When it comes to smartphones, the last couple of years have felt stagnant, regardless of who you get your handsets from. With all the time we were confined to our homes, there was no need to have the latest and greatest as the world slowed down to a relative crawl. Upgraded specs and a better camera seemed tertiary compared to everything else.
Then, as we started immunizing and returning to the grind, having a capable smartphone became important again. I even felt inspired to upgrade this year, simply because I felt like “If I’m going back out into the world again, I better have a phone that takes pictures I don’t need to edit every time I want to share them.”
2022 wasn’t the year to convince people who previously weren’t ready to upgrade to move on to the cool new thing, but it was a great year to upgrade if you were already inclined to do so. The iPhone 14 Pro, for instance, didn’t just tread water and instead shined a light on where Apple’s heading, and it managed to be first to the table on features like satellite connectivity and fully adopting the eSIM protocol. And while Google’s Pixel 7 Pro is still reigning with its picture-taking capabilities, Samsung’s foldables are making every other Android phone seem dull by comparison.
2022 tried to be an exciting year, and for the most part, it kept us entertained enough to look forward to what’s on the horizon. Next year’s smartphone forecast seems too tempting not to upgrade. But before considering what’s ahead, we must first step back and see how far we’ve come.
Apple is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly harvesting iPhone user data even when the company’s own privacy settings promise not to. The suit, filed Thursday in California federal court, comes days after Gizmodo exclusively reported on research into how multiple iPhone apps send Apple analytics data, regardless of whether the iPhone Analytics privacy setting is turned on or off.
The problem was spotted by two independent researchers at the software company Mysk, who found that the Apple App Store sends the company exhaustive information about nearly everything a user does in the app, despite a privacy setting, iPhone Analytics, which claims to “disable the sharing of Device Analytics altogether” when switched off. Gizmodo asked the researchers to run additional tests on other iPhone apps, including Apple Music, Apple TV, Books, and Stocks. The researchers found that the problem persists across most of Apple’s suite of built-in iPhone apps.
The lawsuit accuses Apple of violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act. “Privacy is one of the main issues that Apple uses to set its products apart from competitors,” the plaintiff, Elliot Libman, said in the suit, which can be read on Bloomberg Law. “But Apple’s privacy guarantees are completely illusory.” The company has plastered billboards across the country with the slogan “Privacy. That’s iPhone.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As seen in a video posted to the Mysk YouTube Channel, the App Store appears to harvest information about your activity in real time, including what you tap on, which apps you search for, what ads you see, how you found a given app and how long you looked at the app’s page.
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Apple’s privacy settings make explicit promises about shut off that kind of tracking. But in the tests, turning the iPhone Analytics setting off had no evident effect on the data collection, nor did any of the iPhone’s other built-in settings meant to protect your privacy from Apple’s data collection.
Mysk’s tests on the App Store found that Apple receives that data along with details that can identify you and your device, including ID numbers, what kind of phone you’re using, your screen resolution, your keyboard languages and how you’re connected to the internet—the kind of information commonly used for device fingerprinting.
The App Store on your iPhone is watching your every move
When the researchers looked at other iPhone apps at Gizmodo’s request, they found that many behaved similarly. While the Health and Wallet apps didn’t collect analytics data, Apple Music, Apple TV, Books, the iTunes Store, and Stocks all did. The Stocks app shared data including your list of watched stocks, the names of stocks you viewed or searched for and time stamps for when you did it, as well as a record of any news articles you saw in the app.
“The level of detail is shocking for a company like Apple,” Tommy Mysk previously told Gizmodo.
This data can be sensitive, especially when you consider that merely searching for apps related to topics such as religion, LGBTQ issues, health and addiction can reveal details about a person’s life.
“Through its pervasive and unlawful data tracking and collection business, Apple knows even the most intimate and potentially embarrassing aspects of the user’s app usage—regardless of whether the user accepts Apple’s illusory offer to keep such activities private,” the lawsuit said.
Apple is under increased scrutiny for its privacy practices as the company expands into digital advertising. Apple recently introduced new ads in the App Store, reportedly plans to ads to Apple TV, and seems focused on poaching small business advertisers from Meta, Facebook’s parent company. While Apple’s company literature loudly declares that “Privacy is a human right,” it remains to be seen how much the iPhone manufacturer is willing to compromise that right as it develops new data-driven business ventures.
Who remembers the games that shipped with classic iPods? You could have a pixel war in Parachute, smash blocks in Brick, play cards in Solitaire, and test your knowledge of your own iPod’s library with Music Quiz. Of course, Apple has since discontinued the iPod, but they seem to have trouble letting go of the past. Music Quiz lives on as a hidden iPhone game.
The hidden music quiz hasn’t been around forever, but isn’t all that new either. Apple first added it to the iPhone not as a game but as a shortcut, back in 2020 with iOS 14. The game was part of a small series of “Starter Shortcuts”—the idea, I assume, was to offer users a quick look at what was possible with shortcuts (even though the app launch two years prior with iOS 12). Either way, it doesn’t seem to have been a wholly effective marketing campaign—I had no idea this music quiz existed. It’s just the kind of hidden feature that’s a pleasant surprise to discover.
How to play Apple’s hidden Music Quiz on your iPhone
If you haven’t deleted any shortcuts from your iPhone before, Music Quiz should be on your device right now. To find it, you can swipe down on the home screen or lock screen to pull up a spotlight search, type “Music Quiz,” then tap the purple music icon that appears. You can also find it in the Shortcuts app in the “Starter Shortcuts” folder, or by searching for Music Quiz if you deleted it in the past.
To play the game, you’ll need to add songs to your Music library. Any songs will work, whether you bought them from iTunes, imported them from your library, or downloaded them from Apple Music. Music Quiz will randomly pull songs from your library for a five-round game. The game will play one song per round, and you’ll need to guess which it is from the song titles that Music Quiz offers you.
Screenshot: Jake Peterson
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For any Shortcuts tinkerers out there, take a look at how intricate this simple game is. You can see the entire build of the shortcut by tapping the (•••) icon on the Music Quiz tile. Apple certainly took some time to build the game. Too bad not many people seem to know about it.
Customers try out new iPhones at an Apple store as iPhone 14 series go on sale on September 16, 2022 in Shanghai, China.
VCG | Visual China Group | Getty Images
Apple’s next iPhone is likely to be equipped with USB-C charging, analysts said, after a European law on common chargers took a step closer to becoming reality.
On Tuesday, lawmakers in the European Parliament approved a law requiring electronics, including mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the European Union, to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port by the end of 2024.
Apple currently uses its proprietary Lightning chargers which are different to USB-C. But that could change from the iPhone 15, the next version of its flagship smartphone.
“It is now inevitable that Apple will have to capitulate and transition to USB-C on the iPhone 15 when it arrives in 2023,” Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, said in a note earlier this week.
“My thinking is that Apple has already moved to USB-C on MacBook and iPad Pro so the transition has started. iPhone 14 was quite iterative so iPhone 15 could be a bigger step in design. Therefore, it would be a good time to make the change,” Wood said in follow up comments to CNBC.
There are rumors that Apple is exploring USB-C for the iPhone 15, which is what the next device could be called if traditional naming convention continues.
In May, Bloomberg reported that Apple is testing future iPhone models with USB-C charging but those won’t come out until 2023 at the earliest.
Will iPhone 15 have USB-C charging globally?
If Apple does switch to USB-C next year, Bryan Ma, technology industry analyst at IDC, said the U.S. technology giant would make the change for iPhones globally, not just in the EU.
“Most likely it would make sense that they get the scale out of moving to this common charger globally rather than having to make individual parts, unless they think that they’re really making so much [money] off of those chargers and accessories and that sort of thing that it’s still worth it for them to maintain that separate,” Ma told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Wednesday.
“In their own house, they’re already getting ready and making preparations for the eventuality within a couple of years,” he added.
The change would bring Apple’s charging ports in line with competitors including Samsung which already use USB-C.
The EU law has been about 10 years in the making and looks set to potentially get a final stamp of approval this year.
Lawmakers argue different charging standards create waste and the law will mean consumers won’t need to buy a new charger every time they purchase a device.
“This is a victory for common sense. Although Apple has a huge installed base of lighting cable powered devices, the ubiquity of USB-C across all consumer electronics products means that harmonising on USB-C makes perfect sense,” Wood said.
Apple hiked the price of the iPhone 14 series in a number of key markets, though it was unchanged in the United States.
With rampant inflation persisting and a global recession on the horizon, all eyes were on how Apple priced its main product during the Cupertino giant’s big event on Wednesday, where it revealed four iPhone 14 models.
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One of the biggest surprises was that in the United States, Apple kept the prices of the iPhone 14 series the same as what it was charging for the equivalent iPhone 13 model.
The iPhone 14 base model will start at $799, the same amount that it initially charged for last year’s iPhone 13. The highest price iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1,099, the same as the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
However, Apple has raised the price in some of its biggest markets globally.
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Here are some comparisons of the iPhone 14 base model versus the iPhone 13 in various countries.
U.K.
iPhone 13: £779
iPhone 14: £849
£70 price increase ($80)
Australia
iPhone 13: 1,349 Australian dollars
iPhone 14: 1,399 Australian dollars
50 Australian dollars price increase ($33)
Japan
iPhone 13: 98,800 Japanese yen
iPhone 14: 119,800 Japanese yen
21,000 Japanese yen price increase ($146)
Germany
iPhone 13: 899 euros
iPhone 14: 999 euros
100 euro price increase ($100)
Other models have steeper price increases. For example, the iPhone 14 Pro Max in the U.K. is £150 more expensive than the equivalent last year’s model.
Analysts said part of the reason behind the rises could be increasing costs of components and the appreciation of the U.S. dollar versus other currencies in the markets where Apple has hiked prices.
“The key takeaway is the Euro and Yen has depreciated quite a bit translating to slightly higher prices,” Neil Shah, partner at Counterpoint Research, told CNBC.
On Wednesday, the British pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985. The euro remains roughly at parity with the dollar and the greenback continues to appreciate against the Japanese yen.
China iPhone price remains the same
Apple kept the price of the iPhone the same in mainland China, one of its most important markets. Apple’s greater China revenue segment, which includes the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, was its third-biggest region by sales in the second quarter of the year.
Apple’s iPhone 14 is priced at 5,999 Chinese yuan ($862), with the Pro Max starting at 8,999 yuan.
China has seen a resurgence of Covid this year. Authorities are sticking to their “zero-Covid” policy, which has led to lockdowns of major cities including the financial metropolis of Shanghai and production hub of Chengdu.
That has hurt the economy and dampened consumer appetite.
Market research firm IDC expects the Chinese smartphone market to contract by 13% this year, falling below 300 million device shipments for the first time since 2012. That could be one reason Apple has not changed its iPhone pricing in China.
“I won’t be surprised if part of the rationale to keep prices flat there is to sustain demand in such a difficult environment, and in such a strategically important market for Apple at that,” Bryan Ma, technology industry analyst at IDC, told CNBC.
Apple continues to find success in China, particularly in the higher-priced premium segment of the market.
Apple held a 70% market share in the $600-plus smartphone segment in China in the second quarter, up from 58% in the first quarter, IDC said. Much of that can be attributed to the demise of Huawei, whose smartphone business has been hit by U.S. sanctions, leaving a gap for Apple to fill.
“Keeping prices flat helps Apple to retain its user base and fortify its position in China,” Ma said.
Upgrading the stock stereo system to a multi-disc system with DVD capabilities and a pop-up screen was one of the few ways the benefits of chips and electronics in cars were immediately obvious to the average consumer in 2002, when most in-vehicle electronics, like that those controlled anti-lock braking systems, were hidden away.
Two decades later, as is evident with companies like Sony, Apple, and even Dyson trying to break into the automotive industry, cars are becoming more and more like rolling electronic gadgets. The electrification of the motor car brought with it incredibly elaborate infotainment systems relying on giant touchscreens and even voice recognition. Meanwhile other electronic upgrades, such as cameras and sensors keeping tabs on everything else on the road, have facilitated features that will autonomously keep a vehicle in its lane, automatically break for obstacles, and even identify and obey speed limit signage (YMMV).
Cars that drive themselves without any human intervention are allegedly just around the corner, and in a few years the vehicle in your driveway will have more in common with your smartphone than the Model T. As with a smartphone, consumers eventually won’t really care what’s under the hood, as long as a car gets them from point A to point B and thoroughly distracts them during the ride.
Smartphones and cases go hand-in-hand. After all, these pocket computers we carry with us everywhere are expensive and fragile; it only makes sense to protect them. Smartphone manufacturers like Google know this, and make their own cases to sell to you alongside one of their devices. However, when Google asks if you want one of their cases when picking up a new Pixel phone, say no.
As reported by The Verge, there are dozens of complaints on both Reddit and Amazon surrounding Google’s official Pixel 6 cases, surrounding three main issues that seem to be recurring with these cases: the material is yellowing; the cases don’t fit the phones; and, if they do fit the phones, the case itself is warping, so the material juts out around the buttons. Some even accuse the cases of scratching their phones, which is, of course, what you buy a case to prevent.
One post from Redditor A_Giant_Baguette that inclued photos caught the attention of the crowd in r/googlepixel. You can see from this image the way the case warps around the Pixel’s volume buttons, while this photo shows off how badly the case has yellowed. These issues reportedly cropped up over the course of seven months, which is way too fast for a $30 smartphone case, especially one made by the same company as the phone itself.
Even worse, seven months is a long time compared to the experiences of some other customers, who reported their cases started to deteriorate after two or three weeks. Whether your case looks new for two weeks or seven months, you have a right to be frustrated with a clearly defective product.
That’s not to say everyone who buys a Google case for their Pixel experiences these issues. If you scan the review pages for them, you’ll find plenty of positive assessments in addition to the complaints. However, the complaints are hard to ignore. Some users who bought through Google’s store Amazon can’t even get their money back; A_Giant_Baguette, who id just that, reports that when they asked for a refund from Amazon, they were sent to Google, who, in turn, sent them back to Amazon.
When they finally got in touch with someone at Google, they were told the company doesn’t provide warranties on products purchased through third-parties—even though that “third-party” was the official Google Store on Amazon. (Take that as another lesson here: don’t buy anything Google-made from anyone other than Google if you want Google to cover it.)
For now, your best course of action is to look elsewhere for your Pixel case. Hopefully, Google figures out the issue and does better with the next case it makes. The company’s fabric cases were a hit, so maybe we’ll see those return for the Pixel 7, if not one of Google’s other upcoming devices.
Apple often issues firmware updates for its entire AirPods line, including AirPods Pro, AirPods 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods Max. However, the company doesn’t make it clear how to actually update your AirPods, nor do they share what each firmware update does. So here’s how to do it, whatever model of AirPods you use.
But first, why should you bother? Apple isn’t updating the firmware without a purpose, of course. Firmware updates can solve bug issues, like when AirPods Max users were experiencing abnormal battery drain (for all other issues, there’s the hidden reset option we’ve talked about before) and improve performance, so it pays to update them regularly, even if they seem to be working fine.
How to check your AirPods’ current firmware version
First, check the firmware version of your AirPods to make sure the update hasn’t already happened. The first step is to connect your AirPods to your iPhone. For this step, how you do that doesn’t matter, but it will matter when it comes to actually installing the update (more on that later).
Now, on your iPhone, head to Settings > General > About, then scroll down. If your AirPods are connected, you should see their name appear. Tap the name, then check “Firmware version.” As of this article, 4E71 is the latest firmware version for all AirPods, but head to Google to make sure Apple hasn’t since issued a newer update.
How to update the firmware on your AirPods
To update your AirPods, you’ll still need to connect them to your iPhone, but in a specific way: the trick here is to make sure your AirPods are connected to your iPhone while remaining in the case. Your AirPods won’t update if they’re outside of the case, so don’t keep them in your ears and expect iOS to upgrade the firmware. So long as you’ve paired your AirPods with your iPhone before, they should connect when you lift the lid to the case (again, AirPods Max should connect while placed in the case).
Now, you’ll need to plug your AirPods into power. Theoretically, the update should work if you use wireless charging (if your AirPods case supports it), but I’ve only ever seen walkthroughs use a lightning cable for firmware updates. Once connected to power, let your AirPods sit for 10–15 minutes. After this period of time, go ahead and check the firmware version for your AirPods: it should now be fully updated. If not, try this step again.
Google’s Android 12 security patch for the month of May is here. If you have a Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, and Pixel 6 Pro (including any XL variants), you should see this update hit your device shortly. While it’s called the security patch, the update doesn’t just fix security flaws; it also solves these three bugs you might have run into.
Let’s start with the squashed bugs (may they rest in peace). The May security patch includes fixes for just three of them this time around, affecting your Pixel’s display and graphics, sensors, and UI:
Display / Graphics: Fix for issue occasionally causing display to wake without user interaction.
Sensors: Improvements for haptic feedback under certain conditions and use cases (Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro only).
User Interface: Fix for issue causing launcher crash after restarting device in certain conditions.
If you noticed the display starting up without your input, that should stop after this update. Likewise, haptic feedback on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro should now be working better than it previously was, and your Pixel’s launcher should be more stable.
That’s it for the bug department. Before you run to Google, complaining about the other bugs on your Pixel this update doesn’t solve, don’t worry: According to 9to5Google, next month’s update, Android 12 QPR3 should come with an array of bug fixes.
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However, you should still install the May security patch, even if you don’t care about fixing any of the three bugs listed here. According to patches dated May 1, 2022 and May 5, 2022, Google patched 37 vulnerabilities in total. Notably, the security patch features a fix for the “Dirty Pipe” flaw, which could potentially allow hackers to control your phone by running malicious code through apps that ask for access to your phone’s files.
Luckily, it doesn’t seem as if any of these vulnerabilities have been actively exploited yet, even Dirty Pipe, so there isn’t the same immediacy to installing the patch as there would be if hackers knew how to exploit the vulnerabilities. That said, there have been examples of how Dirty Pipe could be exploited, so it’s likely only a matter of time before hackers decide to go after the flaw.
Regardless, it’s always good practice to keep your device up-to-date with the latest security patches; you don’t want to compromise your data or privacy because you didn’t bother to update. To check for the new update, go to Settings > System > System update.
Chinese smartphone brand Realme is set to launch its first high-end smartphone overseas next week in a bid to grow market share in Europe and continue its rapid growth.
The move will pit the company, which began in 2018, against the likes of Apple and Samsung which dominate the high-end segment, as well as Chinese rival Xiaomi which has grown quickly overseas.
The GT 2 and GT 2 Pro smartphones will launch on Monday at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. It is the company’s first appearance at the world’s biggest mobile trade conference, underscoring its desire to grow market share outside of China.
“In China and the European market, we want to focus on the breakthrough to the high-end market,” Realme CEO Sky Li said in an exclusive interview, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin remarks.
“In the European market, as well as any other market, we position ourselves as providing affordable phones with outstanding performance and trendy design. In the European market, we have the same strategy.”
Lofty targets
Realme may not be well-known to consumers in Western Europe or the U.S. but it has been growing quickly. In the fourth quarter, Realme shipped 20.65 million smartphones, up 48% year-on-year, according to data from Counterpoint Research. Apple meanwhile saw a decline while Samsung saw just 8% growth.
However, Realme is comparatively small with a global market share of just 6%. Apple shipped around 81.5 million smartphones in the December quarter, for example, Counterpoint Research data shows.
The Realme GT 2 Pro smartphone is pictured. The Chinese smartphone maker hopes its first high-end device will help it gain market share in Europe and other regions.
Realme
But Realme has made headway in markets with more price-conscious consumers where its lower priced, yet high spec phones have found appeal. It is the second-largest smartphone player in India.
CEO Li is hoping to maintain that healthy growth this year.
“In 2021, we managed 50% growth. In the past three years, we kept high growth. In 2022, we want keep the growth rate, at 40% or 50%,” Li told CNBC, adding the company wants to sell more than 85 million phones globally.
Apple, Samsung challenge
Realme faces a number of challenges in its push to gain share in the high-end market, most notably trying to convince consumers to buy their devices instead of from established players like Apple, Samsung and even Xiaomi.
The GT 2 will retail for around $600 while the GT 2 Pro will start at around $800.
“Its next challenge will be to convince customers who are used to purchasing established brand names to pay similar prices for Realme,” Harmeet Singh Walia, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, told CNBC.
“In this regard, while it will face some challenge from Samsung and Apple, it will also face a challenge from vendors such as Xiaomi and OnePlus that sell devices in a similar or its desired price range.”
