Text messages and other notifications appearing on the iPhone’s lock screen could cause privacy problems for some. Such alerts automatically wake up the iPhone’s screen and display the messages for anyone walking by to see. However, there is a way to prevent notifications from appearing on the screen when the iPhone is locked. Check out our instructions below.
1. Open the Settings app:
2. Tap Notifications:
3. Tap the app whose lock-screen notifications you want to turn off:
4. Scroll down until you see View in Lock Screen:
5. Slide the tab to Off:
And that’s it. If you want to test it out, lock your iPhone and send yourself a text message from another source other than your iPhone. For example, you can google the terms “Send free text message” and use one of the free website services.
Notes:
For text messages on the iPhone, there is a settings option called Show Preview that will show the text of the message along with the sender’s name on the lock screen. Switching this option to off will no longer show the text of the notification, but the notification and sender’s name (if it’s a text message) will still be visible.
It looks like Stuff.tv got their hands on an iPhone 4S a little early and ran Siri through some tests. The video doesn’t show much of anything new, but it does reveal that Siri’s British computer voice sounds much better than the American English one. I’ll be switching over to British English in the Settings menu for sure.
*Update* MacRumors says the video above was recorded at Apple’s event last week. The site points out that even though the reviewer is tapping the microphone button to end speech recognition, it’s not necessary, as Siri will recognize the end pause. The site also linked to the video below, which shows off Siri and a few other iOS features.
CNET also has a video demoing Siri. Nothing much new here either except that it appears to show that iOS 5 can notify you with an alert when your are leaving a location.
And here’s an epic look at Siri by Jason Snell at MacWorld:
iPhone 4 (bottom) vs iPhone 4S (top). Image via Gizmodo.
For anyone shopping for a case for the new iPhone 4S, one thing to keep in mind is that it may not be compatible with older iPhone 4 cases. The new iPhone 4S matches up with the Verizon iPhone 4 in terms of the location of the volume buttons and ringer switch, but it doesn’t match the button placement of the original AT&T iPhone 4. So buyers should be careful in selecting a case.
When compared side-by-side, the ringer switch of the 4S is about a millimeter lower than the AT&T iPhone 4, and the volumes buttons are slightly lower as well.
iPhone 4S (left), iPhone 4 (middle), and CDMA iPhone 4 (right), via AppVV
Shoppers looking for a 4S-compatible case should either look for language that says its compatible with the Verizon CDMA iPhone, or just take note that the case provides leeway for the positioning of the iPhone’s volume and ringer switch buttons; in other words, the case should have a large cutout area for the ringer switch and volume buttons. Check out the ZeroChroma Teatro as an example. This is the case I use when I’m not reviewing other cases.
*Update* An AT&T representative has said that customers can keep grandfathered texting plans if they call AT&T immediately after ordering the iPhone 4S.
Customers ordering the new iPhone 4S are running into a nasty little surprise from AT&T. AT&T is forcing customers with grandfathered texting plans (the now defunct plans of $5 for 200 messages, $10 for 1000 messages) to choose between AT&T’s two new plans:
$0.20 per message
$20 for unlimited messages
AT&T introduced their new text messaging plans in August 2011 in a move they called “streamlining” at the time, although some feel AT&T is making a money grab in response to Apple’s new iMessage feature. iMessage will allow free text messaging between iPhones and other iOS devices.
There were also some reports of AT&T and Verizon ending grandfathered-in unlimited data plans (AT&T and Verizon no longer offer unlimited data plans) of iPhone 4S customers, but that doesn’t appear to be their official stance. For example, I am an AT&T customer with a grandfathered-in unlimited data plan, and I was allowed to keep my plan in the buying process on Apple.com (screenshot seen below). Some websites are suggesting to use Apple’s site instead of AT&T’s and Verizon’s to avoid the problem.
I was allowed to keep my grandfathered-in unlimited data plan.
With no LTE radio inside the iPhone 4S, it is not a true 4G phone, but it does support AT&T’s faster HSPA+ network. With the only HSPA+ network in the US carrying the iPhone (sorry, T-Mobile), AT&T seemingly has the advantage over Verizon and Sprint in luring in new iPhone 4S customers. So if AT&T has the fastest data network for the iPhone, does that mean you should buy an AT&T iPhone 4S? If average download speed is your only factor, then yes; but unfortunately a good experience with a wireless carrier is more complicated than that.
Yes, the HSPA+ radio in the iPhone 4S is theoretically capable of downloading data twice as fast as the iPhone 4’s HSPA radio. HSPA+ speeds top out at 14.4 Mbps compared with 7.2 Mbps of HSPA. However, real-world speeds are never as fast as advertised.
Buying any smartphone is like buying real estate, it’s all about location. In the case of smartphones, network coverage should be what you start with. Or more precisely, network coverage in the areas where you’ll be spending most of your time, like home and work.
Unfortunately, AT&T’s network coverage for HSPA+ is sparse in the US, although it does appear to be about equal to Verizon’s LTE coverage. This means most people in the US, at least for now, won’t be able to take advantage of faster HSPA+ speeds, even assuming AT&T is up to the task of offering those faster download speeds—no sure thing in itself. AT&T’s official stance is that HSPA+ can offer 4G-like speeds “when combined with enhanced backhaul,” in other words, bigger data pipes.
AT&T’s coverage map can be found here on their official website. You can zoom in on your area to see if it’s covered by 4G (which stands for HSPA+ on the map).
*Update* Here’s a list of AT&T’s HSPA+ markets. This is a list cobbled together from press reports, so it may be incomplete. Please check the coverage map link above to check your area:
– San Francisco (including north to Santa Rosa)
– Los Angeles
– San Diego
– Sacramento
– Bakersfield, CA
– Modesto, CA
– Chicago
– Dallas/Fort Worth
– San Antonio
– Austin
– Boston
– Providence, R.I.
– Houston
– Charlotte, N.C.
– Buffalo, N.Y.
– Puerto Rico
– Baltimore
– Jacksonville
– Tampa
– Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
– Hartford, Conn.
– Syracuse, N.Y.
– Greater New York City
– Southern New England
– Eastern Pennsylvania
– St. Louis, Mo.
– Kansas City
– “Michigan”
– Anchorage, Ak
Want to check if you qualify for subsidized pricing for the iPhone 4S? Apple offers an easy online tool here on their website. Both Verizon and AT&T customers can use that link.
My subsidized pricing doesn’t kick in until November 19, that’s approximately 16 months after I bought the iPhone 4, which I pre-ordered and received on the day it became available in stores. Others may qualify earlier, as AT&T supposedly weighs in how much money you spend per month on text messaging and voice and data plans. I have the $30 unlimited data plan (grandfathered in), a $45 voice plan, and pay for unlimited texts.
A screenshot of my subsidy eligibility is below:
My iPhone 4S subsidized pricing kicks in November 19.
Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone has been announced, and it’s the iPhone 4S, a device that looks exactly like the iPhone 4, but with substantially updated internal hardware and over 200 new software features. Some are disappointed that the rumors of a sleek, wedged-shaped design didn’t come true—ie, disappointed that the iPhone doesn’t suddenly look like the Lamborghini of smartphones—but in reality, there’s a lot of change coming in the iPhone 4S. But is there enough to lure iPhone 4 customers into an early upgrade? I know I’m likely to.
Here’s probably the best succinct look at the new phone and the features announced yesterday, from Apple:
Below are brief notes and interesting facts and links concerning the announcements from yesterday:
Prepare to stay up late this Friday, October 7, as preorders for the iPhone 4S start at 3:00 AM Eastern, 2:00 AM Central, and 12:00 AM Pacific. Looks like the West Coasters won’t be losing as much sleep as the rest of us.
The new Siri feature takes the iPhone’s voice control to a new level. But is Apple playing catchup to Google’s Voice Actions that have been available on Android phones for about a year now? Or have they blown right past them? Or does the general public even care about speech recognition features? I have my doubts about speech recognition in general, and while the original Siri app was cool (before Apple bought the company), it was hardly perfect, I never used it regularly.
Plan on upgrading? MacRumors claims an app called AT&T Upgrader will tell you if qualify for a subsidized price. It hasn’t appeared in the App Store as of this writing.
The 4S is getting an upgrade to Bluetooth 4.0 hardware, which supports the new low-power Bluetooth spec.
Find My Friends was another new feature introduced yesterday. It allows people to temporarily share their location and movements with others. The WSJ noted the feature’s similarity to the coolness that is the Glympse app.
The new Cards app seems like a niche thing. Isn’t the foreign postmark on a postcard part of the charm? It won’t be as exciting to receive a postcard about a Paris vacation with a Cupertino, CA, postmark on it. With Cards, it’ll cost $2.99 to send a postcard anywhere within the US, $4.99 to send outside the US. Apple has previously offered photo albums, calendars, and cards for its iPhoto app, so this isn’t much of a stretch. I can also remember Apple bragging about the quality of their printers. If anyone has that video, send me the link.
Want to know how Apple Store employees will pitch the new iPhone 4S to you? 9to5Mac got a hold of the secret internal docs.
From a geek’s point of view, the iPhone 4S’s new antenna system sounds cool. It essentially creates a backup antenna in case one is being blocked by your hand or other object. MacRumorstalked to an antenna expert about it. The whole phony Antennagate thing seems to have produced something positive.
In terms of hardware, the iPhone 4S trails behind the Samsung Galaxy S II in a lot of categories. But the smart money knows there’s more to a phone than a faster processor and larger screen, don’t we?
Looks like our UK friends across the pond are getting a new iPhone adapter that accepts micro USB.
Apple is now selling insurance for the iPhone to cover accidental damage. The “insurance” is an upgraded version of AppleCare. It’s a $99 a year service, and you’ll get 2 repairs from accidental damage. Each repair will cost you a $49 service fee, however, so don’t go thinking you can use your iPhone as a hockey puck and not pay for it.
The iPhone’s new 8 megapixel camera will perform better in low-light situations. Ars Technica has an interesting article that gets all technical about it. The iPhone 4 had a camera that performed well above expectations, and this new one is going to take things up a notch.
Apple will pay you $200 for your old iPhone 4 if it’s in good condition. This could really help convince people to upgrade.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sprint has struck a deal of unprecedented size with Apple to finally bring the iPhone to the third-largest network in the US. According to the WSJ, Sprint has agreed to commit $20 billion toward the purchase of 30.5 million iPhones over the next four years. Sprint has agreed to buy the iPhones whether or not they can find customers to purchase them.
A second, less credible report by BGR claims that Sprint is getting an exclusive on the redesigned iPhone 5 until spring 2012. BGR claims the Sprint iPhone 5 will be a WiMAX-enabled 4G device. Verizon and AT&T will follow-up with a LTE 4G version of the iPhone 5 in the first quarter of 2012. It should be noted, however, that BGR’s track record on iPhone rumors is poor, with the blog originally claiming the iPhone 5 would be released the last week of August. The fact that Sprint appears to be focusing on LTE instead of WiMAX for its future 4G buildout also conflicts with BGR’s report.
Backstab ($6.99) is an adventure game that plays much like Assassin’s Creed except set in the Pirates of the Caribbean. You control Henry Blake, a British military officer who gets caught on the wrong side of a frame up. His life ruined, Henry sets out for some bloody justice. Along the way you’ll run your sword through quiet a few chests and leap across many rooftops. The game also throws quiet a few bizarre twists at you, including fights with zombies, performing tasks for the favors of large-breasted women, and curing diseases. It’s an epic game with professional voice acting and 3D world environments.
Final Fantasy III ($15.99) is the updated 2006 Nintendo DS version of the RPG classic ported beautifully to the iPhone. Control a 4-member party as they, what else, attempt to save the world from a great evil. FFIII’s gameplay is unique in that you can switch the class of any character during the game (once the switch feature is unlocked). There are over 20 classes to choose from, starting at the typical warrior and mage and including more rare D&D classes like bards and sages. This is an RPG by the masters of RPG game design. Be warned though, Final Fantasy III is an immensely challenging game.
Icebreaker Hockey ($0.99) is a game dedicated to the breakaway in hockey, meaning you control a player on perpetual offense trying to put the puck in goal and achieve style points by scoring from within certain zones. You can even score points for the occasional showboating. How are your air guitar skills? The game is fast-paced sports fun and filled with achievements that add replay value. If you liked Homerun Battle 3D, you’ll like this one as well. The simplistic control scheme is perfect for casual gameplay.
First Touch Soccer ($1.99) is not only the best-looking soccer game on the iPhone, it’s also the best realism-based soccer iPhone game period. The game allows you to select from over 250 club teams and play in 30 competitions and 7 different game modes. A Dream Team mode allows you to earn cash from victories and assemble a dream team of players from the present and the past. The game’s excellent AI keeps thing challenging over time. The replay system lets you rewatch your best moves and even upload them to YouTube.
Zombie Gunship ($0.99) puts you in the gunner’s chair of an AC-130 military plane as it attempts to prevent waves of zombies from reaching a bunker. If one zombie makes it, the bunker door automatically closes, and it’s game over. You view the scenery below via night vision goggles that supply the black-and-white visuals and which add an element of challenge. You can upgrade your weapons over time to improve your zombie blasting abilities, just don’t take out too many civilians as well, or you’ll be forced to abort your mission.
Legendary Wars ($0.99) sets two castles against each other. The object is to build and send forth troops from your castle in an attempt to destroy the other castle while also protecting yours. Castle defense is a popular genre in the App Store, and Legendary Wars distinguishes itself with a three-lane battlefield system that requires a level of micromanagement that keeps things challenging. Things get even more complex when the variety of troops available increases. The game’s sense of humor never lets things get too serious though.
NBA Jam ($0.99) is the classic arcade sports title that works surprisingly well on the iPhone. Its over-the-top actions don’t require the precise control of a physical joystick, and its less-than-serious tone fits perfect with the iPhone’s casual-gaming strengths. Each team features several NBA players, so you can substitute Joakim Noah for Carlos Boozer to start alongside Derrick Rose, if you so choose. A campaign mode allows you to unlock players from the past and introduce new style uniforms and basketballs to the game.
Death Rally ($0.99) is a top-down racer with heavy elements of combat. As you race, you shoot at fellow racers with a machine gun and a second weapon of your choice. Prize money is earned for each race depending on how high in the rankings you finish and by how many cars you destroy and other factors. The cash can be used to upgrade the various attributes of your car. Along the way, you’ll also unlock new cars and weapons. The game features sharp graphics that take advantage of the Retina Display. The developer promises to add online multiplayer soon.
Tiny Tower (free) lets you build a skyscraper floor by floor and direct the lives of the people who live in it. The charm of the game comes with the tenants who occupy the various floors. Each has a distinct personality that you must try to match with a dream job at a business in the building. There are dozens of businesses you can create for your tenants, including laundromats, soda fountains, arcades, sushi restaurants, etc. It’s a freemium title, so the developers try to encourage you to spend real money to speed up otherwise slow tasks like building new floors, but you don’t have to spend money to have fun. Like other popular freemium titles, this is a game to be enjoyed over time as you watch the fruits of your labor grow.
Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer ($4.99, universal) is a fantasy-based card game that, in turn, is based on a real-life card game of the same name. The basics work like this: players start with the same 10 cards, and as the game progresses, resources are strategically spent on new cards. Cards are used to battle against creatures, and with victory comes victory points. Whoever has the most victory points at the end of the game wins. Because the game has existed as a real card game for a while, there is a lot of help available online on how to play.
9mm ($6.99) is a violent third-person shooter game. It has a rare age-restriction of 17+ in the App Store for sexual content, violence, and drugs and alcohol—all the good things in life! You play Jon Kannon, a detective gone bad who is battling local gangs. It’s not a complete open-world game like Grand Theft Auto, rather you are guided through the game via missions. 9mm features several hours of gameplay in all, including several difficulty levels, which add replay value. With nice cut scenes, plenty of guns, and even an online multiplayer mode (take on up to 12 strangers in an all-out gang ware), 9mm is an excellent adults-only crime game.
Angry Birds Rio ($0.99) is a sequel to what has become not just a game but a cultural phenomenon. Rio contains 135 levels split into 4 episodes. The classic gameplay is preserved here— you’re still launching birds to knockdown structures, except this time you’re trying to break fellow birds out of cages instead of destroying evil pigs within the structures. There is a tie-in with the movie Rio where once you defeat the initial set of stages, you unlock two macaws who were characters in the movie. As you progress to new episodes, the games throws new twists at you like interfering monkeys and even boss battles. There is also a ton of hidden content to find and/or unlock, which gives the game replay value. With Rio, the Angry Birds franchise continues its roll.
Reckless Getaway ($2.99, universal) is a fun, fast-paced driving game with loose physics. The object of the game is to evade police pursuit all the way through 16 levels. There is no brake or gas pedal, so your only task is to steer the car through the various obstacles. Besides dodging and outrunning the police cars, your other goal is to earn points by collecting coins, performing jumps scattered about the courses, and completing other various tasks. As you gain points, you fill up 4 stars that measure your performance for each level. While surviving the police pursuit is the somewhat easy part of the game, it’s the earning of the 4 stars that gives the game a lot of replay value.
World of Goo ($4.99) is a quirky physics puzzler that has been a hit across many different platforms. The object is to stretch pieces of goo and build elastic structures so that the goo can travel along it and into a pipe. Other obstacles like balloons and windmills need to be factored in order to solve each level. Experimenting with the gooey physics and seeing what the limitations of the pieces are is part of the fun and vital to the problem solving. The game achieves that perfect balance of not-too-hard, not-to-easy puzzle difficulty that makes it assessable to everyone.
The King of Fighters-i 002 ($4.99) is a popular arcade fighting game in the same vein as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Choose from 14 playable characters (6 more will be available in an update coming in October) to fight with. The game features 4 single-player modes of play, including a traditional arcade mode with 3 vs 3 team battles (this is the most popular mode), a regular 1 vs 1 fighting mode, endless mode, and a training mode. Special attack moves are simplified for the touchscreen, making the game a frustration-free experience. Currently, King of Fighters really is the king of iOS fighting games.
Cut the Rope: Experiments ($0.99) is a sequel to the now-classic iPhone puzzle game. If you’re unfamiliar with one of the best iPhone games ever, the basic premise is to manipulate a piece of candy across the screen so that it falls (or flies) into the adorable Om Nom’s mouth. You accomplish this by, yes, cutting ropes (as the title suggests) but also by utilizing other methods like whoopee cushions and suction cups. Experiments features 75 new levels to play through. While the basics remain the same, there are a few new gadgets and game twists to entertain even veteran players.
Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery EP ($4.99) is a game like none other you’ve played before. The game’s storyline is that you are a warrior seeking to find the Megatome in order to destroy an evil force called the Gogolithic. The controls are essentially of the point-and-click adventure variety, but from that framework, the game frequently departs from the familiar with never-seen-before gaming twists, a few that border on the ridiculous. It’s amazing how the developers were able to wring such beautiful graphics out of what is essentially a clichéd use of 8-bit blocky pixels. And the haunting soundtrack by Jim Guthrie lifts the game to a new level. Overall, it’s a unique gaming experience.
Dead Space ($6.99) is a horror-tinged first person shooter filled with lots of sci-fi action and a complete story arc that will leave you satisfied once you’ve made the journey. The setting is a space station invaded by ugly aliens called Necromorphs. Besides the usual big-frigging-gun appeal, the game features unique fighting skills like a cool kinesis talent and zero-gravity combat. Professional voice talent and an excellent soundtrack are the icing on the cake. Combined with the game’s Retina Display graphics, this is one of the best produced games in the App Store.
Order & Chaos Online ($6.99) is MMORPG in the same vein as World of Warcraft. Or, to put it less nicely, it is essentially a ripoff of WoW, which is a good thing. A very good thing. The control scheme is specifically designed for the iPhone and iPad. Order & Chaos gets all the things that WoW gets right, albeit on a smaller scale. The addictive combination of quests, leveling, and chatting up strangers will soon have you wasting away your free time. I was completely surprised how relatively “bug free” the game was seeing as how many players are running around in this virtual world. Highly recommended if you’re looking for a good online RPG for iOS.
Anomaly: Warzone Earth HD ($3.99) puts you in control of a fleet of vehicles as they travel through a war-torn landscape protected by alien war technology. Warzone Earth is a reverse tower defense game where instead of strategically building towers to destroy waves of creeps, you direct the creeps to destroy the towers. Take out towers by flanking them and taking advantage of limited aiming radius or utilize special power-ups to heal your troops. Warzone is one of those rare games that gets every element right, from the controls to graphics to game strategy.
