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 hiring software engineer for AuthenTec fingerprint sensor team

Last summer, Apple acquired AuthenTec, a Florida-based smart sensor company known for its embedded security and identity management technology. The news of the acquisition has sparked speculation that we will see fingerprint sensors in future iOS devices.

And Apple itself is adding fuel to that fire today, with a new job listing posted on its website. Apparently the Cupertino company is looking for a software engineer to join its team of fingerprint sensor engineers down in Melbourne, Florida at AuthenTec's headquarters...

T-Mobile iPhone carrier bundle is now available for download

We reported last Friday that T-Mobile had begun deploying a special over-the-air (OTA) update which enables support for its LTE, HD Voice, the 4G indicator, Visual Voicemail and other network-related features on the existing (and unlocked) iPhones the company has been hosting on its network.

But soon after, the Deutsche Telekom-owned wireless carrier pulled a support document highlighting all of the changes that the OTA delivered, leading us to believe it prematurely rolled out the update.

Looks like we were right as it's just been reported that both Apple and T-Mobile have officially pushed the carrier bundle (IPCC) to enable LTE and other T-Mobile network service on iPhones...

T-Mobile stores gearing up for iPhone launch, Sprint’s Virgin Mobile offers $100 to switchers

Although it hasn't yet begun officially dressing up its nationwide stores ahead of Friday's iPhone launch, T-Mobile USA is now gearing up for the big day. As part of the preparations for the D-day, the Deutsche Telekom-owned telco last Friday started accepting pre-orders for iPhones. And earlier today, T-Mobile’s retail locations were spotted getting ready with brand-new iPhone-themed uniforms and demo inventory is already en route, but don't expect these devices to crop up at T-Mobile stores until the night before the launch...

Avid launches iOS-compatible audio interfaces

Avid, a highly regarded name among pro audio engineers, today announced a pair of mobile audio interfaces with native support for Apple's iOS platform and the iPad. The Avid Fast Track Solo and Fast Track Duo let you record your guitar, vocals and other instruments through a high-quality mic pres and inputs and tight integration with its Pro Tools Express suite for Mac or Windows PCs. Each interface has a bus-powered USB port on it and allows for a direct iPad connection without the need for Apple's iPad Camera Connection Kit interface...

PowerSwipe lets you quickly respring or reboot from the Lock screen

If you're not the type of person who takes pictures with their iPhone very often, you've probably looked into alternative uses for the camera grabber on your Lock screen. After all, if you're going to have a button there, why not make it useful?

Luckily, there are a number of jailbreak tweaks available that allow you to change the functionality of the camera toggle to do other things like launch an application or toggle Airplane mode. And today, we're adding another one to the list... 

Curved-glass iPhone concept, not very functional

I take it you recall a recent concept render showcasing what a colorized budget iPhone might look like? You know, the one envisioning a super nice translucent polycarbonate body akin to Apple's famous G3 iMac all-in-one lineup that helped save the firm from certain death? Concept artists Nickolay Lamm and Matteo Gianni who were behind that one are back at it and have just dreamt up a futuristic looking iPhone with a rounded body that just very slightly seems to resemble Nokia's design language for its Lumia series...

Samsung patent war strategy shakeup may happen, chatter suggests

Is South Korea's Samsung preparing to settle ongoing mobile patent disputes with Apple, perhaps curtailing the firm's dependance on smart phones for future profits?

That's the conjecture as Samsung's chairman prepares to meet reporters later this week, following comments on returning from a three-month trip to Japan and Hawaii.

According to one South Korean newspaper, "several pending issues" will be on the plate of Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee...

Should Apple rethink its naming conventions for the iPhone?

Former ad man and longtime Apple consultant Ken Segall has been very critical of his old company in recent months. And he continues that trend with a new blog post called 'iPhone naming: when simple gets complicated.'

In the post, Segall argues that Apple screwed up the way it names its handsets—particularly on the 'S' models. He says that iPhones marked with an 'S' not only look awkward, but also send a weak message to consumers...

‘Messages’ lets you compose and reply to messages from anywhere in iOS

Sometimes I feel like I'm one of the only people in the world that doesn't use biteSMS. Don't get me wrong, I really like some of the tweak's features, like quick reply and compose. But in my experience, it's not very stable and tends to clash with the stock Messages app.

That being said, you can understand my excitement when I saw 'Messages' pop up in my Cydia stream today. The new jailbreak tweak, by Ma Jun (the creator of Bulletin), offers up biteSMS-like quick compose and reply features, without all of the extra biteSMS fluff...

Backup and restore app data, clear caches and more with Icon Tool

What do you get when you take a jailbreak tweak that can clear an app's notification badges, and cross it with one that can clear its cache, backup and restore its data, and more? Easy, Icon Tool.

Icon Tool is a new tweak by developer ioshack that offers up all of the above-mentioned options in one easy to access menu. Simply put your device into wiggle mode, and triple tap on an app icon...

Apple was right, widgets just ain’t cool

Without a doubt, one of the biggest differences between iOS and Android is its fundamental handling of information. Google decided to allow widgets onto a phone's Home screen so that, theoretically, users would have the information they need right at their fingertips. Apple, on the other hand, has doggedly stuck to its guns over the years, with iOS remaining a collection of app icons rather than live widgets.

Over the years there have been plenty of arguments amongst those in the tech community as to which was the best way to go. Android users will repeatedly point to widgets as one of the main reasons they prefer their phones over the iPhone or even one of the Windows Phone handsets. Sitting halfway between iOS and Android, Windows Phone features live tiles that offer up information from the phone's Home screen a la widgets, but that's just not enough for some. It's widgets or nothing, man, and that's the way it is.

But iOS users can have their cake and eat it. They can have widgets on their home screens just like Android users, whilst still having that iPhone they so love. But the real question is: should they? Even if they should, I'd argue that fewer people actually would than we might think...

Take better low-light panoramic pictures with LLBPano

I'm a big fan of the Panorama capture feature that was added in iOS 6. I'd like to be able to use it while holding my iPhone in landscape mode, but other than that I think Apple did a great job with it.

It doesn't always work very well in low-light conditions though. And that's where the jailbreak tweak LLBPano comes in. It enables Low-light mode on the iPhone 5 when taking panoramic photos...