Apple iOS 11.2.5 Has A Great Secret Feature

What’s New in iOS 11.2.5?

 
Apple has just released the official version of iOS 11.2.5. This new version of iOS is all set to introduce Apple’s HomePod support, as usual some bug fixes and also is supposedly causing problems for some other users. Apple has jumped directly onto iOS 11.2.5 missing 11.2.3 and 11.2.4.
iOS 11.2.5 is actually a maintenance release which is larger than the average maintenance releases.
 

Downloading iOS 11.2.5:

 
If you are currently on iOS 11.2.2 then downloading iOS 11.2.5 will take you a matter of only 10 minutes and maybe even less with speedier networks.

This version of iOS is a bit bigger than the previous two versions and can take up to a few minutes to update and install. The time may vary according to the Apple device and network connection. Updating from iOS 11.2.2 will be faster than updating from a much older version.
 

Battery life after iOS 11.2.5:

 
While some report no problems after updating to iOS 11.2.5 others are experiencing various problems and one of them relates to battery life.

While on the other side of the same coin, users are stating that they have experienced improved battery performance after downloading iOS 11.2.5. This occurrence seems to be unpredicted for, as Apple has not listed battery fixes as a fix when updating to iOS 11.2.5

New features in iOS 11.2.5:

iOS 11.2.5 brings users a new Siri feature whereby the voice assistant can be asked about news podcasts. Apple started introducing the feature a while back with iOS 11.2.2. Now with iOS 11.2.5 the news podcasts are available to the US, Australia and the UK.

Also coming with iOS 11.2.5 is support for apple’s HomePod. You can now transfer all your Apple id, music and Siri and WiFi settings to HomePod and get it set up.

The HomePod is due to be released in Febuary of this year.
 

Issues in iOS 11.2.5:

 
Many users after downloading the iOS 11.2.5 update are encountering problems relating to frozen downloads, problems with third party apps, battery drain, issues concerning connectivity whether to WiFi, data or Bluetooth connectivity. Additional issues relate to face id and touch id.

Apple is also offering users a chance to drop back to iOS 11.2, iOS 11.2.1 or iOS 11.2.2 if they are not happy with the iOS 11.2.5 download.
 

Security patches with iOS 11.2.5:

 
iOS 11.2.5 has also brought with it security patches including one relating to chaiOS link. Those devices running on iOS 11.2.2 or older and receive a GitHub link as a message in your messaging app, it can mean that your device will respring or lockup. Brsides this, the messaging app may also cease to function.

Another security release relates to spectre. iOS 11.2.5 brings a security improvement for WebKit and Safari which protects users from spectre.

If you do not have the current version of iOS 11.2.2 and have some older version then downloading iOS 11.2.5 will come with a lot more security fixes than updating directly from iOS 11.2.2

WhatsApp Messenger Now Officially Supports Apple CarPlay

WhatsApp Messenger now compatible with CarPlay

WhatsApp is the first messenger app that is now also supported by Apple's CarPlay system: This was previously Apple's own messaging service iMessage (which can also send and receive SMS), reserved. With the update to WhatsApp version 2.18.20 WhatsApp but to bring the necessary support. After pairing the iPhone then appears WhatsApp icon on the car display.

Anyone who knows how to use and appreciate the comfort of Apple's CarPlay in the car will have missed a comprehensive compatibility with the WhatsApp Messenger in many a situation painfully. That could finally change - thanks to a nondescript WhatsApp update.

WhatsApp is supposed to be able to interact with Apple's CarPlay. Accordingly, the innovation does not fall directly on, because the CarPlay icon for the messenger apparently not in the foreground. But at least by looking into the CarPlay settings of the iOS options, it is clear that the messenger has actually been integrated into the system. More safety and comfort On the Apple devices, the feature was probably in the wake of the just-rolled WhatsApp update for iOS with the version number 2.18.20.

However, official information on this not insignificant innovation does not appear to be provided by WhatsApp yet. Also in connection with the recent update for the messenger only "bug fixes" the speech, so the correction of minor errors. A circumstance that is at least surprising, since many iPhone users have been waiting almost eagerly for the feature. From now on, you can use it to read WhatsApp messages from Siri and answer them directly, without being distracted while driving - exactly as it is the case with conventional messages.

Feature is missing? Manually trigger WhatsApp update

If the feature has not arrived yet, you can simply manually update WhatsApp via the App Store. Once done, the function should be directly integrated and the corresponding CarPlay icon will appear as soon as you connect your iPhone to a CarPlay-compatible car.

Supporting CarPlay lets you read incoming messages or dictate new messages to Siri - and the icon also shows you how many unread messages there are. However, the news can only be read out in sequence - scrolling through the individual messages is not possible. However, with Siri you can read the last messages of a person as before: "Hey Siri, read the WhatsApp messages from Martin!".

When you receive a new message, it will now also be displayed on the CarPlay screen so that you can respond directly and have the message read to you. New in the WhatsApp update is also a search function in the group members: If you click in a group chat on the group name, can now also search for participants in a large group - WhatsApp itself writes to the new features of the update, however, only "bug fixes".

What Can We Expect From Samsung Galaxy S9?

With news buzzing about the Samsung Galaxy S9, what can be expected from the phone that will be launched by Samsung?

Some hints were passed by Samsung in its 2017 year-end Financial Report about the Samsung Galaxy S9. The camera and Bixby assistant will be the main features that will strengthen its top of the range Smartphones.

Release Date

Samsung will launch the Galaxy S9 on 25th Feb 2018 at the Mobile World Congress. March 2 is the date for pre-orders and it will be shipped in mid March according to ETNews.

The Design

The Samsung Galaxy S9 will maintain the S8 look. The front of the Galaxy S9 has same sized bezels above and below the display as that of the Galaxy S8. It will have the “edge” curved design with a single camera lens on the rear. There is also the fingerprint sensor, flanked by a flash unit and other sensors on the rear.

Based on a leaked image of the package, the Samsung Galaxy S9 comes with a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom of the phone. It also seems that the phone will have the IP68 rating.

The Camera

The camera will be the main focus of the Galaxy S9. The ability to capture motion with rapid shutter speed or depth of field and different lighting will be the additional features. The Galaxy S9 may use the Samsung Isocell image sensor for better images in low light by creating a large pixel.

Video can be shot in 1080p at 460fps. According to the leaked image of the package, Samsung Galaxy S9 will have a super speed Dual Pixel 12MP OIS (F1.5/F2.4). It will have a variable aperture that will switch between F1.5 and F2.4 depending on the lighting. The leaked image of the package shows the Samsung Galaxy S9 will have an 8MP AF Selfie camera.

Features

The Samsung Galaxy S9 will come with a 3,000mAh cell which is similar to that in the Galaxy S8. Samsung Galaxy S9 will most probably have two different chips. For the US markets, the model will feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip and the other international models will run on Exynos 9 Series 9180.

The Galaxy S9 will be the first to have the Snapdragon 845 chip. The Snapdragon 845 will enhance image processing, an improved Gigabit LTE capable modem with 20 percent faster speeds than the modem on the Snapdragon 835. Besides the usual upgrades, the processor will have an AI processing platform called Hexagon 685 DSP.

As far as storage is concerned, the Galaxy S9 may have 8 times the storage capacity of its predecessor. According to reports from Geekbench and a leaked image on Reddit, the Galaxy S9 is slated to have 64GB storage and 4GB RAM.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is likely to have the 512GB flash storage, as indicated by a December 2017 announcement by the company.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 will have the band 71 support according to a Federal Communications Commission filing. Band 71 is basically a low frequency (600 MHz) band for better coverage in rural areas and large buildings. Since T-Mobile owns the 600 MHz spectrum, they will benefit from it.
Reddit has posted an image of the packaging, which shows the Galaxy S9 with stereo speakers. Samsung in partnership with AKG will enhance the audio of the Galaxy S9. The headphones too are in collaboration with AKG.

Cost of the Samsung Galaxy S9

It may be in the range of $880 to $920.

Apple's iPhone Battery 'Slowdown' to be Optional

Apple is making the feature to slowdown the battery on iPhone an optional

After dealing with huge backlash for slowing down the iPhone Apple has decided to bring new software which will make this feature optional. This update will effectively result in switching off the “battery saver” feature which was the major cause of slowing down some of the Apple models. This option will be made available in the following smartphone models namely iPhone 6+, 6 Plus along with the S editions as well as smaller iPhone SE model. This would also be applicable for the iPhone 7 and 7Plus editions.

Apple has to deal with huge backlash month for slowing down the smartphones deliberately and it has apologized for the same. Customers and fans were angry with the Apple for not accepting this fault and before its discovery were made. Over the years it was suspected that Apple used to deliberately slow down some of its devices in order to push the need to upgrade.

Apple has maintained that it has slowed down some of the phones due to their ageing batteries and it was done in a bid to prolong the life of the iPhone devices. Users will get the ability to get rid of the battery performance throttling on these models with upcoming iOS 11.3 software update. With this update users will get the ability to switch off the battery saver on their iPhone. Apple has asserted that battery saver feature was designed to ringing dynamic management of the resources on the iPhone to offer maximum performance in order to prevent any kind of unexpected shutdowns.

Apple understands that its battery management code will remain under close scrutiny by the computer engineers, fans and tech enthusiasts in the upcoming days. Therefore Apple will be showing more information related to the battery and any kind of the path to the code will be displayed instantly.

Drop in price for the battery replacement

Simply by replacing the battery on their iPhone, users will be able to get same old performance without any issues. Apple has stated that it will be lowering the price for the out-of-warranty batter replacement service from hefty $79 to just $29. This price drop is available for the iPhone users in the US territory and it is applicable for devices like iPhone 6 and later models. Similarly in UK Apple has lowered the price from £79 to £25. A number of tech enthusiasts has complained that the issue related to the battery performance issue is quite rampant across the varied iPhone variants present in the market and it is a cause of concerns for millions of users worldwide.

As the long standing myth Apple deliberately goes on slowing down it older devices in order to boost the sales of the new one has been busted. Apple has come under scrutiny of the regulators, fans and customers therefore it is actively indulging in offering as many options as possible to enhance their battery performance on the iPhone models.

Why You Should Invest in a Blog for Your Website

Are you looking for a way to start generating more traffic to your website? Maybe you have seen a dip in traffic due to search engine algorithm changes or you have generally struggled to maintain the numbers of visitors you want? There are so many different marketing strategies out there to try but you don’t want to waste time on ones that won’t get results. You want to make sure you are investing your time in marketing techniques that are going to help you to achieve your business goals. You want to increase your website traffic and drive more conversions.

If you haven’t already tried blogging as a marketing strategy, the first question is -why not? Websites with a blog tend to have 434% more indexed pages and more indexed pages mean that your website will perform better in organic search results. If your website features higher up in search results then you are going to get more website visitors. Just make sure that your web hosting plan will be able to support increased levels of traffic before you start. Most shared web hosting plans often include “unlimited” bandwidth but we all know that’s a false promise!

Attracting blog readers

Blogging also allows you to provide expertise on subjects that people search for, which are related to your business. For example, if you run a hair salon, a good way of attracting visitors to your website might be to write a blog on how to copy a celeb’s hairstyle or covering different hair trends that are emerging in the industry.

Or if you are a builder, you could do a regular blog providing tips on smaller DIY jobs like tiling. Once you have attracted them to your site with your expertise, you have the opportunity to showcase your services. So they might have a look at an extension you recently completed or a new kitchen that you fitted. Or they may decide that tiling is actually too difficult for them to do themselves and contact your company to do it instead. Creating useful blogs will enable you to build up authority – recognition that you know what you are talking about and that people find your website to be of great use.

Whatever type of industry you work in, blogging is one of the best ways to generate organic traffic to your website. Also, if you add social media sharing buttons onto your blog, when you write something that someone really appreciates, they might share it with their friends on Facebook, Twitter etc. That means that your audience reach increases and more people might start following your blog, looking out for your useful tips and advice.

Interaction and engagement with audience

You can also open up comments on your blog to enable a two-way communication with your website visitors. Maybe there is an issue with your website that is stopping people from contacting you, or a user is struggling to find a specific product, they can use the comments to raise this. Or they might want you to go into more detail about a specific topic, enabling you to reply to them and start building that relationship.

They might suggest another topic for your next blog that would help them and many other people. You might not have any idea that people need help with a specific task unless they ask you. Then that could open up a huge opportunity if there is a big demand for people to learn about your next blog topic.

One thing that sometimes puts people off blogging is that they think it takes up too much time. It doesn’t have to take up hours of your day, most blogs are around 600-1000 words long which shouldn’t take too long if you already have an idea of what you want to cover.

If writing isn’t your strong point or you really don’t have the time, then you can always employ a freelance writer to do it for you. You can provide them with some bullet points of what you want to cover and they will write the blog for you. Or you can simply ask them to research the topic themselves and produce a blog. There are lots of ways to get a blog created, so don’t worry if you’re not a wordsmith or you don’t have the time to write your own blogs.