Plenty of Apple, iPhone, and iPad news gets released every single day – but we know you’re busy, so we’ve got your back. Here, we’ve picked out some of the most important stories from the past week or so and summarized them for easy digestion. You’re welcome.
Let’s take a quickfire look at some of the most interesting recent headlines of late. As ever, click through to read the full stories if you want to know more!
Apple launches MagSafe battery pack
Apple surprised everyone recently by releasing a MagSafe Battery Pack for the iPhone 12 range without so much as a hint of fanfare. This won’t be the first battery add-on the company has released for its smartphones, but typically these have been integrated into a case. As the name suggests, the MagSafe Battery Pack uses Apple’s magnetized standard to attach to the back of the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The pack comes with 5W of power, so don’t expect it to fill your iPhone up in a hurry. It also requires iOS 14.7 or above to operate.
iOS 14.7 breaks Apple Watch link
Talking of iOS 14.7, Apple has confirmed reports that its latest software update has broken the ability to unlock the Apple Watch with an iPhone for some people. The bug seems to affect only iPhones with Touch ID, such as the latest iPhone SE, and has been acknowledged by Apple in a support document. Apple’s advice if you encounter such a bug? “If you experience this issue, just type the passcode directly on your Apple Watch to unlock it.” Which isn’t awfully helpful if you’ve grown accustomed to this labor-saving maneuver, but at least Apple has promised to fix the bug in a forthcoming software update.
Always-on display could be coming to iPhone
One of the key features of recent Apple Watch models could be coming to the iPhone in the shape of an always-on display. The feature would see key information, like the time or notification counts, constantly displayed on the displays of future iPhones. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (via The Verge), this always-on display feature could be ready to roll out with the very next iPhone generation at the end of this year. It’s previously been rumored that Apple will employ the same energy-efficient LTPO screen technology that can be found in the Apple Watch – something that would also enable an increased 120Hz refresh rate.
Floods hit iPhone 13 production
The production of the aforementioned next-generation iPhone might have just hit a minor snag, with reports of severe flooding affecting Apple’s biggest iPhone production site in China. The WSJ reports that flooding cut power to Foxconn’s factory in Zhengzhou city, Henan province, in the center of the country. Despite having to enact emergency procedures, Foxconn claims that the rising waters had no direct impact on its vast factories. With production of the next iPhone set to ramp up any day now, it’s hoped that supplies won’t be too badly hit in a year that’s already had more than its fair share of component shortages and production bottlenecks.