iPhone

Still waiting to see if the iOS update will be released only in France to appease local regulators, or globally since several countries have been closely monitoring this story.

The Basic Apple Guy did it with an iPhone 15 Pro and tossed it up on Threads.

We’ve been pretty into cursed images the last few days. First, it was a Steam Deck as a DVD player, then an iPad as a Samsung Dex display.

Not going to lie: the iPhone 15 makes me want a dumb phone even more. Once again, we’ve got a new and even more capable iPhone. Yet with all those new exciting features, I can’t help but think Apple’s just given us a shinier new distraction. That’s why now, more than ever, I wish dumb phones would make a comeback.

The iPhone 15’s latest update is iOS 17.0.2, and Apple says it fixes an issue that “may prevent transferring data directly from another iPhone during setup” (via MacRumors). Take a few minutes to update your new phone before setting up that transfer to avoid issues.

(By the way, the latest update for older iPhones iOS 17.0.1, so don’t look for iOS 17.0.2 on those devices.)

In an interview with Brian Tong on the Apple Blitz XL podcast, Apple VP of sensing and connectivity Ron Huang explains that while the second-gen AirPods Pro earbuds also have the H2 chip just like its new USB-C model, the new ones are capable of communicating at 5GHz instead of just 2GHz.

He says that’s why the new USB-C AirPods Pro earbuds have enough bandwidth to do lossless audio wirelessly when combined with the upcoming Vision Pro.

Apple:

The H2 chip in the latest AirPods Pro and Apple Vision Pro, combined with a groundbreaking wireless audio protocol, unlocks powerful 20-bit, 48 kHz Lossless Audio with a massive reduction in audio latency

AI-generated imagery is the new clip art, and Microsoft’s now making it dead easy to add to your chats — just swipe and type in SwiftKey to generate AI art on iPhone or Android.

Samsung’s keyboard has SwiftKey under the hood, so this is likely coming to a lot of phones. Microsoft’s also rolling out some “AI stickers” and “AI camera lenses,” but they’re pretty meh right now.

Seriously, he had to unlock the door to greet customers. Amusing start to iPhone 15 launch day.

Smelt it dealt it.

(The app to do it is call Thwip.)

According to an Apple support document, you just need to wipe the edges with a lint-free cloth to get things looking good again (via MacRumors):

For iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the oil from your skin might temporarily alter the color of the outside band. Wiping your iPhone with a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth will restore the original look.

Now that the iPhone’s latest OS is out of beta and available to everyone, it’s time to try out some of those new features. One of our favorites is Standby mode, which turns your iPhone into a cool smart display while it’s charging. Here’s how to use it.

Marques Brownlee shows off this capability in his iPhone 15 unboxing video, where he uses the device to charge a Lightning-equipped iPhone, another iPhone 15, and even a Pixel Fold and Galaxy device — it’s just a bit more inconsistent on non-Apple devices.

In response to a question from MacRumors writer Joe Rossignol during our iPhone 15 Pro Q&A, our reviewer Allison Johnson listed off the options from their charging menu, including one clearly labeled “80 percent limit,” which you’d think would mean a hard stop to reduce wear and tear on the battery.

However, in our testing so far, the new phones still don’t always stop charging once they reach 80 percent, even with the setting enabled. We’ve contacted Apple about the behavior and are doing some more tests — we’ll let you know what we find out.