iPad & iPhone User 167

If you want your next iPhone to have a fingerprint scanner you may be pleased to learn that Apple has filed a patent for tech described as: “Under-display fingerprint sensing based on off-axis angular light”. Essentially under screen Touch ID. While this won’t be the news that fans of the Home button were hoping for (they’ll still have to make do with the iPhone SE or an old iPhone 8) it does mean that if you prefer not to have to rely on Face ID an alternative may be available to you. Apple reveals how the technology works in the patent application, filed on 18 March 2021. Apple describes a method that will recognize fingerprints both quickly and securely. There is no indication that the fingerprint reader will replace the current face recognition –…

Apple has reportedly cut orders for all iPhones by about 20 per cent compared to the company’s plans as of December, the majority of which will come from the 12 mini. Several vendors have also been asked to temporarily stop producing mini-specific components. In total, Apple will aim for a production of 75 million iPhone devices during the first half of the year, which is slightly higher than in the same period last year. Looking at the whole of 2021, the plan is to manufacture 230 million iPhones, an increase of 11 per cent on 2020.…

Apple has updated its iWork suite of productivity apps with helpful new features and tweaks that make the apps easier to use. Most notably, the iOS apps now have ‘Precise editing controls in the Arrange Inspector’ to make it easier to fine-tune projects without a Mac. The update to version 11 affects the iPad, iPhone and Mac versions of Keynote, Numbers and Pages. The apps jumped to version 10 last March from 8.2.1. According to the release notes, the iOS iWork apps all have the following updates: • Precise editing controls in the Arrange Inspector for adjusting the look and placement of objects • Setting to always open documents in edit mode • On-screen keypads for entering exact values for text size, spacing, table size, and more • Ability to add or remove objects or…

Typically, Apple stays quiet about its future processors, preferring to announce them along with a new product. For example, we didn’t get specifics about the M1 until Apple unveiled the new MacBooks powered by it and we knew very little about the A14 before it showed up in the iPad Air. So, we probably won’t hear about the A15, the first of a new generation of Apple system-on-chips (SoCs), until Apple unveils the iPhone 13 later this year. However, we can still piece together a picture of our possible future. By studying the trend for past A-series processors and what we know about cutting-edge silicon manufacturing, along with a few educated guesses, we can get a pretty good idea of what to expect from the A15. STILL 5NM, BUT ENHANCED With the A14,…

You’ve decided that it’s finally time to switch to an iPhone. Maybe it’s the value you get in the £399 iPhone SE. Maybe you’re more concerned about privacy, or you’re tired of buying phones that only get operating system updates a year or two. Maybe you have a Mac, and want a phone that works seamlessly with it. Whatever the reason, we’re here to help make your transition from Android to iPhone as smooth as possible. Grab your old Android phone and your new iPhone and let’s make the switch. TRANSFER DATA FROM ANDROID USING THE MOVE TO iOS APP Apple’s got a fancy marketing page all about why you should switch from Android to iPhone (fave.co/3vPvugp). It’s more hype than usable advice, but the Apple does make a great resource for making…

We all know how easy it is to share photos with friends and family who also use Apple Photos. But when you throw an Android or PC user into the mix, things get a little more complicated. Since they won’t be able to view an iCloud Shared Album, you’ll need to take a few extra steps to be sure they can see your photos. There are a couple of issues at play here. First, of course, is that they don’t have an iPhone so they can’t use Apple Photos. The other issue stems from the format Apple uses on newer iPhones. Since iOS 11, Apple has used HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) for photos and HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) for videos since they take up less space. It’s not…