iOS 7.1 - A Jailbreak Killer!

The iOS7 update looks good for everyone. It even promises a snappier performance for iPhone 4 users. But, it's also a jailbreak killer. And not any old jailbreak killer; those who seem to know say that this update might be "the end of all jailbreaks."

Certainly, each successive update has taken longer and longer to jailbreak. So, if you are really attached to those fun little features that only a jailbreak provides, hold off on the update. Otherwise... as always:

1. Attach the iPhone to your computer.
2. Open iTunes.
3. Click on "Back Up Now."
4. Wait for the backup to finish
5. Click on "Check for update" and then update to 7.1

Your phone will be unusable for about an hour and will need to remain connected to the computer for another few hours, depending on how many apps, pix, music, etc. need to be restored to the device.

There's a patch for that

Apple has released a fix for the SSL bug. Go update your Mavericks Mac now! Here are the details.

And if you haven't updated your phone, do it now. See my previous post.

Update your iDevices, Watch your Macs

The SSL vulnerabilities revealed on Saturday are serious. Everyone with an iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch should update their devices to the latest OS. That's 7.0.6 for most of you, and 6.1.6 for those of you who won't or can't upgrade to 7.

The very fact that Apple issued an update for 6 tells you that this is important.

Until you can update your iDevices, please turn off WIFI whenever you leave your secure home or secure office network. Right now, I would trust nowhere else.

Even though you can update/upgrade directly over the air on your phone, don't.

Here's the safest way to upgrade/update:

1. Attach the iPhone to your computer.
2. Open iTunes.
3. Click on "Back Up Now."
4. Wait for the backup to finish
5. Click on "Check for update" and then do update to 7.0.6

Your phone will be unusable for about an hour and will need to remain connected to the computer for another few hours, depending on how many apps, pix, music, etc. need to be restored to the device.

If you don't want to upgrade right now, switch off wifi. It is important.

Macs not running Mavericks are OK. People with Mavericks, in addition to avoiding unsecured wifi should:

1. Stop using Safari and Mac Mail.
2. Use the latest Firefox or Chrome.
3. Keep an eye open for an update from Apple; it's coming soon.

Is (Battery) Life Letting you Down?

It seems that many people are disappointed in the decreased battery life in the recent iOS7 upgrade. Looking at it through my rose colored, Apple fan boy glasses, I see it differently. I don't see the battery life decreased as much as I see the functionality of the iPhone increased. Background updating of my favorite news and weather apps means I spend less time waiting for updates when I run the app. The 3D effects aren't really "functionality," but I'm enjoying them. Location awareness in so many more apps makes their results more relevant, but also draws more power. Notifications and Push technology suck down the juice, but I like finding out right away when Amendola or Gronkowski are healthy, and I love knowing when "Rain is Imminent!" I like talking to Siri, but she wears down the battery too.

Unhappy with the time between charges?

Easy solution: Decrease the functionality.

First, take care of basics, and get rid of the stuff you really don't need:

• Have the phone lock sooner.  Go to Settings > General > Auto-Lock and set the interval to a shorter time, such as 1 Minute.
• Don't automatically update Apps! Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store and turn off the toggle for Updates.
• Disable the parallax effect that gives the home screens that 3D look. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion.
• Turn off the Background App Refresh for the apps that you don't need updating all the time. Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
• Turn off AirDrop. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and select the toggle in the Control Center.
• Disable all of the Notifications that you don't really care about. Turn off the stock ticker. Go to Settings >Notification Center.  Change Alert Style to None. Turn Badge App Icon off. Turn Sounds off.
• Dim your screen some. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and slide the slider in the Control Center.

Situationally, there are more fixes:

• Turn off Bluetooth when you're not using it. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and select the toggle in the Control Center.
• Turn off the GPS if you're sitting in one place all day. Turn it on when you need them. Go to Settings>Privacy>Location Services
• Turn off Wi-Fi if you don't use it. Go to Settings>Wi-Fi
• Even if you do use Wi-Fi, turn off "Ask To Join Networks" and you'll save a bit. Go to Settings>Wi-Fi
• If you have low cell tower signal, think about using Airplane Mode. The phone uses a lot of power trying to stay connected, and if you have less than 2 bars or dots, chances are you're missing calls anyhow. Turn off Airplane Mode to make calls or check for emails.
• If instant email is not a priority, change email from Push to Fetch and set the Fetch interval higher. Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars >Fetch New Data and turn it off. Scroll down and choose a new interval. The longer the interval, the more battery saved.
• If you listen to Music, set the Equalizer to Off. Go to Settings >Music >EQ and tap Off. Any other setting uses more battery.

If you're not using a car charger, you're crazy, and if you haven't invested in a charger - or at least a USB cable - for work, do so!

And finally comes the brutal but honest truth: If you want a phone with a battery that lasts all day, it's easy:

• Stop using email.
• Stop surfing the web.
• Stop checking and updating Facebook.
• Stop tweeting, Vining, Pinning and Instagramming.
• Stop taking pictures and videos.
• Stop watching Youtube, Netflix, Vimeo.

I promise that if you use your phone as a phone only, you'll have plenty of battery life.

Here's that real life advice I promised: Stop wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Safari PDF Redux

If you have recently upgraded to Safari 6.1 and you suddenly get weird messages about Acrobat Reader being blocked, or your PDF viewing is jerky and slow… Revisit this post: Fixing Safari PDF Problems

I don't know why Apple keeps reinstalling buggy Adobe plug-ins at every opportunity, but each time I simply delete them, I end up with a better Mac experience.

Your Mac and Apple Preview are completely capable of displaying and printing PDFs for you, and any application will create a perfectly usable PDF for you to send to, and be usable by, anyone.

Please let me know if this doesn't work for you!

Best Thing Since Sliced Bread? FaceTime Audio Calling!

FaceTime has always been more of a cool, Dick Tracy trick in these quarters, than an actual useful service. I mean who wants to clean up their office, brush their hair, or hey… put on a shirt, just to talk on the phone? That and the unflattering camera angle that gives even Kate Moss a double chin has relegated FaceTime to the land of the absent parent/infant lullaby and the party trick.

But no more! Not with FaceTime Audio calling.

How can it be that this is not the lead in every single review of iOS7?

In terms of call quality, iOS 7 has taken the iPhone from worst to first. We're talking Hi-Def. HQ! This is crystal clear, CD-quality audio so clean it is, at first, disturbing. You'll be so amazed at the clarity and realism that you'll lose track of the content of your conversation.

As recently as yesterday, when someone has asked, "How do you like that iPhone?" my stock reply has been, "It's the worst phone I've ever had, and you can have it when you pry it from my cold dead hand." As all iPhone users acknowledge, the rest of the iPhone user experience makes up for the up-til-now hideous telephone service. I've tried the handset, the speakerphone and well reviewed Jawbone and Plantronics bluetooth earpieces to no avail. Maybe it's AT&T but it seems that my Verizon friends all have similar complaints. It seems it may really be in the nature of cellular calls on the iPhone, because with the introduction of FaceTime Audio Calls there are no hardware limitations; this handset, this speakerphone, this earpiece… all sound great!

FaceTime Audio Calling only works between iPhones on iOS7 and on wi-fi at both ends of the call UPDATE 10/21: It seems to work over 4G as well! Give it a try. You'll stop talking about Siri's new voice, the "Control Center" and the weird new colors.

And whatever you are talking about? It will sound amazing!

Time to update to iOS7?

iPhone 4S or 5?

Definitely go for it.

But:

• Do a full, encrypted backup by wired connection to your computer.
• Do the upgrade through iTunes on your computer
• Be ready to not be able to use the phone for +-30 minutes
• Expect to have to spend a couple hours getting used to how things look and how some things are different or relocated.

My advice... start it going before dinner. Get it to the point where the software is downloaded, unpacked and you can see that it is starting to grind away on the install. After dinner, keep it plugged in to power, and mess around with it during evening.

If you have an iPhone 4 you should probably still update; your phone may be a little slower, but most people are still happy with the changes.

If you have a 5 and a non-Apple charger, the charger will not work after the update. take it to the Apple Store, give them the charger and $10 and get an official, won't fry you, Apple brand charger!