iOS

The world’s most advanced mobile operating system

4,849 'iOS' stories August 2010 - January 2015

iOS is Apple’s mobile operating system that runs on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Historically, Apple releases a new iOS version once a year, the current version is iOS 13.

In 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone and iPhone OS. During the event, Jobs referred to the operating system as OS X because it shared a similar Unix core compared to the Mac. When Apple launched the iPhone SDK a year later, they officially changed the name to iPhone OS.

In the summer of 2008, Apple added the App Store to iPhone OS with version 2.0, and this set the stage for the “app economy” that we still enjoy to this day.

Version 3.0 was released in 2009, and it included copy/paste, MMS support, Spotlight, mobile tethering, and push notifications for 3rd party apps.

In version 4, Apple finally renamed iPhone OS to iOS (with the iPad sharing the same software). The major features were multitasking and FaceTime.

iOS 5.0 introduced Notification Center, iMessage, Siri, and iCloud.

iOS 6.0 removes Google Maps in favor of Apple Maps and added the Passbook app (now known as Wallet).

Version 7.0 brought a dramatic redesign of iOS with a new font, flatter icons, a and new Photos app. The redesign was led by Jony Ive.

Version iOS 8.0, Apple finally allowed third-party keyboards and the ability to share files from different apps.

Version 9.0 included Apple Maps, an overhauled Notes app, and multitasking for iPad.

Version 10.0 included an SDK for Siri, Maps, and iMessages.

Version 11.0 included a new iPad Dock, Customizable Control center, drag and drop on iPad, and the Files app with third-party integration.

Version 12.0 added Screen Time features for managing your time on devices, the Shortcuts app, ARKit 2.0, and Memoji.

iOS 13 added Dark Mode, swipe-style typing, a redesigned share sheet, made app downloads 50% smaller, 2x faster app launch speed, Memoji Stickers and Memoji Makeup, HomeKit-enabled routers and HomeKit Secure Video, a new “Sign in with Apple” option for logging into third-party services, all-new Apple Maps, and much more.

Compatible Devices with iOS 13

iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone SE
iPod touch (7th generation)

The gadget for the person who has everything: the breath quality sensor

Ben Lovejoy Jan 5 2015 - 7:10 am PT

1 Comment

[vimeo 115900304 w=1000 h=563]

We know that health gadgets and apps are the new black, but you have to wonder whether things might be getting just a little out of hand when the latest one to appear on crowdfunding site Indiegogo is essentially a hi-tech way to determine whether your breath smells …

Ok, the Breathometer Mint is a little more than that, measuring your hydration level too, and the company behind it is keen to point out that the breath analysis can be an early pointer to risks to your teeth as well as your social standing.

Breath analysis specialists Breathometer says the device measures Hydrogen Sulfide, Methyl Mercapthan and Hydrogen Disulfide levels in parts per billion to determine whether you may have dental problems.

“Changes or trends in your breath quality can tell you a lot about whether your oral hygiene program is adequate, or if you need to do more,” says Charles Michael Yim, CEO of Breathometer. “Over time, low breath quality can be a signal that you need to visit your dentist or physician about other possible causes.”

Using the device couldn’t be simpler: place it in your mouth, wait a few seconds for it to analyse a sample of your breath and view the results on the accompanying iPhone app.

Intended to retail at $99, early birds can pre-order for $89, but note that delivery isn’t expected until August.

It’s not the first dental-related gadget we’ve seen – it’s almost a year to the day since the Kolibree connected toothbrush was announced (though we note that one is still ‘coming soon’).

9to5Mac’s CES 2015 coverage brought to you by:

iPad with stereo speakers pictured in alleged manufacturing render, claimed to be larger iPad prototype

Benjamin Mayo Jan 4 2015 - 10:47 am PT

12 Comments

It looks like it is the season of sketchy schematics and component leaks again. Posted by NowhereElse.fr, this image is supposed to confirm the existence of an imminent larger iPad. According to the site, the images come from a source that was reliable in the past, passing over sketches of iPhone 6 chassis that turned out to be the real deal.

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Seagate and LaCie debut fashionable/wireless hard drives for iOS and Mac ahead of 2015 CES

Jeremy Horwitz Jan 4 2015 - 5:38 am PT

8 Comments

Seagate and its LaCie subsidiary have announced five new hard drives just ahead of this week’s 2015 CES, including two new iOS-compatible wireless models and three new Mac-only disks. All except one will be available in January from the company’s web sites.

: Seagate Wireless

: Seagate Seven

: Seagate Personal Cloud

: LaCie Mirror

: LaCie Rugged RAID

For iOS, the 500GB Seagate Wireless ($130) is an economical and portable, battery-powered hard disk designed to compete with G-Technology’s G-Connect and Western Digital’s My Passport Wireless. Just under 4″ on each side and less than an inch thick, Seagate’s version is designed to look fun, with your choice of green, blue, gray, red, or white matte housings, and uses integrated Wi-Fi to connect with iOS devices and Macs for media playback as well as Android/Windows/Chrome. It runs for nine hours between charges and can connect to 3 devices simultaneously.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qVU2eWvmg8&w=704&h=396]

Seagate Seven ($100) is a Mac-only alternative that promises to be the world’s thinnest portable hard drive. Made from 100% stainless steel, the enclosure is only 7mm thick and includes a USB 3.0 cable for connecting to a computer, giving up wireless in order to achieve its small size. In a break from traditionally boxy or rounded hard drives, Seven is actually slim enough to let you see the contours of the traditional hard disk mechanism inside. Three additional drives are discussed below…

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Apple now says Watch ‘coming early 2015’ for several European countries on its website, matching US release window (updated)

Benjamin Mayo Jan 2 2015 - 2:23 pm PT

30 Comments

Update: Apple has reverted all of these changes listed below. Aside from the US site, the respective pages for all other regions now say that Apple Watch will be ‘Available in 2015’ again. The change to early 2015 seems to have been a mistake.

Apple’s online pages for Apple Watch have today been updated with a slightly narrower timeframe for several European countries. Previously, whilst the US site stated ‘Coming Early 2015’, localized pages in the UK and other regions were less concrete, simply stating that Apple Watch would be ‘Available in 2015’.

This has now changed for several European countries, including the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy. Leave a note in the comments if you catch any more affected countries. The change means that these region-specific pages now mirror the US pages (after translation) with the ‘Early 2015’ timeframe. It is still possible the Watch will see a staggered release, but at least the rollout is now confirmed to be relatively tighter.

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Apple’s unreleased iBeacon hardware exposed in user manual published by FCC

Benjamin Mayo Jan 2 2015 - 7:19 am PT

8 Comments

Way back in July, Apple registered FCC certification for a new piece of iBeacon Bluetooth hardware. Naturally, 9to5Mac covered the release of wireless certification documents for the hardware. It was unclear by those filings the nature of the product, whether it was targeted at use in Apple Stores, some form of developer testing equipment or something else entirely. The product was never made publicly available for purchase, for unknown reasons.

However, time has elapsed such that the rest of Apple’s submitted documents are now available to the public. Vitally, this includes a user manual which immediately signals that this iBeacon hardware was meant for developers, presumably to test iBeacon integration in their own apps. It’s unclear, though, if this is meant to be used ‘in the wild’. Read on for an exposition on the workings of this mysterious device.

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New password-hacking tool for iCloud claims to evade Apple’s brute-force protections

Benjamin Mayo Jan 2 2015 - 6:17 am PT

13 Comments

Update: We are now receiving reports that the vulnerability has been patched. People trying to use the tool are apparently now being correctly locked out from repeated password attempts.

A new tool submitted to GitHub claims to be able to perform password dictionary attacks on any iCloud account, seemingly able to evade detection from Apple’s rate-limiting security that is supposed to prevent such dictionary attacks from happening. In September, Apple reported it had closed one such hole that allowed brute-force attacks to occur.

The sourcecode for the tool has been released onto GitHub. Upon inspection, the tool is really rather crude in its complexity. It simply tries every possible word in its 500-long word-list as the password for a given iCloud account email. This means whilst it will succeed “100%” at trying 500 times over, the tool is by no means guaranteed to succeed at cracking your password.

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Photos app mysteriously vanishes from iCloud.com (Update: Back for some, Apple says fixed)

Benjamin Mayo Jan 2 2015 - 4:46 am PT

16 Comments

Update: Some users are once again reporting the availability of the beta Photos web app on iCloud.com (although not everyone just yet). Let us know if you’re still seeing issues.

Update 2: Apple has acknowledged the outage on its system status page and says the issue is resolved.

The Photos app has been mysteriously pulled from the iCloud.com site, in the last few days. The app, which shows pictures stored in iCloud Photo Library, is now no longer listed on the iCloud.com homepage when logged in … with no comment from Apple to explain the disappearance.

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Apple hit with lawsuit over shrinking size of usable space in base model iPhones following larger iOS 8 updates

Jordan Kahn Dec 31 2014 - 9:42 am PT

89 Comments

Just as one judge dismissed a class action case again Apple yesterday, today Siliconbeat reports that Apple will face a new class action case claiming iOS 8 takes up too much of the iPhone’s overall storage capacity. The case was filed in a Bay Area federal court this week and claims that iOS 8 can take up as much as 23.1 percent of an iOS device’s storage depending on the model:
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iPhone 6 owners reporting that cards cannot be added back into Apple Pay after a restore [Update: resolved]

Ben Lovejoy Dec 31 2014 - 5:23 am PT

22 Comments

Update: Users in the thread are now reporting that the problem has been resolved.

Multiple iPhone 6 owners are reporting in an Apple Support Communities thread that they are unable to add cards back into Apple Pay after their phone has been restored – whether as a new phone or from a backup. According to reports there, Apple has been able to resolve the issue only by replacing the phone.

I just left the Apple Store. They couldn’t diagnose the issue and we did a restore there in store and the problem persisted. The solution was to swap the hardware […]

I ended up going to the Apple Store and going to the genius bar. They proceeded to do all the thing I already tried. After they did a restore and set up as a new phone and saw they it didn’t work they went in the back and brought out a new phone. I fired up the phone and went thru steps to add my cards to Apple pay and everything worked. So getting a new phone fixed the issue.

The symptoms seem to suggest that the secure enclave is not being completely cleared, despite notifications from banks that cards have been removed at the point when the phone was restored …
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GoodReader app forced to remove some iCloud Drive features to comply with App Store policies (update: reversed!)

Benjamin Mayo Dec 31 2014 - 2:03 am PT

15 Comments

Update: GoodReader 4.8.1 has now been released and the iCloud functionality has returned without explanation. It is unclear what prompted the reversal, although it is likely that Apple has once again backtracked on a public App Store decision.

Continuing the string of controversy regarding App Store approval in recent weeks, an update pushed through by GoodReader ($4.99, iPhone and iPad) earlier today shows that the company has been forced to remove some significant iCloud Drive features, in order to comply with iCloud Drive usage guidelines and remain in the App Store.

Specifically, the GoodReader update removes the ability to add folders, remove folders or move files around the iCloud Drive storage location. The update notes reference a ‘usage policy’, although it is unclear what document the company is referring to.

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Apple dominates holiday giving, iPhones & iPads making up more than half of mobile device activations

Ben Lovejoy Dec 30 2014 - 3:57 am PT

5 Comments

Data from Yahoo-owned analytics company Flurry shows that iPhones and iPads comprised more than half of all mobile device activations between 19th and 25th December, at 51.3% – almost three times as many as second-placed Samsung.

Apple accounted for 51% of the new device activations worldwide Flurry recognized in the week leading up to and including Christmas Day (December 19th – 25th). Samsung held the #2 position with 18% of new device activations, and Microsoft (Nokia) rounded out the top three with 5.8% share for mostly Lumia devices. After the top three manufacturers, the device market becomes increasingly fragmented with only Sony and LG commanding more than one percent share of new activations on Christmas Day.

The company notes that while Chinese companies Xiaomi, Huawei and HTC didn’t reach 1%, this reflects the fact that Christmas is not celebrated in their home market …
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Apple launches Boxing Day iTunes sale w/ deals on albums in Canada & UK

Jordan Kahn Dec 24 2014 - 1:18 pm PT

4 Comments

Apple is now offering its annual Boxing Day sale for Canadians with select discounts on albums and songs through the iTunes store.
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The best iOS app sales/freebies for the holidays: GTA, Day One, Infinity Blade, Rayman, Tweetbot, Batman, many more

Justin Kahn Dec 24 2014 - 6:23 am PT

7 Comments

From 9to5Toys.com:

We have seen a massive selection of iOS apps and games go on sale over the past week or so. Now that Apple has locked price changes on the App Store until December 29th, we thought we would put together a master list of only the best apps on sale for the holidays.

You can grab ~~iTunes gift cards for 15% off right now~~ to get even deeper discounts on iOS apps, music and movies. Head below for the best iOS price drops of the season:

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Apple expands its social presence with new iTunes Tumblr blog

Benjamin Mayo Dec 22 2014 - 7:43 am PT

1 Comment

In an interesting move, Apple has today launched a Tumblr blog for iTunes. The ‘blog’ runs a highly customized theme that more closely reflects Apple’s own website than a typical Tumblr page. The page features music, movies, TV and books content, with individual posts consisting of images, videos and animated GIFs of artists. Tumblr users can reblog these images on their own feeds, for social sharing. On a related note, iTunes also opened an official Instagram account earlier this month.

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Russian Apple Online Store returns … with iPhone 6 prices now 35% higher compared to a week ago

Benjamin Mayo Dec 22 2014 - 6:59 am PT

11 Comments

After a week of being inactive, the Russian Apple Online Store is now back online with customers freely able to purchase products from the site once again. Apple abruptly stopped trading in the region last week due to significant currency exchange rate fluctuations that meant the company had to readjust prices.

Apple has indeed raised prices significantly. The iPhone 6 now costs 53,990 Rubles for a 16 GB base model. This is a 35% increase in the Russian sales price; the model cost 39 990 Rubles last week. 53,990 Rubles is approximately worth $980 dollars. The 16 GB iPhone 6 lists for $649, excluding taxes.

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Review: Imation’s Link Power Drive adds 16/32/64GB of storage to a compact 3,000mAh Lightning battery pack

Jeremy Horwitz Dec 19 2014 - 9:08 am PT

0 Comments

There wasn’t really a market for hybrid batteries and external flash drives until this year, when Mophie’s Space Pack seemingly came out of nowhere, impressively nestling 16 or 32GB of additional flash storage inside a 1700mAh iPhone 5/5s battery case. But having demonstrated the value of combining these features together, Mophie’s $150 to $180 asking prices were high enough to keep some people away, and the requirement of an iPhone 5 or 5s was similarly somewhat limiting.

Imation is trying something different with its Link Power Drive, a small plastic box with a silver top and white base. There are 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models, each equipped with a 3000mAh battery, a Lightning cable, and a USB cable. The MSRP of the 16GB unit is less than any Space Pack, and the 64GB model has twice Mophie’s top capacity for the same MSRP — except Imation’s street pricing is much lower. Better yet, every model works with whatever Lightning-equipped iOS device you might have, and there’s enough battery power to completely recharge any iPhone except the iPhone 6 Plus. All you need to do is carry the accessory around separately, attaching it when needed.

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The value of Apple Pay in one stat: almost half of Americans have had card details stolen

Ben Lovejoy Dec 19 2014 - 7:11 am PT

12 Comments

Apple Pay may be more convenient than carrying around a whole bunch of different cards, and contactless payment is certainly very quick and easy, but it’s the security which is arguably the greatest benefit. Your actual card details are never stored in your phone or on an Apple server, and only a one-time code is sent to the payment terminal. Retailers never see your card details.

Just how important is this? A WSJ/NBC News poll reveals that a full 45% of Americans have been told by a retailer, bank or card company that their card details have been stolen in a data breach.

In the past year alone, major breaches have been reported at Target, J.P. Morgan Chase, Home Depot, K-Mart, SuperValu and others […]

Some 45% of Americans said they had received such a breach notification letter from a retailer or card-issuer that their payment data had been affected by a breach

Fifteen percent of those polled also said that they had been hit by online fraud or hacking.

Apple Pay is currently only available in the US, but a job listing recently revealed that Apple is working on bringing the service to Europe and beyond.

Apple increases app prices in Russia in response to changing exchange rates

Benjamin Mayo Dec 18 2014 - 11:37 pm PT

3 Comments

Apple has today informed developers that it has changed the pricing of apps and In-App Purchases in the Russian App Store, following changes to exchange rates. The recent ruble-dollar rates have fluctuated so widely in recent weeks that Apple has been forced to take the Russian Apple Online Store down completely, as it reviews pricing for its products.

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Amazon’s Prime Now same-day delivery service arrives today via new iOS app

Stephen Hall Dec 18 2014 - 2:06 pm PT

6 Comments

Amazon has launched a new service called Prime Now which, as its title suggests, hopes to bring products from Amazon to your door faster than ever. The service currently offers “tens of thousands” of items spanning a wide variety of categories, is available now in parts of Manhattan for Amazon Prime members, and users have the option of going with either one or two hour delivery.

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iOS 8.2 brings back blood glucose tracking, explains Health data

Zac Hall Dec 18 2014 - 11:02 am PT

8 Comments

In addition to supporting WatchKit and the Apple Watch, the iOS 8.2 software update will re-introduce some previously removed features in Apple’s Health app on iOS 8 as well as provide some feature enhancements. As discovered in the latest iOS 8.2 beta for developers, Apple is reintroducing support for blood glucose tracking through the iOS 8 Health app after an issue with which unit of measurement the app defaulted to presenting problems for international users of the feature. The somewhat intimidating Health app is also getting a little smarter with brief descriptions for the various data points tracked by the app listed under each section.
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Apple seeds third iOS 8.2 beta to developers

Zac Hall Dec 18 2014 - 9:50 am PT

10 Comments

Apple today released the third iOS 8.2 beta to developers for testing. The first iOS 8.2 beta was previously released alongside WatchKit to allow developers to test app functionality ahead of the upcoming Apple Watch release while the second release went out last week. We’ll update with any significant changes found in the latest iOS 8.2 beta release.
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9to5 Guide: The best iPad stands, docks, and cases with built-in stands

Jeremy Horwitz Dec 18 2014 - 9:35 am PT

3 Comments

iPads need stands. Whether you’re watching videos, long-form typing, or making FaceTime calls, it’s a chore to hold the iPad upright for extended blocks of time. To address that need, Apple launched the first iPad with regular and keyboard docks, but quickly gave up on them in favor of simpler folding lids called Smart Covers.

If you’re looking for an iPad stand or dock, you can do better than that. We know because we’ve tested lots of options for Apple’s tablets. Following up on our guide to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus docks, we’re looking today at the very best of what’s out there for every iPad, covering four broad categories: simple portable stands, simple desktop stands, cases with integrated stands, and charging docks.
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Dutch city of Rotterdam gets the 3D Apple Maps imagery and Flyover [Update: Strasbourg & Malmö too]

Ben Lovejoy Dec 18 2014 - 7:23 am PT

1 Comment

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1OHRoEjL6Q]

Apple Maps has brought 3D imagery and a Flyover tour to the Netherlands for the first time, with Rotterdam leading the way. The second-largest city in the country, and home to one of the largest ports in the world, Rotterdam may have been selected for the proliferation of funky architecture.

Dutch site iculture put together the above video of the Flyover tour, which highlights among other places the Euromast tower – a popular tourist attraction – the Erasmusbrug single-sided suspension bridge and the famous (and very cute) Kubuswoningen cube houses.

Update: Strasbourg in France and Malmö in Sweden just got added too (via iGen).

Apple recently added nine other Flyover locations around the world, and switched from Google Maps to Apple Maps for the Find My iPhone service on iCloud.

Sony “stuck in 1992” after hacks – except for Macs, iPads and iPhones

Ben Lovejoy Dec 18 2014 - 6:20 am PT

24 Comments

A Sony employee has described the company as being “stuck in 1992” following the massive hacks, with employees desperately trying to avoid using any technology that could be compromised, reports TechCrunch.

“Some people had to send faxes. They were dragging old printers out of storage to cut checks,” she said. “It was crazy.”

The company is even encouraging staff to avoid using phones – presumably including the company’s own Android Xperia smartphones and tablets – in favor of face-to-face meetings.

There has, though, been one exception to the ban on modern technology: Apple kit.

“People using Macs were fine,” she said. She said most work is done on iPads and iPhones.

Sony may need to buy a few extra Macs, with some departments having only one or two computers for the entire office. It is, she said, like “living in an office from ten years ago.”