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.

Apple launches iPhone and iPad trade-in program in Australia

As expected, Apple has officially launched its iPhone and iPad trade-in program in Australia today. The company made the announcement via a statement provided to an Australian MSN affiliate this morning.

Customers can receive a maximum of A$250 (or roughly $234 USD) for their iPhones, and A$215 ($202 USD) for iPad trade-ins. Newer devices like the iPhone 5s and 5c are not eligible, nor are first-gen models...

PayPal updated with loyalty card support, faster logins and more

PayPal pushed out an update to its iOS client last night, bringing the app to version 5.5. The update brings about the usual bug fixes and performance improvements, but it also adds a big new feature: support for loyalty cards.

This means PayPal users will be able to carry virtual versions of their favorite loyalty cards—such as Starbucks, CVS, and several other retailers—within the app, essentially making it a one-stop shop for payments and checkins...

Apple launches new ‘iTunes Pass’ service in Japan for refilling iTunes credit

Apple has launched a new service in Japan called iTunes Pass. The program is actually quite interesting, as it appears to allow customers to purchase iTunes Store credit from an Apple retail store, using Passbook instead of physical gift cards.

Users have long been able to store gift cards in Passbook, but we've never seen a direct-to-Passbook service like this, without the need to redeem a code. It almost looks like this could be a prequel to Apple's oft-rumored mobile payment system...

Shazam for iOS updated with in-app track playback via Rdio

Shazam has updated its free and Encore iOS apps, bringing them both to version 7.7.0. The update brings about a new feature to both clients that allows users to play back recognized songs in-app, courtesy of Rdio.

While users have long been able to do this—play recognized tracks through Rdio—past functionality required them to switch out of Shazam and into Rdio. They can now playback [full] songs without switching apps...

5 calculator apps Apple featured in App Store’s Productivity Monday section

To me, calculator apps are a lot like weather apps - I can never get enough of them. In an effort to help you increase your mobile productivity, Apple is now featuring several great third-party calculators in an App Store section titled Productivity Monday.

Featured iPhone and iPad software includes both paid and free calculators, including the gorgeously designed minimalist Digits app with the ability to edit complex calculations and get instantly updated results...

Poll: what’s more important to you – screen size or battery life?

Pundits and fans are in agreement that a bigger screen will be the #1 selling point of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 6 refresh. With two models in tow, one with a 4.7-inch screen and the other using a phablet-class 5.5-inch display, the iconic smartphone will for the first time go comfortably past four inches.

So, who's willing to trade a bigger screen for a much-improved battery that could keep you going for 24 hours or more, on a single charge? For the sake of completeness, One survey identified a longer-lasting battery as the top feature request by early iPhone 5 adopters ahead of the handset's September 2012 launch...

Dropbox introduces Streaming Sync with up to 2x faster syncing of large files

Heavy Dropbox users may have noticed that large files sixteen megabytes in size and up won't start downloading to their other devices until they've finished uploading fully to the Dropbox cloud on the device which has initiated sync.

A new Dropbox technology dubbed Streaming Sync promises to speed up sync times of large files by up to two times, by downloading small slices of a large file as it's still being uploaded to the servers.

Before you can start taking advantage of this technology, you must update your desktop Dropbox client to the latest version...

Rumor: Apple’s secret partnership with Intelligent Energy to boost iPhone battery performance

Rumor has it that Apple has secretly partnered with a British fuel-cell firm called Intelligent Energy on deploying its fuel cells in electronic devices such as MacBooks, iPhones and iPads within a few years.

Intelligent Energy's technology converts chemical energy from fuel stored in the cells into electricity.

The technology could potentially allow future iPhones and iPads to run on a single charge for days or even weeks. As a bonus, the process is green and highly efficient...

Google launches augmented reality game Ingress on iOS

The Internet giant Google earlier in the year ported its near-real time augmented reality massively multiplayer online pervasive game, Ingress, to Android and now the app is available on iOS as well.

The free iPhone and iPad game uses your location and real-world objects in your near vicinity to provide various clues and transform your world into the landscape for a "global game of mystery, intrigue, and competition"...

Noted analyst claims 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could delay until 2015 over production woes

In his new research note issued to clients Monday, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo cautions that Apple's 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could be delayed until after October and possibly until 2015, over yield issues with its in-cell touch panel and metal casing.

According to the analyst, panels this large exhibit issues where the edge of the panel may become insensitive to touch. Also, under Apple's new manufacturing process for the iPhone 6 metal casing, "color unevenness is an issue," wrote Kuo...

FCC loosens labeling restrictions for iPhones and other devices

This is kind of interesting. The FCC's Office of Engineering & Technology issued new labeling guidance on Friday, saying that manufacturers can do away with the awful FCC ID etchings found on the backs of iPhones and other devices with integral screens.

Until now, the FCC has asked that any equipment requiring FCC certification sport a nameplate or etched label listing its FCC ID and other info. But with devices getting smaller and more complex, it wanted to update the requirement for the digital age... 

Sharp in talks with Apple to regain control of iPhone panel plant

Sharp is looking to regain control of its Kameyama plant back from Apple. Nikkei is reporting this afternoon that the company has proposed a deal to the Cupertino firm worth nearly $300 million, in an effort to diversify its customer base.

The Kameyama Plant No. 1 began operations in 2004 as a facility for manufacturing large panels for flat-screen TVs. But after consecutive years of profit losses, it called on Apple to help foot the bill to transition the plant to smaller panels...