With both Android and iOS phones making privacy updates that will make it impossible for Google or Apple to unlock a device without a user’s passcode, even with a warrant, authorities from local police to the head of the FBI to the U.S. Attorney General are saying there should be some sort of backdoor way to gain access to these devices. But what they don’t realize is that leaving in that additional point of access just makes phones more vulnerable to other forms of snooping. [More]
ios 8
Did Verizon FiOS Slow Down Customers’ Apple Downloads? Nope
By 9.25.14
It’s been a busy week for Apple’s download servers, as iPhone and iPad owners eagerly downloaded a new operating system, and owners of the new iPhone 6 downloaded an update, then frantically rolled back that update to avoid some issues. All this meant one thing: lots of downloads from computers and mobile devices alike of the new and old operating systems. [More]
Here’s How You Can Roll Back The Unfortunate iOS 8.0.1 Update
By 9.25.14
Millions of people worldwide rushed out to purchase the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last week, and Apple immediately pushed out an early operating system upgrade to fix a few minor problems with the phones. Unfortunately, this update caused other problems in turn, like, um, losing their cellular service. Or the use of the phone’s thumbprint sensor. You know, minor stuff, but it still moved people to commemorate the update in song. [More]
This Is Probably The Best Pop Song Ever Written About Today’s Failed iOS 8 Update
By 9.24.14
The songbook of history is filled with countless odes written in response to this morning’s disastrous update to Apple’s iOS 8 operating system, but this one has to be the catchiest of them all. [More]
Apple Pulls Latest iOS 8 Update After Complaints About Lost Phone Service
By 9.24.14
Thank god no one actually uses smartphones to make calls anymore. Apple has been pushing out an update to its new iOS 8 operating system for iPhones that fixes some bugs from the initial release, but is leaving some people without phone service. [More]
No, iOS 8 Does Not Allow You To Charge Your Phone In The Microwave
By 9.24.14
Things you can put into the microwave and turn it on: Food, microwave safe dishes, objects that will not melt. Things you cannot put into a microwave and turn it on: Metal, plastic, and any kind of electrical object you could think of, including cell phones, smartphones and tablets. So no, there is no update with iOS 8 that allows iPhone users to recharge their batteries by microwaving their phones. Sigh. [More]
Some iOS 8 Privacy Settings You Might Want To Tweak
By 9.19.14
If you got a new iPhone today, or you’re one of the many millions of people with older iPhones and iPads that have now been updated to iOS 8, here are some new privacy settings that you should probably check out sooner rather than later. [More]
Updating To iOS 8? Remember To Turn Off Your Bluetooth Afterward
By 9.18.14
In advance of the new iPhones coming out this week, Apple has begun rolling out iOS 8, the latest iteration of its operating system for iPhones and iPads. With some who’ve updated their devices already complaining about inefficient battery use, we wanted to remind you of a power-draining annoyance that occurs with every recent update of iOS. [More]
Apple: We Won’t Unlock Devices When The Police Ask, Because iOS 8 Doesn’t Let Us
By 9.18.14
After nude photos of celebrities stolen off the iCloud showed up all over the Internet, Apple had a whole lot of egg on its face from customers worried about their own privacy. It seems the company is taking steps to counteract some of those concerns, at least so far as devices are involved, announcing last night that with the iOS 8 software update comes another layer of privacy: The company itself will no longer be able to unlock customers’ devices, even when served with a search warrant. [More]
Apple Will Prevent Businesses From Tracking iPhone Users Via Wifi
By 6.10.14
Remember when Nordstrom began tracking customers’ movements in and out of their stores by using smartphones’ individual Media Access Control (MAC) addresses if those phones tried to connect to in-store wifi, then abruptly stopped when the public found out about it? App developers say that Apple is ending such tracking in the next version of its mobile operating system by randomizing MAC addresses. [More]
