Articles about iPhone

Earlier this year, I was shocked to learn that development of Opera for iOS was effectively dead. No, this was not just a rumor -- an Opera employee told me publicly on Twitter. And so, we here at BetaNews reported the unfortunate news. Luckily, the report of the browser's demise was short-lived -- the company later told me the employee was misinformed. I was dubious, so I took a wait-and-see approach to see just how alive development truly was.

Well, today, Opera supplied proof that its popular Mini browser is alive and kicking -- a new version! Apparently the company was just waiting for the iPhone 8 before updating the web browser. In a blog post highlighting the upcoming release of a new iPhone, the company shares that the user interface has been refreshed. For instance, there is more use of the "Opera red" color and trending news stories have been bumped to the top of the start page. New features have been added too, such as an enhanced search bar that can scan QR codes.

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What are the chances of getting a new iPhone if your handset develops some sort of fault? If you take a damaged or troublesome iPhone into an Apple store, you might be told you're eligible for a repair, or you might walk out with a completely new phone. A newly leaked document shows how Apple decides what treatment you receive.

A document known as the "Visual/Mechanical Inspection Guide" has been leaked to Dropbox, and it shows how Apple technicians choose between offering in-warranty repair, out-of-warranty repair, or a replacement phone.

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Nowadays, many people leverage cloud storage for mobile devices. With Wi-Fi and high-speed cellular data being commonplace, this works fairly well -- until it doesn't. If you ever find yourself in a place without a reliable internet connection, it can be quite frustrating when you can't access needed files. It can also be a massive dilemma if your phone or tablet runs out of available storage and you don't have a connection to offload them to the cloud.

While many Android devices can use USB-C flash drives, iPhone and iPad users cannot, sadly. Luckily, some manufacturers make flash drives with a Lightning connector, enabling Apple users to both expand storage and move files without the need of the internet. Today, Kingston releases its latest such model, called DataTraveler Bolt Duo. This is a USB 3.0 flash drive that has both a Lightning connector and USB Type-A. With capacities up to 128GB, it could be a very useful product for iOS users.

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Apple announced many of the new features that will be available in iOS 11 at WWDC 2017, but there is one that we are only hearing about just now: screen recording.

Yes, come this fall, iPhone and iPad users will be able to show others what is on their smartphone or tablet's screen. And TeamViewer just announced that it will be the first to have a screen-sharing solution available on iOS.

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Next month, Apple is expected to introduce a new smartphone -- probably a few new models, actually. What most folks are excited about, however, is the rumored "iPhone 8." There has been some speculation that it will be an extremely premium -- and expensive -- smartphone. Some leaked designs imply that it will have almost no bezels, while ditching the bottom physical home button and extending the screen to the very top, wrapping around the front camera and ear piece -- similar to the Essential Phone.

Based on the rumors, the iPhone 8 -- if that is even what it will be called -- could be narrower and taller than existing models, such as the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. That's why I found myself quite excited while looking at a Tweeted picture of Tim Cook's pants today. In a Tweet Cook sent from a manufacturing plant, there is a bulge in his right pocket that is clearly an iPhone. But which model is it?

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If you look at the iPhone 7 and the Galaxy S8 and compare them to their predecessors, there is no denying that Samsung's flagship has made a bigger leap forward. It is arguably the more interesting smartphone of the two as a result. But, as always, that does not automatically translate into better sales.

The iPhone, for all the minor upgrades it has received over the years, has rarely been dethroned by its rivals, and that was again the case in the second quarter of 2017, when it basically wiped the floor with the Galaxy S8 in terms of sales.

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A few months ago, Google brought phishing protection to Gmail on Android. Now the company is doing the same for the iOS version of the app.

The feature is rolling out over the next few weeks, and it offers a couple of safety nets to protect users from visiting potentially dangerous links in emails.

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Microsoft Garage is the place where many cool little projects take off. Word Flow, the iOS version of the keyboard that ships with Windows on smartphones, is among the more popular experiments, receiving positive reviews since its launch, more than a year ago.

But, like with other Microsoft Garage endeavors, that is not always enough to keep it alive. The software giant has pulled Word Flow from the App Store, telling users to give its other, better-known keyboard a try.

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When Apple added support for third-party keyboards on iOS, many users were excited. To be honest, I was not, however. While I appreciate having the choice, I much prefer privacy. You see, when you add a third-party keyboard, the developer can potentially intercept your keystrokes. If you are OK with that, more power to you. Me? I'll stick to the stock variant, thank you very much.

But OK, let's say you don't like Apple's keyboard and trust Google with your entries. If that is the case, the search giant's Gboard is a very impressive offering. It is more than just a keyboard, as it adds the ability to easily insert things like gifs, plus do Google searches. It even offers swipe-style typing, meaning you can glide from letter to letter rather than peck. Today, Gboard gets even better thanks to new Maps and YouTube functionality. Google has also added support for drawing, plus three additional languages -- Arabic, Farsi, and Hebrew.

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The big, standout new feature in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16251 is cross-device web-browsing. This lets you start browsing on your phone, and then switch to your PC and continue from where you left off.

The feature was initially only available for Android, but Microsoft promised that it would arrive on iOS "soon." Well, it’s here even sooner than expected and iPhone and iPad users can grab it now.

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Over the years Facebook has done plenty of tinkering with the News Feed -- and not always for the better. Like Google, the social network frequently experiments with new ideas, and groups of users are often used to beta test features. One such recent experiment saw the arrival of a new version of the timeline for some users via a rocket icon in the Facebook app.

Now this new option is rolling out on a wider scale. Known as Explore Feed -- and retaining the rocket icon from beta testing -- the idea is to encourage Facebook users to look at more content on the network rather than just the post of their friends and pages they follow. You'd be forgiven for missing the option as it's not entirely obvious.

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WhatsApp is now rolling out a new update for its messaging app that finally gives users the ability to send any type of file that they want. This feature was first seen in the beta channel last month.

That means that, among other types of files, users can now share items with extensions like APK (Android apps), DOC (Word files), XLS (Excel files), and so on. It is not the only change in the latest version of WhatsApp though.

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Apple has offered PayPal as a payment option for quite some time now, but support and availability have been limited. That changes, starting today.

The big news comes for iPhone and iPad users, who will be able to add PayPal as a payment option directly from their device. That integration is rolling out now, with Canada and Mexico being the first markets to get it.

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In 2017, it is not uncommon for people to own many mobile devices. Using myself as an example, I regularly use an iPhone, iPad, and Nintendo Switch. Let's not forget my portable MacBook Pro too.

If you own a bunch of mobile devices like me, such as a smartphone, tablet, and slim laptop, Satechi has a really cool new product for you. Called "R1 Aluminum Foldable Stand," it aims to provide an optimal viewing experience for all of your devices -- including Nintendo's popular Switch gaming console. When you aren't using it, it can fold up to go into a drawer, laptop bag, or luggage.

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We've known for a few months that Qualcomm is interested in banning iPhone imports in US, and now the company is making its intention official by filing a patent infringement complaint with the International Trade Commission (ITC).

Qualcomm claims that Apple infringes at least one of six patents that it has on "key technologies that enable important features and functions in iPhones," which is why it has requested the ITC to investigate the matter and "ultimately [...] bar importation" of those devices.

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