iOS 8

iOS 8 now powers 87 percent of active devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 2, 2015

After struggling to gain a single percentage point over a four-week period, the adoption rate of iOS 8 now appears to have accelerated as iOS 8 now powers 87 percent of the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices in the wild, as measured by the App Store on Monday, August 31, 2015.

That growth came at the expense of iOS 7, which has gone from powering thirteen percent of iOS devices two weeks ago to accounting for twelve percent of hardware in active use.

A month ago, iOS 8 adoption sat at 85 percent and iOS 7 comprised thirteen percent of iOS gadgets in the wild. Pre-iOS hardware continues to scrape out a mere two percent.

iOS 8 adoption rate slowing down ahead of iOS 9, now sits at 86 percent

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 19, 2015

Our tracking of iOS 8 adoption rates continues with the newest update from the App Store dashboard indicating that the company's mobile operating system is now powering an impressive 86 percent of the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices in the wild, as measured by the App Store on August 17, 2015.

iOS 7 continues to account for thirteen percent of iOS devices, with older iOS versions continuing to scrape out a mere two percent. A month ago, iOS 8 adoption stood at the 85 percent mark and iOS 7 comprised thirteen percent of iOS hardware in the wild.

iOS 8 adoption rate grows to 85% of devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 21, 2015

As measured by the App Store on July 20, 2015, iOS 8 is now powering 85 percent of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices in the wild.

iOS 7 has dropped from fourteen percent of devices a month ago to thirteen percent of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches in the wild. Earlier iOS releases continue to comprise a meager 2 percent of installed hardware.

We've been tracking iOS 8 adoption rates for months now and to call this an impressive achievement would be an understatement given iOS 8 hit a mere ten months ago.

At last, the official Twitter app gains support for the native Share Sheet in iOS 8

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

As most of you guys know by now, I've been a pretty big proponent of the official Twitter app for quite some time. As a former Tweetbot user, I find the official Twitter app to be more engaging.

But there are still a couple of lingering issues with the official Twitter app that I despise. One of them is the lack of a quick way to access my Twitter lists. The other, is an issue that Twitter just remedied today.

As of today, and as first spotted by MacStories, users can now share content from the stock Twitter app using the native iOS 8 share sheet. While not as seamless as it could be, it's still a large step in the right direction for Twitter on the iPhone.

Upcoming Switch2 tweak brings a reimagined App Switcher to iOS 8

Jeff Benjamin ∙ July 11, 2015

There have been tons of App Switcher tweaks to land on Cydia over the years, but this is certainly one of the more unique looking ones to appear in quite some time. Entitled Switch 2, this upcoming jailbreak tweak brings an expanding-card interface to the iOS App Switcher.

Switch 2's interface makes it so that you can view up to three apps at the same time, and dismiss apps using simple swipe gestures. Convergence developer, Matt Clarke, has put together a video preview of Switch2 in action. Check it out and let us know what you think about it.

The perfect jailbroken iPhone: iOS 8 edition

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

Now that the iOS 8.4 jailbreak is out, I thought I'd create a new "Perfect Jailbroken iPhone" post for you. If you can remember, I started this series a very long time ago, and it has remained popular until this day.

Lots of people want to know what makes a perfect jailbroken iPhone. Do you need the perfect jailbreak tweaks to make a perfect iPhone? Not necessarily.

And just because a tweak or app makes this list, doesn't means it's my absolute favorite, or that I even use it everyday. The perfect jailbroken iPhone does not equal my favorite jailbroken iPhone.

The name of the game here is practicality, usefulness, and improvement. With these tweaks + 1 theme for good measure, I put together an all star phone capable of doing very much.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Watch the video and judge for yourselves.

iOS 8 adoption flat at 84 percent, but iOS 8.4 matches Android KitKat and Jelly Bean adoption

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

A history of iOS 8 usage paints a rosy picture of more or less steady adoption of Apple's latest and greatest mobile operating system. But according to latest data published Wednesday on Apple’s dashboard for developers, iOS 8 adoption rates have remained flat at 84 percent of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices in the wild, as measured by the App Store on July 6, 2015.

Two weeks ago, the same 84 percent figure was captured by Apple, indicating that the number of users who have upgraded from previous iOS editions to iOS 8, or bought a new device with iOS 8 pre-installed, wasn't enough to move the needle.

More interesting than that, however, is the latest data point by analysts Mixpanel which basically tells us that the recently-released iOS 8.4 software update now accounts for 40 percent of all iOS usage, just one week after release.

iOS 8.4 with Apple Music, Beats 1 and revamped Music app hits iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2015

As promised, Tuesday morning Apple released the free iOS 8.4 software update which introduces an all-new Music app with Apple Music and Beats 1 built-in. The over-the-air update is now available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices. As these things take some time to propagate, the software update may not show up in your region yet.

“This update introduces Apple Music—a revolutionary music service, 24/7 global radio, and a way for fans to connect with their favorite artists—all included in the redesigned Music app,” release notes accompanying the update explain. “iOS 8.4 also includes improvements for iBooks and bug fixes,” Apple states.

To apply the update over-the-air, open the Settings app on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and choose Software Update in the General section. Alternatively, connect your device via USB cable to a Mac or Windows PC running the latest version of iTunes and an update prompt should pop up automatically.

If you enjoy jailbreaking as much as we do, you're wholeheartedly advised to read this first in order to prepare for iOS 8.4 properly.

iOS 8.4 launching at 8am Tuesday, iTunes Match song limit increasing to 100,000 with iOS 9

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2015

Former Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers wrote in a blog post yesterday that iOS 8.4 with Apple Music will release for public consumption on Tuesday, June 30, at 8am Pacific / 11am Eastern. A few hours later, however, Rogers has updated his post removing mention of the specific timing.

“Tuesday morning we’ll be unveiling the next chapter,” reads the post. “Please make a note to upgrade to iOS 8.4 Tuesday, June 30 and listen to our first day of broadcasting.”

Rogers is now a Senior Director of Apple Music.

Power Saver Mode tweak brings impressive iOS 9-inspired battery management features to older firmware

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 27, 2015

iOS 9 has some significant new power saving features that will lend users up to an additional three hours of battery life. Dubbed Low Power Mode in iOS 9, users can eek out up to an extra 3 hours of battery life with the option enabled.

Low Power Mode works by disabling animated wallpapers, Mail Fetch, Background App Refresh, motion effects, and, as recently discovered, throttling the CPU.

Power Saver Mode, a new iOS tweak developed by Elijah Frederickson, tries its best to provide many of the same benefits to jailbroken iPhone users on iOS 8. Power Saver Mode increases contrast, enables Reduce Motion, disables Background App Refresh, location services, Cellular Data when on Wi-Fi, and more.

84 percent of devices are now using iOS 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

According to Apple’s dashboard for developers which monitors iOS devices that are accessing the App Store, iOS 8 is now powering 84 percent of active iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices in the wild.

The most recent data point was measured by the App Store on June 22, 2015 and represents a single percentage point increase over the 83 percent milestone from two weeks ago.

A month ago, iOS 8 adoption rate stood at 82 percent.

Fleksy Keyboard introduces Imoji stickers, smart suggestions for GIFs and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2018

Fleksy, the powerful iOS 8 keyboard which lets you use gestures, GIFs and emoji, has increased its functionality in the latest update issued today.

Now the app features an integrated Sticker keyboard in partnership with Imoji, taking visual communication beyond animated GIFs. You can easily browse, search and send Imoji stickers directly in Fleksy: just tap a sticker to copy it, then paste it in a message.

To add a sticker to your favorites, double tap it from the keyboard. You can access your recently used stickers, browse endless collections of reactions, check out what's trending and more.