iphone7
Latest
Qualcomm shells out billions to uphold Apple's German iPhone ban
Apple has been ordered to cease sales of older iPhones in Germany after Qualcomm paid security bonds of 1.34 billion Euros ($1.5 billion) to enforce a court-issued ban. The judgement was originally handed down on December 20th by a Munich court as part of an international patent dispute between the two companies. Apple was ordered to cease the sale, offer for sale and importation for sale of all iPhones that were deemed in infringement of Qualcomm's power saving technology.
Apple will fix bug affecting iPhone 7 and 7 Plus microphones
Some iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models running iOS 11.3 or later are experiencing an issue with their microphones. Some users have reported that after updating, their phones' microphones stopped working, affecting voice memos, calls, FaceTime and speakerphone. Some also reported that Siri was no longer accessible. But Apple has apparently acknowledged the problem -- though not publicly -- and an internal document obtained by MacRumors instructs Apple Authorized Service Providers how to proceed if faced with an affected phone.
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 to repair iPhone 7s with 'no service' bug for free
Today Apple announced it's launching a repair program for a "small percentage" of iPhone 7 owners who are affected by a "no service" issue. Late last year MacRumors said Apple was investigating the problem and appeared ready to replace affected devices, which would display "No service" in their status bar even when cell signal was clearly available. The cause of the problem is apparently a failed component on the logic board, and Apple says affected units (with model #s A1660, A1679, and A1780) extend through its entire production run from September 2016 until now.
Apple will replace your iPhone battery even if it passes tests
Apple now has $29/£25 iPhone battery replacements available as an apology for its approach to handset slowdowns. But do you need to wait until your iPhone actually slows down before paying for a fresh power pack? Apparently not. MacRumors has confirmed an iGeneration report that Apple will replace the batteries on iPhone 6 or newer models whether or not they pass the usual diagnostic test (which recommends a replacement if the battery falls below 80 percent of its original capacity). In other words, you can go ahead if your phone just isn't lasting as long as it used to.
Apple says slower performance of older iPhones is intentional
You're not alone if you've noticed a slowdown in the performance of your older iPhone. The thing is, it may be more related to your battery than the phone itself. After a post on Reddit and a followup by benchmarking software Geekbench's founder, Apple told TechCrunch that it released a fix for premature shutdowns last year for iPhone 6, 6s and SE by smoothing out CPU demand when a battery is older, cold, or just low on juice. Apple also said that it recently extended this slowdown feature to iPhone 7 devices running iOS 11.2, and plans to "add support for other products in the future."
Qualcomm hopes to ban Apple's iPhone X sales with new lawsuit
The legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm is even hotter than you might have thought -- so hot they were suing each other on the same day. While Apple was busy suing Qualcomm over Snapdragon chips on November 29th, Qualcomm was filing its own lawsuit claiming that phones ranging from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone X violate 16 patents, including power-saving methods, interfaces and even camera autofocus. There's a matching complaint with the US International Trade Commission that would ban imports (and thus sales) of the iPhone X and other models over five of the patents.
Belkin's iPhone dongle helps you listen while you charge
Last year's Belkin Rockstar dongle was a lifesaver for iPhone 7 owners who wanted to charge their device while doing just about anything else, but it had a problem: with two Lightning ports, you still had to add a second adapter to plug in your favorite pair of 3.5mm headphones. Thankfully, those days are over. Belkin has introduced a new version of the Rockstar with a 3.5mm jack in place of one of the Lightning connectors. This still won't change the clunkiness of your setup, but at least you won't have to explain why you carry two dongles with your iPhone 8.
The new iPhones vs. the iPhone 7: What's changed?
This year's iPhone anniversary event has given us not one or two, but three new handsets to ponder over. The iPhone X is the star, offering us an edge-to-edge screen and a new front-facing TrueDepth camera. But we're still getting a new pair of numbered phones, the 8 and 8 Plus, for those who like to go a little more traditional, so to speak. If you're currently mulling an upgrade from your 7 or 7 Plus, we've made it a little easier by having the new phones face off in two tables -- one comparing the 4.7-inch devices and another for their bigger siblings, with the iPhone X making an appearance in both. Of course, specs aren't everything, so we'll have a review (or two) for you later this year for all the phones we saw today.
Apple adds a mail-in option to its iPhone Upgrade Program
Apple is adding a mail-in option to its iPhone Upgrade Program, making it easier to ditch your suddenly-outdated iPhone 7 Plus after tomorrow's 10th-anniversary iPhone showcase. First spotted by techdude13 on the MacRumors forums, the page for Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program now lists mail-in trade-in kits as an option. If you decide to have a new iPhone shipped directly to your door, Apple will also send along a package with a pre-paid shipping label so you can return that old hunk of junk.
Hobbyist gives iPhone 7 the headphone jack we've always wanted
For those of you who miss the iPhone headphone jack, you're definitely not alone. But Strange Parts creator Scotty Allen missed it so much that he decided to add one to his iPhone 7. He just posted a video of the project's entire saga, with all of its many ups and downs, and in the end he holds what he set out to create - a current generation iPhone with a fully functional headphone jack. It turns out, real courage is adding the headphone jack back to the iPhone.
Pebble founder's comeback is a battery case for iPhone and AirPods
After ushering in the smartwatch movement in 2012, Eric Migicovsky's Pebble brand fell by the wayside. The company was saved from bankruptcy by Fitbit, which acquired its talent and software last year, but ditched its beloved devices. Now, the man behind the e-watch timepiece is returning to the site of his greatest success: Kickstarter. And, this time, he's packing an iPhone case.
The best smartphones and mobile gear for students
Some of us here at Engadget can remember a time when cellphones on college campuses were strictly "for emergencies" (read: calls home to Mom and Dad). By now, of course, things have changed: Our handsets come with us everywhere, and most of us don't have to worry about pissing off our parents by exceeding our minutes allotment. We imagine many of today's college freshmen already have phones, but for those of you who've earned an upgrade, we crammed five into our back-to-school guide, including some budget options. Not in the market yet for a new phone? You might still want an external battery pack, a fast microSDXC card or, heaven forbid, a "selfie case," which is definitely a thing.
iOS 11 could use the iPhone’s NFC chip for more than Apple Pay
Apple may have an awkward history of avoiding and then embracing NFC in the past, but new developments at this week's Worldwide Developer's Conference indicate those days are long gone. Apple already announced new NFC functions coming to the Apple Watch with watchOS 4, but according to documents for the upcoming iOS 11 release, the iPhone's NFC chip might also be handling much more than just Apple Pay transactions and Passbook check-ins.
Mophie's cases add wireless charging to iPhone 7 and Galaxy S8
Mophie's cases provide a quick way to add wireless charging capabilities to iPhones and Samsung Galaxy S devices, and now they're available for the models' latest iterations. The accessories maker has released charge force cases for the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. These leather-wrapped cases are compatible not only with any Mophie wireless charger, but also with Qi and other wireless charging systems. Just put one on your phone if you don't feel like messing with wires, though note that it still leaves access to your device's charging port.
'How to shoot on iPhone' videos explain why your pictures suck
The iPhone camera has been a consistently emphasized point by Apple, and for good reason. The quality of pictures it can take increases with each iteration, and for most people, smartphone cameras have become their primary way to take photos. Of course, not all of our pictures come out looking like those highlight shots Apple uses in its ad campaigns, but several videos and a website the company just posted may help close the gap.
Qualcomm might try to block iPhone shipments over royalty dispute
The Qualcomm vs. Apple licensing squabble had already gotten messy with lawsuits flying in both directions, but a report by Bloomberg says things could go to the next level soon. That's because according to sources, Qualcomm plans to ask the ITC to block Apple from importing its phones from where they're built in Asia to the US, ahead of new devices that we're anticipating in the fall. We don't know if it could be successful, although Qualcomm holds a number of patents in the space and Apple stopped making payments while the dispute is ongoing.
The Galaxy S8 vs. the competition: Both beauty and beast
Samsung's had a rough year, but it's hoping that its new flagship phones can turn things around. In fact, the company's wants you to see the Galaxy S8 as a new type of handset: bigger and bolder in shape, with personal assistant Bixby and a desktop mode to sweeten the pot. But it's entering a market already full of swank devices like the Google Pixel (with its amazing camera) and the iPhone 7. While you'll have to wait for our full review to see how the S8 fares in the wild, we've lined up its specs against some of the competition to see if it's bringing the right tools to the field.
Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus now come in red
In the midst of launching a new video-editing app for the iPhone and iPad, Apple has also just snuck out a new special-edition red iPhone 7, with barely any fanfare. (Although rumors that something was afoot began earlier today when Apple's online store went down.) The red aluminum iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be launching globally, adding some welcome color to the black and plainer metallic shades we've had until now.
Apple's 'polarizing' new products are paying off
Throughout much of 2016, it seemed like lots of Apple fans were unhappy. The year brought few updates to the Mac (and the one big change was quite polarizing), a barely redesigned iPhone with no headphone jack, AirPods that shipped two months late and a new Apple Watch that was a modest improvement to a product still seen as nonessential. But it's time to accept that the complainers on the internet (including those of us in the media) might not have our fingers on the pulse of Apple fandom. Case in point: Apple just reported a massively successful quarter. According to CEO Tim Cook, both iPhone and Apple Watch sales hit records for both unit sales and revenue. In the case of the iPhone, that reversed three consecutive quarters of declining sales. The iPhone turnaround had to be a huge relief for Apple: The product is the company's biggest revenue source by far.
