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iOS

4,859 'iOS' stories August 2010 - January 2018
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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 previews iOS 11.3 with new Animoji, health record integration, Battery status, and more

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 24 2018 - 5:38 am PT
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Apple today previewed iOS 11.3 with a whole host of new features, including a new set of Animoji, an ARKit update, and the ability to view personal health records directly in the Health app. iOS 11.3 will be available to customers in the spring. A developer beta of iOS 11.3 will be released today.

iOS 11.3 will also include the aforementioned battery health statistics features. Users will be able to disable the throttling in Settings → Battery, but may see more unexpected shutdowns in exchange for full performance.


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Tim Cook says users will be able to turn off iPhone battery performance throttling in future iOS update

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 17 2018 - 4:51 pm PT
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Apple had already said that a future iOS update will give users more insight into the state of their battery. In an interview with ABC News, Tim Cook was asked for his take on Apple slowing down iPhones with degraded batteries. He revealed that the developer beta including these features will be released next month, with a public release to follow after.

Moreover, he says that this forthcoming update will give users the option to disable the throttling to maintain normal CPU performance, but will be at risk of unexpected shutdowns.


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Apple releases fifth iOS 11.2.5 beta for iPhone and iPad [U: tvOS too]

Avatar for Zac Hall Jan 11 2018 - 10:09 am PT
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[Update: Public beta too.] [Update 2: tvOS 11.2.5 beta 5 is also out.]

Apple has released a new beta version of iOS for developer testing. iOS 11.2.5 beta 5 is now available on the developer center and over-the-air. The new version comes just two days after beta 4, although today’s release appears limited to iOS only. We’ll update to the latest versions and note any changes below.


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Apple servers currently signing older iOS updates, users able to downgrade from iOS 11

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 10 2018 - 11:10 pm PT
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[Update: Party’s over! Older OS versions are no longer being signed once more. As suspected, it was an accidental change and has been reverted. Original story below …]

Apple is currently signing iOS 10 version updates for many devices including iPhone 5, iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 models as shown by IPSW.me. Whilst the upgrade servers remain in this state, users are able to downgrade from iOS 11 by restoring their firmware to iOS 10.2 and 10.3.

It is not clear why Apple is suddenly allowing this to happen and there is a good chance it is a bug. If you want to downgrade your OS, get in quick before Apple reverts back to signing iOS 11.2 and later only.


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How to limit adult content and block private browsing in Safari on iPhone and iPad

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 9 2018 - 12:39 pm PT
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Apple offers various parental control features for iPhone and iPad with the Restrictions settings. You can block access to some system apps altogether, like making it impossible to launch Safari, but there are also more fine-grained controls to restrict younger users from freely surfing the web.

The iPhone and iPad include a website content filter that can automatically detect explicit and adult content not suitable for younger viewers and prevent access to those pages. You can also block private browsing completely and prevent browsing history from being deleted, disabling the ability to activate the incognito feature. Full how-to instructions after the jump …


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