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.

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...

Video: ultimate torture test reveals what it takes to shatter iPhone 6’s sapphire cover glass

Earlier in the week, a scratch test captured on video had us marveling at the virtually indestructible sapphire-strengthened cover glass purportedly making its way to Apple's forthcoming new iPhones.

The test, posted by YouTuber Marques Brownlee, showed scratching the protective cover with a set of keys and even a large folding knife yielded absolutely no damage. As Brownlee noted, the part's scratch resistance and proneness to bending and twisting is beyond any smartphone cover glass you've ever seen.

Despite trying, Brownlee just couldn't break the part under his own power. But anything in this world can be broken to pieces. We're a curious bunch here at iDownloadBlog and have been wondering a lot what it'd take to push this alleged sapphire cover glass beyond the point of breaking.

I've just stumbled upon a torture test video which answers that question quite effectively. It's included after the break so give it a quick watch and meet us in comments...

MLB updates At Bat and At the Ballpark as iBeacon rollout continues

Earlier this year, Major League Baseball pledged to have twenty ballparks outfitted with iBeacons by Opening Day as part of its initial rollout phase. And it did. Stadiums in Boston, San Diego, L.A. and many more cities now feature the tech.

Today, TechCrunch is reporting that the MLB is now entering the second phase of the initiative. And apparently it's planning to debut a special project at the 2014 All-Star Game, which is slated for July 15 at Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota...

New photo shows alleged iPhone 6 front LCD frame

Continuing on with the barrage of iPhone 6 part leaks we've seen over the past few weeks, Apple.club.tw today shares a new photo of what is believed to be the front LCD frame of the handset. It looks to be complete with metal shielding, and Home button bracket.

In a complete iPhone, this component would sit in between the front panel and the rear shell, both of which we've seen in other leaks.   It also contains the all-important LCD panel, and helps sandwich in the battery, logic board, and various other internal pieces...