iPod Touch

Speed and performance are at the heart of iOS 13

No other feature is more important to iPhone users than iOS's vaunted smooth performance. While some iOS releases did make our devices run slower, that has changed with iOS 10 which laid the groundworks three years ago for what would come in iOS 12 the following year: significant speed gains. iOS 13 continues on that trajectory with additional under-the-hood tweaks and optimizations that bring notable speed advances over iOS 12.

AnyTrans brings support for automatic wireless iOS backups, WhatsApp/Viber chats & more [sponsor]

AnyTrans, a comprehensive Mac and Windows app by iMobie for transferring, backing up and managing your iOS, Android and cloud content, was updated recently with several new features, including comprehensive iOS backup enhancements with the selective restore and automatic wireless backup features, plus the ability to move WhatsApp and Viber chats between devices and support for downloading videos from 1,000+ online sources.

Review: the new iPod touch vs. the previous model

Out of the blue, Apple delivered a seventh-generation iPod touch media player earlier this week, a repackaged version of the 2015 predecessor sporting an updated processor and double the flash storage rather than a thorough revamp with an edge-to-edge display, Face ID and so forth. The refreshed device still has a lot going for it so we thought we'd review the new iPod touch for iDB readers who might be in the market for an affordable iOS gadget.

Apple stops signing iOS 12.2, preventing firmware downgrades from iOS 12.3

In a routine move by Apple on Thursday, the Cupertino-based tech company stopped signing the iOS 12.2 firmware for its mobile lineup of devices, a move that hinders the iTunes-centric downgrade process to any firmware older than the recently-released iOS 12.3 update.

Apple first released iOS 12.2 nearly two months ago, and iOS 12.3 has been publicly available for a little longer than a week at the time of this writing. Given the circumstances, Apple’s decision to discontinue downgrades to iOS 12.2 isn’t particularly surprising.

How to check if an iPhone is new, refurbished, or a replacement unit

Icon of a confused man next to an iPhone asking if it's new

There are no external indicators on an iPhone or iPad that reveal whether it’s fresh out of the box, refurbished, or a replacement provided by Apple through a service request.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to distinguish between brand-new iPhones, refurbished models, replacement units, and even devices customized with Apple’s laser engraving.