News

New Apple patent would embed light sensors into the display, hints at iPhone 8 technology

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 11, 2016

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) today awarded Apple a patent describing a process for embedding light-sensing sensors into a mobile display. The invention, titled “Electronic devices with display-integrated light sensors,” potentially paves the way for next year's iPhone.

Apple's new patent specifically mentions the ambient light and proximity sensors, which are found on the front face of the device, as being integrated into the display assembly.

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and pundits in the know, like Daring Fireball's John Gruber, the iPhone 8—or whatever a 2017 iPhone (or Tenth Anniversary iPhone) ends up being called—should be a major design departure from prior models as it would supposedly get rid of the chin and forehead bezels by integrating Touch ID and the front-camera along with other sensors directly into the display.

Apple pegs iOS 10 adoption rate at 54 percent

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 11, 2016

I've long been saying that we shouldn't trust any iOS adoption rate “research” based on the assumption that users have on their phone specific apps which incorporate third-party tracking software. Yesterday, for instance, Fiksu and Mixpanel each estimated that iOS 10 was powering two-thirds of active devices, or about 66 percent.

Well, Apple this morning posted iOS 10 adoption rates on the official App Store dashboard for developers which reveal that iOS 10 is currently installed on 54 percent of active iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices.

Note 7 is dead: Samsung permanently ceases production of its troubled flagship phone

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 11, 2016

After temporarily halting production of its troubled Galaxy Note 7 smartphone earlier this week, Samsung confirmed in today's statement to TechCrunch that it's permanently discontinued the production of its flagship Galaxy smartphone over multiple incidents of exploding batteries.

This past weekend, major U.S. carriers AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint stopped offering new units as replacements for those affected by Samsung's global recall. U.S. carriers are now offering Note 7 customers replacement devices from other brands, including Apple's latest iPhone.

Less than a month after launch, iOS 10 powers two-thirds of active devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 10, 2016

According to latest stats from marketing firm Fiksu, based on data obtained from “millions of iPhones and iPads” running Fiksu client apps, iOS 10 is now powering two-thirds (66.7 percent) of active iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices in the wild.

iOS 10 released 26 days ago on September 13,2016. Fiksu data suggests faster adoption for the latest mobile operating system from Apple than any previous iOS update.

iPhone 6 “Touch Disease” class action suit gets support from three additional law firms

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 10, 2016

Class action lawsuit pertaining to an iPhone 6 Plus hardware flaw, referred to as “Touch Disease,” has gained support from three additional law firms.

Motherboard reports that lawyers who filed the original class action complaint have now signed on three additional law firms to support their case.

An additional “Touch Disease” class action suit has been filed against Apple in Utah and there is also a similar class action suit in Canada.

Facebook launches standalone Events for iPhone app

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 10, 2016

Events, one of the more popular features on Facebook, this past weekend received its own standalone app that aims to replace Eventbrite, Sunrise, Fantastical and other third-party calendar software on your iPhone.

Events for iPhone, a free download from the App Store, lets you RSVP to your friends’ events, find interesting things to do in your area that match your interests, manage your calendar and much more.

Skype for iOS picks up new contact notifications & iOS 10 CallKit toggle

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 10, 2016

Two weeks ago, Microsoft-owned Skype launched a major update with Siri, Phone, Contacts and Lock screen integration, courtesy of iOS 10's new CallKit framework which allows calls from VoIP apps to behave like normal phone calls.

Today, both Skype for iPhone and Skype for iPad received a minor refresh which brings out a toggle for enabling or disabling CallKit integration, the ability to get new contact requests as a notification and under-the-hood fixes and improvements to make the app run more reliably on iOS 10 devices.

Apple Watch banned from UK government cabinet meetings over spying concerns

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 10, 2016

British newspaper The Telegraph reported yesterday that the Apple Watch has been banned from government cabinet meetings after ministers warned wearable devices could be vulnerable to hacking by state-sponsored spies. Smartphones, too, have been barred from cabinet meetings because of similar concerns, with one source saying that “the Russians are trying to hack everything.”

Google Chrome 55 won’t take up as much memory on websites that use JavaScript

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 10, 2016

An upcoming update to Google's Chrome browser won't take up as much memory on desktop or mobile websites that use JavaScript as before, CNET reported. Chrome 55 for desktop and mobile, scheduled to release on December 6, packs in an improved JavaScript engine dubbed V8 that was designed to “significantly reduced the memory footprint” of websites like Imgur, Reddit, Twitter and The New York Times.

The top stories of the week on iDB

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Like every Sunday, we get to take a look at some of the most popular posts that were published on iDB during the week that just ended. Whether it is a news item, a new jailbreak tweak, a tutorial, or an app review, we sum it all up in one convenient place for you.

As always, if you like what you're reading, please feel free to spread the love by sharing our posts on your favorite social network.

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First user-created music remixes about to launch on Apple Music and Spotify

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2016

Unofficial remixes of songs are launching on both Apple Music and Spotify thanks to a partnership with a company called Dubset Media Holdings. Apple signed a deal with Dubset in March 2016, while Spotify cut a similar deal of its own in May.

Remixes and DJ mix sets, typically distributed through services like YouTube and SoundCloud, should start appearing on Apple Music and Spotify.

Dubset's proprietary scan-and-match technology will ensure that artists get paid fairly for musical remixes, TechCrunch said Friday.

Google Maps gains redesigned iOS 10 widgets for “Nearby Transit” and “Travel Times”

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2016

Google yesterday bumped its mapping application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to version 4.23, adding a few new features including revamped widgets for “Nearby Transit” and “Travel Times” that now adhere to iOS 10's new design style for widgets.

In Google Maps 4.23 for iOS, you can now upload photos along with your reviews of places and see descriptions of places including features, atmosphere and amenities.