An iOS 7.1.2 update has started appearing in the tracking logs of websites. MacRumors notes that it has been recording v7.1.2 devices with Apple IPs since last Friday. Even now activity is described as being low, but that may be expected for a minor release. Apple engineers will often test out bigger iOS and OS X releases by visiting websites, but in point releases browser code is usually secondary.
Apple has issued a public statement admitting problems with the iMessage system and indicating that it's working on them. "We recently fixed a server-side iMessage bug which was causing an issue for some users, and we have an additional bug fix in a future software update," the company says. Until now, the only comments from Apple have come from AppleCare representatives.
Apple has published its iOS Human Interface Guidelines for iOS 7 as an e-book available for free on the iBookstore. Previously, the guidelines was only available to developers through Apple's developer portal. The e-book itself is a good representation of Apple's emphasis on design and the overall experience, featuring inline videos, built-in annotations, font and color controls that were optimized for the iPad.
Apple appears ready to bring Touch ID fingerprint sensors to the iPad Air and/or iPad mini, code in iOS 7.1's Touch ID framework suggests. Device identifiers tied to Apple's "BiometricKit" now include not just the iPhone -- prefixed with a 1 -- but the iPad lineup, prefixed by a 2. Because the identifiers aren't specific enough, it's not clear whether both the Air and the Mini will make the switch, assuming the code isn't premature.
Code contained in iOS 7.1 and 7.1.1 suggests that Apple is planning to bring Siri to the Apple TV. A PLIST file for Assistant -- an internal Apple name for Siri -- includes the Apple TV lineup under its collection of supported devices. Notably, though, no Apple TV to date has included the microphone that would be needed for Siri.
As anticipated, Apple has released iOS 7.1.1 via iTunes and iOS' over-the-air update mechanism. The code is simply a maintenance release, primarily fixing keyboard responsiveness, as well as glitches when using Bluetooth keyboards while VoiceOver is on. For iPhone 5s owners, the patch improves Touch ID fingerprint recognition.
On Monday, Apple updated its iOS adoption statistics for developers to show that 87 percent of active iOS devices are now running iOS 7, with only 11 percent still on iOS 6 and a mere two percent (presumably devices that cannot upgrade, such as the original iPad) stuck on earlier versions. The figure was achieved less than seven months after the original release of the upgrade in mid-September. By comparison, only about 5.3 percent of Android users have or have been allowed to upgrade to last year's KitKat , which was announced around the same time as iOS 7 and debuted a month later.
A bug in iOS 7.1 lets people place folders within folders, or even hide icons, users note. To pull off the folder trick, a person has to first completely fill an iOS homescreen with apps -- including both the regular grid and the dock, which in the case of an iPad can fit up to six apps. A user must then create a new folder by dragging one app on top of another. As the folder animation starts, though, a person has to quickly drag the folder they want nested into the new one.
As of March 23, Apple says 85 percent of active users of iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch) are running some version of iOS 7. This follows figures that showed a majority of users -- 52 percent -- had adopted iOS 7 just a week after its release last September. By Christmas, it was on 78 percent of compatible devices. Some 12 percent of users are on iOS 6, with the remaining three percent running older devices limited to older releases. The rapid adoption rate of iOS releases continues to be a major security and developer advantage over Android.
A hacker going by the alias "winocm" has demonstrated what appears to be the first untethered jailbreak of iOS 7.1. The hack currently works only with the iPhone 4 however, since it's the only iOS 7-capable device with an A4 processor. winocm and well-known jailbreaker iH8sn0w are said to be working on a jailbreak for A5-based devices, like the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, and first-generation iPad mini. That could mean it will be some time before modern A7-based devices are cracked.