There’s little doubt now that the world understands Apple’s design language so well that those with the ability to replicate it have more power than they know what to do with. Case in point: a falsified advertisement for iOS 7 that suggests the software update can make an iPhone waterproof. People fell for it, hook, […]
When a device as popular as the iPhone is torn down by a group like IHS, every little nook and cranny is investigated with great interest. What the team at IHS have found today, shared with AllThingsD today, but will be producing in full tomorrow, is that their teardown has pulled up costs of “at […]
If you’d planned on downgrading from iOS 7 to iOS 6 on your iPhone or iPad this week using the official restore method from Apple, you’ll be out of luck starting this week. This is because as of the start of this week, Apple has stopped “signing” old versions of restore points for the operating […]
Today several sources – and users across the USA – are reporting a bit of an annoyance in iOS 7 for their iPhones and iPads when working with apps that require log-in information. One of the most prevalent of these is Mailbox, the email app released earlier this year to iPhone and iPad for iOS […]
Apple sold nine million new iPhones in its opening weekend, the company has announced this morning, setting a new record for the iOS smartphone. The exact sales split between the flagship iPhone 5s and the plastic-bodied iPhone 5c has not been detailed, but Apple confirms the initial supplies of the iPhone 5s have been exhausted, […]
Quietly, gradually, but clearly Apple is building platform lock-in into its iOS products, with some features that are deeper than just a rich third-party software ecosystem. FaceTime Audio is the latest of these, VoIP calling built on the back of its FaceTime video chat service, which is tightly integrated to the phone app to make placing free international calls almost a pleasant surprise for those looking to connect with far-flung loved ones.
FaceTime Audio joins iMessage as another reason to sign on with the Apple camp and get an iPhone or iPad device, and then never to depart again. It’s a little odd to see it arrive so much later than FaceTime’s video calling feature, but the reversal of feature rollout makes a lot of sense ; audio-only calls are uncomfortably close to standard phone calls, which is still one of the sole remaining areas that carriers control.
Apple delivering FaceTime Audio later, as an update to its original FaceTime service probably allowed it more time to mollify carrier partners, and the climate has changed around mobile software and services, too. There’s a new emphasis on data, and OEMs helping carriers drive sales of their own data products, so in that context Apple’s VoIP ambitions are less of a land grab and more of a helpful addition that furthers everyone’s goals.
For many users, FaceTime Audio is going to be nothing short of a revelation. Already, it’s my most-used new feature in iOS 7 with the exception maybe of Control Center. It helps that I’m currently in a different country than most of my friends and family, but it’s not like mine is an isolated case. And unlike in the U.S., carriers in other countries like Canada charge long distance for calling outside of your town or city, let alone for those calls across international borders.
Critics will say that services like Google’s Gmail calling and Skype have offered free international or long-distance calling for years, but Apple’s service is integrated directly into a user’s Phone, Contacts, Messages and FaceTime apps, which they’re already comfortable using, and doesn’t require having a separate account or third-party app open. That makes an immense difference in terms of barriers to usage for people who may not be all that technologically savvy. My less expert family members are already extremely comfortable with FaceTime Audio and how it works, not even a week into the feature’s launch, even if they’d never managed to make a habit of using Skype in the past.
Like BBM once was for BlackBerry, iMessage provides a considerable amount of incentive for users to stay, especially if they have a lot of friends and family also using iOS devices. FaceTime Audio serves the same purpose, and finally destabilizes some of the more draconian practices of carriers charging for so-called “long distance” calls that in actual fact look no different to their infrastructure or back-end, but are sold as “premium” services. It’s a small change, but an amazing one, and represents Apple seeding its users with features that take root and endear them to the platform for a long time to come.
iPhone theft in New York is apparently a pretty big problem although with the introduction of iOS 7, Apple is hoping to help by including security features that would make stealing an iPhone a less attractive option. In fact the feature seems to be pretty well received to the point where the NYPD has actually started handing out flyers (pictured above) where they are asking iOS users to upgrade to iOS 7 because of that. The security feature in question is none other than Activation Lock.
Activation Lock is a new feature introduced in iOS 7 and it adds an additional layer of security to some of Apple’s other security features, such passcode lock and Find My iPhone. Basically what it does is that in order for a thief to wipe the phone and resell it, they’ll have to enter the phone’s Apple ID and password to do so, which presumably they would not know. This would prevent them from wiping the device which could discourage people from selling or purchasing it on the black market.
Of course we expect that eventually someone will come up with a way to get around the feature, and as it stands there are a couple of teething problems with the software, but hopefully those kinks get sorted out soon.
The NYPD Pushing For iOS Users To Upgrade To iOS 7 original content from Ubergizmo. 
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If you’re walking around New York City this afternoon, you may be handed a flyer by the NYC Police Department with a “Public Awareness Notice” for so-called “Apple users”. This note informs users of iPhone and iPad devices that upgrading to iOS 7 will add security features that will keep these devices from being reprogrammed […]
NYPD has a message for you iPhone and iPad folks pic.twitter.com/cxzHLpgh60
— Jim Rosenberg (@jimrosenberg) September 21, 2013
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A couple of days ago Apple finally released iOS 7 to the public. Its latest and greatest firmware update brings over 200 new features and an entirely new user interface. Despite the fact that iOS 7 spent nearly three months in beta stage, during which developers searched for and reported any bugs they could find, two major security vulnerabilities have already been found in the latest iOS update. We reported one the first one yesterday, the bug lets anyone access Mail, Twitter, Photos and more on an iPhone locked with a passcode. This particular one lets calls go through without requiring a passcode.
The bug is present in the emergency call feature. Anyone willing to make a call through a passcode locked iPhone running iOS 7 simply needs to tap on “Emergency.” This will bring up the emergency call screen. The required number can be entered, it may even be an international or premium number, and then the call button is repeatedly pressed until a black screen with the Apple logo shows up, the call is then put through. Apple has already been made aware of this bug, which is said to iPhone 5 and all older iPhones compatible with iOS 7. The company will release an incremental firmware update to take care of both of these bugs, though its not known when such an update will be released.
iOS 7 Bug Allows Calls To Be Made Through A Locked iPhone original content from Ubergizmo. 
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