iPhone 5S Fingerprint Reader Tipped by iOS 7 Beta 4 Code

The iOS 7 beta 4 update includes a small piece of code that points to a new iPhone with a fingerprint reader built in to secure user information and data. Apple is reportedly planning an iPhone 5S with a fingerprint reader, though other believe Apple is saving afingerprint reader for the iPhone 6 next year.

As soon as the latest iOS 7 beta arrived researchers downloaded the file to look for hints at what Apple is planning for iOS 7 and for the rumored iPhone 5S and discovered hints of a fingerprint sensor for the iPhone.

iOS tinkerer Hamza Sood discovered a BiometricKitUI folder and description of how an iPhone users could unlock the iPhone with a fingerprint in the iOS 7 beta 4 file, sharing the details on Twitter.

The iOS 7 beta 4 includes details on a possible iPhone 5S fingerprint reader.

Inside the code appears to be an outline for setting up an iPhone 5S with a fingerprint reader. The code references two photos of a finger on the iPhone and a status that changes as the fingerprint recognition approaches 100%. In practice, this could look similar to the video below which shows a finger unlocking a phone with a fingerprint.

The leak does not include any additional details about how this would work, but we could see new  iOS 7 features tied to fingerprints. In addition to unlocking the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6, different fingerprints could launch specific apps. This would allow users to swipe a left index finger to launch the camera or launch right into email, while the right thumb would launch to the home screen. The iOS 7 beta doesn’t show Apple working on this type of feature, but it is something we’ve seen in use on Android phone fingerprint demos.

This is the first time we’ve seen any mention of fingerprint reader support in an external iOS 7 beta, adding to claims Apple is preparing an iPhone 5S with a fingerprint reader for this fall. Even if Apple is not planning to share the details about this until an iPhone 5S launch, it makes sense to see the code appear in an iOS 7 beta 4 release. Apple is reportedly planning two more iOS 7 betas before the Gold Master and public release. By including this code now, Apple could make sure it doesn’t negatively impact existing devices.

Apple purchased AuthenTec in 2012, a security company known for mobile fingerprint technology. Previously we covered how Apple could build this into an iPhone 5S home button even though leaks indicate there is little additional space in this area.

Apple is reportedly planning the iPhone 5S release for late September, which would place an iOS 7 release soon before that and an iPhone 5S launch earlier in the month, but nothing is set in stone at this time.

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How To Transfer Contacts to a New iPhone iOS6

Migrating from one phone to another used to be a major pain. Backing up contacts was nearly impossible, and inputting them into a new phone involved pressing each individual number on the number pad repeatedly. With iOS 6, and a new iPhone, getting contacts on the device couldn’t be easier. Here is how to do it for existing users and new users.

Existing iPhone Users

For existing iPhone users, making sure that the phone is set to backup to iCloud is the easiest way.

Open Settings on the iPhone.

Choose iCloud from the menu.

iPhone iOS 6 iCloud Menu

Scroll down to find Storage & Backup.

iPhone iOS 6 Storage and Backup Menu

Then make sure the iCloud Backup toggle is set to ON.

Whenever the iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi and charging, the phone will backup. Once the phone has been backed up, migrating to the new phone is simple. By clicking the Back Up Now button, it will force a backup.

When setting up the new phone, it will at one point prompt the user to choose to Restore from an iCloud Backup. Choose that and then follow the prompts. A short time later everything will be on the new phone, including contacts and all the apps.

New iPhone Users

During the initial setup of the phone it would have prompted the user to create an iCloud account. Since a large percentage of iPhones sold are sold at wireless stores (and not Apple stores) the in-store associate most likely helped the user set up the account.

Adding contacts (and other information) to the iPhone through iCloud is incredibly easy if the user has access to a computer. Here is how to do it.

Open the web browser and visit www.icloud.com.

www.icloud.com

Then login with the correct credentials.

Logging into iCloud

After logging in, choose the Contacts option.

iCloud Main Screen

Once the Contacts screen opens, select the “+” button at the bottom of the screen.

iCloud Contacts Screen

Then fill out the contact information and click Done.

Add New Contact in iCloud

The contact information will automatically synchronize with the phone. To verify this, unlock the iPhone and check the Contacts app for the new name.

iPhone Contacts app with new contact.

Simply repeat the process for each person needing to be added and that’s it! It is much easier to input this contact information over the computer than by using the phone’s keyboard, especially if there are a large number of contacts to enter.

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How to Make a 3-Way Call on the iPhone

Conference calling allows more than two people on the phone simultaneously. This can enable meetings and other business discussion to occur more easily compared to video conferencing.

Conference calls are accessible with a few simple taps. Conference calling is free, and allows up to three people to talk all on the same call. This feature works with all the carriers that the iPhone uses, but it functions somewhat differently for AT&T users compared to those on Verizon and Sprint. The special perks offered from using an AT&T iPhone are listed at the end of the post.

While there are a few minor differences, the basic conference call works the same for any iPhone. Follow the guide below to start using conference calling on your iPhone today.

How to Use Conference Calling

Go to the Phone app on the iPhone and select a contact to call. Once the phone begins to ring, pull the phone away from your ear to see the calling screen like the one below. Wait until the call is fully connected, and once it is, a plus icon should appear in the bottom right. Tap the Plus icon to add a call.

Scroll through the list of contacts and select who you would like to add into the conference call. When you find the right contact, tap on it.

With the contact selected, tap on the contact’s number for the iPhone to dial.

The first call is put on hold as the iPhone dials the second number.

Once the second number connects, tap the Merge Calls button in the bottom left to create a Conference call.

The iPhone will then merge the three calls together so that the audio syncs for all users.

Once the calls merge, the status bar at the top will say Conference Call.

Tapping the End button will close all the calls.

AT&T Special Perks.

On an AT&T iPhone there are a few special features that users have over an iPhone on Verizon or Sprint. Since the AT&T iPhone can do simultaneous voice and data, this comes into play when using the conference calling feature.

If you use an AT&T phone the Swap option is available for you to use. This option allows you to switch between two lines without merging them together. This is a nice feature to have, as multiple calls might be a common scenario for business users. Also, when ending a conference call you can stay on the line with one other person, that way not all the users have to hang up.

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Apple Tries Out Big Ideas to Go After Samsung With 13-Inch iPad

Apple is rumored to be look at a wide diversity of screen sizes for its mobile iPhone and iPad products, according to the company’s Asian suppliers. Apple may be testing iPhone models with display sizes larger than 4 inches and iPad tablets with screens at around 13-inch diagonally.

It’s unclear if Apple will make these devices, a report on the Wall Street Journal says. Apple may be pressured into diversifying its product ranges to keep up with competition from Android where devices are available in a wide range of form factors and display sizes. Samsung, for one, offers a alphabet–a smartphone and tablet hybrid with a display between 5 and 6 inches–and that’s a product that Apple doesn't currently offer.

In its most current product lineup, Apple offers a 4-inchiPhone, a 9.7-inch iPad with a high resolution Retina Display, and an iPad mini that clocks in with a 7.9-inch screen.

The company has been rumored to be working on a smartphone with a 4.3- and 4.7-inch display in the past. More recently, a report also suggests that Apple may be experimenting with a sub-13-inch display for a rumored iPad maxi tablet that could be targeted at the educational market as Apple pushes more digital content, like e-books through the iBookstore and learning apps. With the overall decline of traditional PC and notebook sales, larger tablets could help Apple bridge the mobile and computing gap in the post-PC era that it helped to define.

The report for Apple experimenting with various display sizes comes ahead of production ramp ups for the next generation iDevice offering, which is slated to come this fall. Rumors suggest we may be seeing a re-designed iPad 5 with slimmer bezels and a design that mimics the iPad mini, an upgraded iPad mini with conflicting news on the Retina Display upgrade, and an iPhone 5S with subtle changes and largely the same design. A lower cost iPhone model is also expected to debut as well.

Proponents of smaller displays, especially where phones are concerned, maintain that the smaller form factor is both easier and more comfortable to hold while at the same time more ergonomic for use one-handed. Opponents argue that variety offers consumers more choice. HTC, another Android rival in the mobile space, has shied away from larger displays more recently with the HTC One being one of the more compact flagships introduced this year along with the HTC One Mini, boasting great specs but an even smaller footprint with a 4.3-inch display.

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Apple Dev Center Back Online: iOS 7 Beta 4 Release Inches Closer

The Apple Developer Center is back online, including iOS 7 beta downloads, paving the way for a swift IOS 7 beta 4 release, possibly as soon as next week.

A hack forced Apple to take the iOS and Mac Developer Center offline last week, after an un-authorized user compromised emails and other developer information. This downtime came as Apple is in the middle of preparing for the iOS 7 release this fall with multiple betas aimed at fixing bugs and helping developers prepare for the new features and look of the iPhone and iPad software.

Apple has been working around the clock to bring the Developer Center online and late Friday night Apple restored some Developer Center functionality including access to the iOS 7 beta downloads.

The Apple Developer Center is back online, paving the way for an iOS 7 beta 4 release soon.

In an email sent to iOS developers Apple expressed appreciation for the inconvenience and outlined the progress so far saying,We appreciate your patience as we work to bring our developer services back online. Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles, software downloads, and other developer services are now available. If you would like to know the availability of a particular system, visit our status page.

This comes as good news after several top iOS developers expressed the opinion that it could be along wait for the iOS 7 beta 4 release.

As of 7:45 Pacific on Friday Apple brought the Certificates and Profiles and Software Downloads online as well as the iOS, Mac and Safari Dev Centers. All of these were offline for the last week, stalling developer progress for some apps.

With the Certificates Identifiers and Profiles online, developers can now add new devices to their app testing and to the iOS 7 beta. This does not mark a full return of the iOS Developer Center, but it is an important step.

The iOS Developer Center is online.

Now that the iOS 7 beta download files are back online, as well as the XCode 5 Developer Preview, Apple could be working hard for an iOS 7 beta 4 release date of Monday. While Apple does not set external dates for the iOS 7 beta release dates, previous iOS 7 betas came out after two weeks, which would have been earlier this week for the iOS 7 beta 4.

While there was some concern this downtime could delay the fall iOS 7 release, and possibly impact the iPhone 5S launch, a week of downtime should not provide a major impact to the overall progress as internal testing could likely continue during this time.

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iOS 7 Beta 4 Release Could Be Weeks Off

While Apple is not publicly offering any timeline for the Developer Center re-launch and the IOS 7 beta 4 release, top iOS developers speculate that we could be in for a long wait.

The recent Apple hack took the iOS developer center offline delaying the iOS 7 beta program while Apple re-launches a more secure developer center.

Apple already launched a status page andoutlined what parts of the Developer Center they plan to work on first. While the iOS 7 beta is important, Apple’s first goal is to bring the functions developers need to make and sell apps to iPhone and iPad users running iOS 6.

Developers speculate the iOS 7 beta 4 release could be weeks off.

Over a week after the hack, the Developer Center remains offline to developers and iOS 7 beta testers, and Apple’s status page shows no new services online since it launched earlier this week.

Many expected an iOS 7 beta 4 release on Monday, timing up with the two-week release cycle the first iOS 7 betas arrived on, but without the Developer Center online to deliver the needed applications and files developers are still waiting for a new iOS 7 beta.

Two popular iOS 7 developers speculate that the iOS 7 beta 4 release could be weeks away, sharing their assessment of the situation on Twitter. These are not Apple employees or leaks from Apple, but commentary from experienced Apple developers.

Paul Haddad of Tapbots is behind the wildly successful TweetBot iPhone and iPad application which delivers a better Twitter experience on the iPhone and iPad. Haddad tweeted his thoughts on when we may see a new iOS 7 beta.

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Why Tim Cook described #Apple's #iOS in the Car strategy as 'very important'

In the very last minute of its earnings call question and answer session with analysts, Apple's chief executive Tim Cook addressed "iOS in the Car," the company's strategy for automotive, calling it "very, very important" and a "key focus for us." Here's why.

What if Apple just came out and told you what it was doing next?

It's telling that the group of Apple analysts on the call, who have long been digging at Apple for clues as to what it might do next (netbooks? TVs? watches?) didn't think to bring up iOS in the Car until literally the last minute of the call. 

This is particularly noteworthy given that iOS in the Car was publicly outed last month in the company's Worldwide Developer Conference keynote, where a detailed overview of its features were provided by Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, the group that manages iTunes, iCloud, the App Store, iMessages, Siri and Maps."It's something that people want. And I think that Apple can do this in a unique way, and better than anyone else. And so it's a key focus for us." - Tim Cook

Asked by Raymond James analyst Tavis McCourt if iOS in the Car was a "licensing opportunity" or what the "strategic relevance" of it might be, Cook answered, "I see it as very important."

Cook explained, "It is a part of the ecosystem. And so just like the App Store is a key part of the ecosystem, and iTunes and all of our content is key, and the services we provide from messaging to Siri and so forth, having something in the automobile is very very important. It's something that people want. And I think that Apple can do this in a unique way, and better than anyone else. And so it's a key focus for us."

That's certainly a stronger endorsement than Cook's recent descriptions of the state of Apple TV, which have morphed from a "hobby" to being "a string we keep pulling to see where it takes us."

The origins of iOS in the Car

iOS in the Car appears to be Apple's first significant new hardware product that isn't a standalone device. It's an outgrowth of the company's car integration features, which originated as a way to control music playback from the iPod.

Between the iPod's release in 2001 up until 2003, Apple experimented with basic serial interfaces, starting with iPod Accessory Protocol. This morphed into the more sophisticated Advanced iPod Remote (AiR) with the capacity to depict artist and title information, navigate songs within a playlist, handle shuffle playback and even show album art.

In 2004, Apple launched a program with BMW to provide USB iPod integration in its BMW and Mini vehicles, followed by a 2005 announcement of partnerships with Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Alfa Romeo and Ferrari.

In 2007, Apple launched the new iPhone and iPod touch, adding support for Bluetooth integration to control audio playback and support phone calls. In 2010, Apple upgraded its auto integration with iOS 4's "iPod Out," a feature designed to present Apple's familiar iPod interface on a car's built in display.

By that point however, the success of the iPhone and iPod touch were eclipsing more basic iPods, so presenting a simple "classic iPod" as the only interface for vehicle playback ended up a short-lived objective. Additionally, there has been increasing interest by government safety officials to reduce the dangers of distracted driving. 

In response, last summer Apple launched a new initiative designed to focus on iOS by integrating iOS 5's Siri feature into automobiles as a voice-only interface branded "Eyes Free."

Apple's focus on Siri and the new Maps in iOS 6 led AppleInsider to predict last winter that Apple's next major market for iOS was likely to be in automotive, noting that Apple is now "in a position to offer a vehicle's entire entertainment system with the release of Siri-integrated Maps in iOS 6." 

Apple introduces iOS in the Car

It's therefore fitting that the enhanced new features of Siri in iOS 7 served as a segue for Cue to introduce iOS in the Car at WWDC. "Siri is also a big part of our next feature, 'iOS in the Car,'" Cue announced to developer applause.

"Now, 95% of cars sold today have integrated music playback and control from an iOS device," Cue said. "But we want to take this integration to a whole 'nother level. What if you could get iOS on the screen that is built into your car?"

iOS in the Car expands upon Siri Eyes Free integration, which Apple introduced last summer with the release of iOS 6, by actually installing iOS in the dash. Apple depicts iOS in the Car as running on a dash-integrated screen installed above a physical power button. In the bezel on either side of the power button, Apple depicts what appears to be LED-illuminated Volume and Home controls.

Source: Apple

Cue highlighted a series of features iOS in the Car will support, including the ability to "get phone calls, play music, go to Maps, get your iMessages right on the screen of your car, or Eyes Free using Siri." As Cue spoke, Apple depicted iOS in the Car features in a series of slides, which it now presents on its iOS 7 preview website with additional detail. 

In addition to initiating a phone call Eyes Free via Siri, as Cue demonstrated on stage, Apple's site notes that "Siri will play back your voicemail and return missed calls, if you ask."

Source: Apple

In addition to playing music, again Eyes Free via Siri, through a specific song title request, as Cue demonstrated, Apple now states that you will be able to "use your car’s onboard controls for your music, including iTunes Radio, audiobooks, podcasts, third-party audio apps, and more."

Source: Apple

In addition "going to maps," Apple highlights that iOS in the Car will give you turn-by-turn directions, and even "knows when you’re leaving home for work — or vice versa — and displays traffic conditions and your ETA with Maps." 

Source: Apple

Additionally, Apple notes that iOS in the Car will feature the same kind of Apple Data Detectors integration AppleInsider profiled as a new feature in both the upcoming OS X Mavericks and iOS 7, stating that you can "enter an address or let iOS in the Car serve up any address you received in an email or text" (emphasis ours).

Source: Apple

Finally, in addition "getting your iMessages," Apple notes that "text messages appear right on your car’s display. Siri can read them to you while you listen over your car’s speakers. And to reply, just dictate to Siri."

Source: Apple

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