Apple surprises with Qi2 wireless charging support for older iPhones

Apple, known for its cautious approach to new standards, already surprised us with Qi2 compatibility on its iPhone 15, but it seems that Cupertino has more tricks up its sleeve. According to 9to5Mac and some users, the release notes for the iOS 17.2 release candidate state that this update adds "Qi2 charger support for all iPhone 13 models and iPhone 14 models." This implies that these iPhone models can support up to 15W wireless charging with Qi2-certified chargers, although the release notes did not confirm the power specs. We will find out when Apple releases iOS 17.2 to the general public—probably in a few days.

Click to read more ...

Apple fixes two zero-day bugs in iOS, iPadOS and macOS

Image: Apple

Apple released software updates for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS today to fix two critical security vulnerabilities. The company said the bugs were being exploited in the wild. “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited against versions of iOS before iOS 16.7.1,” the company said about both flaws in its security reports. The updates are available for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) researcher Clément Lecigne discovered and reported both exploits. Bleeping Computer reported that Google TAG often finds and reveals zero-day bugs targeting high-risk people, such as politicians, journalists, and dissidents. Apple did not share any details about the attacks using the flaws.

Click to read more ...

Google Drive’s document scanner comes to iOS devices

Photo: 9to5Google

Google Drive introduces a document scanner for iPhone and iPad users. You can now scan documents with your iPhone or iPad using Google Drive. Just tap the new camera icon above the plus sign in the bottom-right corner. This will open a viewfinder that can scan automatically or manually.

The camera helps you align your document for the best scan quality. You can also take multiple shots for multi-page documents. Tap the preview in the bottom-left corner to crop, rotate, and filter your scan. You can choose from Color, Grayscale, Black & White, and Photo options.

Click to read more ...

Apple’s new patents could make your iPhone screen invisible to thieves

Image: Apple

It was reported earlier this year that iPhone owners are at risk of having their devices stolen and their data accessed by thieves who watch them enter their passcode. The thieves can reset the Apple ID password and use Apple Pay, Apple Cash, and banking apps with the passcode. Apple said in a reply to this The Wall Street Journal report that it will keep improving the protections to help secure user accounts, but did not specify how. 

But now we learn it may be working on hardware solutions to prevent “shoulder surfers” from seeing the screen, as it has two new patents for limiting screen visibility.

Click to read more ...