iOS9
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iPhone 6s and 6s Plus review: More than just a refresh
Some people look a little unkindly on the so-called "S" years -- those years when Apple updates the iPhone, but doesn't change how it looks, and then sells that while secretly working on something flashier that will debut 12 months later. I don't think that's exactly fair. Those "S" years are when Apple adds some of its most useful features. Siri? Touch ID? Both valuable additions to the iPhone platform that have since grown in importance. This year we get 3D Touch, a potentially awesome way to interact with iPhones. The thing is, a device's worth isn't just tied up in one feature: It's about how all those moving parts work together. That's why the new 6s and 6s Plus (starting at $649 and $749, respectively, for 16GB models) are such great phones. The combination of much-improved hardware and some polished software makes this year's release far more than just a modest refresh.
Apple fixes lock screen issue in latest iOS 9 update
Remember that iOS 9 security issue that allows someone to bypass the iPhone lock screen using Siri and access your contacts and photos? And how some folks thought that it wasn't real? Well, Apple sure did, as the latest iOS 9.0.2 update includes a fix for the problem. Apple said that because of the security hole, "a person with physical access to an iOS device may be able to access photos and contacts from the lock screen." It addressed the issue by "restricting options on a locked device," meaning users will no longer be able to exploit Siri to access those areas.
iOS 9's WiFi Assist is killing your data plan
If you have data plan with a cap, it's probably a good idea to dive into iOS 9's Settings and turn off WiFI Assist. The feature switches an iPhone's data connection to the mobile carrier when it's experiencing shoddy WiFi. If you have an unlimited data plan, it's great --it ends the need to turn off WiFi when the local connection goes south and you can no longer load that hilarious goat video you found. It's not so great, however, when you have a pretty low data cap and it switches from WiFi to cell without your knowledge. If you're part of the latter group, head to Settings > Cellular then scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to turn off WiFi Assist to keep your mobile carrier from taking all your money on your next bill. [Thanks, Kristy]
iPad Mini 4 review: A long wait makes for a potent upgrade
Fans of Apple's smaller iPad Mini caught a tough break last fall when the company unveiled its new tablets for the year. Although Tim Cook & co. lavished plenty of attention on the faster, slimmed-down iPad Air 2, the upgraded iPad Mini 3 was regarded as a mere afterthought. The list of changes was so short, in fact, that some of us wondered why Apple would introduce a performance gap between the Air and Mini lines. Still more people wondered when they'd get a Mini with enough power to match its larger sibling. Turns out, the answer was "a year later." I've been testing the new iPad Mini 4 for over a week now and can say with confidence this is the Mini we should've gotten last year.
iOS ad blockers might be messing with your online shopping
Ads pay the bills for a lot of sites (including this one). But they can also be intrusive and with some of the tracking abilities available out there, a bit creepy. To combat some of that and to speed up page loads Apple introduced a Content Blocker feature for mobile Safari that allows third-party developers to create extensions that are "a fast and efficient way to block cookies, images, resources, pop-ups, and other content." Apparently people really hate advertisements on the internet because ad blockers have rocketed to the top of the paid app section of the App Store. But the side effect of at least a few of these apps is that it screws up shopping on the online versions of Sears and Walmart. Fortune talked to the developer of Crystal, an app that's messing with some shopping sites. After they informed him about what was happening, he said he would remove the sites from a blacklist. But, during our test, we were still unable to get to some product pages on Walmart.com to load. So, we decided to test some more online shops to how much commerce is being thwarted by a hatred of ads.
Tell us how you really feel about iOS 9
Sure, new iPhones are being released today, but plenty of you have already made the jump to iOS 9. And, while we loved its refinements enough to call it "a must-have update," we'd like to know how it's faring out in the wild with our readers. Head on over to the Engadget database page to let us know what you think of all the improvements, including smarter Siri features, Slide Over multitasking and the Apple News app. Then, we'll feature some of your more eloquent and astute comments in a future post.
iOS 9's space-saving 'app slicing' feature gets delayed
The "app slicing" or "app thinning" feature Apple promised to launch with iOS 9 can help 16GB and 32GB iPhone owners save some precious storage space. Unfortunately, Cupertino can't release it to the general public yet (even though its beta testing app has been supporting the feature for quite some time), "due to an issue affecting iCloud backup." See, Apple gave developers the power to mark parts of their applications meant for specific devices. That means folks with an iPhone 6s will only end up downloading app components meant for the 6s and not the ones meant for iPads or other iPhone variants -- hence, the term app slicing/thinning.
Apple fixes an iOS 9 bug that kept you from upgrading
The launch of iOS 9 was supposed to be a joyous occasion if you own an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, but it didn't always work out that way. A bug left some stuck on the "slide to upgrade" screen, preventing them from using their gear unless they rolled back to iOS 8 or started fresh. If you're one of those glitch victims, you'll be glad to hear that relief is in sight: Apple has released an iOS 9.0.1 update that (you guessed it) makes sure you get past that upgrade screen. It also tackles a few other hiccups that could sour your initial experience, including one that prevented some alarms and timers from playing. As such, you'll probably want to check for the update right away. And if it's too late to avoid the worst, Apple's support site (linked above) has a guide to getting your device back to normal.
iOS 9 review: Making the basics work even better
iOS 9 is deceptive. When Apple first publicly trotted out the update at WWDC a few months back, it seemed happy to hang its hat on just a few new features: Apple News, better Maps and an improved Notes app. After using the betas for months and putting in still more time with the final, ready-for-everyone build, though, it's clear that what Apple built is far more nuanced than it might have let on. (And there I was, thinking I'd have an easy review to write. Silly me.) Instead, what we've got here is in some ways a continuation of a philosophy that seemed to start in earnest in the Apple Watch. iOS 9 is less about new, whizbang features and more about getting the stuff we do everyday done just a little quicker, a little more efficiently. And you know what? That's more valuable than you might think.
The $1 million iOS bug bounty is bad for security research
The public perception of the black-hat hacker is of a lone person sitting in a dark room creating malware and unleashing it on the world and reaping the profits of their exploit. The reality is a bit more complicated and far more financially lucrative. Nothing shines a light on this more than the Zerodium publicity stunt of offering $1 million for iOS 9 zero-day exploits. Founder Chaouki Bekrar has a history of selling exploits to the highest bidder instead of disclosing the issue to the maker of the compromised product. It flies in the face of responsible disclosure of exploits by security researchers and means that anyone with enough cash will have the ammunition to ruin the digital life of anyone with an iPhone.
iOS 9 is already running on more than half of Apple mobile devices
Apple may have taken a long while to get users upgrading to iOS 8, but it isn't having any such trouble with iOS 9. The iPhone maker has revealed that more than half of all iOS devices are already running the new software less than a week after it launched. That's the fastest adoption rate yet for the platform, if you ask the folks in Cupertino. That's certainly better than on Android, where just 21 percent of users are running Lollipop, but it's not really that surprising when you realize that Apple has bent over backwards to put iOS 9 on as many devices as possible.
ICYMI: Tour a warzone in VR, champ rock-paper bot and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-115849{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-115849, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-115849{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-115849").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A Syrian news agency is giving viewers a chance to nearly walk the ground of a bombed out city center with a virtual reality tour. Rock, paper, scissors champs would cry themselves to sleep after taking on a Japanese robot that wins the game every time, thanks to high-speed tracking tech. And OpenROV's underwater drone is being heavily funded on Kickstarter, bringing maps of the sea floor to everyone with some spare cash and a penchant for the ocean.
Why Apple News isn't available in the UK yet
So you've backed up your apps and data to iCloud and updated your Apple device to iOS 9. The new font, smarter Siri and slicker multitasking will probably take some getting used to, but did you notice that one feature was missing? Yes, Apple News is not available to UK users -- at least not yet. So how do you get it? The official answer is: you can't, unless you're willing to change the default language on your device. According to reports, UK publishers were made to wait a little bit longer because Apple wanted to put all of its focus into making sure the US launch went off without a hitch.
BBC iPlayer offers picture-in-picture TV viewing on your iPad
Split-screen multitasking on the iPad is one of the standout additions in iOS 9, but not everyone has an iPad Air 2 (or soon, iPad Pro) to take advantage of it. Instead, the feature that most iPad users are likely to benefit from is picture-in-picture -- the ability to slide a video into the corner while you do something else on your tablet. BBC iPlayer is one of the first apps to adopt the new functionality, meaning you can watch Bake Off while reading some recipes, or keep BBC News in the background while you scan the headlines in Flipboard. The feature works on the iPad mini 2 and 3, iPad Air and Air 2, and the upcoming iPad Pro -- just press the home button during video playback to activate it.
Hulu brings picture-in-picture TV viewing to your iPad
The picture-in-picture video mode in Apple's iOS 9 was practically tailor-made for watching TV while you get things done, and Hulu knows it. The streaming service has updated its iOS app with support for PIP viewing, letting you revisit Seinfeld at the same time as you check Facebook. This probably won't be the only major streaming service to welcome PIP with open arms -- c'mon, Netflix -- but it's definitely one of the most important.
Dropbox for iOS just got a lot faster (and simpler)
When you're juggling a lot of files in the cloud, every little bit of time you save is a big deal... and Dropbox knows it. The online storage outfit has released an iOS app update that's all about speeding up and simplifying its core tasks. The centerpiece is a new action menu that sits next to every file -- tap it and you can modify or share that file without skipping a beat. If you're on iOS 9, you'll also see your recent and offline files in Spotlight searches. And if you're spending big bucks on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, you'll be happy to know that 3D Touch gives you both home screen shortcuts (such as uploading a photo) as well as peeks at files. Dropbox's upgrade is live as I write this, so you only need to visit the App Store to see what the fuss is about.
iOS 9 is now available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
As promised, the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system is now available for download. iOS 9 is yours for the taking, and with it comes an improved Siri, split-screen multitasking on the iPad, those newfangled Live Photos, transit info in Maps, News app and more. All of which will be welcome additions for folks who who didn't get an early peek during the public beta. If the update hasn't already hit your device, you can take a gander at our initial impressions while you wait.
Apple will shut down HopStop's mass transit services in October
Apple kept HopStop's mass transit directions and guides running (with notable exceptions) long after it bought the company back in 2013, but you won't get to rely on them for much longer: Cupertino has revealed that it's shutting down HopStop come October. There's no explanation, but it doesn't take much effort to understand what's up. Apple had already discontinued all but the iOS and web versions of HopStop's apps, and you'll find much of HopStop's technology in iOS 9's mass transit directions. Simply put, there's not much incentive to keep the older tech running. This won't make you very happy if you still lean on HopStop to get around town, but you have at least a few alternatives if Apple Maps isn't your cup of tea. [Image credit: Shutterstock]
The future of Apple starts with 'Hey Siri'
"Hey Siri." It was a cutesy tag line for the Apple event invitation. The company even pre-loaded its digital assistant with canned answers to questions about what the company was going to unveil. But by the end of the never-ending shindig it became abundantly clear that Siri has become an important part of the entire Apple ecosystem. It's the UI that begs not to be touched and Apple is going all in with Apple TV, iOS 9, HomeKit and iPhone 6s. But will users stop tapping and start talking?
Microsoft to launch major Office updates for iOS 9, iPad Pro and Watch
Microsoft's giving its Office apps for Apple's devices a huge boost, enabling it to take better advantage of iOS 9's, WatchOS 2's and the iPad Pro's new features and capabilities. To start with, the company's making it easier to multitask on the iPad -- especially on the upcoming supersized Pro tablet -- once the latest iOS version drops. You can slide over to a second screen to access another app, use two Office apps at the same time side-by-side and even edit a Word, an Excel or a PowerPoint file attached to an email while it's open on Outlook via split screen.
