Putting iPhone into Recovery Mode

Today, my iPhone 6s had an issue and would not boot no matter what. I let it sit for a few hours and realized how hard it was to work without my iPhone. I can't just quickly bring out my laptop, write down a reminder, and put it in my pocket in a dining hall. While it's nice that we have alternatives and work arounds, there's no denying that a smartphone is essential to almost any lifestyle. So when my iPhone wouldn't boot, I knew I had no other choice. I had to put it into recovery mode. For iPhone 7 users and above, please replace every instance of "home button" with "volume down button." I held the sleep/wake button and the home button. Hold it past the startup screen. Keep doing this until you see the iTunes logo appear. I plugged my iPhone into my MacBook Pro and I was presented with some options. I tried updating it, in hopes it would resolve the issue without needing a restore. That didn't work. I had to do a restore, meaning wiping all of my data and restoring from an iCloud backup. Thankfully, I had a recent backup from the morning before. This weird iPhone hard-lock was not preemptive, with the exception of more and more slowdown (but I was used to that), so paying a little bit for extra iCloud storage for backups just paid for itself. While it was a bit tedious and time-consuming (especially with Apple Pay and Apple Watch), I got my iPhone back up and running. It's a little bit snappier now too.

Potential iPhone 6s Battery Shortage

After an announcement that Apple would repair the batteries of deteriorating iPhone 6s batteries, it seems that Apple Stores are low on stock. When I went to my Apple Store to get my battery replaced, I was told that every Apple Store in proximity was out of the battery and would not get one until mid-next week. This can be frustrating for many users as it seems to be getting exponentially worse. My iPhone shutdown twice while I was waiting. Hopefully, these batteries get back in stock soon, as many people are being affected.

Note: this is not a safety issue, just a matter of keeping our phones from shutting down.

Apple Offers Repairs for Unexpected iPhone 6s Shutdowns

If you own an iPhone 6s that you bought between September and October 2015, you may be affected by a bug that causes your iPhone to unexpectedly shutdown. If this has been happening to you, Apple is launching a repair program. This will replace your iPhone's battery. I find it funny that Apple addresses that this is not a safety issue, given what's happened with Samsung's batteries. 

Apple Store App Starts Advertising iPhone 7 in 3D Touch

With all of the crazy Apple announcements today (which I'll get to later this week), the Apple Store is one step ahead of everyone who wants to pre-order. If you 3D Touch on the Apple Store app, a new option to "Shop iPhone 7" will appear. Normally, only three options are shown. So, if you'd like to pre-order, you can do it in style with this neat trick. The Apple Store app is available for free from the Apple App Store [Direct Link].

Apple Releases iPhone Ad Featuring Neil Patrick Harris

Apple released another iPhone ad showcasing Siri's features. This one shows Neil Patrick Harris practicing his thank you speech by asking Siri to read him a note. It's another pretty funny ad by Apple. The combination of watching Harris use a hairbrush as a microphone and mouth out his speech while Siri recites it is priceless. The video is embedded below.

Fingerprint and 4K Ads

Today, Apple released two ads about the iPhone 6s. The first one is about Touch ID. It shows how many different things you can do with your fingerprint. For example, opening a physical lock, unlocking a car, and signing a document.

The second ad is about the 4K camera on the iPhone 6s. It's about a girl who shoots a 4K video of her mother cutting onions. The video ends up being so good that everyone goes crazy over it and the short clip gets turned into a feature film. That ad is below.

Apple Releases Timer Ad With The Cookie Monster

Apple released a new ad starring the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. It depicts the Cookie Monster setting a timer for his cookies with the "Hey Siri" function. Next, he goes through a montage of crazy antics while waiting for his cookies to bake. After all of that, he checks back on the timer to find that only a minute had passed. Anyways, the video is embedded below if you'd like to watch.

Google Photos Supports Live Photos

It's interesting to see that Apple's biggest competitor supporting an iOS exclusive feature on their platform. Of course, I'm talking about Live Photos. In an update today, Google Photos now supports Live Photos, allowing iPhone 6s users to store their moving mementos in Google's cloud. As far as I know, Android has no equivalent of Live Photos. Google Photos is available for free from the Apple App Store [Direct Link].

Apple Releases New 3D Touch and Live Photo Ads

Today, Apple released two more, very funny, advertisements about the iPhone 6s. These two are about 3D Touch and Live Photos. I think I can vouch for Apple when they said that Live Photos of cats are a great use of Live Photos. Best lock screen ever. Anyways, the videos are embedded below.

OS X 10.11.4 Beta Improves Live Photo Support

iOS 9.3 and OS X 10.11.4 betas were released the other day to developers and we now have an idea of where Apple wants to take their operating systems in the coming weeks. Live Photos were a big deal for Apple, but in OS X, they were only viewable in the Photos app. This changes with OS X 10.11.4. They are now viewable in the Messages app, which, in theory, is where you'd see most of your Live Photos (aside from the Photos app). Just use the Live Photo icon in the photo you receive.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Samsung Galaxy S7 Will Feature 3D Touch-Like Display

The iPhone 6s introduced a new feature called 3D Touch. It's a very handy feature that I often find myself using. According to The Wall Street Journal, Samsung is going to "implement" the same technology in their next flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S7, which hasn't been announced yet. If you remember, the Samsung Galaxy S5 (5s backwards), "implemented" the iPhone 5s' Touch ID feature. The Samsung Galaxy S7 is expected to be announced in February, so we'll see how this plays out then.

BOGO Free AT&T iPhone 6s

AT&T is currently offering until the end of the year a buy one get one free promotion for the iPhone 6s. This is only for AT&T Next customers. So, if you get an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus on AT&T Next, you'll receive a second iPhone 6s with 16 GB of storage. To learn more, go to the official AT&T site (Note: The link goes to the Samsung S6 Promotion, but it works with iPhone 6s as well.).

iPhone 6s Battery Case

Yesterday, Apple quietly debuted their new iPhone 6s Battery Case. It's a silicone case that has a built in battery to charge iPhone 6s. It is charged with a Lightning cable. It also can also show you the case's battery life in Notification Center and in the lock screen. Unfortunately, you can't actually choose when it charges your phone, it just charges your phone when you plug it in. It comes in White and Charcoal Gray and costs $99 [Direct Link].

Rose Gold Beats

When the iPhone 6s came out in Apple's newest trademark color, Rose Gold, I was curious if Apple would update their Beats line to add the new color. After all, Beats come in Space Gray, Silver, and Gold. Well, now Beats Solo2 Wireless (headphones) and urBeats (earphones) come in Rose Gold. So now you On-Ear can have matching Beats for your iPhone 6s, even if you have Rose Gold! The Beats Solo2 Wireless Headphones cost $299.95 [Direct Link] and the urBeats In-Ear Headphones cost $99.95 [Direct Link].

100 Million iPhones In Use

According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, 100 million iPhones are currently in use. Not just sold, but in use. About two-thirds of these iPhones are composed of iPhone 6 models and later. This means that two-thirds of current iPhone users have a larger screen, have access to Apple Pay, and have the lock button on the side of the phone. The chart is below and shows data as of September 2015.

Image Credit: CIRP

Walgreens Becomes First Apple Pay Loyalty Program

Implementing one of my most anticipated features for iOS 9, Walgreens is now supporting Apple Pay's new loyalty program. Although not fully implemented, it will essentially let you walk into a Walgreens, use Apple Pay to pay, and your Walgreens card will be sent with your credit card. No barcode scanning required. As for how this will work with Walgreen's acquisition of Rite Aid, I have no idea what will happen, but I assume Rite Aid will carry this over into their stores.

Image Credit: MacRumors

Apple Releases iPhone 6s Ad Starring Bill Hader

Apple released another ad for the iPhone 6s today. This time starring Bill Hader. It shows him using the "Hey Siri" feature to have Siri read his unread emails. Siri reads him a spam email sent to his inbox asking for an investment from Prince Oseph (Don't try this at home kids!). He then replies with "Sign me up!" The video is embedded below.

Apple Store 3D Touch Table

In only the flagship San Francisco and New York Apple Stores, Apple has a new 3D Touch table. It basically shows an image of a surface of water, while the iPhones on it show an interactive fish. Force touching the screen creates ripple effects on the water. To see what I mean, check out the video below (Credit Grate App).

iPhone 6s Ad - 3D Touch

Today, Apple released a new ad for the iPhone 6s centered around the 3D Touch feature. It shows how you can use Peek and Pop to preview links, flight information, and more. The video is embedded below.

"This is iPhone 6s. Not much has changed, except it feels different. Now you press lightly to peek and deeper to pop. It changes how easily you can peek a flight, check a post, search for dinner - ooh, you guys are going to love that place. You can find a getaway easier - Yeah, go there. And find music easier - wait, are you listening to your own song? So pretty much everything you do feels different and that's what's changed."

Apple Pay Coming To KFC and Chili's

I forgot to mention that full Apple Pay integration will also be coming to KFC and Chili's. I'm not sure if they have any rewards programs, but if they do, they'll probably be getting the same support that Starbucks will get. What's cool is that Chili's will have a small Apple Pay-enabled kiosk that will enable people to pay with Apple Pay from the table and leave without needing to pay an actual person. Let's hope we see more restaurant chains doing this in the near future!