Questionable Rumor Suggests iOS 13 Will Drop Compatibility for iPhone 5s Through iPhone 6s

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A questionable and unconfirmed rumor from Israeli site The Verifier suggests that Apple's iOS 13 update, expected to be previewed this summer at the Worldwide Developers Conference, will drop support for a number of iPhones and iPads.

The site says iOS 13 will be unavailable on the iPhone 5s, iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus, all devices that are compatible with iOS 12.


As for iPads, The Verifier believes Apple will drop support for the iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, and possibly the iPad mini 4. The sixth-generation iPod touch is listed as a device that will also be incompatible with iOS 13.

If this rumor is true, and we don't know that it is because The Verifier did not provide details on where the information is from or how it was obtained, it would see Apple dropping support for three generations of iPhones at one time, a move that seems somewhat unlikely.

Apple aims to provide software updates for its iOS devices for as long as possible. Both iOS 12 and iOS 11 offered support for the iPhone 5s and newer, the iPad mini 2 and newer, and the iPad Air and newer. At the time iOS 12 launched, some of those devices were five years old.

Dropping support for everything up to the iPhone 7 would leave iOS 13 compatible only with iOS devices from 2016 or later. Two of those devices, the iPad mini 4 and the sixth-generation iPod touch, are current-generation devices, though they may not be by the time iOS 13 launches as updates for both are in the works.

To cast further doubt on the site's claims, it lists the iPhone 6s as a device that won't support iOS 13 without naming the fifth-generation iPad. Both the fifth-generation iPad and the iPhone 6s use the A9 chip.

The Verifier claims that in addition to dropping support for iOS 13 on a wide swath of devices, Apple will also restrict some iOS 13 features to newer models to "make as many users upgrade to the latest models of iPhones." While it's true there are sometimes iOS features limited to newer devices because of hardware limitations, Apple has a long history of supporting older devices for years after launch.

The Verifier has previously provided semi-accurate info on Apple's plans. In 2017, for example, the site said Apple would bring Group FaceTime to iOS 11. We did get Group FaceTime, but not until iOS 12.1 in 2018.

Related Roundup: iOS 13

Tag: theverifier.co.il

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One Drop Glucose Monitor Gains Personal Diabetes Assistant and Health Records Integration

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One Drop, a company known for its iPhone-connected One Drop Blood Glucose Monitor, today announced the launch of a new Personal Diabetes Assistant and integration with the Health Records feature on iPhone.

The One Drop Personal Diabetes Assistant is designed to encourage One Drop users to better adhere to medication times, eating plans, and blood glucose monitoring.


Users can get regular reminders for blood glucose checks, medication doses, meals, physical activities, weigh-ins, and blood pressure measurements, with the app providing a daily personalized schedule based on each person's needs and a progress chart towards health goals.

With the Health Records integration, One Drop users at participating healthcare institutions are able to access medical records in the Health app alongside their One Drop info for a better overview of total health.

One Drop users who are subscribed to the company's One Drop Experts service can share electronic medical records with their personal diabetes coach, giving coaches access to vitals, labs, and medication history for better diabetes management recommendations.

For those unfamiliar with One Drop, the company makes an affordable Bluetooth-connected blood glucose monitoring device, a lancing device, and a subscription service for lancets and glucose strips. Apple offers the One Drop Blood Glucose Monitoring Kit online for $70.

Tags: One Drop, Apple Health Records

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Apple's iOS 12.1.4 Update to Fix FaceTime Eavesdropping Bug Showing Up in Analytics

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Apple's upcoming fix for the FaceTime eavesdropping bug that was discovered on Monday will come in the form of an iOS 12.1.4 update, according to MacRumors analytics data.

We began seeing a handful of visits from devices running an iOS 12.1.4 update on January 29, the day after the bug was widely publicized and spread across the internet.


Apple on Monday said that a software fix for the issue would come "later this week," but now that it's Thursday, there's not a lot of time left. Apple could still release the update later today, but if not, Friday morning is the likely target launch date.

The FaceTime eavesdropping bug allowed iPhone users to exploit a privacy-invading Group FaceTime flaw that let one person connect to another person and hear conversations (and see video, in some cases) without the other person ever having accepted the call.

The FaceTime bug in action
Apple has put a stop to the FaceTime bug by disabling Group FaceTime server side, leaving the feature unavailable, but questions remain about how long the bug was accessible and how long Apple knew about it before attempting a fix.

The mother of the teenager who originally discovered the bug shared convincing evidence that she contacted the Cupertino company as early as January 20. She did not receive a response from Apple despite sending emails and a video.

It's not clear, therefore, when the right team at Apple learned of the bug and when work on a fix was started. We did not see signs of iOS 12.1.4 in our analytics data prior to January 29, but it's possible Apple was working on a fix earlier than that.

The multi-day wait for an official solution to perhaps one of the worst Apple-related privacy bugs we've seen, however, does suggest that development on iOS 12.1.4 did not start too far ahead of when the bug went public.

Related Roundup: iOS 12

Tags: FaceTime, FaceTime Listening Bug

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'Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition' Now Available on Mac

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Highly anticipated role-playing title Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition got its official release on Mac today, exactly three months since Apple teased the game at its October 2018 Keynote event.


Developed in partnership with Mac porting studio Elverils and Apple's Metal engineering team, the acclaimed RPG from Larian Studios includes all the content from the PC version, along with a raft of additional features exclusive to Mac.

Examples of the latter include full MacBook Pro Touch Bar support for quick access to in-game actions (such as the journal or map), MacBook trackpad and selected gestures support, eGPU support, support for Apple MFi controllers and rumbling support on selected controllers, and iCloud support for easy backup between devices.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition supports cross-play between Windows and Mac systems. It's also the first title on macOS to support HDR (on selected hardware, macOS Mojave 10.14+ only).


Since its 2017 PC release, DOS2 is one of only 15 games to receive a GameSpot 10/10 score. The in-depth sandbox adventure for up to four friends has also won a BAFTA in the Multiplayer category and is the highest rated PC game of 2017 on Metacritic.

System requirements include an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, HD Graphics 5000 or Radeon R9 M290X, 19.3GB of disk space, and macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra or later.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Definitive Edition is available on the Mac App Store for $44.99 and on Steam for $29.24 including the 35 percent discount that runs until February 11. For more information, be sure to check out the official Divinity: Original Sin 2 website.


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Qualcomm Demands German Court Fine Apple for Continuing to Sell iPhones After Ban

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Qualcomm today filed a motion calling for a German court to levy fines against Apple for not complying with a December import ban barring iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models from being sold in Germany, reports Bloomberg.

According to Qualcomm, Apple failed to properly recall the banned iPhones from third-party sellers and continued to sell them in some Apple Stores in early January. Qualcomm in early January posted 1.34 billion euros in security bonds to enforce the ban, and Apple pulled its iPhones entirely from the country the next day.


Qualcomm general counsel Don Rosenberg said that Apple "intentionally" defied the court order and continued to sell iPhones in some stores, and that the company "obviously" doesn't consider itself "bound by the injunction."

"Significant fines must be imposed to put a check on that," he wrote in a statement to Bloomberg.

To prove Apple's non-compliance with the order, Qualcomm pointed towards a December press release that Apple has already been forced to retract. In the press release, Apple said that while the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models would be unavailable for purchase at its own retail stores, the devices would be available from carriers and third-party retailers.

Qualcomm and Apple have been embroiled in an increasingly tense legal battle since January 2017. Qualcomm has thus far won sales bans on older devices in China and Germany, rulings that Apple is fighting against.

Over the course of the last month, representatives from both companies were in a Northern California court for the Qualcomm v. FTC antitrust lawsuit. The FTC has accused Qualcomm of using anticompetitive tactics to remain the main supplier for baseband processors for smartphones, an argument similar to Apple's.

The Qualcomm/FTC trial wrapped up yesterday, and we are awaiting a verdict from the presiding judge, Lucy Koh, who also handled Apple v. Samsung.

Tag: Qualcomm

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Geekbench results suggest Asus working on a Pixel Slate rival: Rammus/Shyvana

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Puma Debuts $330 iPhone-Connected Self-Lacing Sneakers to Compete With Nike

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Nike in January announced the launch of iPhone-controlled self-adjusting basketball shoes, and now another popular shoe brand, Puma, is set to launch its own self-lacing sneaker.

The upcoming Puma Fi, which was able to be tested by Engadget's Richard Lai, has been in development for three years. Puma has experimented with automatic shoe technology before with the laceless Autodisc, and is building on that experience with the new model.


Fi is an all-black shoe with a cordless motor at the top that's designed to fit the shoe around the foot, replacing traditional laces. The motor is attached to blue Dyneema strings (a material used in the fishing industry) that tightens when the motor is activated.

The Fi is powered by a removable battery hidden in a water resistant pocket inside of the shoe, and it can be charged by putting the heel of the shoe on an included Qi wireless charging mat or through a charging case.

There are a series of blue LED lights around the tongue of the Fi that light up when the motor is operational and display battery life. The battery lasts for give to seven days before it needs to be recharged, a process that takes 90 to 120 minutes.

According to Lai, the Fi is comfortable and looks and feels like an ordinary sneaker when in use. You can adjust the fit of the Fi with a touch module on the front that supports swipes for tightening the shoe.

The Fi can also be controlled via an iPhone, and there is included Apple Watch support. Using the iPhone controls, you can change the tightness, see battery life, and make small micro adjustments not possible with the on-shoe controls.


With the motor inside, the Fi weighs 428 grams, but Lai said that the weight "wasn't that noticeable" when wearing the shoe. There is a noticeable mechanical noise when operating the shoe, which Lai said "sounds cool."

There are no activity tracking and GPS tracking features in the Fi, but both the Fi and Nike's smart sneaker are just some of the first smartphone-controlled shoes. If the trend catches on, we could see more capable, feature rich iPhone-connected sneakers in the future.

Puma Fi will launch in spring 2020 and it will be priced at $330. Puma plans to launch an open beta program in the future to allow customers to use the sneakers in exchange for product feedback. Those interested should download Puma's PUMATRAC app, where Puma will announce Fi availability. [Direct Link]


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