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Instagram users typically get to see the app’s generic white interface introduced back in 2016, but if you'd like to add a splash of color to it, then you’ll love a new free jailbreak tweak release dubbed ColorGram by iOS developer Justin Petkovic.
This tweak lets you go hands-on with colorizing various elements of the Instagram app so you don’t have to put up with the boring flat colors anymore.
JPMorgan said in yesterday's note to clients ahead of Apple's earnings report that iPhone 8 would implement support for the latest Bluetooth 5.0 standard and wireless charging via a Broadcom chip. Broadcom's chips support both PMA and Qi wireless charging standards, but it's unclear if iPhone 8 might use either of them or rely on Apple's custom version of these standards.
At any rate, Apple's business could add between $500 million and $600 million to Broadcom's annualized revenues, JPMorgan predicted. Though the note doesn't say which new iPhone models will pack wireless charging, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said before that all 2017 iPhones would offer this feature.
Galaxy S8 is the world's first phone with support for the new Bluetooth 5.0 standard, which promises to double the speed and quadruple the range. Bluetooth 5.0 also allows multiple devices to be used at the same time, meaning iPhone 8 could allow two users to watch a movie on the device with two sets of Bluetooth headphones.
Bluetooth 5.0 was certified by Bluetooth Special Interest Group back in June 2016. Apple is a promoting member of the organization with voting rights.
In February of this year, Apple joined Wireless Power Consortium, potentially giving some credence to rumors about wireless charging in iPhone 8. The Cupertino company is listed as a member on the organization's website.
There are currently 213 members of the consortium.
In 2016 year, 152 different brands registered a Qi-compliant product on the official Wireless Power Consortium website, up from 86 in 2015. The Qi protocol is currently used by more than 200 companies and is in 1343 products you can buy now. Apple Watch uses a bespoke version of the Qi wireless charging standard that’s incompatible with existing Qi chargers.
JPMorgan said this morning that there's a “high likelihood” that Apple will pre-announce and preview iPhone 8 at WWDC next month, ahead of its launch in the fall. But if you ask another investment firm—Deutsche Bank—no new iPhone 8 will arrive this year.
“Several supply chain reports have suggested that key component shortages and technical challenges could delay the release of a high-end iPhone 8 device this fall,” reads Deutsche Bank's report. “We believe this report further underscores the uncertainty around the timing of Apple's next-generation iPhone model”.
Photo: ON Charge magnetic wireless charging solution for current iPhones
Multiple analyst reports and rumors have asserted that Apple's Tenth Anniversary iPhone, or iPhone 8, is going to be delayed because of manufacturing issues related to new components, but we still don't know by how long. A pair of conflicting reports from JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank offer very differing opinions regarding the handset's potential availability.
Basically, JPMorgan is telling clients that there is a “high likelihood” that Apple will announce iPhone 8 at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference next month. On the other hand, we have Deutsche Bank which on Sunday put out a research note, based on a questionable report from ValueWalk, saying iPhone 8 won't land until 2018.
“JP Morgan's Rod Hall first suggested iPhone 8 could be previewed at WWDC,” Business Insider's Kif Leswing wrote on Twitter this morning. The analyst is claiming that the Cupertino firm will preview its OLED-based iPhone in June ahead of its launch in the fall (in what KGI's Ming-Chi Kuo said would be extremely limited availability).
While Apple did announce the original iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 at WWDC, subsequent models were formally unveiled at fall events in September or October. Be that as it may, I don't think either of these reports is accurate to begin with.
Deutsche Bank's analysis in particular is based solely on a sketchy claim by ValueWalk.
Citing unnamed sources close to Foxconn, ValueWalk reported that Apple would delay iPhone 8 until 2018 over an apparent lack of orders for packaging materials. The iterative LCD-based iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus would arrive on schedule in the fall, it said.
The story prompted Deutsche Bank to predict the following:
Report suggests no new iPhone 8 this calendar year. As we have written in previous research notes, several supply chain reports have suggested that key component shortages and technical challenges could delay the release of a high-end iPhone 8 device this fall.
We believe this report further underscores the uncertainty around the timing of Apple’s next- generation iPhone model.
As mentioned, the investment bank told clients that it thinks the OLED-based iPhone 8 model might not release in 2017 at all. The problem is, Deutsche Bank trusts ValueWalk which lacks any track record in breaking major Apple news.
Even if it did have one, we'd need at least one independent publication confirm the report before we could jump to any conclusions. Apple sources components from multiple suppliers so the fact that it's ordered packaging for the iPhone 7s series from one supplier doesn't mean that iPhone 8 packaging won't come from a separate supplier.
Given the rumored manufacturing problems with iPhone 8, it's more likely that Apple will choose to pre-announce iPhone 8 this fall alongside the iPhone 7s/Plus announcements and then launch the OLED-based device in late October or November.
And if that's how things are going to play out, there's no reason whatsoever for iPhone 8 packaging to arrive alongside iPhone 7s packaging in June and spoil Apple's surprise. Last but not least, delaying iPhone 8 until 2018 would be a huge blow to Apple's bottom line.
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Take it from Apple's Tim Cook, who said on yesterday's earnings call with analysts and investors that earlier-than-usual leaks and rumors are hurting sales of current iPhones.
Here's what Cook said:
We're seeing what we believe to be a pause in purchases on iPhone, which we believe are due to the earlier and much more frequent reports about future iPhones.
Considering that consumers usually hold off on buying a new iPhone until they see the new model, Cook's remarks have merit and the fact that he actually blamed the hype machine for “a pause” in iPhone sales is pretty remarkable, if you ask me.
Make sense?
Mockups: all-glass iPhone 8 with stainless steel frame via Steel Drake
The volume HUD has always been a pain point for iPhone owners; the fact that it pops up right in the middle of the screen as you adjust your volume is intrusive and becomes a nuisance when you're trying to watch videos or listening to music while viewing photos/reading e-Books.
Countless jailbreak tweaks have been released over the years in an attempt to repair this problem. Most of them move the volume HUD out of the way in creative ways, and now the latest to join that list is HUDPlayer by iOS developer pxcex.
As part of his summer project, NYU grad student Dejian Zeng spent six weeks working undercover in a Chinese factory operated by iPhone manufacturer Pegatron. In a video interview with Business Insider's Kif Leswing, he reveals some of the security measures designed to prevent unwanted leaks as part of preparations ahead of iPhone 7 production.
Here's an interesting excerpt from the interview:
In the workshop, we were originally producing iPhone 6s and during that time that we were in the workshop they were already building up some facilities or infrastructure to build the assembly line for iPhone 7.
And they had this big curtain that blocked everything.
While we were in the same workshop, we saw nothing. And later on, we were moved to another sub-factory building to do work there for a while, because they need to rebuild the assembly line that we are working on also.
The following points from the interview stood out for me:
It's “impossible” for workers to take photos, let alone carry some components out Workers are required to leave their phones, keys and other metals in a locker room No metal is allowed inside the factories There are security cameras in every assembly line Security involves access cards, facial recognition cameras and metal detectorsThe security level increased sharply ahead of iPhone 7 production.
For starters, management at the factories installed two metal detectors and increased their sensitivity, in turn creating problems for female workers wearing bras.
“All of a sudden, on that specific day, they couldn’t pass the security door, and they needed to go back and change everything,” said Dejian.
He says regular assembly line workers were strictly prohibited from bringing their cameras or phones inside the factories, unlike high-level managers who could bring their phones.
“I’m not sure whether photos can get leaked by that,” he said.
But even high-level managers were asked to wake up their phone's screen every time they went through the metal detectors so that security personnel could determine that they weren't carrying an unfinished iPhone unit concealed in a fake phone case. And if a worker does get caught attempting to carry an iPhone out of the factories, they're sent to the police.
In spite of all the security, leaks do happen and they're a fact of life.
Who's to stop a person from running to the press to tell them what they saw inside the factories? After they started building iPhone 7, some employees were able to confirm to the media that the device would come without headphone jack and with two cameras on the back.
“Those are some things that we can see and we can remember and we can tell the media later on,” said Dejian. Apple is known for holding its contractors to the highest security standards.
In that regard, the following excerpt is revealing:
When I was producing iPhone 6, I did see Apple come for audits. I think it was two or three times.
And every time when they come, the manger in the factories got very nervous. They would tell us you need to follow the procedure and sit straight, and don’t talk.
When they kicked off iPhone 7 production, Apple staff was there “every single day”.
Factory workers are reportedly aware of how popular the iconic smartphone is and think it’s “very cool” that they get to see Apple's unreleased products before anyone else.
The full video interview is available on Business Insider.
Google has confirmed that it will be bringing back support for Apple Watch to the Maps app for iPhone and iPad at some point in the future. In a statement issued Tuesday to AppleInsider, a spokesperson for the search giant said: “We removed Apple Watch support from our latest iOS release, but expect to support it again in the future”.
The company provided no explanation for the removal of Apple Watch functionality from Maps for iOS, which went largely unnoticed because it wasn't mentioned in App Store release notes.
As we reported yesterday, recent updates to major iPhone apps like Google Maps, eBay, Amazon and Target came stripped of all Apple Watch support, perhaps indicating that watchOS features in them were not widely used.
Google brought its Maps app to Apple Watch in September 2015, with features like turn-by-turn driving, walking and transit directions for recently visited points of interest. The app lacked other features found in Apple's Maps for Apple Watch, such as no conventional map view and the inability to conduct searches without a tethered iPhone.
If having an arsenal of quick shortcuts throughout iOS sounds good to you, then you should warm up to a jailbreak tweak release dubbed CCQuick Pro X for iOS10 by iOS developer Cunstuck pretty quickly.
Following installation, the tweak turbocharges Control Center with a slew of new features. Not only can you boost its visual appeal, but you can also upgrade the interface’s usability with additional shortcuts and toggles among other things.
There’s nearly a full second of delay after pressing your Home button before the app you’re in actually closes. Whether you love or hate the delay remains to be seen, but if you aren't fond of it, now there's something you can do about it.
Installing a new free jailbreak tweak called Accelerated Home Button by iOS developer Mehul Rao from Cydia virtually eliminates the delay effect, making access to your Home screen instantaneous after pressing the Home button.
The popular messaging app WhatsApp is experimenting with a new pinning feature in the chat list that, when released for everyone, will permit you to stick up to three contacts to the top of the conversation list, regardless of when they last messaged you.
As first noted by AndroidPolice, it was spotted in the latest beta builds of WhatsApp for Android. Other features in an iOS beta of the app include albums, the ability to revoke a message after it's been sent, sending your real-time location to friends and family and more.
WhatsApp Albums, another upcoming feature, is in its early stages of development. Eventually, it will let you create custom albums of photos for sharing with individuals and groups.
Like other WhatsApp features, albums use end-to-end encryption.
According to WABetaInfo on Twitter, the unsend feature may be remotely enabled in the latest stable version of WhatsApp. Full support for rich notifications is being worked on, too.
Recent WhatsApp updates brought us improvements like the ability for Siri to read aloud newly received messages, text-only statuses, two-step verification for your account, sending messages offline, searching for animated GIFs from Gify and more.
You can join the WhatsApp for Android beta channel on Google's Play Store, by tapping Join Beta at the bottom of the listing. WhatsApp for iPhone betas require a jailbroken device.
Apple on Monday shared a new television commercial for iPhone 7 Plus through its official channel on YouTube. Titled “The City”, the video runs 71 seconds long and invites viewers to “focus on what you love” with the device's dual-lens camera system and Portrait shooting mode in the stock Camera app.
Before making its long-expected offline retail presence in India, Apple may start selling the locally produced iPhone SE through its online store in the world's second most-populous country. According to a report Monday by the Economic Times, Apple may also sell locally sourced accessories via its online store.
However, the report states that the iPhone maker won't compete on price with online marketplaces for the items carried via its Indian online store. About half the iPhone models the Cupertino firm sells in the country are purchased online.
Every so often as an iPhone user, we get a little bored with the optics of our device and feel the need to give it a fresh coat of paint. Cases and skins aside, the fastest and most immersive option to shake things up visually is to go down the wallpaper path, which we very much love assisting you with here at iDB.
Granted there is no shortage of wallpapers anywhere on the internet, at the same time the ever-growing demand for more has also given rise to a bevy of unusable, flat-out lousy offers. So where to turn to for quality material you ask? We’ve got your back on that, as we have compiled a list of the best wallpaper apps available on the App Store today.
Time to dust off your iPhone’s home screen and live it up in your pocket!