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How to set up a complex passcode on your iOS device
Smartphones and tablets these days store an incredible amount of information, and with much of it sensitive and personal, many users like to keep their device somewhat private by limiting who has access. With the introduction of Touch ID on the iPhone 5s, Apple sought to make iOS devices more secure by making security as simple as a fingerprint. But with Touch ID currently an iPhone 5s-only feature, where does that leave all other iOS users? Thankfully, there's a solution. The default passcode setting in iOS 7 only allows for a 4-digit numeric string, otherwise known as a simple passcode. But when you're really serious about device security -- or just want to be extra sure no one finds out about your Taylor Swift app or questionable weekend photos -- iOS 7 offers more complex passcode protection. With a complex passcode, you can pick a passcode that includes letters, numbers, and special characters. What's more, a complex passcode can be much longer than just four characters. In iOS 6, the string limit was 37 characters long. But in iOS 7 I was able to enter in over 90 characters without receiving a warning about having too long of a passcode. This makes the task of guessing another's passcode exponentially more difficult. Time to get started. To set a passcode that can include numbers, letters, and special characters, go to Settings > General > Passcode Lock. If you've grown weary of Touch ID and would like to do this on an iPhone 5s, it's listed under Settings > General > Touch ID & Passcode. Next, simply toggle off the "Simple Passcode" setting. If you haven't set up a passcode at all yet, you'll first have to select the "Turn Passcode On" option located near the top of the settings pane. Upon doing so, you will be prompted to enter a complex passcode with the ability to choose from an array of numbers, letters, and special characters. You'll be prompted to enter the passcode twice, the first time you tap 'Next' to continue and the second time you tap 'Done.' While you can insert special characters like ñ or é in a complex passcode, you unfortunately cannot use emoji icons. Which is a damn shame because a passcode like this would be pretty cool. As is always the case, it's important to make sure that your passcode is hard for others to guess but easy for you to remember. After setting up a complex passcode, your new passcode lock screen will look like this, offering up a full text-and-number keyboard for your passcode entry. Is a Complex Passcode even necessary? With a 4-digit numeric passcode, there are potentially 10^4 (10,000) different passcode options. That sure seems like a lot, but a study on common iOS passwords reveals that many people still rely on passcodes that aren't terribly hard to guess. Some common passcodes to avoid include 1234, 0000, 2580, 1111, 5555 and 5683 (which spells out 'love'). Also try and avoid passcodes that represent (easy to guess) birth years such as 1949, 1985, and 1999. When using a complex passcode, however, the number of possible passcode combinations increases exponentially. With about 77 characters (numbers+letters+special characters) to choose from, and a passcode that can be as long as 50 characters (at least), that's already 77^50 possible permutations right there, making it effectively impossible for anyone to ever guess your passcode without peering over your shoulder. Even opting for a slightly longer 6 character passcode increases the number of possible passcode combinations from 10,000 to 208.4 billion (77^6). And with that, may your device always remain secure from prying eyes. As a final note, this comic strip about password strength from XKCD is on topic and worth sharing.
iOS 7 video tip: Tweaking the Calendar time picker
TUAW reader Rob Kellogg sent us this nifty tip we hadn't seen before. When you're entering event start and end times in the iOS 7 Calendar app, the minutes in the time picker usually flow by one by one, which can make time entry relatively slow. With this simple trick, you can change the picker to show the minutes in 5-minute increments instead.
Mad Catz C.T.R.L.i is an iOS 7 controller with Xbox heritage (hands-on)
Best known for its range of console and PC gaming accessories, Mad Catz has made huge strides over the past year to cater for mobile gamers. After it launched its M.O.J.O. Android gaming console in June, the peripheral maker has emerged at Mobile World Congress with C.T.R.L.i, its first controller to feature native support for iOS 7. While it's still in the prototype stage (so new, we're amongst the first to see it), the C.T.R.L.i was fully playable when we discussed specifics with Mad Catz's representative, allowing us to experience an almost final version of the gamepad before it launches publicly in April.
Apple issues iOS 7.0.6 / 6.1.6 security updates
Today, Apple issued security updates for iOS 7 and iOS 6. The updates protect phones against potential attacks that might compromise data in secure sessions. Available for: iPhone 4 and later, iPod touch (5th generation), iPad 2 and later Impact: An attacker with a privileged network position may capture or modify data in sessions protected by SSL/TLS Description: Secure Transport failed to validate the authenticity of the connection. This issue was addressed by restoring missing validation steps. The iOS 7.0.6 update appears to be available for all iPhones, iPods, and iPads running iOS 7. In addition, Ars Technica writes that iOS 6.1.6 has also been patched to address the SSL vulnerability. TUAW highly recommends that you install the appropriate update on your iOS devices as soon as possible. Thanks, Sam Marshall
All I want for WWDC is...nothing
February may seem early to you to be strategizing about Apple WWDC announcements. For tech writers, it's crunch time. To plan books, posts, and other coverage, you try to anticipate how big a change is coming up and what areas will be affected. For example, Victor was asking me the other day what I'd like to see in the next installments of iOS and OS X. My answer is the same as it's been for years: "Bug fixes and security enhancements." I'm a bit over the yearly update cycle. I think iOS 7 needed more time to simmer before its debut and I'd rather see more mature products instead of constantly living in an alpha test. I'd love for Apple to spend time fine-tuning its codebase rather than pushing new features. It's awesome to innovate but I'm not sure that innovation really needs to come in 12-month waves. If I had to dream about this summer's announcements, I think I'd want to see an Apple/Tesla iCar that doesn't catch on fire when you plug in its magsafe connector, a super fitbit-like iWatch, or even "Apple and Samsung finally settle all legal disputes." We're probably going to get iOS 8 and OS X Malibu Barbie. There's plenty of room for growth and new features, of course. Each year's API change list includes logical progressions to existing classes as well as keynote-worthy game-changers. I'd just like to see those emerge as slower dot releases than full OS revolutions. It may already be happening. We're now about six months or so in from the 7.0 release. Apple is still evolving 7.1, now in its 5th beta. That's a trend I want to encourage -- slow, deliberate, and careful where the end-user benefits from the extra time. All told, I have no idea what Apple is going to announce this summer but it would be great if the company took a bit of space to breathe.
Awesome Safari tip in iOS 7 you probably weren't aware of
Mobile Safari in iOS 7 introduced a number of new and interesting changes to the way users browse the web and access information. One such feature you may not be familiar with is dubbed "Shared Links." "Shared Links" allows you to quickly and seamlessly scroll through all of the links in your Twitter feed directly from within the Safari app. All in all, this provides a superior and more efficient way to peruse your Twitter links. Here's how it all works. Open up Safari and tap the Bookmarks icon located toward the bottom of the screen. This brings you to the "Shared Links" pane. From here, select the "@" tab located in the upper-righthand portion of the screen. You are then presented with all of the links from your Twitter feed. Note that only tweets containing embedded URLs show up here. Think of it as a streamlined Twitter feed. If I tap on one of the entries, I'm immediately whisked away to the desired URL, in this case an article from the WSJ tweeted out by the Huffington Post. As I scroll down, the end of the article lets me know where the next tweet is from, in this case a tweet from Bomani Jones about NCAA athletes unionizing. If I keep scrolling downwards, that story soon takes center stage. When I get to the end of this article, the next Twitter link is already there waiting for me. And so on and so forth. Altogether, this is a great way to browse through your Twitter feed if you're actually looking to do some web browsing. Not only does the scrolling provide a seamless way to jump from story to story, it's also always typically more enjoyable to browse in Safari than with Twitter's built-in browser. One final point: Even though you scroll downwards in order to access new Twitter links, be aware that you cannot scroll back up to revisit stories you've already read. Instead, simply swipe to the right as you would normally do in Safari.
SwiftKey's new iOS note-taking app syncs with Evernote
Will Apple ever open up its mobile platform to allow the use of third-party keyboards? Y'know, customizable boards that have features like clever word-prediction algorithms and finger-swiping gestures? Despite CEO Tim Cook's suggestion last May that we might see iOS open up more in the future, we've seen no strong indication that alternative keyboards are even on the drawing board at present time. Fortunately, some developers are finding small workarounds to this dilemma: Even though they aren't allowed to change the keyboard on the platform level, it's possible to do so within third-party applications. Fleksy is a prime example of a company that's thinking outside the box, opening up a developer kit allowing third parties to incorporate the Fleksy keyboard into their own app. SwiftKey is also making the jump to iOS, but it's taking a different approach: The keyboard maker just announced SwiftKey Note, a note-taking app that's integrated with your Evernote account. This is great news for current Evernote users, and it may even be enough of an incentive for newbies to try it out. Using the new Note app, you'll be able to create notes that sync up with the account on your desktop or other mobile app. But what's more important is that you'll have the help of SwiftKey's trusty and faithful word-prediction engine combined with the look of the default iOS 7 keyboard. We've got a gallery, video and additional impressions after the break.
SteelSeries Stratus iOS 7 gamepad launches for $20 less than its pre-order price
SteelSeries' Stratus controller, the first wireless iOS 7 game pad, is now available at Apple stores and on Apple's online store. Since the Stratus went up for pre-order earlier this month, SteelSeries opted to change its price from $99.99 to $79.99 (79.99 euro). The peripheral manufacturer said it will honor the Stratus' new launch price for all pre-orders its taken. The Stratus has two analog sticks, four pressure-sensitive "A, B, X and Y" buttons, four shoulder buttons and a d-pad. SteelSeries claims the controller can withstand 10 hours of play on a single charge via USB. It is supported by games like GTA: San Andreas, Limbo, Call of Duty: Strike Team and Bastion.
Apple to finally fix random rebooting in iOS 7 and other news from Jan. 22, 2014
Apple has acknowledged one of the biggest frustrations for iOS 7 users -- the soft rebooting of the phone that happens at random times. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told Mashable that the soft reboot issue should be resolved in an iOS 7 update. She did not indicate if it was part of the current beta, but if you want to put stock in rumors, the update will coincide with iOS 7.1's release. While some people said the glitch might be tied into battery usage, I've found that it could happen with anything ranging from checking email to quick-switching between apps. Our readers were noticing reboots happening when they listened to music or doing other simple tasks. Where have you found it? Other news from this afternoon includes: Apple has broken down its "Your Verse" ad into smaller chunks, posting them to its YouTube account as "Sound Verse" and "Light Verse." The new ads clock in at 30 seconds each. Tomb Raider fans, get your credit cards ready. The rebooted version of the franchise arrives on the Mac App Store on Jan. 23. However, if you want to play online, you're better off waiting for the Steam-compatible version of the game that comes out next week. Those wanting a sneak peek into the upcoming car interface for iOS should take a look at app developer Steven Troughton-Smith's work. Troughton-Smith didn't comment on where the images came from, but its thought that the iOS in the Car shots were part of the most-recently released beta version of iOS 7.1. Kick back and relax with these features: Reality Absorption Field: NFC Not Fascinating Cupertino Steve Jobs was beyond scared before his triumphant 1984 Mac introduction 5 iTunes movies to get you through the snow day
Mac Pro shipping estimates slip and other news from Jan. 20, 2014
Today was a holiday in the U.S., but there was some news to make the rounds. Apple has released beta 4 of iOS 7.1 to developers, which includes new animation for the slide to unlock function and a new Siri voice for UK iPad users. Douglas Adams' last online post in his forum dealt with his excitement over OS X. "I think it's brilliant," he said. "I've fallen completely in love with it." Looking to get a Mac Pro? Unfortunately, you're going to be waiting until March. Check out the 25 worst passwords of 2013. Some of the gems? 'iloveyou' and 'trustno1' Kick back and relax with these features: FTC focuses on Apple's App Store while ignoring similar issues with Google Play Your iPhone replaces the roomful of equipment found in this 1991 Radio Shack ad The payphones of the future Ridiculous moments in Apple development Weird and amazing Macs that aren't exactly Macs
iOS 7 power tip: How to swipe through the multitasking view much faster
It's hard to believe that it took Apple until iOS 4 to finally add multitaksing functionality. But you know Apple, always preferring to take its dear sweet time and make sure that a new feature is up to snuff rather than releasing something half-baked. With iOS 7, Apple completely re-imagined the iOS interface. In doing so, the multitasking pane was completely revamped into a much more aesthetically pleasing card-like interface reminiscent of webOS on the Palm Pre. While iOS 7 undoubtedly has its fair share of critics, most would agree that the new multitasking view in iOS 7 is much more useful and intuitive. Accessing the multitasking pane is as easy as tapping the home button twice and casually swiping through the list of open apps until you find what you're looking for. But there's a power tip lurking right beneath the surface. If you have a lot of apps listed in your multitasking view -- and they sure do add up quickly -- you can swipe through them at warp speed (read: much, much faster) if you swipe to the left or right with the icons themselves instead of using the actual preview screens. The video below, at about 29 seconds in, provides a clear demonstration. And here's one last multitasking tip on the house: As you likely know, removing an app from the multitasking pane is as easy as swiping an app card upwards. If you have a large number of apps open, however, you can speed up the process by selecting (i.e., tapping and holding) up to three cards simultaneously and removing them all at once. via Reddit
Apple comes to its senses, will re-center iOS 7 page indicators
You're welcome. All it took was my threat of a strongly worded letter to get Apple to correct the egregious wrong that it had committed in letting the iOS 7 page indicators drift aimlessly to the left. It seems that Apple's latest iOS 7 beta corrects the alignment of the tiny dots so that they are indeed perfectly centered once again. The image above (full-size version here), which was created by Marc Edwards, director and lead designer at Bjango, shows how the centering of the page icons changed between various iterations of iOS. The drift began during the "iPhone OS 3" days, but became more pronounced in iOS 7. Now, with the upcoming release of iOS 7.1, the world will be set right once more. OK, OK, so it almost certainly had nothing to do with my article, but I'm still extremely glad this little niggle has been addressed. That is, until iOS 13 launches and we realize those mischievous dots have begun rolling to one side once again.
First wireless iOS 7 game pad, the SteelSeries Stratus, up for pre-order
SteelSeries has introduced a new wireless controller, the Stratus. It's the first iOS 7-compatible wireless game pad, which connects to iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch via Bluetooth 2.1. The controller has four pressure-sensitive face buttons, dual analog sticks, four shoulder buttons and a four-direction d-pad. The controller charges via USB for up to 10 hours of gameplay and has LED lights for differentiating players during local multiplayer sessions. The Stratus, which will cost $99.99, isn't available right now, but SteelSeries has opened up a pre-order page. SteelSeries has not announced when the controller will begin shipping.
Communicate better with Symbolic App: speaking to the world
"Symbolic App: World visual kit" (US$0.99, and yes, that's its full name) offers a must-have app for anyone trying to communicate across language barriers. Whether you travel outside of your language zone or just visit restaurants with non-native speakers, this is the app for you. Symbolic App provides superb cross-culture visuals that simplify communication, whether you're hunting down a bike shop or ordering spicy food. Topics include travel, health, security, brands and more. You drill down from these general topics to specific icons using a simple tree-based swiping system. Basically you swipe left and right to move between topics, then up and down to go more specific or less specific. It is a lot easier to use than it sounds and was much faster to find items than I anticipated. Once you drill to a specific item, a pull-up overlay from the bottom of the screen shows localized versions of the concept in five languages. Most of the time, however, you can skip the words and use the pictures alone. They are clean and self-explanatory. A great value for one buck, the app is not without flaws. Despite its beautiful design, it ran fairly slowly on my iPhone 4s running iOS 7. I'm hoping that future updates will speed up responsiveness. Even as is, however, the app is more than worth its price. Recommended.
SteelSeries launches the Stratus, the first wireless iOS 7 gamepad
With its new gaming protocols in iOS 7, Apple opened the door for gamepads that make use of the iPhone's Lightning connector to bring an assortment of inputs to iOS titles. Recognizing that not all iOS gamers own an iPhone, accessory maker SteelSeries has unveiled its new Stratus controller, becoming the first wireless gamepad to support Apple's latest iOS platform in the process. Unlike Logitech's PowerShell and PowerA's MOGA Ace Power, the Stratus connects to an iPad, iPhone and the iPod touch via Bluetooth 2.1, putting four pressure-sensitive face buttons, four shoulder buttons, dual analog sticks and a four-way d-pad in a design that reminds us a little of Sega's Genesis/Mega Drive gamepad, at least in black. While you won't be able to attach your iOS device to the Stratus and play on the move, it does mean you can set it aside and play against up to three other players on the big screen via AirPlay. Without that additional clutter, the Stratus comes in significantly lighter than rival controllers, giving you around 10 hours playtime on a full (USB) charge. SteelSeries has already made the Stratus available for pre-order on its website for $99.99/€99.99, and you can find the link in the source below.
This one weird Siri feature turned me into a Bing user
Even Spider-Man couldn't make Bing cool. So when Apple introduced Bing integration into its Siri voice assistant for iOS 7, I wasn't exactly thrilled by the change. Bing is basically the search engine equivalent of the sixth Doctor, loud clothes and all. Sure, Apple included a Google workaround for Siri for die-hards. If you wanted to use Google to search for specific terms, you can Google those phrases. For example, you say "Siri, Google fezzes." It's pretty unsatisfying. This just tells Siri to open a new Safari window with a Google search. You lose the cool (and I use that term in its proper bow tie sense) integrated result on the Siri dialog screen. Now, after months of using the latest Siri, I'm publicly outting myself. I like those integrated results and I don't care that Bing, saddle shoes and all, has joined Wolfram Alpha and Wikipedia as a primary Siri information source. Bing's results are... just fine. Sure, I'm not so far gone to reason that I am using Bing as a verb (which you can do; just say "Siri, Bing TARDIS") because there are, after all, standards. But I'm enjoying the slick new integration with web results tied directly into the dialog. If one weren't a search engine snob, one probably wouldn't even notice that those results involved Bing at all. (I specifically exclude the Duck Duck Go die-hards from this write-up. The DDG folk are basically the rabid libertarians of the search engine world. That's an entirely different creature from Google snobbery.) Bing is doing my searches, and it's doing them well. And, as shocking as it is to discover, Siri has made me a regular Bing user. Whodathought? Steven Sande and Erica Sadun have been working on the third edition of Talking to Siri, the book that covers all the ins and outs of everyone's favorite digital assistant.
A year-end roundup of TUAW's most popular iOS 7 video tips
When iOS 7 hit the ground running on September 18, 2013, many users upgraded quickly and then promptly spent the next weeks wondering how to do things that had become second nature under iOS 6 and earlier versions. TUAW began a series of video tips at that time that has been extremely popular and will expand in 2014. As a way of introducing the series to new readers who may have just received their first iOS device for Christmas, we've created a roundup of the top iOS 7 video tips. Where's AirPlay video mirroring? One of our most popular videos of the year deals with where to find that AirPlay video-mirroring button that's so useful when sending content from your iPhone or iPad to an Apple TV. In making it easier to use, Apple inadvertently made it more difficult for people to find. How to use Do Not Disturb Don't want to be disturbed late at night by those little dings, beeps and buzzes indicating that you're receiving emails, texts or tweets? We show you how to use Do Not Disturb to keep things quiet after dark. Using Reminders Reminders, whether providing a handy synchronized to-do list, a subtle poke at your memory when you arrive near some place or a weekly reminder to do something, is one of the most powerful apps on your iOS device. We show you how to use the Reminders app to keep your life in order. How to shut down running apps With the hundreds of thousands of apps available on the App Store, is it surprising that people tend to download a lot of games and apps? What's worse, pretty quickly you can have dozens running all at once on your iOS 7 device, which can sometimes result in some pretty nasty memory issues. We show you how easy it is to shut down apps that are running in the background. Silencing the "silent mode" vibration buzzer There's almost nothing more embarrassing than being in an important meeting or event and having your iPhone decide to loudly dance all over the table when the "silent mode" vibration buzzer kicks in. Rather than risk public humiliation, we show you how to silence the buzzer. Keyboard settings and adding emoji Another popular video tip was this one, which shows you how to add that lovely emoji keyboard and be able to add a huge variety of smilies to your emails, messages and tweets. Have an iOS 7 or OS X question you'd like to have answered in a video tip? Use the "Tip Us" button in the upper-right of the TUAW home page to give us feedback about what you'd like to see.
Nokia pulls Here Maps from the App Store, blames iOS 7
In the wake of Maps-gate, Nokia was one of several outfits that rushed to Apple's aid with a navigation app of its very own. A year later, however, and that same offering has been yanked from the App Store before it could send a note to its neighbors. When we asked, Nokia responded with the below quote, saying that iOS 7 harms the user experience of HERE, but users can still access the mobile edition of the service. Which is all well and good, unless you were a big fan of the app's ability to cache offline data. "We have made the decision to remove our HERE Maps app from the Apple App Store because recent changes to iOS 7 harm the user experience. iPhone users can continue to use the mobile web version of HERE Maps under m.here.com, offering them location needs, such as search, routing, orientation, transit information and more, all completely free of charge."
Morning news roundup for December 23, 2013
Here's a look at what's going on in the Apple world as of this morning, December 23. A new Mac Pro, an iffy iOS jailbreak and a doomed Opel Corsa are just a few highlights. Let's begin, shall we? fcp.co spends 24 hours with Apple's Mac Pro and Final Cut Pro 10.1. The notably quiet Mac Pro (the sound of an air conditioner drowns it out) feels "silky smooth" while editing 4K with Final Cut Pro 10.1. Just watch. Also note that there's no security slot in the Mac Pro, which is odd for such a small machine that could easily fit into a backpack. Tim Cook has sent an email to Apple's employees, thanking them for the work the company completed in 2013. The best bit for us customers comes at the end: "We have a lot to look forward to in 2014, including some big plans that we think customers are going to love." There's an untethered jailbreak for iOS 7, but it's not without problems. Cydia creator Jay Freeman noted the included version of Cydia is unofficial and untested. Also, this release included a Chinese App Store called Taig (only installed if the phone's default language is Chinese). Unfortunately, it was found to include pirated apps. The Evasi0n team responded quickly with a statement: "We are very upset that despite our agreement and review by their team, piracy was found in the store. It was not acceptable and they have been strenuously working to resolve the problem in good faith, and have removed all instances of it that we have brought to their attention." Meanwhile, in Berlin, some thieves tested the airbag deployment of an Opel Corsa by ramming it into a window of the Kurfürstendamm Apple Store. They got away with some display iPhones, iPads and Macs before fleeing the scene in two Audis (the poor Corsa was going nowhere). The poorly timed attack means that store is badly damaged just as the holiday shopping season wraps up.
Google Play Music gets a new look for iOS 7 and 'I'm feeling lucky' radio
If you're an iOS user that stuck with Google Play Music past the free All Access promo, a new update brings this refreshed UI for iOS 7 and a few new features. As promised at launch, it now supports "I'm feeling lucky" radio which randomly assembles a playlist based on recent listening habits. Also new are themed auto-playlists built around tracks in your library and those you've given a thumbs-up to. Google's iOS team added genre radio stations for All Access subscribers too, and the ability to search by genre for everyone, bringing this version's features up to par with its Android counterpart. With the amount of countries where the service is now available, that shouldn't leave many people out -- unless they live in Canada, that is.
