iOS 11's Most Obnoxious Features

For iOS 11's Most Obnoxious Features

iOS 11 brings a lot of new and exciting features to the iPhone and iPad. It also brings a lot of pretty annoying ones.

Like most new operating systems, iOS 11 has had a few hiccups during its first full week out on the town, including a bug that made it impossible for Microsoft Exchange users to send or receive emails using their iPhones.

While that email issue was fixed, some things are here to stay. Here are a few of the most obnoxious things Apple did with iOS 11.

The iPad Keyboard is Cluttered

I’ve been pretty vocal about my strong dislike for the iPad’s new Flick Keys feature, to a point that I wrote a post explaining how to turn it off. If you spend some time with the keyboard, it looks like something you could definitely get used to. However, I wish this was something you opted into rather than how Apple chose to make the default keyboard for iPad in iOS 11.

32-bit Apps Don’t Work

With iOS 11 Apple ditched support for 32-bit apps. It’s been telling developers that their apps will need to be updated to 64-bit for a while, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. That said, if you were still using some older apps they might stop working with iOS 11, and since the developers haven’t updated them yet, chances are good those older apps will be gone forever.

Control Center Doesn’t Turn Off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

For most of us, opening the Control Center was a great way to quickly toggle off Bluetooth or Wi-Fi without having to navigate through the Settings menu on your phone or tablet. With iOS 11, those controls are still there, but they don’t actually fully turn things off. The point of leaving them on is to allow your phone to still communicate with things like the Apple Watch and Apple Pencil, but it’s pretty annoying that turning things “off” doesn’t actually do that anymore. We wrote a post detailing what you have to do now to turn off those features.

The New App Store Will Bombard you With Autoplay Ads

The new App Store is great, but it also is loaded with autoplay ads. If you want to turn them off (who actually wants autoplay ads to begin with?) you can do that by going to the Settings menu on your phone followed by iTunes & App Stores, and then toggle Video Autoplay to Off (or Wi-Fi only, if you like the ads but don’t want them eating up your data).

No Facebook or Twitter Integration

Now if you want to share things through Facebook and Twitter, you’ll need to have those apps installed on your phone rather than being able to just sign in through the Settings menu. Most people probably have the apps installed already, but if you were someone who wanted to be able to post to Facebook without having the app to distract you on your phone, now you’re SOL.

Night Shift is Hard to Find

At first glance, it looks like Apple has removed Night Shift from Control Center. Instead, Apple just relocated the feature to inside the brightness settings on the iPhone. If you’re a frequent user of the feature, we wrote up an explanation of where you can find it now, as well as how to use a new feature Apple added with iOS 11: Smart Inverse Colors.

Get iOS 11.2 Wallpapers

How to Get iOS 11.2, Which Brings iPhone X Wallpapers to Older iPhones

Apple just released iOS 11.1, but it’s already testing out the next big software update (3:22 pm - updated to reflect the public release of iOS 11.1). The first developer preview for iOS 11.2 arrived this week, bringing some small but exciting improvements to the operating system.

What’s New In iOS 11.2?

The most notable change coming to iOS may be the addition of new wallpapers that were previously limited to the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. It didn’t take long for those wallpapers to leak, but once iOS 11.2 hits, you can use them on your older iPhone without having to download images from a third-party website first.

Apple also fixed an annoying bug in its calculator app that was introduced with iOS 11. The bug sometimes caused the calculator to malfunction and spit out the wrong answer when you entered symbols into it too quickly, according to MacRumors.

Other updates include some slightly redesigned emoji, following the influx of new cartoon images added in iOS 11.1., and new loading animations for Live Photo effects. iOS 11.2 also introduces AirPlay 2 with a new system for switching between audio players, but it only works with other devices running the iOS 11.2 preview too.

How to Get iOS 11.2

Your best bet is to wait for the iOS 11.2 public beta, which is usually available a few days after each developer preview release. In the meantime, you’ll want to join the Apple Beta Software Program if you haven’t signed up in the past. You should also back up your iPhone to a Mac or PC beforehand on the off chance that something goes wrong.

Once the public beta hits, just follow the directions at the bottom of this article and those new iPhone wallpapers should be yours in no time.

iPhone X Teardown Finds More Battery

iPhone X Teardown Finds More Battery Power Than the iPhone 8 Plus

The iPhone X is finally here, and that means it’s time for the first iPhone X teardown. As usual, iFixit is doing the honors, prying open Apple’s new smartphone to see what’s inside and how hard repairs will be.

The results are in and it turns out the iPhone X actually has more battery power than the iPhone 8 Plus, despite the new phone’s smaller footprint. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the iPhone X will last longer. Here’s what you need to know about the iPhone X and its battery life if you’re buying a new smartphone.

What iFixit Found in the iPhone X

iFixit’s teardown revealed a few surprises, but the biggest is that Apple actually packed two batteries into the iPhone X. That’s a first for the company, and it brings the device’s battery power up to a total of 2716 milliamps per hour. That’s slightly more than the iPhone 8 Plus (2691 mAh) but significantly less than Android handsets like the Galaxy Note 8 (3300 mAh) and the Pixel 2 XL (3520 mAh).

Apple was able to make space for two batteries in the iPhone X by shrinking down the footprint of its motherboard to about 70 percent of its size on the iPhone 8. They did that by actually folding the component in half and soldering it together.

iFixit also notes that the display and battery are both easy to repair on the iPhone X. As an added bonus, you can replace the screen without removing the Face ID module, which should make repairs a lot easier. Overall, the new phone earned a repairability score of 6 out of 10 overall (same as the iPhone 8 Plus).

Does More Battery Power Actually Mean More Battery Life?

You might think that the iPhone X’s extra battery power would keep it running for longer than the iPhone 8 Plus. But that’s not the case, at least according to a battery test performed by Tom’s Guide.

The tech reviews site found that the iPhone X battery actually performed slightly worse than the iPhone 8 Plus, though it easily beat the smaller iPhone 8. It also fell just short of Samsung’s Galaxy S8 Plus and Galaxy Note 8 (not pictured in the chart above), and got crushed by Google’s Pixel XL 2.

It’s not clear exactly why the iPhone X performed worse than the iPhone 8 Plus, though it’s possible the new phone’s bigger 5.8-inch screen simply uses more power. It’s also possible that Apple’s new facial recognition technology could contribute to the lower battery life, but we don’t know for sure.

So if you want a new iPhone with the best battery life you’re actually better off with the iPhone 8 Plus. And if you simply want the best battery life of any smartphone on the market, the Pixel 2 XL is the clear choice.

Get the iPhone X's Exclusive New Ringtone

How to Get the iPhone X's Exclusive New Ringtone on Your Older iPhone

One of the many ways Apple sets its smartphones apart from the herd is with special ringtones, dating back to the original iPhone and its iconic Marimba melody. The iPhone X is no different. It features an exclusive default ringtone called “Reflection,” so that everyone around you will know that you shelled out for the pricey new gadget as soon as it starts to ring.

If you’re looking to status signal without dropping $1,000 (or just really like the way “Reflection” sounds), there’s a way to get the new ringtone on your current iPhone right now for free. Here’s how to do it (courtesy of Gadget Hacks).

How to Install the iPhone X Ringtone on an Old iPhone

Before we get started, it’s probably worth listening to Reflection for yourself to decide if it’s actually worth the effort. Here’s what it sounds like:

Still interested? Great. The first thing you’ll need to do is download the Reflection audio file onto a Mac or PC. You can grab the ringtone from MediaFire right here.

Next, connect your iPhone to that computer via USB and launch iTunes. Then open the folder with your downloaded copy of Reflection and drag the file into iTunes. Drop it in the left side of the window under Tones, which should show up below your iPhone’s name.

Once that’s done, pick up your iPhone and head into Settings. Tap on “Sound & Haptics” and then “Ringtone.” You should see a new option titled “Reflection.” Select that, and you’re all finished. Now see if you can fool a few people into thinking you have an iPhone X.

New Way to Force Restart on the iPhone 8

There's a New Way to Force Restart on the iPhone 8 Here's How to Do It

Apple is quickly moving away from the classic iPhone Home button we all know and love. Last year’s iPhone 7 replaced the physical button with a touchpad and haptic feedback, and the upcoming iPhone X removes it entirely in favor of a futuristic face-scanning camera.

Ditching the Home button also means finding a new way to force your iPhone to restart since the old method no longer works. Here’s how to manually reboot your new iPhone 8 if it stops working, plus a few other more drastic options if even that doesn’t fix whatever’s wrong with your phone.

How to force restart your iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus

9to5Mac has a useful guide for manually rebooting the iPhone 8 with a video tutorial, but it’s a little tricky. You’ll need to quickly press and release the Volume Up button, then do the same with Volume Down and finally hold down the Side button (previously known as the sleep/wake button) to force a restart.

The entire thing should take a little over 10 seconds. If you’re successful, the screen will turn black and then the Apple logo will appear onscreen as the iPhone 8 begins to restart.

What to do if the force restart doesn’t work

If your iPhone 8 is frozen or bricked and a force restart doesn’t help, you still have other options before schlepping to the nearest Apple Store for help.

The first is recovery-mode, which requires connecting your iPhone to a Mac. Plug it in with a USB or Lightning cable. Then do a force restart, but keep holding the Side button even after you see the Apple logo onscreen. Eventually, you’ll see an icon telling you to connect to iTunes. At this point you can release the Side button, then launch iTunes where you can either update or restore your iPhone 8's software. Once you’re done, hold down the Side button again until the Connect to iTunes icon goes away.

If that still doesn’t fix the problem you may need to change the firmware on your iPhone 8 with a Device Firmware Update. To get into DFU mode, connect your phone to a computer and do a force restart. When the screen turns black, keep holding the Side button while also holding down the Volume Down button for 5 seconds. Then let go of the Side button but keep pressing Volume Down for 10 more seconds.

The screen will stay black and you can launch iTunes on your computer. If it worked you should see a message that says “iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. You must restore this iPhone before it can be used with iTunes.” When you’re done, do a force restart to return your iPhone to regular use.

Check out the video below for more help, and if you still can’t get your iPhone to work you can always head to the Apple Store for some in-person support.

How to Buy an iPhone X This Week Info

How to Buy an iPhone X This Week Info

The iPhone X, Apple’s thousand-dollar smartphone, drops Friday, November 3. If you’re waiting for the right time to buy, this week is it. Apple just revealed how to get your hands on the phone in the first round of sales (or at least try). Depending on your preferred method of acquisition, the face-scanning, notch-having iOS device could be yours without you having to heft your body to an actual Apple retail store.

Pre-Order Online (if You Can)

Save yourself the trouble of going to a physical Apple store to pre-order your iPhone X online; you can do it all from Apple’s website, or through the Apple Store app. That is, if you’re planning to stay up very late on Thursday, since pre-orders start on Friday, October 27 at 12:01 am PDT. Even though you might be second in line at your local Apple Store, pre-ordering online is a different beast entirely. Everyone around the world will be hitting Apple’s site, attempting to purchase the (homely) device. That means servers processing orders will slow to a crawl, and you might suffer from a connection timeout, which could set you back a bit or force you to restart the pre-order process entirely. Remember to breathe, or at least use a wired Internet connection.

Apple Upgrade Members Get First Dibs

Membership has its privileges, especially if you’re looking to get a new iPhone X. Eligible members of the iPhone Upgrade Program can start the upgrade process early and shave some time off their pre-order by getting their order in before the regular buyers are able to do the same. You’ll need your device’s serial number and IMEI, which you can find in your iPhone’s Settings app after going to General > About. A credit check is required, but if you pass that, you can advance through the process and get your midnight pre-order off quickly and efficiently so you can hit the sack. Over the course of two years, you’ll be paying $49.91 per month for the 64GB model, or $56.16 per month for the 256GB model.

Hit Up the Apple Store

Thrill-seekers can always try their luck and attempt to get an iPhone X in the flesh. You can walk into any Apple Store on Friday, November 3 at 8:00 am and buy one there, but you’ll probably be one of many waiting in line for the flagship device. Thanks to alleged production issues, iPhone X supplies will be limited, so waiting in line with the rest of the iPhone X faithful might not be the best idea due to the limited number of devices, combined with the early birds showing up to wait in line before you can ask Siri about Friday morning’s weather. You’re better than this. Use the Internet.

Go Through Your Carrier

Every carrier will have its own supply of iPhone X devices, but you can try to increase your chances of snagging one by following your carrier’s pre-order instructions. Pre-orders begin the same time as Apple’s own pre-order program. You can try walking into your carrier’s retail store, but the chances they’ll have enough devices to keep up with launch day demand is slim.

Manual Book iphone x

Get to Know Your iPhone X With This Handy User Manual

Okay, so you just threw down a cool $1K for a new iPhone X. It’s gorgeous, it’s filled with nifty advanced tech, and—you have no idea how to use it. This will help.

The iPhone X user manual in the linked tweet above is from Joanna Stern at The Wall Street Journal,

and covers all sorts of useful tips Apple doesn’t really spell out for their customers. You’ll learn how to wake up your screen with a discreet tap, which side you use to open your notifications or Control Center, how to launch Apple Pay with two quick presses of the sleep/wake button, and even how to easily reset your iPhone X.

Once you’ve got some of the quick basics down, you can take a deeper dive with our tips and tricks guide. If you want to see a full-size version that zooms into each part of the iPhone X, check out the link below.

The iPhone X User Manual Apple Forgot | The Wall Street Journal