Table of contents for 175 in iPad & iPhone User

Months after patching the iOS vulnerability that led to the infamous Pegasus spyware, Apple has announced it is suing NSO Group, the organization reportedly behind the spyware, In addition to the suit, Apple is also seeking a permanent injunction to ban NSO Group from using any Apple software, services or devices. The Pegasus spyware came to light after a Washington Post report uncovered a global spyware operation targeting iPhones and Android phones. The investigations, which were conducted in conjunction with non-profit groups Citizen Lab, Forbidden Stories, Amnesty International and other human rights groups, found that military grade spyware was used to hack dozens of phones belonging to “journalists, human rights activists, business executives and two women close to murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi”. Though it was extremely unlikely that the…

If you’ve downloaded iOS 15, you might have noticed something different about your iCloud account. Apple is upgrading all paid iCloud accounts to something it calls iCloud+. It includes several interesting new features on top of the existing iCloud storage, sync, and cloud features, but the most interesting might be something Apple calls iCloud Private Relay. At first, it sounds like a VPN: your web browsing traffic is encrypted and sent through a relay to hide your exact location, IP or the contents of your browsing traffic. It’s not a VPN, though. Not quite. There are important differences, which we’ll describe here. But iCloud Private Relay may be enough for most people, giving the most obvious benefits of a VPN to millions of users who would never consider signing up…

Price: £169 from fave.co/3oTGuqe We’ve been waiting for Apple to release an update to its basic AirPods for quite some time. First released five years ago, AirPods have become a huge hit and nearly ubiquitous everywhere you see in-ear wireless earbuds, but the second-generation update two years ago left much to be desired – it improved battery life and added hands-free ‘Hey, Siri’ support and not much else. AirPods Pro are a wonderful step up from basic AirPods, but the £239 price is out of reach for many. Now we have the third-generation AirPods. Finally, basic and more affordable AirPods bring some of what we love about the AirPods Pro down to a more affordable level. Longer battery life, a more comfortable design with shorter stems, and greatly improved sound…

ADVENTURE & STORY GAMES 1. Banner Saga Price: £9.99 Banner Saga blends ingredients from adventure-style text-based decisionmaking and turn-based grid combat. In any given skirmish, you command a squad of up to six fighters, selected from a larger caravan of personnel that ebbs and flows in response to your decisions and performance. The battles play out like Final Fantasy Tactics or games of that ilk, with each turn providing the ability to move a hero a certain number of squares and then perform an action, whether it’s a melee or weapon attack or a magic/support interaction. Outside of combat, things are just as dangerous. You make decisions about almost everything, and you’ll pay for slip-ups. Even dialogue selections feed into how the storyline twists and turns on the road ahead.…

Apple has been steadily improving its AI image recognition with every release of iOS, and iOS 15 kicks it into another gear with several new AI-powered features such as Live Text and Visual Look Up. The latter is part of an all-new info pane in the Photos app, which shows you more details about the camera, lens, shutter speed, file size, and more. You can even edit the location or date. With Visual Look Up, certain objects in an image will be recognized automatically and, with a tap, you can bring up more info about it. Visual Look Up recognizes many kinds of plants and animals, famous landmarks, books, and famous works of art. Here’s how you use it. HOW TO USE VISUAL LOOK UP This new feature is built…

Apple has always encouraged the use of Apple devices at work, often pitching Macs and iPads as powerful productivity machines, but the company hasn’t really directed a lot of software and services specifically at the corporate interests. That’s changing with the new Apple Business Essentials service. Currently in beta with a full launch in the spring of 2022, Apple Business Essentials combines device management, iCloud storage, employee onboarding, and service/support into a single monthly subscription package. It’s aimed as business with up to 500 employees, and features a simplified set of three price tiers: Single device: $2.99 (£tbc)/month (per user), supports one device and provides 50GB of iCloud storage. Multi-device: $6.99 (£tbc)/month (per user), supports up to three devices and provides 200GB of iCloud storage. Multi-device, more storage: $12.99 (£tbc)/month…

As one of the biggest and most influential companies in the world, Apple is usually on board with the latest tech trends. But when it comes to cryptocurrency, the company is taking its time. During an interview as part of The New York Times’ DealBook Online Summit, Tim Cook offered his thoughts on the digital currency currently valued at over $60,000 per Bitcoin. For one, he’s an investor. He said cryptocurrency is “interesting” and thinks “it’s reasonable to own it as part of a diversified portfolio”. However, speaking as a CEO, he said Apple is “looking at” incorporating cryptocurrencies into Apple Pay but doesn’t have “immediate plans” to support the payment. Additionally, he “(isn’t) planning in the immediate future to take crypto for our products as a mean of tender”.…

Price: £679 from fave.co/3DRRFX4 Where to start with the iPhone nobody wanted? After reportedly disappointing sales of the 12 mini – accounting for just 6 per cent of sales, these were so disappointing that Apple had to scale back production – many pundits, including this one, advised the company to shelve the small-handset project and stick to big phones. But Apple decided to give it one more year. Come 2022, chances are iPhone buyers’ choices will be large or really large, and perhaps we’ll regret that we didn’t appreciate these pocket rockets while they were around. In our in-depth iPhone 13 mini review we test the device’s speed, camera and battery performance, evaluate its design and ease of use, and generally help you decide if this phone – the last…

It was just a few short years ago when we told you about a then-upcoming wireless technology called Wi-Fi 6. At the time, what was once known as 802.11ax was henceforth given a much more consumer-friendly name, and previous convoluted Wi-Fi standards got similar names: 802.11ac became Wi-Fi 5, 802.11n became Wi-Fi 4, and so on. And now we have an even newer name, Wi-Fi 6E. It’s an updated version of Wi-Fi 6 that includes access to the new 6GHz frequency band. But while it doesn’t bring new technology over Wi-Fi 6, this new frequency could be a huge deal and will make a major impact on the future of wireless networking. Rumours suggest that Wi-Fi 6E could show up in the iPhone 14. WHAT’S UP WITH THAT E? It’s…

iOS 15 brought a lot of great new features that you’ve likely tried by now – a new Safari interface, Focus modes, Notification Summary, and many more. But there’s one feature you’ve likely missed – and it’s been around since iOS 14. The feature is called Back Tap and it adds an extra hardware button to your wireless charging-enabled iPhone (iPhone 8 or later). When enabled, you can double-or triple-tap the back of your iPhone to activate one of a couple of dozen commands and gestures, as well as Shortcuts. We’ve written about Back Tap before, but it’s still one of the most underappreciated features in iOS. Apple doesn’t include it anywhere on its iOS Overview pages and you’ll need to hunt it down to find it in the Settings…

After backtracking on a move that would have made iPhone 13 screen repairs nearly impossible for all but the largest repair centres, Apple has announced a new programme that lets anyone repair their broken iPhone at home with Apple genuine parts and tools. The new Self Service Repair programme, which is launching early next year in the US and expanding to additional countries throughout 2022, will offer consumers access to Apple parts and repair manuals as well as recycling for the parts that are being replaced. Apple says the programme will initially focus on the most commonly serviced parts, such as the iPhone display, battery and camera, and expand to more technical repairs later in the year. The programme will offer more than 200 individual parts and tools via a…

According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is stepping up its car ambitions. The company now aims to launch a fully autonomous vehicle in four years, though that 2025 target date is fluid. Apple has been hiring engineers and automotive veterans for years under what is widely believed to be called Project Titan. In fact, the project has gone on so long that many of Apple’s original hires have since left the company. Notably, Apple poached Tesla veteran Doug Field for VP of Special Projects, but Field left earlier this year to serve as Chief Officer of Advanced Technology at Ford. Apple then handed the project over to Kevin Lynch, the software engineer responsible for the Apple Watch’s software. Under this new leadership, the report claims, Apple…

Every year, Apple unveils the latest iPhone models just before the holiday shopping season starts. And the temptation to treat yourself to a new iPhone is strong. But there’s no rule that says you need to buy the £779 iPhone 13 when you are ready to make the jump. That’s usually the temptation if you’re rocking an old model, like an iPhone 8 or even an iPhone 6S, but Apple also sells another handset with an ‘all-screen’ design and a great camera. It doesn’t have all of the latest technology, but you can buy one for £290 less than the iPhone 13, which is a significant savings. Let’s compare the design, camera and battery life of the iPhone 11 (£489) and iPhone 13 to give you more tools to decide…

I’m sure this sounds familiar: You’re trying to install the latest iOS 15 release, back up and upgrade to a new iPhone, or download that cool app your friend told you about, and your iPhone says the storage is full. You’ve already deleted every app you don’t think you need, and there’s still not enough space. So you open Settings, tap General, then iPhone Storage and, sure enough, your iPhone is full. Worst of all, a huge chunk of it is just listed as ‘Other’. What’s that supposed to mean? How do you get rid of it? The Other storage section is mysterious and confusing, and there’s no one answer that works for everyone, but hopefully this guide will help you deal with this problem. HOW TO VIEW YOUR iPHONE…

If you ever lose your Apple ID password and can’t get into your device, you’re in for a world of hurt. That includes if your account gets locked for legit security reasons, like too many failed login attempts. Apple has architected its system such that it cannot simply reset your password for you. There’s an account recovery process, and a system for using trusted phone numbers to reset your account, but your options are severely limited if you have two-factor authentication enabled. The Recovery Key is one way to get around this problem, but it severely limits you in other ways – you can’t reset your password unless you have the trusted device and the recovery key. With iOS 15 and macOS Monterey, Apple is providing a simpler solution to…