Tag: Apple iPhones

  • iPhone 14 may feature lock screen display and widgets

    iPhone 14 may feature lock screen display and widgets

    Several rumours are presently circulating the internet about the forthcoming iPhone’s traits and powers. According to some reports, Apple may forego the notch this time around in favour of a larger display.

    As nothing has been confirmed so far, and most predictions are a little overstated, all such leaks should be taken with a pinch of salt.

    There have been no official reports about when the new iPhone will be released. We already know that Apple will host WWDC 2022 on June 6th. It is also expected to release iOS 16, the next major software version for the iPhone.

    It will most likely introduce iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS 13 at its upcoming event.

    The company hasn’t revealed a date for its fall event, which is usually when the next iPhone is unveiled. Apple usually holds its annual autumn iPhone event in September, with releases following soon after.

    On the first or second of September, Apple usually announces its new iPhones. Last year, the iPhone 13 series made its official premiere on Tuesday, September 14th, with preorders beginning on Friday, September 17th, and the phones going on sale on September 24th.

    Apple’s fall event for the iPhone 14 could take place on Tuesday, September 6, or Tuesday, September 13. Because iPhones normally go on sale for presale on Fridays of the same week.

    iPhones are normally released a week and a half after Apple makes an announcement. Specific model introduction dates are sometimes staggered, especially when introducing a new design or size. As a result, it’s feasible that the iPhone 14 lineup will have multiple release dates.

    For the time being, however, the additional features that these operating systems will bring are unknown. According to a source, Apple may include the ability to include lock screen widgets, support for always-on displays, and much more.

  • Apple devices secretly wiretap sounds in surrounding, whistleblower claims

    Apple devices secretly wiretap sounds in surrounding, whistleblower claims

    A former Apple contractor, Thomas le Bonniec, has sent a letter to all European data protection regulators, stating that “it is worrying that the tech giant and iPhone manufacturer keeps ignoring and violating fundamental rights and continues its massive collection of data”.

    “I am extremely concerned that big tech companies are wiretapping entire populations despite European citizens being told that the European Union (EU) has one of the strongest data protection laws in the world. Passing a law is not good enough: it needs to be enforced upon privacy offenders.”

    “The recordings are not limited to the users of Apple devices, but also involve relatives, children, friends, colleagues and whoever could be recorded by the device. The system recorded everything: names, addresses, messages, searches, arguments, background noises, films, and conversations. I heard people talking about their cancer, referring to dead relatives, religion, sexuality, pornography, politics, school, relationships, or drugs with no intention to activate Siri whatsoever,” he said.

    “These practices are clearly at odds with the company’s ‘privacy-driven’ policies and should be urgently investigated by data protection authorities and privacy watchdogs. With the current statement, I want to bring this issue to your attention, and also offer my cooperation to provide any element substantiating these facts. Although this case has already gone public, Apple has not been subjected to any kind of investigation to the best of my knowledge,” Bonniec maintained.

    Le Bonniec, 25, worked with Apple as a subcontractor and used to transcribe users’ requests in English and French. He quit the job in the summer of 2019 because he didn’t want to be part of the unethical practices. He argues that the “company operates on a moral and legal grey area and they have been doing this for years”.

  • France accuses Apple of not helping it with COVID-19 app

    France accuses Apple of not helping it with COVID-19 app

    Tech giant Apple Inc. allegedly refused to help France in its efforts to fight the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — by refusing to make iPhones compatible with a contact-tracing app called “StopCovid”.

    Countries are increasingly developing smartphone apps and taking technical measures to keep the global pandemic in check while reopening the hard-hit economy.

    These dedicated apps use Bluetooth to allow phones to interact with nearby devices and detect when users, who are potential carriers of the deadly virus, come into contact.

    Usually, Apple’s iPhone blocks access to Bluetooth in background running apps, unless the users allow it themselves.

    According to reports, French officials want Apple to change the settings to let their app access Bluetooth in the background, however, the company refused to make the said modifications.

    “Apple could have helped us make the application work even better on the iPhone. They have not wished to do so. I regret this, given that we are in a period where everyone is mobilised to fight against the epidemic, and given that a large company that is doing so well economically is not helping out the government in crisis,” said French minister for digital technology in an official statement.

    A spokesperson for Apple in France, on the other hand, declined to comment on the matter.

    Certain speculations are, however, being made.

    Companies like Apple and Google — who are responsible for managing the data of almost all smartphones — want the data of phones to stay in the device, rather placing it in central databases that are managed by governments around the world.

    However, France and other countries want to keep contact data in the central database, which can trigger security breaches and pose threats to users.

    The French minister thinks that “oversight of the healthcare system, fighting the coronavirus, is a matter for governments and not necessarily for big American companies.”

    “The app should be ready to be deployed by June 2 regardless of Apple’s stance, and would enter a testing phase by May 11, when the country starts to unwind its lockdown,” he reportedly said.

    It merits a mention that In France, Apple’s mobile operating system accounted for 21.1 per cent of the market in the first quarter, while Google’s Android accounted for 78.8%. Britain, which is using the same centralised approach as France to store data, will start testing its COVID-19 tracing app on the Isle of Wight from Tuesday (today).