Apple

The next generation of the iPhone could have no physical buttons at all. The volume and power buttons could be replaced with sensors similar to the touchscreen itself. The news comes from leaks in the component manufacturing market that are normally ... reliable, though it's not certain the changes will come quickly enough for the iPhone 16's release, expected this summer. Similar rumors came before last year's iPhone 15, but Apple reportedly dropped plans because of manufacturing challenges. The theory of the latest rumors is that the physical buttons will be replaced with capacitive input. That ... (view more)

Apple has confirmed some users will be able to download iOS apps from websites rather than an app store. But the relaxation of rules comes with a major limitation. The new policy applies to European Union countries and is part of Apple's response to ... the Digital Markets Act. That's a new rule that says operators of services with a very large number of users in Europe must remove some barriers to competition. These generally include opening services up to third party access. That includes iOS apps were historically Apple has strictly enforced a rule that users can only install apps from its ... (view more)

Major tech companies including Microsoft and Meta say Apple is trying to weasel out of a court ruling on the way it handles app payments. They've weighted in on a court dispute about how to enforce a judgment against Microsoft. The case centers on ... in-app payments where people who've already installed an app give extra money to the app developers. Common examples include subscriptions to a digital service or payments for additional content in games. Apple demands a cut of either 15 or 30 percent of such payments made through its payment handling services. Critics, including games maker Epic, ... (view more)

Apple has warned users not to dry an iPhone in a bag of rice. It says the popular "tip" won't repair water damage and could cause even more problems. Numerous online guides have suggested the fix in cases where a phone is dropped into water and ... stops working. They usually suggest putting the phone in a zip-lock bag with uncooked rice, the logic being that the rice will absorb moisture, eventually drying out even the inside of a phone. Apple has now updated its official advice to include examples of what not to do: Don't dry your iPhone using an external heat source or compressed air. Don't ... (view more)

Apple appears to be exploring loopholes in its recent agreement to allow iPhone users to install apps from sources other than its official store. It wants to continue reviewing apps and taking commission from developers, which could significantly ... undermine the effect of the changes. The company has until March 7 to comply with new rules in Europe. Rather than fight the rules or pull out of the market altogether, it decided to allow sideloading for users in European Union countries . Unlike with some physical device changes made to meet European rules, Apple won't be extending the policy to ... (view more)

Apple is reportedly planning to allow iPhone owners to use third-party app stores and "sideloaded" apps. But the move appears to be limited to Europe, complying with local regulations. Throughout the existence of the iPhone and iPad, Apple has been ... adamant about only allowing users to install software downloaded from the official Apple store. It argues that's necessary to maintain security and ensure compatibility and performance to make sure users get the best experience. Cynics counter it's actually about maintaining a monopoly on supplying apps, giving Apple more power to charge ... (view more)

Google has lost a major court battle with respect to the way people pay for mobile app services. It's a surprise verdict as Apple prevailed in an extremely similar case against the same opponent. Both cases involved antitrust cases brought by Epic ... Games, which makes the hugely popular game Fortnite. In both cases, Epic complained about the way Apple and Google take a cut of payments from app developers. In this case, Epic said Google's cut of 30 percent for apps in the official Play Store was too high. It said Google was able to set the rate because of a lack of alternative routes to ... (view more)

A police department has warned parents of a new iPhone feature it says could allow shady people to get contact details for children. However, tech experts say the police claim is overblown at best and misleading at worst. The feature is called Name ... Drop and is in the latest version of iOS. It should now be running on most iPhones released in the past 15 years. The feature is also in many models of the Apple Watch. According to the Watertown, Connecticut Police Department, writing on Facebook: "With the new Apple update 'NameDrop' is enabled by default. With this feature enabled, anyone ... (view more)

Apple has finally agreed to make its messaging service fully compatible with most other services. But, it will ignore requests to make non-Apple SMS texts green . The move affects iMessage, the tool on iPhones and iPads that lets users send messages ... over the Internet through both WiFi and cellular data. It will now support RCS (Rich Communication Services), the standard for such messages. RCS is a successor to SMS (short messaging service) which was the original way people could send text messages to one another. As well as working over the Internet (and thus not counting towards a monthly ... (view more)

Apple has acknowledged widespread complaints regarding overheating issues with the newly launched iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. These problems stem from a variety of factors, with a key contributor being a software glitch found in iOS 17 and a few ... apps. iPhone 15 Pro Max Heats Up to 98F Shortly after the iPhone 15 series hit the market, reports began to surface from users who experienced excessive heat or overheating with their new devices. Some users even found it uncomfortable to hold their phones, and there were instances of infrared thermometers registering temperatures exceeding 80 degrees ... (view more)