Table of contents for 176 in iPad & iPhone User

Apple has honoured the top apps of 2021. The winners included developers whose ‘apps and games were selected by Apple’s global App Store editorial team for delivering exceptional quality, innovative technology, creative design and positive cultural impact’. Here are the winners as selected by the App Store editorial team: iPhone App of the Year: Toca Life World, from Toca Boca iPad App of the Year: LumaFusion, from LumaTouch Mac App of the Year: Craft, from Luki Labs Limited Apple Watch App of the Year: Carrot Weather, from Grailr iPhone Game of the Year: League of Legends: Wild Rift, from Riot Games iPad Game of the Year: Marvel Future Revolution, from Netmarble Corporation Mac Game of the Year: Myst, from Cyan Apple TV Game of the Year: Space Marshals 3, from…

If you’ve ever texted with an Android user, you know how conversations can quickly get overrun with ‘Jason laughed at’ this or ‘Roman liked’ that messages. As soon as an Android user joins a group conversation, Apple’s iMessage reaction expressions turn to text prompts so no one misses out on what’s happening. That’s changing thanks to the latest Google Messages update that’s rolling out. According to 9to5Google, who previously dug through the APK for a beta version (10.7) of the app’s APK, the update is rolling to all users and completely changes the way Android phones interact with iMessages. According to the code, Google has changed expressions such as ‘Liked’, ‘Emphasized’ and ‘Laughed’ to ‘ios_ reaction_classification’ and ‘Show iPhone reactions as emoji’ as well as ‘ios_reactions_mapping’. That means reactions won’t…

Over the years, I’ve used iPhones of all sizes. My first smartphone was the original 3.5in iPhone, and I’ve carried every size screen at some point – the 4in iPhone 5s, the 4.7in iPhone 6s, the 5.5in iPhone 7 Plus, the 5.8in iPhone X, the 6.1in iPhone 11, and most recently, the 5.4in iPhone 12 mini. So when the iPhone 13 launched, I naturally ordered the one missing from that list: the 6.7in iPhone 13 Pro Max. That’s a full 1.3 inches bigger than the iPhone 12 mini that I’ve been using for the past 11 months, so it definitely took some getting used to. But along with the size and the weight – both not insignificant hurdles to overcome – I’ve learned some surprising things about the differences between…

Price: £369 from fave.co/3IMceHd It’s not often that a major new Apple product could be fairly, and completely, reviewed in a single tweet. This may come as close as any ever has: “It’s a Series 6 with a slightly bigger display and faster charging,” is far less than 250 characters. But it feels like a stretch to find other things to say about the Series 7. This could be the least-significant yearly update to the Apple Watch ever, and while that in no way makes it bad (this is still the best smartwatch around) it’s hard not to be disappointed. A BIGGER DISPLAY The star of the Series 7 is the display. It’s about 20 per cent larger than in the Series 6. Most of this increase in size comes…

When Apple bought the scraps of Intel’s modem business in 2019, it was just a matter of time before it started selling phones without Qualcomm modems. According to a new report, that time is rapidly approaching. Japan-based Nikkei Asia reports that Apple has tapped TSMC to build the new modem, which will use 4nm chip production technology. The current modem in the iPhone 13, Qualcomm’s X60, is built on a 5nm process. The report says production for new modem will begin in 2023. According to the report, Apple is building the modem from the ground up with its own radio frequency and millimetre wave components as well as a custom power management chip, however, the first iteration might not be integrated into the processor. DigiTimes also reported that Apple’s first…

While Apple may design its chips so cooling fans are largely unnecessary, Razer thinks the iPhone still needs one. A big one. With lights! For £60, you can now buy a MagSafe-compatible Razer Phone Cooler Chroma that attaches to the back of your iPhone to add a seven-blade fan with up to 6,400rpm and RGB lighting. Razer supplied Macworld with tech specs for the device and it’s quite large, measuring 65.8mm in diameter and 24.1mm deep. Razer says the Phone Cooler’s “electronic Peltier cooling tile with heat sink draws heat away from your smartphone and dissipates it with a powerful yet quiet seven-blade fan, ensuring maximum airflow with minimal noise”. It adds that the fan’s noise profile is just 30 decibels, which is pretty quiet. But since it’s literally attached…

We’ve heard a lot of stories over the past few months about how protective Apple is of its App Store guidelines and, more importantly, commission, but this one might take the cake. According to a series of emails disclosed as part of the Epic Games trial, Microsoft was willing to bring exclusive triple-A Xbox games to the iOS App Store before talks fell apart. It’s all very tantalizingly close to what Xbox gamers have wanted for years: a powerful handheld gaming system that doesn’t need to be tied down to a console. The email correspondence between Microsoft Xbox head of business development Lori Wright and members of Apple’s App Store teams show that Microsoft was eager to get Xbox games through individual apps on the iPhone rather than the browser-based…

The Apple Watch Series 7 is available for purchase, but unlike prior years, there aren’t any huge standout sensors or features. Yes, the screen is bigger than the Series 6, but otherwise, the Apple Watch Series 7 isn’t a huge upgrade over its predecessor. That just means you have some time to take a close look at the Apple Watch Series 7. In fact, the Series 6 is still the only flagship Watch you can buy, so you might be able to find a really good price on it before the Series 7 hits shelves. So if you have an older Apple Watch and you want to upgrade, or you’re looking to buy your first Apple Watch, don’t automatically count out the Series 6. Let’s take a look at how…

The seemingly never-ending saga of Apple versus Epic Games took another turn last month, as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted Apple a stay on a previous judge’s ruling requiring it to make changes to its app developer rules for the App Store. The changes would have had to go in place on 9 December. Apple was originally denied a stay in the anti-steering ruling that would have required it to implement some method of allowing developers to link to an outside payment source from within an iPhone app. Apple argued that the fast turnaround didn’t allow proper time “to protect consumers and safeguard its platform while the company works through the complex and rapidly evolving legal, technological, economic issues”. An appeals court saw Apple’s point and granted the…

Barely a week after Apple sold more devices than we can possibly count over the Black Friday-Cyber Monday frenzy, Bloomberg started spreading gloom and doom regarding iPhone sales. According to the publication’s sources, Apple had alerted suppliers that demand for the iPhone 13 had weakened heading into 2022. As usual, any Apple report is headline-grabbing news, especially if it’s negative. But also as usual, these reports should be taken with a grain of salt. I’m not doubting the veracity of Bloomberg’s “people familiar with the matter”, but it’s something like a supply-chain version of telephone. Every year about this time someone writes an article about how iPhones sales are slumping because Apple is chopping orders. I’m quite sure that Apple is indeed warning that it may need to cut January…

In September, we saw the unveiling of four new iPhone handsets: the 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max. Those new handsets joined the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 11 and SE, all of which are still available. With eight different iPhones to choose from there is something for everyone, but which iPhone is the best? For many diehard fans the obvious choice is the most recent iPhone with the best specs. But many people simply don’t need – or can’t afford – the most expensive model. So you must think about what matters. What’s your budget? How large a screen do you want and need? Are you happy with a single-lens camera on the back, or is it worth paying extra for twin or triple lenses? We’ve racked…

Lots of people bought Apple products over Christmas because of how they look on the outside, but most of them probably didn’t give much thought to the design under the pretty enclosures. But an Apple collector has given us a reason to appreciate what’s inside our favourite devices. Collector Giulio Zompetti has posted pictures of a pair of Apple devices on Twitter that he claims are translucent prototypes of AirPods (image 1). It’s unclear why these prototypes were made, but presumably, they were never actually considered for sale but rather used to help with engineering. Still, it’s a look that many Apple fans would happily pay for. Zompetti also shared an image of a clear 29-watt power adapter (image 2) that might be even more beautiful than the AirPods. It’s…