iOS

4,992 'iOS' stories August 2010 - May 2014

The world’s most advanced mobile operating system

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)

Apple reportedly ends iPhone 4 sales in India after relaunching it earlier this year

Benjamin Mayo May 7 2014 - 8:05 am PT

4 Comments

After introducing the phone to the Indian market in January this year, The Times of India is reporting that Apple has reversed this decision, once more discontinuing the product which was originally released in June 2010.

The paper says that new supplies of the iPhone 4 have been terminated at three leading trade partners in the country. It is weird for Apple to reverse plans so soon, but it was also uncharacteristic of the company to bring back the iPhone 4 in the first place.

Apple may have decided that the iPhone 4s and 8 GB iPhone 5c fills the gap well enough that it no longer needs to keep the iPhone 4 around. Despite expanding the availability of the SKU to more countries in mid-April, however, the device is not actually offered in India just yet. It is possible that the transition is still taking place.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iPad stays on top in JD Power’s latest survey thanks to cheap Android tablets

Jordan Kahn May 7 2014 - 7:36 am PT

11 Comments

Following its report last month on smartphone customer satisfaction in which Apple ranked first, J.D. Power is out today with its study on tablet satisfaction and is once again ranking Apple highest overall. Apple comes in first followed by Samsung, while Asus, Amazon, and Acer fall in line below the study’s average:

Apple ranks highest in overall satisfaction with a score of 830 and performs highest in all study factors except cost. Samsung ranks second with a score of 822 and achieves above-average scores in the features, styling and design, and cost factors.

J.D. Power notes that a decline in the overall price of tablets has resulted in a decline in overall satisfaction. Apple, however, avoids that by ranking highest in every category except price. The report also provided some other findings on tablet sales, purchasing habits, and brand loyalty for September 2013 to February 2014 when the study took place.
Expand
Expanding
Close

OS Experience jailbreak tweak brings OS X-like features to iOS

Dom Esposito May 7 2014 - 7:26 am PT

10 Comments

OS Experience is a new jailbreak tweak for iPad that adds an extensive OS X experience to iOS. This tweak has been in development for quite some time and was actually announced before the iOS 7 jailbreak was released. Since then, the developer has been hard at work perfecting OS Experience to be the ultimate multitasking tweak for iOS. It’s very similar to an older discontinued tweak called Quasar, but this one takes multitasking on iPad to another level.

Expand
Expanding
Close

TSMC reportedly shipping first batch of fingerprint sensors for next-generation iPhone and iPads

Benjamin Mayo May 7 2014 - 4:43 am PT

0 Comments

According to cecb2b, TSMC is already in the midst of fingerprint sensor production for the next round of Apple devices. As rumored, the company is manufacturing fingerprint readers for the next iPhone, as well as the next-generation version of the iPad Air and iPad mini. Apparently, the company has already provided the first batch of sensors from its suppliers.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Sketchy report claims Pegatron has received 15% of orders for Apple’s 4.7-inch iPhone 6

Dom Esposito May 7 2014 - 2:21 am PT

0 Comments

At this point, we’ve seen just above every rumored schematic, mockup, and render of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6. Rumors suggest that Apple will launch its next generation flagship smartphone in 4.7-inch and possibly 5.5-inch variations later this year.

According to the Industrial and Commercial Times (via Macotakara), Apple’s supplier Pegatron has recently received 15 percent of the orders to manufacture the 4.7-inch iPhone 6. The report goes on to note that in total, Pegatron has plans to produce 50 million iPhones throughout the year. This contradicts an equally-sketchy rumor from January, which claimed Pegatron was set to handle half of the production for the iPhone 6.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Rovio launches Flappy Bird-style game ‘Retry’ in select countries

Jordan Kahn May 6 2014 - 6:24 am PT

6 Comments

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta0SJa6Sglo]

Angry Birds maker Rovio is today launching its latest title in the App Store with the release of ‘Retry,’ a game that appears to be inspired by the gameplay and retro 8-bit graphics of recent hit iOS game Flappy Birds. Although that might be selling it short, as it’s clear from the mechanics shown off in the trailer above that this is much more than just a Flappy Birds clone.

From the guys sitting in the room next to the guys who made Angry Birds, comes RETRY – a game so hard, so addictive, so old school that you’ll think you’ve stepped into an 8-bit time machine and gone back to 1986. Totally rad!

The game is the first release from Rovio’s latest publishing arm “Rovio LVL 11,” which, according to Gamasutra, will exist for Rovio’s new titles that don’t quite fit in with the Angry Birds world. That means you shouldn’t expect to see a ton of cross-promotions with Retry and Angry Birds or any of the other Rovio’s titles.

Retry is already available in the App Store for both iPhone and iPad, but it’s currently only available in Canada, Finland, and Poland. We’d expect to see the title arrive in the US and globally in the near future.

Patent jury foreman advises Apple to sue Google directly

Ben Lovejoy May 6 2014 - 4:16 am PT

54 Comments

Photo: technobuffalo.com

The foreman of the jury that awarded Apple just 5.5 percent of the $2.2B it claimed Samsung owed for patent infringements said yesterday that Apple should sue Google rather than handset manufacturers, reports the WSJ.

If you really feel that Google is the cause behind this, as I think everybody has observed, then don’t beat around the bush,” said Tom Dunham, whose job at IBM was to oversee developers expected to file patents. “Let the courts decide. But a more direct approach may be something to think about” …

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple plans ‘enormous’ iPhone upgrade event this week to boost sales

Mark Gurman May 5 2014 - 7:03 pm PT

55 Comments

Apple is planning to hold an “enormous” iPhone-related event in its stores this week in order to boost sales, according to a source with knowledge of the initiative. Beginning May 8th, the source said, Apple will be contacting upgrade-eligible iPhone users with older iPhone models via email to come into their local Apple Store to update to a new iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Researcher claims iOS 7 (including current 7.1.1) does not encrypt email attachments, Apple aware of issue

Mark Gurman May 5 2014 - 6:42 am PT

13 Comments

Security researcher Andreas Kurtz has discovered that versions of iOS 7, including iOS 7.1.1 (the current release), iOS 7.1, and iOS 7.0.4 do not encrypt email attachments in the bundled Mail application. This is an issue itself, but more worrisome as iOS, according to Apple, is supposed to encrypt email attachments. Here’s a page from Apple’s website indicating that:

Expand
Expanding
Close

T-Mobile is again offering free MLB At Bat access to customers

Jordan Kahn May 5 2014 - 6:01 am PT

4 Comments

Like it did last year after inking a partnership with Major League Baseball, T-Mobile is once again offering free access to the MLB At Bat apps on iOS and Android. Tmonews points us to official confirmation from a T-Mobile support employee:

“UPDATE: As the official sponsor of Major League Baseball, we will be offering MLB At Bat 14 to our customers for free starting May 1 through the entire regular season! With our unlimited data and nationwide 4G LTE, you can enjoy all the great features MLB’s At Bat has to offer!”

That’s instead of paying for one of several MLB subscriptions that grants access to the app starting at $2.99 monthly or $20 for the entire season. There’s no word from T-Mobile with the official details yet, but we’d imagine customers will get access to all the live games and content apart from premium features available to $115/per year MLB.TV Premium subscription.

The MLB At Bat app is available for iOS and Android now.

Here’s your daily iPhone 6 mockup, in silver this time

Dom Esposito May 2 2014 - 4:52 am PT

63 Comments

Here’s your daily dose of iPhone 6 mockups. This time, images of a white/silver iPhone 6 dummy have been posted on Chinese website Baidu. The images don’t reveal anything exciting or new, but they may give you a better idea of what could be coming later this year.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Slingshot app lets you share your iOS screen with others on any platform

Jordan Kahn May 1 2014 - 8:06 am PT

10 Comments

I’ve written about apps from Squirrels in the past. It makes the AirParrot and Reflection apps that let you mirror your Mac or PC screen to an Apple TV or your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch screen to a Mac or PC. Today it’s launching a new product that utilizes technology from both of those previous apps called ‘Slingshot.’ The cross-platform apps let you share your iOS screen with others on iOS, Mac OS X, Windows, or Android, and provides some slick collaboration tools in the process:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Opinion: Can Apple maintain its $100 tier flash storage pricing for iPhones & iPads indefinitely?

Ben Lovejoy May 1 2014 - 7:27 am PT

112 Comments

There’s a certain marketing genius to Apple’s tiered pricing for flash storage on its iPhones and iPads. Since customers can’t add storage via a microSD card later, they have to decide in advance how much storage they need, and many of us are going to err on the side of safety, bumping our purchase up to a higher price-band.

Adding $100 or $200 to the price of an iDevice for maybe $5-10 worth of flash storage/controller capacity is an important source of income for Apple, and one of the reasons its margins are so high. Whatever the company makes on a 16GB device, if it can upsell you to a 32GB or 64GB (or even 128GB, in the case of the iPad), almost all of the premium charged on those beefier models is pure profit.

It’s not money Apple would give up lightly, but I do wonder whether it’s sustainable …
Expand
Expanding
Close

OS X 10.10 emphasis planned for WWDC, iOS 8 features pushed to iOS 8.1, new Apple TV still in the works

Mark Gurman May 1 2014 - 6:30 am PT

94 Comments

Apple may be planning to give the next version of the Mac OS X operating system, 10.10, a larger presence than iOS 8 at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, according to sources with knowledge of the plans. Because OS X 10.10 will feature an end-to-end redesign, not dissimilar from the scope of the changes to the iPhone and iPad operating system with iOS 7 last year, Apple wants to heavily promote the new system to developers. Apple has also been allocating iOS user interface resources to OS X teams in order to finish up the new OS X design in time for WWDC, and 10.10 development is said to be “steaming forward…”

Expand
Expanding
Close

Aerial photo shows Apple Campus 2 starting to take shape

Benjamin Mayo Apr 30 2014 - 10:37 am PT

15 Comments

In a tweet, KCBS reporter Ron Cervi shows the groundwork of Apple’s new ‘spaceship’ campus taking shape. Cervi often tweets from his reporting helicopter and caught this shot a few hours ago.

Last time we checked in with the site, it was in the midst of demolition. In this latest photo, the circular foundations of Apple Campus 2 (Apple’s official name for the project) are much more defined. Apple is expected to start new building work at some point this year. The campus is currently planned to open in 2016.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iWatch reportedly entering production for fall 2014 release

Benjamin Mayo Apr 29 2014 - 10:42 am PT

20 Comments

One of many iWatch concepts.

The China Times is reporting that Apple has begun production of the iWatch. This is in preparation for a launch later in the year, widely rumoured to be sometime in the third quarter.

GforGames translated the report, noting that the iWatch will use a different kind of chip layout for miniaturization purposes.

According to supply chain sources cited by the Chinese media, Apple has already started producing the iWatch in small quantities. The smartwatch will allegedly be ready for launch in the second half of 2014, but more importantly, these fresh reports also claim that the iWatch will be built using SiPs (or system-in-package modules) as opposed to traditional PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards)

9to5Mac first reported the iWatch will use a new process for its chips, over three months ago, in January.

Sources also hint that Apple has developed technologies to be able to pack several different sensors into a single chipset for miniaturization purposes.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Yahoo Mail iPhone app adds weather, web search, news, scores & more (for better or worse)

Jordan Kahn Apr 29 2014 - 9:19 am PT

1 Comment

Yahoo released an interesting update to its Yahoo Mail app for iPhone today. In version 3.0, Yahoo is integrating many of its other services including weather, sports scores, stocks, images, news, and web search directly into the mail app. The goal is to provide users one easy place to access all their content from Yahoo, but it’s unclear what that means for the future of Yahoo’s other iOS apps for each of the services. The feature is currently only available to iPhone users running iOS 7 and up.

When you’re finished reading and replying to your email, see what’s happening in the world by tapping on the News icon. From celebrity gossip to the latest political news, you’ll find it in your personalized, visually rich news stream.

Let’s head over to the Today icon. Here’s where you’ll find a snapshot of the information you care about most every day and search — from your local weather to a news digest to the latest stock quotes and sports scores you care about.

The updated app provides new three new tabs along the bottom— Mail, News, and Today— with Mail bringing you to your inbox, News providing a stream of all stories from Yahoo, and Today providing an overview of weather, trending content, scores, and access to web search. While I have a feeling that some might not be too happy about their Mail app being bombarded with all this new content, Yahoo has done a pretty good job of keeping it out of the way if you only ever want to see your inbox.

Yahoo Mail version 3.0 is available on the App Store now.

What’s New in Version 3.0

– Feature updates for iPhone iOS7+. Your Yahoo Mail app is now enhanced with news, search, and snapshots of the weather, sports scores, stocks, and News Digest. Access the info you need, all in one app.
– Performance improvements
– Bug fixes

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

4Snaps word game for iOS updated to version 2.0 with a new look and gameplay tweaks

Mike Beasley Apr 29 2014 - 8:00 am PT

0 Comments

[vimeo 92684154 w=700 h=394]

4Snaps, the creative new word game we first wrote about when it debuted last year, has gotten a big overhaul today with the launch of its 2.0 update. The new version brings a new design with a gesture-focused interface that bounces around playfully using the new UI physics found in iOS 7.

Other interface tweaks include the ability to rearrange your snaps before sending them, delete finished games from the main screen, and preview exactly what your opponent will see when you hit the ‘send’ button.

The update also adds some new tweaks to the gameplay. If you’re having trouble figuring a word out, you can now share snaps to Instagram and ask your followers on that network for help.

The in-game economy has also gotten a boost. In the old version of the game, you could spend in-game coins to switch out your set of playable words for a new one. Now you can also spend those coins on hints, such as removing any incorrect letters from the board. And where coins were previously earned only by completing rounds, you can also now earn them by watching in-game video ads.

Overall, this is a really solid update to what was already a fun game. 4Snaps 2.0 is a free download on the App Store for all players.

Apple & Samsung slip below 50% in global smartphone marketshare for Q1 2014

Jordan Kahn Apr 29 2014 - 7:00 am PT

6 Comments

Both Samsung and Apple have slipped in smartphone marketshare globally during the first quarter of 2014 according to the latest numbers from research firm Strategy Analytics. While global smartphone shipments grew 33 percent to 285 million units in Q1 compared to 213.9 million in the same quarter last year, Apple and Samsung collectively dropped from over 50 percent of the market to 47 percent. The report cites strong growth of “second-tier smartphone brands” such as Huwaei and Lenovo and lack of entry-level devices in markets abroad from Apple as the main contributors to slowed growth for Samsung and Apple. As for Apple on its own:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Analyst suggests iPhone 6 will favor thin design over optical image stabilization, camera will be flush in chassis

Benjamin Mayo Apr 29 2014 - 2:44 am PT

14 Comments

A post on Weibo from a Chinese analyst (via GforGames) suggests that the new iPhone design will not feature a protruding camera, which would have seemingly enabled optical image stablization, as Apple has instead opted to focus on a super-thin profile for the new device.

Apple’s current line of iPhones take advantage of the embedded SoC’s processing power to enable software-based image stabilization. Whilst optical image stabilization is generally considered to be superior, it also requires the camera components to be physically much larger. According to this report, Apple does not seem to have wanted to make this tradeoff.

Expand
Expanding
Close

FreedomPop now supports iPhone 4/5 on its free wireless plans, launches iOS app for free voice & text

Jordan Kahn Apr 28 2014 - 4:32 pm PT

10 Comments

FreedomPop, the carrier offering free and cheap data plans on Sprint’s network, today announced it will start selling the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4 on its free wireless plan offering 200 voice minutes, 500 text messages and 500 MBs of data per month. Previously the plan was only available to select Android devices after launching last year with an outdated HTC device. In addition the company is launching a new iOS app that offers free voice, text, and voicemail to iPhone customers on any carrier:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Re/code conference will feature interviews w/ Apple execs Craig Federighi and Eddy Cue

Benjamin Mayo Apr 28 2014 - 11:37 am PT

6 Comments

Re/code have just announced that their upcoming Code Conference will feature interviews with Apple’s SVP’s Craig Federighi, head of software engineering, and Eddy Cue, lead of Internet Software and Services. This will take place on the second day of the event, May 28th.

9to5Mac will be live there to cover the event. Re/code will also be posting videos of the interviews throughout the conference. The equivalent conference (the D conference) has historically had a strong Apple presence. The show hosted interviews with Steve Jobs sporadically over his career and played host to Tim Cook for the last two years.

Expand
Expanding
Close

MFi sunglasses w/ embedded iBeacon notify you when lost, act as beacons in retail

Jordan Kahn Apr 28 2014 - 8:26 am PT

11 Comments

The first set of eye glasses with embedded iBeacon Bluetooth LE technology and certified under Apple’s Made-for-iPhone/iPad/iPod (MFi) program are coming soon. We’ve seen a growing number of companies embracing iBeacons by using the protocol: personalized retail experiences, in-store advertising, audience interaction at events, as well as apps that let you setup your own iBeacons at home and work. Now, a company called Tzukuri is about to launch a crowd funding project for the new eye glasses that use an embedded iBeacon to track lost glasses with accuracy to the nearest foot. They also use solar power, so charging is never an issue, and the company has big plans for using the product as a standalone iBeacon when on store shelves.
Expand
Expanding
Close

iPhone 6 renders supposedly meant for accessory manufacturers leak, claim 6mm thinness

Benjamin Mayo Apr 25 2014 - 9:33 am PT

47 Comments

UkranianiPhone.com has posted images of what it claims are iPhone 6 renders aimed at helping manufacturers produce accessories for the upcoming device.

The images appear to be better quality versions of the schematics leaked a few weeks ago. They depict the full-metal backplate with inlets at the top and bottom, assumedly related to the antenna structure. The cutouts for these lines match the image from the previous leaks. Interestingly, the renders also give specific measurements saying that the phone is 138mm in height, 67 mm in width, and 6 mm in depth.

Expand
Expanding
Close