Timothy Reavis

When not in college, @TimothyReavis devotes most of his time to his iMac, writing and coding. Leftover hours are spent with his iPhone on Twitter or in Cydia. Mealtimes are integrated into one of the above. Timothy began writing for iDownloadBlog in 2014, where he avidly writes about his favorite conversation topic — all things Apple — whilst microblogging on Twitter about technology and jailbreak tweaks.

Staged rollout could explain slow iOS 8 adoption rate

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated September 28, 2016

Apple's implementation of what appears to be a staged release of iOS 8 could very well explain why adoption numbers have been lower than past rollouts. Reports of iOS 8 having a significantly slower adoption rate than previous iterations of iOS have been attributed to a variety of factors from its large download size to a lack of visible changes, but over yesterday's rollout, many users saw "Update Requested" messages when trying to update to iOS 8, notifying them they will be alerted once the software has been downloaded and ready to install.

iOS 8 apps with Notification Center widgets

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Now that iOS 8 is here, developers are releasing updates to their apps and launching new apps altogether that take advantage of iOS 8's many new functionalities. Many popular apps are being updated to support Notification Center widgets in the Today view for displaying information and performing actions without having to open the app. We've compiled an extensive list of apps that support iOS 8's new Notification Center APIs and are available to download and install on iOS 8. We're working to populate the index continuously as more updates are released, so check back frequently. If you know of an app that currently has iOS 8 Notification Center widget support but isn't listed below, send us an email at tips@idownloadblog.com or comment below with a link to the app!

iOS 8 apps with Touch ID support

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Users around the world have downloaded iOS 8 today, and developers around the world are releasing quality updates to their apps, enabling support for one or more the many APIs introduced in iOS 8. Many well-loved, seasoned apps now allow you to use Touch ID to easily and conveniently sign in with your password or account.

We've been busy gathering a collection of apps that have introduced support for the new Touch ID API alongside the launch of iOS 8. The list will be updating as we're aware of new release, so if you run across an app that supports Touch ID logins that isn't documented below, let us know via email at tips@idownloadblog.com or by leaving a comment below with a link to the app!

List of iOS 8 third-party keyboards

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

With the launch of iOS 8 finally arriving, developers are updating their apps and introducing new ones that take advantage of the many new features. Several keyboards that have been around for a while, as well as some new ones, can now replace your default iOS keyboard forever.

Below is a comprehensive list of the keyboard apps that are available for users to download and install on iOS 8 right now. We'll be updating the index as more releases come to our attention, so be sure to check back soon. If you are aware of an app that we haven't featured below, email us at tips@idownloadblog.com or leave a comment below with a link to the app!

iPhone 6 display: bigger screen, better pixels

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

For most people, the first thing that stands out about the new iPhone 6 display is that it's bigger, and with the iPhone 6 Plus, it's a lot bigger. Naturally, this means both screens must have a higher pixel count in order to maintain Retina status, but the real question – are these displays simply bigger, or actually better – still awaits this Friday for an answer. Apple certainly considers them to be better, as they've advertised the new 'Retina HD' display in the iPhone 6 siblings as having higher contrast with wider viewing angles and improved polarization, but the real difference between Retina and Retina HD remains somewhat obscure.

While Retina displays have been in existence for over four years now since they made their first appearance in the iPhone 4, Apple's new Retina HD display seems to greatly improve upon the old formula.

iPhone 6 design: seamlessly thinner, elegantly bigger

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

After months of rumors, speculation, and opinions from the community, Apple finally introduced their latest iteration in the iPhone line – the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. The new, larger smartphones have a completely refined design, making the recently current iPhone 5s already look small and outdated beside it.

Resulting from concern over losing the ability to use an iPhone with one hand, Apple has worked to make special accommodations for their larger devices, both in hardware and software advancements, which seem to do an excellent job helping to make the iPhone 6 and, particularly the iPhone 6 Plus, more easily managed with only one hand.

Apple hires several tech executives to develop Apple Pay loyalty program

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated June 11, 2018

Coming soon after the introduction of its mobile payment system, Apple is hiring several high-profile tech executives from companies including American Express, Google, and PayPal. These new recruits are not only to help expand Apple Pay, the newly-announced method of paying for transactions both online and in retail stores, but to develop a loyalty system for Apple Pay.

This rewards program is reported as offering a free music, TV show, or app download to users after a transaction or number of transactions have been completed using Apple Pay. In this way, the merchant doesn't have to be affected at all, and Apple can work to promote its mobile payment system with an enticing loyalty system.

Concept imagines Apple Watch OS running on an iPhone 6

Timothy Reavis ∙ September 12, 2014

Apple's announcements of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus this week were largely expected, but the real surprises of the keynote came from the Apple Watch, a wearable device with a custom-designed OS. With a home screen filled with a honeycomb-like grid of circular icons and navigated largely by zooming, the Apple Watch is different from anything we've seen from Apple in the past.

Following the announcement, Andras Horvath has posted a concept video to his channel imagining what the iPhone 6 would be like if it ran the software found on the Apple Watch. The result is an interface that is surprisingly pleasant and intuitive. Browsing through apps in this manner seems perhaps more appealing than the standard home screen layout of iOS.

iPhone 6 pre-orders set unprecedented records

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Coming soon after pre-orders for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus went live last night, both Apple and AT&T reported that the respective companies were seeing record pre-orders, with demand for the larger iPhone 6 surpassing that of both the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5.

Apple, despite its late start, saw record pre-orders last night alone, issuing a statement saying, "Response to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been incredible with a record number of preorders overnight." Although Apple didn't specify exactly how many units were sold, we can assume it surpassed iPhone 5 sales of 2 million in 24 hours when Apple last had pre-orders two years ago.

This is why the iPhone 6 won’t come with a sapphire screen

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

The many rumors suggesting that the iPhone 6 was going to feature a sapphire display were quelled when Apple announced both new iPhones without any mention of an extremely durable sapphire screen. Now, analyst Matt Margolis reports that Apple had every intention to ship its latest iPhone with sapphire glass, but production deadlines were missed by just "weeks."

As reported by MacRumors, the issue was not with Apple's Arizona-based sapphire supplier, GT Advanced Technologies, but rather with the iPhone 6's supply chain in China, which was unable to yield sufficient quantities of the displays produced with sapphire glass.

Some apps on 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could switch to iPad layout in landscape

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

In a series of tweets, iOS developer Steve Troughton-Smith shared his findings surrounding Apple's iOS Simulator running stock apps at the screen size of the purported 5.5-inch iPhone 6, with dimensions of 736 points x 414 points (1472 x 828 at 2x or 2208 x 1242 at 3x). When viewed in landscape, certain default iOS 8 apps, including Calendar, Contacts, and Game Center, display contents in a divided mode very similar to the layout an iPad uses while in landscape.

These findings indicate that the larger, 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could have a stronger focus on productivity than its smaller 4.7- and 4-inch counterparts. Despite apps functioning normally while in portrait mode, this addition of dividing the landscape app view to display two separate menus would introduce a strong motivation for purchasing the 5.5-inch device over its more manageable companion.