MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

Apple recently updated its iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake Button Replacement Program page, as noted by Apfelpage [Google Translate], adding an additional year onto the service. This will allow customers with a malfunctioning iPhone 5 up to three years after purchase date to replace the sleep/wake button on the device. The service began last April when multiple reports surfaced concerning the iPhone 5's...

Following an afternoon of discussion on the recharge rate and battery life of the Apple Watch, third-party developers Lane Musgrave and John Arrow today revealed the "Reserve Strap", which will allow users to charge their Apple Watch while wearing it on their wrist. The device consists of a silicone band with embedded lithium polymer cells and an inductive charging cradle that will hold the...

A new report out of Japanese Apple blog Mac Otakara [Google Translate] suggests that a refresh of the iPad Mini line could be hitting mid-cycle, bringing a beefier processor and faster Wi-Fi to a fourth-generation iPad mini. Considering that the iPad Mini 3 was only a slight refresh on its predecessor, packing the same processing speed and power and essentially adding only Touch ID and a...

As rumors gear up surrounding the revamped Apple iTunes/Beats music service, a new report claims that the company will opt out of offering a free advertising-supported base tier for its upcoming streaming service (via Re/code). The company will allow customers an initial trial period of some kind, but following that users will have to pay to continue listening to music, the cost of which most r...

Google on Thursday updated Gmail for iOS with a trio of notable new features: quick actions, the ability to email files from other apps and a new attachment viewer. Gmail users on iPhone and iPad can now attach photos and documents to Gmail from other apps such as Instagram using the updated in-app share sheet, and open attachments from Gmail into any app. Taking advantage of Apple's...

Apple may give customers the ability to engrave personalized messages onto the upcoming Apple Watch, according to French Apple and tech site iPhonote [Google Translate]. According to the website's source, who remained anonymous due to their "involvement at Apple", the company would offer an engraving option similar to that of products like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod lines. The contact,...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published a patent application created by Apple, detailing a method for the extensive waterproofing of various components within a device, possibly an iPhone, thus creating a completely waterproof smartphone without the need of a special case (via Patently Apple). Originally filed in September of 2013, the patent application describes a "hydrophobic...

Ahead of Apple's upcoming "Spring Forward" event that is expected to see the company unveiling more information about the Apple Watch, a new website has been launched that allows users to explore all of the different casing and band combinations for the device. Using images taken from Apple's Apple Watch website, MixYourWatch lets users pair each of the six different Apple Watch casings...

The international debut of the Apple Watch in magazines across the world continues this week with the wrist-worn device making a cover appearance on Chinese fashion magazine YOHO. The upcoming April issue of the magazine features actor and pop icon Archie Kao wearing an Apple Watch Sport with a white band on the cover and showcases other fashion shots of the wrist-worn device in a related story. ...

While Apple Watch could be more than a month away from a public release, it has won a 2015 iF Gold Award from the International Forum (iF) Design in its annual industrial design competition. The jury called the Apple Watch design "an icon". The idea of combining classic materials such as leather and metal with state-of-the-art technology to create a very individual fashion accessory has...

AppAdvice recently launched a new site dedicated to the Apple Watch called WatchAware, and today a new feature was introduced that showcases upcoming Apple Watch apps in an interesting, interactive way. The site's Apple Watch Apps section offers a selection of apps that are displayed on an Apple Watch interface, with different views for "Apps," "Glances," and "Notifications." For example, for...

Following its unveiling at CES earlier this year, AT&T today announced that its new Modio Case for iPad Mini, which enables Wi-Fi only iPads to connect to 4G, will be available for purchase March 20 for $49.99 with a two-year agreement. The March 20 release is set only for the iPad Mini, iPad Mini 2, and iPad Mini 3 compatible cases, with a launch for the iPad Air models planned for later in ...

Exactly a week after revealing the new generation of Pebble smartwatches, called the Pebble Time, Pebble today announced an additional tier to its Kickstarter fundraiser called the Pebble Time Steel. Touted as having every feature of the Pebble Time - including the new color display and Timeline features - but featuring more classy, decorative casings, so it's "dressed up and ready to go." The ...

At Mobile World Congress today Senior Vice President of Google Sundar Pichai revealed a handful of new projects the company is working on, including a new mobile payments solution called Android Pay (via The Verge). Though only spoken of briefly, Pichai mentioned that the new service would take a decidedly more developer-focused route, calling Android Pay a "developer tool" that would give...

IBM on Monday announced the expansion of its MobileFirst for iOS portfolio with three new enterprise apps for the banking and financial services, airline and retail industries. The new made-for-business apps available for customization and deployment in the enterprise today include Passenger Care for travel agents, Dynamic Buy for retail buyers and Advisor Alerts for financial professionals. “A...

The so-called "iPhone 6s" and "iPhone 6s Plus" will reportedly adopt Force Touch, a feature that debuted on the Apple Watch in September, according to sources for AppleInsider. The next-generation iPhones are expected to retain the same physical design as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, including 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models. The report adds that the return of a 4-inch model appears unlikely for...

This week at mobile-focused technology show Mobile World Congress, SanDisk plans to announce a several updates to its line of iXpand Flash Drives and companion app, mainly focused on expanding storage space and enabling quicker and more secure data decryption with the help of Touch ID. The iXpand flash drive includes both USB and Lightning connectors to allow users the ability to easily...

The worldwide magazine debut of the Apple Watch continues this week on the cover of fashion magazine Style in the United Kingdom. The cover of the Big Spring Issue for March features model Guinevere Van Seenus wearing an Apple Watch and is accompanied by a two-page spread inside the magazine that provides further details about the wrist-worn device, including an interesting hint about the pricing ...