New iOS 7 tips and tricks

At long last, iOS 7 has arrived. That is, it arrived for everyone who didn’t say “Developer? Oh, yeah, I’m totally a developer. Cough” and wiggle into the Beta months ago.

iOS 7 is a strange new land, especially on day one. Out with the gradients, in with the trippy fluorescents. Your favorite app? It probably looks completely different now.

It can be confusing, but we’re here to help. iOS 7 has all sorts of nifty little tricks tucked away in places that are in no way immediately obvious, especially if you haven’t followed Tim Cook’s every word along the way.

If you’ve been using iOS 7 for a while, you might know some of these. Hell, you might know most of these. But we tried to cover the bases to make sure that most people learn a thing or two. (Know all of these? You’re way cool, high five. Share another trick down in the comments!)

Swipe Down For Search:

Gone are the days of having to swipe or tap your way to iOS’ dedicated search page. You can now access Spotlight search from anywhere on the homescreen. Just swipe down in the middle of the screen.

You can use Spotlight to quickly search across your device’s apps, emails, and contacts — but curiously, it seems that Apple has removed Spotlight’s ability to search the web. I’m pretty sure I never actually used that, but this is the Internet so I’m supposed to complain now that it’s gone.

Swipe Up For Toggles:

Toggles! At last!

Fixing what is perhaps one of iOS’ most glaring, long-lasting omissions, iOS 7 puts one-click access to things like Airplane mode and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth toggles just one swipe away, instead of hiding them in settings.

To get to the new Control Panel, just swipe up from the bottom of the screen anywhere you might be. You’ll get buttons for Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, Orientation lock, and sliders for brightness and media control. Oh, and there’s a flashlight in there. So if you were thinking about building a dedicated flashlight app, now is probably not a good time.

(Pro tip: The control panel is available from the lockscreen. Also: if the control panel is sliding out and interrupting your Candy Crushin’ time, you can block it from sliding out while in an app in your settings.)

Reveal iMessage and SMS Timestamps:

iOS has always been kind of weird about telling you when a message was sent or received. It’ll tell you when some messages came through — but only if it’s the first one that’s come through in a while in a given thread. If you sent a bunch of messages around 12:45, for example, you’d normally only get that first 12:45 timestamp.

With iOS 7, you can reveal the timestamp for each and every message. Just grab one of the speech bubbles in a thread and swipe to the left. Tada! Timestamps! Never argue about exactlywhen a message was sent again! (Because, yeah, I’ve had those arguments. Seriously. Sigh.)

Built-In Level:

Building a house boat? Hanging a picture? Just want to show off one of the stranger new tricks that your iPhone has picked up?

iOS 7 has a built-in bubble level, of all things. I thought it was a pretty strange addition at first… but then I found myself using it one day. Then again the next.

To get to the level, open the compass app. Though not immediately obvious, there’s a second page to the app; swipe to the left, and you’ll be at Apple’s level.

(Pro tip: Double-tapping the screen resets the level to consider whatever angle the phone is currently at to be 0°. That design choice, expressed through a series of colored flashes, isn’t super intuitive.)

Swipe To Close Safari Tabs:

Safari has a new, scrolling 3D tab interface that allows for just about as many tabs as you want.

Alas, these tabs also have new, tiny “X” buttons that make closing them quickly a bit of a pain.

Forget the X button — it’s for chumps. Swipe the tabs away to the left, instead. It’s a whole lot faster, and requires less precision when you’re trying to dump a bunch of tabs on the go.

Call/SMS/Facetime Blocking:

“Surely, there’s got to be a way to block phone numbers,” said every iPhone user ever.

Really, just type “How to b” into Google and let it autocomplete. First result? “How to block a number.” Second result? “How to block a number on iPhone.” Third result? “How to be happy.” This feature is in greater demand than happiness! Happiness!

Yet, until now, there hasn’t really been an easy way.

With iOS 7, it’s finally a pretty straightforward process to block people from calling, messaging, or FaceTime-ing (FaceTiming? Facing? Agh.) you. You can find the block list at either Settings > Phone > Blocked; Settings > Messages > Blocked; or Settings > FaceTime > Blocked. Note, however, that the block list is universal — block them in the phone settings, and they’re blocked on FaceTime, too.

App-By-App Cell Data Usage/Blockage:

Want to see which app is using up all of your cell plan’s precious megabytes? Want to keep Pandora from streaming unless it’s on Wi-Fi?

Pop into Settings > Cellular and scroll down to the bottom. You can see which apps have used the most cell data and block any app from using cell data at all. (Note: An app needs to have used cell data at least once for it to show up in the list.)

How To Close Apps:

We’ve had a bunch of requests for this one since this post first went up, so here you go.

Apple changed the App Switching/App Closing mechanism up a bit with iOS 7. It used to be that to close an app, you’d double tap the home button, wait for the app drawer to slide out, then press and hold on an icon until the little “X” appeared.

With iOS 7, the whole thing looks and works a bit more like webOS of yesteryear. Double tap the home button to bring up the fullscreen app switcher, which provides a screenshot of each running application in a sideways-scrolling carousel. To close an application, simply swipe the app’s screenshot up and off the screen.

(Note: You really shouldn’t need to close apps all that often. Unless the app has crashed and refuses to fix itself or it’s doing something that is eating your battery, iOS 7 is designed so that most apps use little to no resources when in the background.)

Bonus Tricks:

• Folders can now be paged, allowing them to hold a huge number of apps.
• Safari still has private-browsing mode, it’s just in the app itself now instead of hidden away in settings. Find the switch in Safari’s tabs screen.
• Airdrop, Apple’s much touted system for wirelessly transferring files to other nearby iPhones, only works with the iPhone 5 and later. (I’ve spotted many a 4S user wasting time trying to figure out how the heck to turn it on, when the option simply isn’t there for them. Don’t worry, I wasted a good 10 minutes myself.)
• Miss the “List” view in the calendar app? It’s still there, just not immediately obvious. Tap the search icon to bring up a scrollable list.
• If you’re into using default ringtones, give Apple’s list another look. They’ve added a bunch of new trancy ringtones and chiptuney text alerts.
• Siri has picked up a bunch of new tricks. You can toggle settings (“Turn On Do Not Disturb”), ask for recent tweets (“What is TechCrunch saying?”), show you pictures (“Show me pictures of cats”) pulled from Bing, provide Wikipedia info inline (“Tell me about TechCrunch”), post to Facebook, play back voicemail, list recently missed calls, and find restaurants on Yelp and make OpenTable reservations.
• iOS 7 keeps tabs on where you hang out most, allowing it to cache relevant nearby data. It’s neat, if a bit spooky. Once you’ve used iOS 7 for a while, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services to view a list of your frequent haunts. You can also turn this feature off at the same location.

Apple's Best Fortune Tellers See Bigger iPhones (And Much More) For 2014

With last week’s iPhone launch behind it, and next week’s iPad announcement ahead, 2013 product introductions are basically a wrap for Apple. While we still await the final details of the newest iPads — a slimmer full-size model, a Retina screen on the Mini — and perhaps updated Macbook Pros, the company is already onto next year’s products. And if the pros at DisplaySearch and KGI Securities are to believed, those include a larger screen iPhone (at last?) and a long-awaited update to the Macbook Air, with a Retina screen of its own. But there is apparently more on tap, including possibly a cheaper desktop iMac, a larger 13-inch iPad, Apple’s long-awaited televisions, and the much-discussed smartwatch. These could be the catalysts to reignite slowed growth at the company.
Many are quick to dismiss the rumor mill — and with good reason. Anyone with a website and an idea can post, “Apple to release really cool gadget next year with features I want.” But some sources are better than others. David Hsieh of DisplaySearch is on such source and KGI Securities anaylst Ming-Chi Kuo is another. One of their secrets is that Apple can’t introduce a product at all without acquiring literally millions of parts and getting them into their supply chain to make their product launches possible. I’ve discussed this before, but it’s worth reiterating: Just because the Nexus 7 has a Retina-quality display (and it’s a nice one, I can say from experience) doesn’t mean the iPad Mini could have had one 6 months ago. For all Google/Asus’ success with their tablet, Apple sells millions more.
To do a Retina Mini, Apple needs to have acquired 10 million screens before shipping a single unit and to be certain that it could obtain 10 million more each subsequent quarter. The way it does that is through a series of supplier agreements with display makers that are negotiated far in advance and often lead to dedicated production of Apple specified screens for its products. Hsieh, who has been in the business for a long time, talks to everyone, tries to figure out who is making what for Apple, and then attempts to discern how it relates to future products. From that, he’s produced a “best guess” a the 2014 product line.

There's a new way that advertisers could track you around the web, andyou might be surprised about where the tracking data would come from:your device's accelerometer. According to SFGate, security researcherHristo Bojinov has discovered a way to distinguish individual devicessimply by looking at data their accelerometers provide to webpages.Because accelerometers work imperfectly, they all display a uniqueresult when idle — that result, Bojinov says, is enough to track adevice around the web. THIS IS FAR FROM THE ONLY TRACKING TOOLADVERTISERS HAVE A website would just need to implement a small pieceof code in order to begin tracking a device this way, reports SFGate.Though Bojinov can't say for certain whether anyone is already doingthis, he says he'd be surprised if an advertiser wasn't alreadyexploring the possibility. To see how effective the method is, you canview your own mobile device's accelerometer footprint at a website setup by Stanford, where Bojinov is a PhD candidate in computer science.While you'll have to actively flip the phone around in order to make itwork, that reportedly wouldn't be necessary for actual tracking.Bojinov's research should be published in the coming months, SFGatereports. But while he may describe a surprising and eerie way to trackdevices, it's far from the only tool advertisers have for tracking:even outside of cookies, advertisers can distinguish between differentpeople just by looking at information their browsers always hand over,like what fonts they have access to and what operating system is beingused. That means accelerometer tracking may not be needed, but asadvertisers look for better ways to follow people around the mobile webon your smartphone

There's a new way that advertisers could track you around the web, and you might be surprised about where the tracking data would come from.

iPad mini 2 iPad 5

Tech enthusiasts have expected for many months that Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) would announce new versions of its full-sized iPad and iPad Mini sometime in October. The rumor mill heated up this week, as AllThingsD -- usually a reliable source -- reported that Apple will unveil the new iPads on Oct. 22.
However, while most observers agree that the fifth-generation iPad will feature Apple's new A7 processor, a thinner bezel, and a design closer to the iPad Mini, there is much less certainty about what to expect in the iPad Mini 2. The AllThingsD story claims that the new iPad Mini will have a Retina display. On the other hand, several other recent reports have stated that Apple doesn't have enough supply of 7.9-inch Retina displays to meet the likely holiday quarter demand.
The good news is that I don't see much danger to Apple even if the new iPad Mini is delayed or in short supply this fall. The iPad Mini already has subpar margins by Apple's standards, and a version with a Retina display will be even costlier to produce. The continued rollout of Apple's new iPhones and the updated full-size iPad are far more important for driving higher profits at Apple this quarter.
Mixed supply-chain reports
The emerging consensus is that Apple will introduce an iPad Mini with a Retina display on Oct. 22. However, a Reuters report earlier this month stated that Apple wouldn't be able to build a Retina iPad Mini this quarter because of supply constraints for the screens. This report was corroborated by several other supply-chain sources.
It's hard to know whom to believe. Given the number of reports emerging this week about an imminent iPad Mini launch, the most likely scenario is that Apple will release a Retina iPad Mini, but it will be in short supply during the holiday season. That would essentially be a repeat of what happened last year.
iPad Mini blues
The iPad Mini came with great fanfare last year. Its smaller size and $329 price point were expected to help Apple win market share back from Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) , Amazon.com, Samsung, and other Android vendors.
In its first few months on the market, the iPad Mini was a big hit. It helped drive an impressive 48% increase in iPad unit shipments last fall, despite significant supply constraints, followed by a 65% increase in the March quarter. However, it went stale very quickly.
In fact, this spring, Apple experienced its first year-over-year decline in iPad shipments. (This was also due in part to launch timing.) According to IDC calculations, Apple's global tablet market share plummeted from more than 60% in Q2 2012 to 32.5% in Q2 2013, while Android's market share soared from 38% to 62.6%. The launch of Google's new Nexus 7 tablet this summer means that Apple probably lost even more market share in Q3.
However, these figures don't fully capture the disappointment the iPad Mini caused. Apple executives have repeatedly stated that the iPad Mini carries a gross margin significantly below the corporate average. It also carries a much lower average selling price than the full-sized iPad. When you factor in cannibalization of the more profitable full-sized iPad, it seems quite likely that the iPad Mini has been a primary cause of Apple's profit decline this year.
The good news for Apple investors is that because the iPad Mini isn't a significant contributor to the company's profit, it's not a big deal if the new iPad Mini is delayed or available only in limited quantities. A lot more is riding on the expected fifth-generation iPad.

Just a quick update

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