The upcoming iPhones will support 5G speeds, and dual-SIM options.

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If reports are to be believed, Apple is going to pull a never-before trick very soon. If you are asked, what is that one feature you never expect to come to Apple iPhone, what would it be? Wouldn’t dual-SIM support strike your mind? Well, reportedly, Apple is planning on bringing dual-SIM support to the future iPhones.

Famous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo yesterday made a big revelation in a report that next year’s iPhones will have pre-5G speeds, and that Apple will utilize both Intel and Qualcomm modems to achieve faster data speeds. However, buried in the same report was another revelation, which read that at least of one 2018 iPhones will come with built-in dual-SIM card support.

Kuo believes that one of next year’s iPhones will support dual-SIM cards, with both of slots ready to deliver 4G LTE speeds. “2H18 iPhone models won’t only offer faster LTE transmission speed: We predict that at least one of the 2H18 new iPhone models will support dual-SIM dual standby (DSDS),” Kuo predicts, per MacRumors.

“Unlike existing DSDS phones, which commonly support LTE+3G connections, we believe next-generation iPhone models will support LTE+LTE connections, in a bid to enhance the user experience.”

Beside the upgraded modems and dual-SIM support, it has also been predicted that the future iPhones will all support Face ID as a feature to unlock the iPhones. Kuo says that Apple believes including Face ID on its iPhones will give it a competitive edge over Android rivals. “We predict all new 2H18F iPhone models will likely abandon fingerprint recognition. We believe this change will allow all new models to realize a competitive advantage via differentiation, on the back of an integrated user experience of full-screen design and TrueDepth Camera/ Facial recognition/ Face ID/ AR applications,” the note reads.

Currently, the iPhone X and iPhone 8 support the slowest Qi charging speed of 5W.

Apple has been rolling out one update after the other lately. After releasing the iOS 11.1.2 update just last week, the company has already started rolling out the beta version of the iOS 11.2 upgrade. Which mean, iOS 11.2 is being tested, and can be expected to be out soon.

In the update, as reported by MacRumors, Apple is rolling out faster wireless charging support for the iPhone X and iPhone 8. The report confirms that 7.5W charging is available in the latest iOS 11.2 beta. As of now, the iPhone X and iPhone 8 support the slowest Qi charging speed of 5W.

However, in line with the iOS 11.2 beta update, Apple had promised at the time of launch that the faster 7.5W speed would be coming later on. It was earlier believed that the update for faster wireless charging will come with Apple’s own AirPower mat, which is said to came out sometime in 2018, but basis today’s report, that isn’t true. 

Also, the 7.5W speed seems to be available for any Qi charger that supports the higher output, and not just on Apple’s two approved pads from Belkin and Mophie. While there is no official word from Apple as to when can we expect a full public release of iOS 11.2, but considering the beta is out now, we can expect it to be out sometime in the next few weeks. 

The news of beta release comes barely a week after the iOS 11.1.2 update, which primarily brought fixes for the iPhone X. The most important patch that the update did was to the awkward issue of the iPhone X turning unresponsive in cold weather. The other patch in the update fixed the issue that could cause distortion in Live Photos and videos captured with iPhone X. 

The victim was reportedly known to charge her iPhone 6, and keep it on her bed every night.

This year saw a sudden influx of reports about smartphones heating up or batteries exploding. Now a frayed iPhone charger appears to have caused the death of a 14-year-old girl in Vietnam. Immediate reports do point to electrocution as the cause of death, but investigations are on, and Apple is yet to respond to the matter.

The deceased, Le Thi Xoan, hailed from the Hoan Kiem district of the capital city Hanoi in Vietnam. The 14-year-old was found unconscious in her room by her parents after, and soon after she was rushed to a nearby hospital. However, she couldn’t be revived by the doctors. After examination, the doctors declared that she had died due to electrocution, Yahoo News UK reports. Police officials upon investigating the matter suspect that it could have been her iPhone’s frayed charger that might have electrocuted her.

The victim was known to plug her Apple iPhone 6, and keep it on her bed for charging every night. It appears that she might have followed the same routine that night, and may have touched the exposed wires while the iPhone was charging. According to the image provided, the iPhone charger cable is seen with the edges near the connector frayed. A transparent tape is also visible which she must have used to cover the exposed wires. 

It isn’t known yet if the iPhone charger used is indeed Apple’s or whether it was bought from a third-party seller. The report further states that this iPhone charger is smaller than the original 20-inch cable that Apple provides. However, Apple’s chargers are known to fray quite easily, and that too within a relatively short time of usage. Nevertheless, this case yet again proves the dangers of using damaged chargers, and also charging your smartphones at night. 

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Apple claims that Face ID can differentiate between a human face and a mask, but this test proves it can fool the system.

The most anticipated feature of the iPhone X was its edge-to-edge OLED display. This also meant that Apple has to integrate Face ID which replaced the Touch ID fingerprint recognition system on the iPhone X. Despite multiple criticisms, Apple assured that Face ID is safe and secure enough. Contrary to Apple‘s claims, security firm Bkav has managed to trick the iPhone X’s Face ID with an artificial mask.

In a video released by Bkav, the company demonstrates using a mask to unlock the iPhone X. The mask is artificially made to imitate the device owner. The smartphone is kept in front of the mask which is covered at first. Face ID is already integrated on the device, and so it asks for the pass code at first. On opening the sheet, the iPhone X is immediately unlocked after it scans the artificial mask. Bkav concludes in the video that unlike what Apple says, Face ID is not as secure as is claimed.

Bkav, in a Q&A post also explains the works behind the creation of the mask. The security firm says that since it understands how Apple’s AI works, it could manipulate it. People have tried making masks in the past but were unsuccessful in tricking Face ID. It also states how the Face ID isn’t very strict in recognizing as it will unlock the device by scanning just half your face. Bkav itself just needed half a face to create the mask which is made using 3D and 2D printers. It cost the company $150 (approximately Rs 9,800) to make the mask.

Apple hasn’t responded on this matter as yet. This brings into light the claims made by Apple of Face ID being able to distinguish between a real face and a mask. Apple even said that it worked with professional mask makers and makeup artists to make Face ID mask-proof. But it appears that Face ID can be manipulated, although with some effort. Bkav says that fingerprint recognition is the safest security system for smartphones as of now.

iOS 11.2 will explain what happens when Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are toggled off from the Control Center

Apple released iOS 11 for iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch back in September. The OS upgrade brought with it changes, features and improvements for these devices. Of the new changes, the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi toggles on Control Center was quite confusing for many users. Toggling off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth from the Control Center actually didn’t actually turn off these features. Apple, in the next iOS 11.2 release will feature popups to make people aware of these changes.

First reported by MacRumors, Apple released the third version of its upcoming iOS 11.2. In the beta version, when toggling off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth from the Control Center popups would be initiated. These popups will explain the user what exactly happens on when these switches are toggled off. For Wi-Fi, the popup message reads, “The current Wi-Fi network and others nearby will be disconnected until tomorrow. Wi-Fi will continue to be available for AirDrop, Personal Hotspot, and location accuracy”.

As for Bluetooth connectivity, the popup screen has this message – “Currently connected accessories will be disconnected and other accessories will not connect. Bluetooth will continue to be available for Apple Watch, Apple Pencil, Personal Hotspot, and Handoff”. These popup messages will be shown only when you the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles are used for the first time on Control Center. Later, only the headline of the popup message will appear on top. Apple’s explanation of turning off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi temporarily is so that users can still connect to AirDrop, AirPlay, Apple Pencil, Apple Watch, Hotspot and Location Services. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will be enabled again if toggled from the Control Center, if it’s 5:00AM local time, and if you restart the device. Going to a new location will also enable Wi-Fi connectivity, and adding a new Bluetooth accessory for Bluetooth. Disabling these services would require you to go to Settings and turn off directly.

Apple iPhone X went up on sale at 6:00PM on November 3..

Yesterday, one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year, iPhone X, went up on sale. In India, the embargo for the sales lifted at 6:00PM, and many online and offline retailers participated in these sales.

Recently, Flipkart released a statement, claiming that it’s the fastest online retailer in India to deliver the iPhone X to customers yesterday as soon as the delivery embargo was lifted.

Ayyappan Rajagopal, Senior Director, Smartphones at Flipkart, said in a statement, “With careful planning and coordination between Apple and us, Flipkart was able to deliver the iPhone X within seconds of the sales going live globally. It was very heartening to see our customers experience a delivery time frame comparable to what buyers of the iPhone X saw at offline channels or in countries like the US”.

Even during the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus sales, Flipkart had aimed to deliver close to 90 percent of the pre-orders on the day itself. The response for the iPhone X, however, has been quite surprising. As opposed to the response for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus launch, the iPhone X witnessed longer and bigger queues on launch day.

The iPhone X is the most expensive iPhone so far, with the 64GB base variant priced at Rs 89,000. The 256GB variant retails at a whopping Rs 102,000.

While this initial reaction is completely weighing in Apple’s favour, this may not continue for long. Apparently, retailers and online players were handed over a thin supply of the iPhone X.

Reportedly, authorised resellers and corporate partners were disappointed at the limited stock being handed over to them. “Don’t expect any beeline for iPhone X in India as the company has handed over very limited stocks – some received even a mere 15-20 units – to online as well as offline authorised resellers. We, however, are yet to see a unit,’ an Apple Authorised Corporate Partner told IANSon the condition of anonymity.

Here’s how the iPhone X launch took place in Mumbai and Noida.

The much-awaited iPhone X finally went on sale globally across 55 countries including India. The 10th anniversary edition of the iPhone, the iPhone X, features a radical design change and boasts new technologies. In India, the iPhone X was open to customers for purchase at 6:00PM across retail stores and online via Amazon India and Flipkart. BGR India visited Apple resellers in Mumbai and Noida to see what kind of response the iPhone X garnered.

In Noida, we visited iZenica store located in Mall of India. Contrary to the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus launch, the iPhone X launch witnessed a longer and bigger queue. The iPhone X is the most expensive iPhone so far, with the 64GB base variant priced at Rs 89,000. The 256GB variant retails at a whopping Rs 102,000. The response was quite big considering the fact that people had been lined up waiting for almost two hours. Overall, many people purchased the 64GB iPhone X.

We got hold of Nilesh Chawla who purchased the 256GB iPhone X and also received free Air Pods along with it. Nilesh specifically came and purchased it from the store since he didn’t trust online platforms. He also said that he wanted the experience of buying the iPhone X in person. He says that he had heard a lot about the iPhone X and was keen on experiencing the new technologies arriving with it. He has upgraded to the iPhone X from the iPhone 7 Plus.

Deepanshu who purchased the 64GB iPhone X has been an Apple fan boy for long having used four iPhones in the past already. He is quite excited for the edge-to-edge display and Face ID feature on the iPhone X. He confidently says that the iPhone’s technology is the best which made him skip the iPhone 8 and buy the special edition iPhone X.

Simultaneously in Mumbai, we were at the Aptronix store, in High Street Phoenix mall, Lower Parel, where Apple fanboys had cued up. From what BGR India gathered from the authorities, the store received roughly around 140-150 pre-orders for the iPhone X, which, when compared to iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus launched last month is quite high. When asked about the total number of units they have received, the store manager declined to comment and said that ‘there are enough devices”. This proved that the demand for iPhone X is surely high in India.

We spoke to Irfan who was the first person to buy the iPhone X 64GB. He is presently using the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 6s. Citing reasons for purchasing the iPhone X, Irfan said, “Because of all the new changes they have made. From the design to the addition of Face ID, the new technology attracted to buy the smartphone.”

Anjana was one of the few to grab the iPhone X 256GB model and it is a major upgrade as she currently uses an iPhone 6s. She is also another big Apple fan girl as she says, “Have been an Apple fan throughout. No one in my family is using Android. Have been using Apple since the first smartphone. Have been upgrading all Apple products including iPad and MacBook line-up.”

We also happened to come across an Android user who upgraded from the OnePlus 3T to the iPhone X 64GB. Aisha says that she wanted to “try out iOS interface” but she will “still remain an Android fan”. Earlier today reports suggested that that due to short supply of the iPhone X, the Indian users will be left disappointed, but today the scenario looked otherwise.

The iPhone X goes up on sale today in India at 6:00PM

Apple iPhones are known for a lot of things like Siri and Touch ID, but battery is not one of them. In fact, battery is one reason many distance themselves from the iPhones. But, when you think of an iPhone priced over a lakh, your expectations are naturally as high as the price. So hoping for a better battery on the iPhone X is but natural. And from what it seems, Apple took care of that.

In a recently shared teardown video on YouTube, it has been revealed that the iPhone X is fuelled by dual-batteries. From what we assume, Apple must have decided to split the capacity between two packs in order to fit other components around two small batteries instead of one larger or thicker one. Do note, existence of two batteries is no proof to a better battery life. We do hope that’s the case though.

Further, the overall structure of the iPhone X is similar to how iPhones were built in the past – the display is removed from the top and hinges at the bottom. The iPhone X’s display is connected to the board on its right side, so when taken off, it flips open to the right.

Digging deeper we see a very small motherboard being taken out of the device. See the video for yourself below. It is mostly silent, with Summertime Sadnessplaying in the background, so you just have to watch. Also while the video is interesting, the camera guy seems to have a hard time maintaining focus.

Further, since we see a dual-battery setup in this video, it is fair to mention the recent review reports that rated iPhone X’s battery performance quite positively. According to BuzzFeed News, “Battery life on the iPhone X is decent, but not stellar.” Folks at the publication tested the device for a week. Day 1, the battery dropped down to nine percent at late afternoon after mixed use of apps, including use of Waze to drive home and installing apps.

Surprisingly, on day 2, the reviewer started using the device at 98 percent in the morning, and that day included usage like recording a 4K video, listening to Podcast through the speakers, and an hour-long call. Despite this, the battery dropped only to 17 percent around 10 in the night. With 100 percent battery level in the morning and use of apps such as Lyft, Google Docs, Twitter, and Facebook, while on Wi-Fi, there still remained 27 percent battery at around midnight. In addition to BuzzFeed News, another review by TechCrunch also concludes that the battery lasts all day.

While these are still reports, we have the device in the BGR India office and we are working on the review. Watch this space closely to get a detailed review of the device, including how well the battery of the iPhone X 

This works only if you type really quickly on the iOS 11 calculator app.

Have you ever added one, two and three using a calculator? Clearly, that makes you poor at math by the snooty standards, but you can feel at home here. I too have once (or more) probably. Now, the question is if you have ever done that “major calculation” on an iOS 11 calculator. If you have, then I would seriously suggest you to go back to that math problem, because your results were quite likely wrong. But don’t be hard on yourself, blame it on iOS 11.

Turns out, the calculator app on the new iPhone OS is a wee bit flawed. A Reddituser has recently pointed out that, when you quickly type 1+2+3 on the iOS 11 calculator app, you most likely wouldn’t get six as the answer. You might get 23, or 24, or 16, or 32, or something else, depending on what buttons you tap and in what order, and, obviously, none of which is the right answer.

via GIPHY

Basically what happens here, is that when you type these numbers too fast, the app hangs a little, so instead of 1+2+3, you actually end up typing 1+23 or 12+3. Basically, you just get some or the other wrong answer. And it works similarly for other numbers too, so it is not like just the 1,2 and 3 are flawed. I tried adding 7+8+9 and got 89.

The Reddit user found that this issue was because of the new animation in the calculator app, where a button briefly fades to white when you press it. The result is that if you press an operator button (i.e., the plus sign) before the short animation finishes, the app ignores it. 

But you should know that this flaw occurs, only if you type really fast. If you type at a nice leisure pace, you are likely to get the correct results. Now, it doesn’t seem to be a deliberately done design that slows down the speed of the calculator, but you can never tell with Apple, and its “it is meant to work that way” justifications.

{BGR}

Kids can be troublesome.

Apple is known for its super strict policies when it comes to its unreleased products, and exactly how the details about them are put out to the public. These policies apply to Apple employees, but if the latest instance is to be believed, then also to their kids.

When an Apple employee’s daughter, Brooke Amelia Peterson, visited her father at the Apple campus, little did she know that her seemingly innocent hands-on video of the yet-to-be-shipped iPhone X will be picked up by major tech websites, and also get her father a termination letter from the company.

Peterson published a video earlier this week in which she showcased the iPhone X in all its glory. Evidently, the video went viral, bringing the attention of Apple authorities to what the teenager did. At the time of writing, the video has 309,992 views on YouTube through an unofficial channel, and there are other channels too which have picked up the video. In the video, the father is also seen showing off the Apple campus to his daughter, along with giving a peek into how Apple Pay works on the iPhone X.

What particularly stands as a violation of Apple’s policies is that the footage not only revealed the unreleased device, but it contained special employee-only QR codes. A Notes app, which appeared to include codenames of unreleased Apple products, was also shown in the video. It is worth noting that filming on Apple campus is prohibited, and the bigger violation here is the iPhone X.

According to The Verge, Apple reportedly requested Peterson to remove the video, but it appears that it was too late as the video had already spread. In a separate video, Peterson explains how her father violated an Apple company rule by allowing her to film the unreleased handset at Apple’s campus. She claims her father has been fired as a result of her video. “I had no idea this was a violation,” she says.

The dismissed Apple engineer had worked at the company for around four years, building the iPhone RF and wireless circuit design.

The company now plans to combine the instrument with artificial-intelligence software.

A novel iPhone-based portable ultrasound machine that can help detect cancereasily at home has been developed by US researchers.

The device called Butterfly IQ is a scanner of the size of an electric razor that can display black-and-white imagery of the body, when paired with an iPhone.

Developed by Connecticut-based start-up Butterfly Network, the pocket-sized device works by shooting sound into the body and capturing the echoes.

Usually, the sound waves are generated by a vibrating crystal. But Butterfly’s machine instead uses 9,000 tiny drums etched onto a semiconductor chip, reported the MIT Technology Review on Friday.  

Earlier this year, John Martin, a US-based vascular surgeon and chief medical officer at Butterfly Network, discovered a cancerous mass in his own throat while testing the device.

Martin felt an uncomfortable feeling of thickness on his throat, thus he oozed out some gel and ran the probe along his neck. On his smartphone, to which the device is connected, black-and-gray images quickly appeared. He found a 3cm mass that was diagnosed as squamous-cell cancer — a form of skin cancer that develops in the cells of the outer layer of the skin.

Instead of vibrating crystals, Butterfly IQ uses “capacitive micro-machined ultrasound transducers”, or CMUTs, tiny ultrasonic emitters layered on a semiconductor chip a little larger than a postage stamp.

“The device gives you the ability to do everything at the bedside: you can pull it out of your pocket and scan the whole body,” Martin said. 

The company now plans to combine the instrument with artificial intelligencesoftware that could help a novice position the probe, collect the right images, and interpret them.

By 2018, its software will let users automatically calculate how much blood a heart is pumping, or detect problems like aortic aneurisms, the report said.

The Butterfly IQ is the first solid-state ultrasound machine to reach the market in the US. The company plans to go on sale this year for $1,999-far less than any other model on the market.

Pre-orders for the iPhone X began today.

Pre-orders for the iPhone X went live today via Amazon India and Flipkart. Within a few minutes of the pre-orders beginning, the iPhone X has already gone out of stock on both the e-commerce platforms. The base variant of the iPhone X with 64GB storage is priced at Rs 89,000, while the high-end iPhone X 256GB retails at a whopping Rs 102,000.

The iPhone X will go on sale from November 3, and the product has already received an overwhelming response. However, it isn’t known how many units were up for pre-orders on Amazon India and Flipkart. But it has been reported for many months now that Apple will be facing shipping delays with the iPhone X.

Even at a global scale, Apple is predicted to reach a balance of demand and supply only by 2018. Nonetheless, the response Apple has received for the iPhone X on the first day does say a lot about the anticipation people have for the device.

The iPhone X being the anniversary edition has introduced many firsts for Apple, the highlight being its bezel-less OLED display. Ditching its famous Touch ID fingerprint recognition, Apple introduced Face ID on the iPhone X. In terms of specifications, the iPhone X flaunts a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge OLED Super Retina Display. It is powered by an A11 Bionic 64-bit chipset paired with an M11 motion co-processor. 

In the photography department, the iPhone X sports a dual-camera setup which includes a 12-megapixel wide-angle sensor of f/1.8 aperture, and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor of f/2.4 aperture. The dual cameras are accompanied by a quad-LED TrueTone flash. Up front, the iPhone X houses a TruDepth 7-megapixel camera of f/2.2 aperture,  with an upgraded Portrait Mode and a new Portrait Lighting feature.

{BGR}

Sadly this is how the privacy setting is expected to work by design.

Nothing else but the word scary can define this. Google engineer Felix Krause has revealed an alarming privacy loophole in iOS that enables iPhone apps that seek camera permission to surreptitiously take photos and videos of you – without your knowledge – reports The Next Web. Krause says he has disclosed this issue to Apple.

The Googler pointed out that when a user grants an app the permission to access the camera, they basically enable the app to access both front and rear camera and your photographs. Which means, whenever the app is playing the foreground, it can “record you, upload the content immediately, and run real-time face detection to read your facial expressions”. And all of this without any notice or indication that your iPhone is snapping images of your face. No sound, no light, no LEDs.

Krause has shared a short demonstration of the documented issue on YouTube, which can be seen below.

Now the most appalling bit of this scenario is that this is not even a bug that can be fixed, but is how this privacy setting is expected to work by design. This means that when you have granted app permission to someone who wished to exploit these permissions, they could easily scrape image data to locate users, find other existing photos of the device’s owner, and even watch you while you’re maybe sitting on the toilet and upload it up on the web. 

Krause says there is only so much you can actually do to prevent this, however there are ways, but he warns that none of them make for a particularly smooth and streamlined user experience.

One way is to use webcam covers. And the other is to revoke camera access for all apps – quite definitely that would mean sacrificing some app functionality in the meanwhile, like taking and sending photos straight from apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook.