twice about buying the iPhone 6 Plus. Are you among that group or did you brush off Bendgate as a non-issue?

GoodReader updated for iOS 8 with iCloud Drive and Handoff, native iPhone 6 and 6 Plus support

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 26, 2014

GoodReader, a robust PDF reader for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, has received an update Friday bringing out support for a pair of distinct new features in iOS 8: Handoff and iCloud Drive.

Handoff lets you continue reading on an iPad right where you left off on an iPhone or iPod touch, and vice versa. Moreover, if you run iOS 8 and have upgraded to iCloud Drive, GoodReader can now import documents stored in it.

And because the app now uses iOS 8’s standard iCloud Drive picker, you can easily access other online storage services that have advertised their Document Provider extension system-wide, such as Dropbox.

Post-it debuts iPhone app for scanning physical sticky notes

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 26, 2014

3M Company made a fortune with its popular Post-it series of trademark yellow paper notes that attach to documents and other surfaces. Now, there’s an app for that.

Released Friday, Post-it Plus for the iPhone and iPad makes it easy to convert the physical square notes into their digital representation by scanning them using your iOS device’s camera.

Once in your iPhone, digital notes can be organized, arranged into groups, shared with everyone and accessed in other apps like PowerPoint, Excel, Dropbox and plenty more using the “Open In...” option.

Apple offers peek at iPhone stress testing process

Cody Lee ∙ September 25, 2014

Apple invited a handful of reporters to visit its iPhone testing facility in Cupertino on Thursday, to offer a peek at where and how it puts its handsets through the paces. The move comes in response to growing concerns over "bending issues" with the new iPhone 6 Plus, following this YouTube video.

The facility sits a few blocks away from Apple's Cupertino campus, and contains a lot of equipment for testing the strength and durability of the iPhone. Here, engineers for the company put handsets through a variety of tests including torsion (or twisting) and pressure, to make sure they will hold up.

Afterlight gains iOS 8 photo extensions, manual camera control, iPhone 6 support and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Afterlight by Afterlight Collective, Inc, an urban iPhone photographer's dream app, was refreshed Thursday for iOS 8, bringing its set of accessible editing tools and powerful filters to the stock Photos app, while enabling manual camera control and additional perks.

Other new features in this release, which is available as a free update to those who've previously purchased the 99-cent iPhone and iPad app, include the ability to share your fusion filters with friends via email, as well as native display support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Mattel’s Whac A Mole goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Apple has named Mattel's 'Whac A Mole' its App of the Week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the title for both your iPhone and iPad, for free—which will save you a buck.

For those unfamiliar with it, Whac A Mole is essentially a touchscreen take on the classic arcade game with the same name. Players are given a mallet and tasked with navigating their way through 60+ levels by...whacking moles.