iphone6plus
Latest
iOS 13 isn't coming to the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 or iPad Air
Bad news if you're still rocking an iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and hoped to install iOS 13 -- Apple won't support the latest version of the OS on those devices. Owners of the original iPad Air, iPad Mini2 and iPad Mini 3 will miss out on the swanky new iPadOS as well.
Apple reportedly knew the iPhone 6 was bendier than previous models
When Apple responded to complaints about bent iPhone 6 devices, it said damage caused regular use is "extremely rare." It also reiterated that the model went through durability testing to make sure it can withstand daily use and even invited the press to show how it conducts stress testing. Now, internal documents from a court filing have revealed that Cupertino knew from the start that the iPhone 6 was 3.3 times more likely to bend than the iPhone 5s. The bigger 6 Plus? It was 7.2 times more prone to bending.
Apple may offer rebates on full-price battery replacements
In early January, Senator John Thune's office sent Apple a letter regarding the company's practice of slowing down iPhones when batteries start showing their age. The letter asked if Apple had thought about replacing batteries for free (instead of the company's plan to offer reduced-price $29 replacements). The senator also asked if Apple had notified customers of the slowdown "feature," and if older iPhones had seen similar strategies. Apple has responded to Thune with its own letter, thanking him for his inquiry.
Apple's $29 iPhone battery replacements are available a month early
Apple was only poised to offer discounted iPhone battery replacements in late January, but they're already here. The company has issued a statement announcing that the $29/£25 replacements are available today (December 30th) in the US, UK and elsewhere for affected users with an iPhone 6 or later, whether or not they have an active AppleCare warranty. It didn't explain the move beyond saying that it "expected to need more time to be ready," but it was "happy" to provide the lower prices "right away." It warned that there might be initial shortages of batteries for some models.
China says Apple isn't cloning a local phone maker
Did it seem ridiculous to you that Beijing officials ordered a ban on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus over a dubious design patent claim? You're not the only one. A court has reversed the ban (which was suspended during a dispute process) and declared that Apple isn't violating the patents of Shenzhen Baili Marketing Services, which insisted that the iPhone 6 riffed on the look of its 100c smartphone. Regulators issued the ban without real proof of wrongdoing, according to the ruling, and the iPhone has traits that "completely change the effect" of its design versus its (frankly very generic-looking) rival. Customers haven't had a problem telling the difference between the iPhone and 100c, the court says.
Apple will fix iPhone 6 Plus 'touch disease,' for $149
A number of iPhone 6 owners and independent repair techs have been complaining for months about something called "touch disease" killing their phones, and now Apple is responding. The problem's symptoms have been described as a flickering gray bar across the top of the screen and problems with the touchscreen responsiveness, which continue to get worse until it's addressed or the phone is unusable. Repair techs like Jessa Jones have reported seeing multiple devices per day afflicted by the same problem, with no end in sight. Going by Apple's description of its "Multi-Touch Repair Program for iPhone 6 Plus," the problem is really the owner's fault, caused by "being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device." Still, if you have the problem and your screen isn't cracked, Apple says it will fix the issue for $149 (or £146.44 in the UK), and its repair program is available for five years after the original sale date.
T-Mobile tells iPhone owners not to install iOS 10 just yet (Updated)
T-Mobile issued a stern warning to its customers against downloading and installing the new iOS 10 update to their existing 6, 6 Plus and SE iPhone models. According to the T-Mobile website, doing so will, cause the handset to "lose connectivity [to the T-Mobile network] in certain circumstances." Once that happens, the user can only re-establish their network connection by fully powering down the phone and restarting it. That said, the company does expect Apple to push a corrective patch live within the next 48 hours.
Your iPhone 6 could be falling victim to 'touch disease'
If you've seen a flickering gray bar at the top of your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, you may be the victim of a serious problem plaguing your mobile device. According to iFixIt and Forbes, the issue is widespread enough to warrant several pages of complaints via the Apple support forums. The problem is, both the repair techs who continually see the issues coming in and the customers taking to the internet to make their concerns known aren't seeing much done about it.
Chinese firm claims Apple copied its design for iPhone 6 (update)
It's tough for foreign companies to do business in China, so much that even Apple is having a hard time. After the iTunes Movies and iBooks Store ban back in April, the previous generation of iPhones have recently been accused of infringing the design patent of some random Chinese company's "100C" smartphone under the "100+" brand. Don't laugh, because the Beijing Intellectual Property Office has since ordered Apple to stop selling its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in Beijing, with the reason being the general consumers won't be able to tell the "minute differences" between Apple's design and the 100C. No, really.
You can share your iPhone 6s' Live Photos on Facebook
Live Photos on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are supposed to add a dash of life to your memories, but what good are they if you can't share them with your Facebook friends? You might not have that problem after today. Facebook's iOS app now lets you share those animated snapshots on the social network. While viewers will need a device running iOS 9 to see the effect, this could give your friends one more reason to check out your baby pictures. Be prepared to wait a little while to try this, however. Only a "small percentage' of users can try Live Photos right now, and the wider roll out will continue into the new year.
The iPhone 6s Plus vs. the iPhone 6 Plus: What's changed?
With today's announcement of the iPhone 6s Plus, it looks like larger-screen iPhones are here to stay. And, while plenty of users jumped on board when the iPhone got a bump to 5.5 inches with the 6 Plus, Apple isn't going to try and entice anyone with another screen size bump -- the 6s Plus' major upgrades are on the inside. While you'll have to wait for our full review, we've lined up the specs of the 6 Plus and 6s Plus to get a better idea of what improvements you can expect if you pick one up.
Apple introduces a carrier-free iPhone upgrade plan
Apple announced an alternative to paying your carrier for new iPhones at its press event today. Dubbed the iPhone Upgrade Program, the new system will allow customers to get a new phone every year while upgrading to the new flagship device annually. The 24-month installment plan starts at about $32 a month for the 16GB iPhone 6s. As the Apple website explains, "After 12 installments, you can get a new iPhone and start a new iPhone Upgrade Program. No more waiting for your carrier contract to end. Just trade in your current iPhone for a new one, and your new program begins." This is similar to installment plans offered by the major carriers, albeit for an unlocked device that also includes Apple Care. The program launches at 12:01 AM on September 12th alongside the 6s pre-orders.
Apple drops prices on the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus
Sure, the brightest stars in Apple's smartphone universe may be the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, but what if you want a big-screen iPhone on a (relative) budget? Don't worry, you're covered: Apple has dropped the prices on its older iPhone models. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus now start at $99 and $199 on 2-year contracts ($23 and $27 per month on typical installment plans, or $549 and $649 outright), making them much more palatable. The iPhone 5s is sticking around, too, and you can pick it up for free on a contract, $19 per month on installments or $450 up front.
What to expect from Apple's 'Hey Siri' iPhone event
Gosh, is it September already? The impending leaf death and the moaning of young'uns going back to school are usually accompanied by shiny new Apple gewgaws to gawk at, and this year is no exception. We'll be schlepping cross-country to bring you all the news from Apple's "Hey Siri" event at 10AM Pacific/1PM Eastern on Wednesday, but before we grab our boarding passes and all our cameras, let's recap what we think the company's got in store for us.
PSA: Apple will replace your iPhone 6 Plus' wonky camera
Did you buy an iPhone 6 Plus sometime between last September and this January? Do you notice that your shots taken with its back camera come out all blurry? Yeah, it's not just you. Turns out, a limited number of these phones shipped with a manufacturing defect. However, Apple is aware of the issue and has already begun issuing replacements for the iSight camera. If you think that you have one of these borked units, go to this website and type in your phone's serial number. If your unit is part of that bad batch, Apple will replace the camera (not the entire phone) at no charge. Also, if you're rocking one of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6's, don't worry; none of those units suffered from the defect. [Image Credit: Getty Images]
T-Mobile will swap your iPhone 6 for the next model at no extra cost
If you've ever had to upgrade an iPhone months after launch, you've likely felt some anxiety: you need a new device right now, but you know you'll feel buyer's remorse when the next model shows up in September. T-Mobile thinks it can set your mind at ease, however. It's launching a promo that lets you swap the iPhone 6 for its successor while locking in the $15 per month JUMP On Demand lease price -- so long as you buy the existing handset by September 7th, you just have to trade it in to upgrade. You'll also get first dibs on the next iPhone if you order it from the carrier within the first two days of availability, so you shouldn't be waiting for days simply because you ordered a few minutes too late.
The iPhone 6 Plus won't fit Fallout 4's Pip-Boy (and I'm sad)
Thanks a lot, Bethesda. After the outfit's first E3 media briefing, I pre-ordered the Pip-Boy Edition of Fallout 4 because of course I want to put a real-life version of the game's stat-tracker and menu system on my forearm. All good, right? Well, I'm also in the market for a new phone and was eyeing an iPhone 6 Plus because it has a better camera and battery life compared to its smaller sibling, the iPhone 6. That's where the problems arise: Bethesda recently announced that the real-world Pip-Boy comes with foam inserts that fit the iPhone 4 and 4s, 5 and 5s and the 6 in addition to the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5. The company also promises a customizable foam insert that'll accommodate "most other popular" handsets.
Dark Sky uses your iPhone's sensors to improve weather forecasts
Your iPhone gives you weather forecasts right from the get-go, but it's now ready to shape those forecasts as well. Dark Sky has given its iOS app a big overhaul that, if you like, uses the barometer on your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus to contribute pressure readings. The hope is that these will dramatically improve short-term forecasts in the future -- you'll know that it's about to rain because iPhones nearby gave you a heads-up. There have been apps that crowdsourced pressure data before, but rarely with the intent to directly improve forecasts -- and not on the scale of Dark Sky, one of iOS' best-known weather tools.
The best iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus battery cases
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a list of the best technology to buy. Read the full article below at TheWirecutter.com. We've spent more than 140 hours testing 21 different battery cases (18 for the iPhone 6 and three for the iPhone 6 Plus), and we think the best battery case for most people is Anker's Ultra Slim Extended Battery Case. It provides an above-average 117 percent of a full charge to the iPhone 6one full charge plus another 17 percentand at only $40, it's by far the least expensive. The result is the highest ratio of charge percent per dollar and the lowest cost per full iPhone recharge out of all the models we looked at. It's also the lightest and thinnest battery case we tested.
Giant phones are finally a big deal in the US
Extra-large phones have been hot stuff in some countries for a long while, but not so much in the US. The country must have had a change of heart in the past few months, however. Kantar Worldpanel estimates that gigantic devices jumped from 6 percent of American smartphone sales in the first quarter of last year to 21 percent in early 2015. Why? If you ask Kantar, the launch of the iPhone 6 Plus was partly responsible -- it racked up 44 percent of all supersized phone sales despite being just a few months old. The analyst group isn't saying much in public how other brands were doing, although it's safe to say that category pioneer Samsung grabbed a large slice of the pie thanks to high-powered behemoths like the Galaxy Note 4.
