MacRumors

Popular iOS Twitter client Tweetbot has been updated to version 4.5, adding new functions for iOS 10 users as well as a few other improvements.

The update, which is free to existing users, means Tweetbot users on iOS 10 will see slightly richer notifications. The update also introduces a new feature called Profile Notes, which lets users add brief notes to the profiles of people they follow - to remind them why they did so in the first place, for instance.

Developers Tapbots explains that Users' Profile Notes remain private and sync with iCloud. To access them users should tap the gear menu when viewing a Twitter account profile they follow.

Version 4.5 also brings improved scrolling and a new verified timeline filter that limits the tweets users see to those posted by verified accounts. Additionally, the app's mute filters have been updated to match accented text characters – so a filter to block Pokemon will mute Pokémon too.

Tweetbot 4.5 is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad for $9.99. [Direct Link]

Samsung pushed suppliers to meet tighter deadlines for an earlier launch of the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 after hearing that the iPhone 7 would have no major design changes, according to a new report published today.

The Bloomberg report cites multiple sources indicating that executives at Samsung saw rumors of Apple's apparent lack of innovation this year as an opportunity, and quickly approved a slew of new features for the Note 7 after getting hold of an early version of the device.

According to one person familiar with the matter, the select group of top managers "gushed over the upgrades and praised each other's work", and approved a launch date 10 days earlier than last year. Samsung's unveiling was August 3 this year, compared with August 13 in 2015.

As the launch date approached, employees at Samsung and suppliers stretched their work hours and made do with less sleep. Though it’s not unusual to have a scramble, suppliers were under more pressure than usual this time around and were pushed harder than by other customers, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. One supplier said it was particularly challenging to work with Samsung employees this time, as they repeatedly changed their minds about specs and work flow. Some Samsung workers began sleeping in the office to avoid time lost in commuting, the supplier said. Samsung declined to comment on whether deadlines were moved, reiterating that products are only introduced after proper testing.

When the phones got into customers' hands, reports of exploding handsets began. According to Bloomberg, executives at Samsung headquarters were in shock. Internally, there was a debate over whether to do a full-blown recall or to take less dramatic steps, like a battery replacement program. In the end, Samsung mobile chief decided on a full recall.

Samsung has drawn criticism for the steps it took next. Apparently driven by good intentions, the company announced the recall plans publicly before working out how millions of consumers in 10 countries would actually get replacements.

Then it sent mixed signals about what customers should do. First, Samsung told people to shut off their phones and stop using them. A few days later, it offered a software patch to prevent batteries from overheating, signaling consumers could keep using the phones.

But Samsung moved so fast it got ahead of regulators who help organize such programs. In the U.S. for example, companies are supposed to notify the Consumer Product Safety Commission within 24 hours of uncovering problems. Instead, Samsung went public on its own and consumers didn't have clear guidance on how to exchange their phones.

Asked to confirm that launch deadlines for the Note 7 were shifted, Samsung told Bloomberg that release dates are determined by "the proper completion of the development process and the readiness of the product for the market."

Meanwhile sales of Apple's iPhone 7 appear to have exceeded analysts' expectations, particularly demand for the larger 7 Plus, which was all but sold out across the globe on launch day. The company's choice of black handset color options has also piqued interest among consumers, despite concerns about the lack of a headphone jack on the new devices.

You can read more of the Bloomberg story here.

With iOS 10, Apple opened Siri to third-party developers with a public API, allowing the personal assistant to summon third-party services and apps hands-free.

Two of the first apps to make use of the new Siri SDK are WhatsApp Messenger and ride-hailing app Uber, both of which issued updates for their flagship apps this week.

Uber users can now hail a ride with a "Hey, Siri" command, followed by "Book me an Uber" or other variants. Apple has also allowed the ride-hailing service to be integrated into Apple Maps under a new Ride tab, where users can choose from a list of available drivers in the area. As pointed out by MacRumors readers, Lyft has also been updated to support both functions.

WhatsApp users meanwhile can now use Siri to dictate and send messages as well as initiate calls.

WhatsApp also becomes one of the first third-party apps to make use of CallKit, Apple's new framework that enables VoIP calls to function in iOS 10 like FaceTime and regular cellular calls. VoIP service Viber also supports the feature.

After updating the app, incoming WhatsApp calls appear in the lock screen showing the caller's profile picture and the typical call response buttons. In addition, WhatsApp contacts are now integrated into the native Contacts app in iOS 10, and also appear in the Phone app's Favorites. The WhatsApp update includes a number of other enhancements, including the ability to forward multiple chats at once.

To enable Siri integration for the apps, users should go to Settings -> Siri -> App Support and toggle the relevant switches to the on position. Users should expect plenty more third-party Siri integrations to appear in the coming months.

WhatsApp Messenger is a free download for iPhone available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Uber is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Lyft is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Viber is a free download for iPhone and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Apple's Reserve and Pick Up website is currently live again in Canada, allowing customers to reserve an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus for pickup at a local Apple retail store starting tomorrow. Despite limited to no launch day stock, iPhone 7 Plus models now appear to be available in cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec City, Halifax, Mississauga, London, Waterloo, and Winnipeg just one day later.

At the Eaton Centre shopping mall in Toronto, for example, the iPhone 7 Plus is available with 32GB in Black, Gold, and Silver, 128GB in Rose Gold, and 256GB in Gold, Rose Gold, and Silver, as of the time this article was published. At the Sainte-Catherine location in Montréal, meanwhile, Black remains available in all three storage capacities. Jet Black models of any kind remain unavailable at all stores listed.

iPhone 7 models in most colors and storage capacities are more widely available for in-store reservation.

The stores where reservations are currently unavailable are located in western cities such as Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, possibly due to time zone differences.

iPhone 7 Plus stock will likely be depleted very quickly due to a combination of strong demand and limited quantities, so the exact models available for reservation may change at any given time. Apple also turned some reservation customers away on launch day, so consider this to be a possibility again tomorrow as the company deals with the logistics of fulfilling millions of new iPhone orders around the world.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the Reserve and Pick Up page for regular customers continues to say that Apple is "not taking any more reservations to buy iPhone in store right now" and to "please check back tomorrow after 12:01 a.m." The reservation page for iPhone Upgrade Program customers appears to be live again, but virtually no iPhone 7 Plus models are available to reserve nationwide.

Americans living in northern border states could feasibly make the drive to Canada and purchase an unlocked iPhone 7 Plus for use on any U.S. carrier, as Apple sells SIM-Free models in Canada from day one.

Update: Reservations have now become available across Canada. As expected, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus stock has depleted at several stores.

As discovered by Myke Hurley (via Daring Fireball), some iPhone 7 and 7 Plus users are going to have a tough time unlocking their devices during wintertime. As it turns out, the new "solid-state" Home button on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus requires skin contact or the right kind of capacitive gloves to function.

If you put on a pair of gloves or cover your finger with the sleeve of a shirt and attempt to open the iPhone 7, access the Home screen, exit out of an app, or activate multitasking, the Home button will not respond to a press unless it's touching skin. And because the iPhone 7 uses the redesigned Lock screen in iOS 10, there's no quick and easy way to bring up the passcode entry screen to unlock the phone manually (the quickest way sans Home button is to swipe to the widgets screen and tap one).

We tested with a pair of gloves that are designed for touch screens and while we could unlock the iPhone 6s Plus with the gloves and use the touch screen, that wasn't possible with the iPhone 7 Plus -- the Home button wouldn't activate. There are mixed reports on Twitter from people with capacitive gloves, and while some work, others do not appear to. It may vary based on the material and construction of the gloves. Latex gloves also do not activate the Home button, but will activate the display.

While capacitive contact is required to unlock the phone, the new "Raise to Wake" functionality still allows the Lock screen to be viewed without a touch, so it continues to be possible to view incoming notifications. Fully unlocking the phone will require a free finger that's unobscured by fabric or one of the brands of capacitive gloves that are functional.

Update: As MacRumors forum members point out, there is the option of turning on AssistiveTouch in Accessibility, which offers a way to bypass the home button with screen-only control options.

According to Apple's System Status page, both the iTunes Store and the App Store are down for some users. The iTunes Store has been experiencing issues since just after 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time this afternoon, and while the App Store outage period is not listed, MacRumors has seen several complaints about accessing it going back an hour or two.

Apple's System Status site says some users may be unable to sign into the App Store and the iTunes Store, an outage that comes at an inconvenient time as the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus were just released, so many people are trying to set up their devices and download new apps.

There's no estimate given for when services might return to normal.

A federal jury in Tyler, Texas has ordered Apple to pay $22.1 million to patent firm Acacia Research for violating U.S. Patent No. 8,055,820, related to cellular network technologies, according to court documents filed electronically this week. The monetary award is a running royalty for Apple's infringement through March 2016.

The jury said Apple did not prove with clear and convincing evidence that any asserted claims of the patent are invalid as obvious or based on improper inventorship. Apple's infringement was found to be willful, which in patent litigation means the patent holder can request that the judge enhance the damages by up to three times, or up to roughly $66.4 million in this particular lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in January 2014, accused Apple of selling multiple products that infringe upon the patent, including the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPad mini 2. U.S. Patent No. 8,055,820, titled "apparatus, system, and method for designating a buffer status reporting format based on detected pre-selected buffer conditions," is highly technical and at one point was assigned to Nokia.

AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Boost Mobile were also named as defendants for selling the infringing iPhones, but none of the carriers were named in the jury verdict. U.S. Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell presided over the case in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Texas, a popular region for non-practicing entities like Acacia Research and VirnetX to bring patent litigation against companies like Apple.

Acacia Research, based in Newport Beach, California, says it has returned over $705 million to patent owners. The corporation creates a subsidiary company for each set of patents it enforces through litigation, including Cellular Communications Equipment, LLC in this particular Apple lawsuit.

Our partnership with patent owners is the cornerstone of our corporate strategy. Acacia is an intermediary in the patent marketplace unlocking financial value in patented inventions.

Apple has not confirmed if it will appeal the decision.

A group of three news outlets, including Gannett, the Associated Press and Vice Media, filed a lawsuit today against the FBI on grounds relating to the bureau's decision to keep its method of hacking into San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone a secret. The news organizations are looking for more information about how exactly the FBI entered the iPhone, what "outside party" helped with the process, and how much the government paid for it (via USA Today).

Gannett, the AP, and Vice Media have each sought details on the hack under the Freedom of Information Act, but the FBI denied the requests, arguing that "revealing the records would imperil its enforcement efforts." Now the organizations are teaming up and asking the court to force the FBI to release the requested information.

While the security drama swirls, University of Cambridge researcher Sergei Skorobogatov has released proof countering the FBI's claim that it couldn't get into Farook's iPhone without Apple's help. In his report (via Engadget), Skorobagatov detailed his process in bypassing the passcode retry counter of an iPhone 5c running iOS 9, which he said "does not require any expensive and sophisticated equipment."

This was achieved by desoldering the NAND Flash chip of a sample phone in order to physically access its connection to the SoC and partially reverse engineering its proprietary bus protocol. The process does not require any expensive and sophisticated equipment. All needed parts are low cost and were obtained from local electronics distributors. By using the described and successful hardware mirroring process it was possible to bypass the limit on passcode retry attempts. This is the first public demonstration of the working prototype and the real hardware mirroring process for iPhone 5c.

After removing the NAND from the iPhone -- which requires "a temperature above 300 ºC...due to heavy heat sinking of the main PCB" -- he created a backup of it and placed it onto a custom-built, special test board. To continue the NAND mirroring process, following a successful creation and verification of the backup copy, the original chip is placed back into the iPhone 5c, where the researcher entered six passcode attempts, and then power cycled the device. In total, the process takes 90 seconds each time, meaning the true password could feasibly be discovered in "less than two days."

Once the phone is powered up and the screen is slid the passcode can be entered six times until the delay of one minute is introduced again. Then the process of mirroring from backup can be repeated again and again until the correct passcode is found. On average each cycle of mirroring for six passcode attempts takes 90 seconds. Hence, a full scan of all possible 4-digit passcodes will take about 40 hours or less than two days.

The fight between Apple and the FBI began earlier in the year when Apple refused to help the government unlock Farook's iPhone 5c under the belief that it could set a fearful precedent for security and privacy moving forward. The FBI didn't know what could potentially be on the device, but believed that any information gathered from it would potentially help move the case of the San Bernardino shooting forward in meaningful ways.

Although that particular case is over, FBI director James Comey said that he expects litigation over the encryption of mobile devices to continue, as encryption is "essential tradecraft" of terrorist organizations like ISIS. Technology and security have intersected more and more as smartphones grow more popular, with Comey also stating that WhatsApp's new end-to-end encryption was already "affecting the criminal work [of the FBI] in huge ways."

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.