ios 7
Latest
Any.DO's Cal app scores Uber, Waze and Google Maps integration (updated)
The stock iOS calendar works just fine for basic scheduling, but if you religiously use Uber, Waze or Google Maps, Any.DO's Cal could be worth checking out. An update to the popular productivity outfit's brainchild brings integration with the three aforementioned services, which means you can now call a cab via Uber without leaving Cal, so long as you're in an area where the town cars roam. You'll also be able to navigate your way using Waze and Google Maps without having to launch them. As a nice bonus, Any.DO is introducing a new gifting feature that lets you buy straight from Amazon or Gifts.com from within the app itself. Cal is still nowhere to be seen on Google Play, but iOS users can score the refreshed application at the source. Update (10/08/13): The folks at Any.DO have informed us that you can't access Uber without leaving Cal after all. There's actually an Uber link within the calendar that launches the request-a-ride app. The amended press release is attached after the break if you'd like to know more.
iOS 7 video tip: Where is Apple hiding AirPlay Mirroring?
While not everyone uses AirPlay Mirroring to display their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch screen on a TV through an Apple TV, that capability is surprisingly popular with those who need to teach or demonstrate iOS apps. In the iOS 6 days, you could get to AirPlay Mirroring by double-tapping the Home button, then swiping right as far as you could go, into the Music player controls where you'd see the AirPlay icon. With a tap on that icon, you could turn on mirroring. We've had pings from more than just a few readers who wonder where that capability has gone in iOS 7, so here's the simple solution: it's part of Control Center, which you reach by swiping up from the bottom edge of your screen. Just look for the AirPlay icon. As with all of the earlier video tips, this one can be enlarged to full-screen for easier viewing.
Business is cozying up to iOS 7
iOS 7 has been officially available since September 18, and given the attitude of corporations to move slowly on operating system updates and embracing new technologies, you might expect that it will take time for iOS 7 to make it into the executive suite. Joel Mathis at Macworld says that nothing could be further from reality in a post today titled "Why businesses are embracing iOS 7." Mathis quotes Erik Frieberg of VMWare as saying that "You might even say that iOS is the most corporate-friendly OS on the market right now." Through a series of discussions with mobile enterprise experts, Macworld found that they are quite happy with iOS 7's advances in five main areas: Device security: Activation Lock makes it easy to keep thieves or those who find lost devices from being able to restore or reactivate devices running iOS 7, and Touch ID on the iPhone 5s provides an added layer of security. App security and management: In a world where iPhones and iPads are entering corporations as part of "bring your own device" initiatives, being able to create a dividing line between corporate apps and data and personal usage is important. iOS 7's Per App VPN feature means that corporate apps can easily connect to a company's virtual private network for work, while personal apps cannot. Distribution and management of apps is simpler now, and Enterprise Single Sign-on gives users access to multiple apps with one passcode entry. Tools for teamwork: Here, Mathis notes that iOS 7's AirDrop capabilities are being used in Kibit's Collaborate app for file exchange purposes. Those same capabilities can power other collaborative apps that are still on the drawing boards. Widespread adoption: Corporations don't have to deal with multiple versions of the operating system due to easy updates. Mixpanel's trend data shows that almost 70 percent of iOS devices are now running iOS 7 after just two and a half weeks. That's easier on corporate IT departments, as they don't need to design app deployments for multiple versions of an OS. Free office apps: Now that iWork is available for free on new iPhones running iOS 7, Apple can compete with Microsoft Office with three apps that appeal to corporate users. Mathis' post concludes with a wish-list of items that corporate IT leaders are hoping Apple embraces for future versions of iOS, but he points out that "despite these shortcomings, the experts consulted by Macworld seemed uniformly impressed by iOS 7."
Skype gets updated for iOS 7
Microsoft has updated Skype for iPhone and Skype for iPad with a refreshed look for iOS 7 as well as compatibility improvements and accessibility features. While the new updated apps look great in their iOS 7 skins, the best changes are the little compatibility improvements you don't see right away. For instance, the updated Skype for iPhone completed all of my test calls without a problem, which is not something I could say about the previous version. Skype for iPhone and Skype for iPad are free downloads.
Apple posts tips and tricks guide for the iPhone 5s and 5c
Apple today posted new pages to its website highlighting a number iOS 7 tips and tricks for iPhone 5s, 5c, and 4s users. Truthfully, I'm surprised Apple hasn't done something like this before given that there's so much power in iOS that the general public is often unaware of. While the tips listed by Apple may, on the whole, be familiar to anyone who keeps up with Apple-centric blogs, Apple's new webpages provide a nice resource for users new to iOS and even for seasoned users who haven't yet experienced the full power of iOS. The new pages put up by Apple are even more timely given the recent release of iOS 7 which, as has been said time and time again, marks the biggest change to iOS since the 2007 release of the original iPhone. The tips are broken up by categories which include Photography, Swipe Gestures, Maps, Siri, Safari and more. It's well worth checking out. Speaking of tips, don't forget to check out our series of TUAW video tips for iOS 7. via MacRumors
Steve Wozniak headlining Apps World Europe in London on October 23rd
iOS developers in and around London might want to take note: Steve Wozniak will be the keynote speaker for Apps World Europe on October 23rd. Apps World Europe is now in its 4th year and is quickly becoming the conference of choice for mobile developers in Europe. The two day event sees over 8,000 developers, mobile marketers, mobile operators, device manufacturers, platform owners and industry professionals meet for workshops and discussions. Of notable interest this year will be a heavy focus on iOS 7, its hundreds of new features, thousands of new APIs, and brand new look. In announcing his keynote role, the Woz said. "I'm delighted to be speaking at Apps World, sharing my experience of 30 years in the mobile and computing industry, as well as learning from and feeding off the passion and enthusiasm of the app developer community in attendance." In addition to Wozniak, leaders from Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Shazam, the BBC, and dozens more will be in attendance to share their latest thoughts about mobile. Apps World Europe takes place from October 22nd-23rd at Earls Court 2, Warwick Road, London SW5 9TA. Tickets can be purchased here. And if you're an iOS developer who's going, I'll be wandering around both days, so give me a tweet during the event if you'd like to share what you're up to.
iOS 7 video tip: Using Do Not Disturb on the iPhone
While the purpose of smartphones is to let us receive verbal and written communications from others, there are certain times when you don't necessarily want your phone to beep, ring or otherwise make a noise or show a notification. Do Not Disturb is a handy setting that lets you choose when you want receive calls or notifications. In this short video, which can be set to full-screen for looking at details, you'll see how to enable Do Not Disturb and how to use the app's settings.
Security team describes iPhone Airplane Mode issue
The addition of an easily accessible control panel for turning on features like WiFi, brightness and Airplane Mode from the iPhone's lock screen was a welcome addition to iOS 7. But, as a group of German security researchers has discovered, it may provide a backdoor for thieves to break into your phone. You can see a demonstration of the workaround, which uses the Control Center shortcut for Airplane Mode, in the video below from the security SR Labs. The workaround, if executed quickly and correctly, gives the thief time to spoof your fingerprint to bypass the iPhone 5s TouchID reader. While spoofing a fingerprint might not be as easy as it sounds, it's still a risk that 5s users should be aware of. The process still requires a high degree of skill that your common iPhone thief doesn't have. Still, it's only a few weeks into the phone's release. As time goes on, these methods will become more refined and easier to pull off. Thankfully there's a whole world of security professionals out there keeping a watchful eye on every possible workaround. Be aware, be secure and, for the love of God, try not to lose your phone.
Removing filters applied to photos in the iOS 7 camera app
You know the scenario -- you try to take a creative photo by applying a filter and then hate how it turns out. You decide to snap another shot, but the moment is gone, and you are left with an ugly photo of a beautiful scene. If you used iOS 7 to snap your photo, then you are fortunate as you may be able to remove that offending filter. As originally described by MacObserver, just follow these few directions below. If you are on an iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s or an iPod touch (fifth gen), then you can easily undo the camera filter in a few short steps. Just open the image in the Photos app, and click on the "Edit" button in the bottom-middle of the toolbar. When you are in editing mode as shown above, you'll notice the tri-circle icon for the filters. Tap on the filters icon and then scroll to the left to select "None." Hit "Apply" in the upper-right-hand corner and, voila! The filter will be removed. You can also change the filter to another one as I did in the image below.
Keyboard tips and secrets in iOS
In iOS 7, the keyboard got a visual overhaul but kept most of its handy shortcuts. As pointed out by TechHive, there are several tips and hidden features (many that were also present in iOS 6) that'll make your typing time a little bit easier. (Note that only applications that are updated for iOS 7 will see the new design for the keyboard.) The rundown of keyboard tips is pretty thorough, and there were some we hadn't noticed before. Most Twitter apps, for example, insert both the @ and # symbols so you can easily message someone or write a hashtag. The previously-available emoji and foreign keyboards are still there, if you turn them on in Settings. And the missing ".com" key for URL entries can be found by holding down the period in an appropriate field. There are also a handful of hidden characters that are accessible by holding down a key on the keyboard. The one I use the most is the "..." that is available by long-holding the period key in non-URL fields. You can check out the full list of shortcuts in the TechHive article. More tips on text entry in iOS: Steve's video tip on emoji and other keyboard settings Apple's tips and tricks guides for all three current iPhone models Setting up keyboard shortcuts in iOS, via our iPhone 101 series Automating text entry on iOS Getting Autocorrect to respect your colorful language (the "ducking iPhone" problem) If you have a favorite iOS tip, be sure to let us know!
Apple acknowledges iMessage bug in iOS 7, says fix is on the way
As is typically the case with any major iOS update, the release of iOS 7 has brought with it a small number of bugs. One such bug is a glitch in iMessage wherein some users aren't receiving iMessages sent to them while others are finding that they can't send iMessages at all. While restarting a troubled iOS device seems to alleviate the issue for some, this solution reportedly doesn't do the trick for everyone. To that end, Apple late on Tuesday night confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that it is aware of the issue and plans to implement a fix in an upcoming software update. "We are aware of an issue that affects a fraction of a percent of our iMessage users, and we will have a fix available in an upcoming software update," Apple said in a statement. "In the meantime, we encourage any users having problems to reference our troubleshooting documents or contact AppleCare to help resolve their issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes impacted users." Apple issued iOS 7.0.2 last week and we can only assume that iOS 7.0.3 can't be too far off.
iOS 7 video tip: How to AirDrop information between devices
One of the new features of iOS 7 is the ability to send photos, contacts and other information from one iOS device to one or more other devices through AirDrop. AirDrop works on: iPhone 5 or later iPad (fourth generation) iPad mini iPod touch (fifth generation) It's surprisingly easy to use. In this short video, we'll show how to set up AirDrop and use it to send a note between iOS 7 devices. Once you have that down, you'll be able to use any app that supports AirDrop, including Photos, Safari, Contacts, Notes, Reminders and Camera+. For troubleshooting information, be sure to check Apple's Support Knowledge Base page for AirDrop. As with our other video tips, this one can be resized to full-screen for easier viewing.
iOS 7 video tip: Using Reminders
One of the unsung heroes among the built-in apps on iOS devices is Reminders. Reminders are different from calendar events. Calendars mark your appointments, while reminders tell you what you have to do. In this short video, I'll show you how to create a new reminder list, enter a reminder, set a deadline or prioritize a reminder and show items as completed. We'll also cover deleting reminders and creating them with Siri. As with all of our video tips, this one can be expanded to full-screen for more detail.
Siri's inexplicable rickroll
TUAW received an email this afternoon from Brett M. who noted that under iOS 7, the query "What is today going to be like?" ends up displaying the WIkipedia page for "Never Gonna Give You Up". In case you missed it, that's a 1987 pop song by British singer Rick Astley that was used for rickrolling other people... As Brett mentioned, "If my query had a sly connection to one of the lyrics, I could see this, or if my query was so outrageous that I deserved to be rickrolled. But this? Very strange." If any of our readers can figure out the link between the query and the oddball response, please let us know. By the way, this does not work when asking Siri the same question under iOS 6 -- in that case, the answer is always today's weather. A TUAW hat tip to Brett M.
iOS 7 video tip: Adding the emoji keyboard and other keyboard tricks
Today we're going to pass along another short tip for those who may not have yet figured out how your friends send those emoji -- smiley faces, little animals, cars and trucks, etc... -- in Messages, emails or tweets. In addition, you'll see how to change settings to make working with your iOS virtual keyboard less frustrating and more efficient. As with all of our videos, you can go full-screen to see the details up close. If you have any tips or tricks you'd like us to include in the video tips, please use the red Tip Us button to give us your ideas.
Archiving iPhone app workflows
For app developers and bloggers, it's very instructive to have an idea of what has changed in the user interface of an app. App developers can look back and see how both the "look and feel" and steps required to perform a workflow have changed, while bloggers and other writers can use the information to update books or write posts about upgrades. Fortunately for both parties, there's a website called UX Archive run by two French developers (one of whom has moved to the Bay Area) and an American that plans to be an online museum of sorts, exhibiting the changes in app user interfaces and workflows over time. The site neatly divides the screenshots by app and task, so you can narrow down a search to just one particular task -- like creating, deleting, recording, sharing or uploading -- in one specific app. While there aren't a tremendous number of apps and versions currently archived (I counted 60 apps, with only a few showing the changes between iOS 6 and iOS 7 versions of those apps), it's a good start and UX Archive will be a helpful tool in the future provided the curators keep up with the updates. If you sign up for a free email list, UX Archive will ping you when a new workflow is added to the site.
Fiksu: iOS 7 adoption rate at 58 percent after one week
For the past week, analytics and advertising firms have been checking in with word on the adoption rate of iOS 7 -- that is, what percentage of all iOS devices are currently running the new operating system. The latest is Fiksu of Boston, which announced yesterday that iOS 7 was on 58.5 percent of all Apple mobile devices that were accessing its clients' apps. By comparison, iOS 6 was only at a 47.5 percent share after one week, while iOS 5 was at just 27.2 percent in the same amount of time. Chitika has also updated its data, and now says that iOS 7 accounts for 51.8 percent of the Apple devices accessing its servers. For iOS 6, the company saw an uptake rate of 47 percent after one week. Mixpanel has been posting hourly adoption rate figures and now shows 61.24 percent of all Apple devices running iOS 7. Taking an average of the data from all three of these firms shows an impressive 57.2 percent adoption rate, incredible when taking the huge number of iOS devices into account.
iOS 7 video tip: Short names and nicknames in Messages
Some TUAW readers have been concerned that in the Messages app under iOS 7, all they see is a person's first name in the header. It turns out that there's a setting to help change that information so that you can see the full name, first name and last initial, nickname or some other choices. In this TUAW Video Tip, you'll see just how one setting controls how names are viewed on your device. As with all of our videos, this one can be resized to full-screen mode for easier viewing.
Square prompts iOS 7 users to allow microphone access for its reader
Square has sent an email out to its users noting that they may have to make some slight settings changes if they want to continue using the Square credit card reader on their iPhone. The changes come from a new security setting in iOS 7 in which the user needs to grant each app access to the microphone or else the app will not be able to use it -- or anything that's plugged into it, like the Square reader. The email lays out the steps users must take to approve Square Register for microphone access: When you update your Apple device to iOS 7, you may need to adjust your microphone in order to swipe payment cards with your card reader. If you have already updated to iOS 7, please allow Square Register to access the microphone. Here's how: 1. Go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone 2. Turn on the Square Register slider 3. Relaunch Square Register and swipe away! If you have not yet updated to iOS 7, your app will function normally. When you do update, follow the prompt to allow microphone access the first time you open Square Register. Though this email addresses how to approve Square Register, you follow the exact same steps for any other app that needs microphone access. You'll only have to go through these steps for existing apps on your iPhone that were on it before you updated to iOS 7. Any new apps you download will prompt you to give them access to your microphone the first time you launch them.
Is the Decline button missing from incoming calls in iOS 7? It's not just you
I've not found a ton of bugs in iOS 7; some weird behaviors (mostly in older apps) and visual artifacts, sure. Bugs? Thus far the biggest one I've found is the Decline button for incoming calls disappears, seemingly at random. I've had two calls from the same number over the course of a couple of days and sometimes the Decline button is there, and sometimes it isn't. Of course, 7.0.2 hit just as I was writing this, so maybe it's fixed. Are you seeing it?
