Support

New iPhone Basics section on Apple.com offers quick iOS 7 tips

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 16, 2013

As Apple continues to refine the appearance of its numerous support web pages, several iDB readers let us in on a newly published website section.

Titled iPhone Basics, it was conceived to provide novice and power users alike with useful tips on getting the most out of their iPhone and iOS 7.

All of the articles available are iOS 7-specific, iOS-friendly and optimized for touch-based navigation. Regardless of whether you consider yourself a rookie or are Mr. Know-It-All, you're advised to give iPhone Basics a visit and test your knowledge of iOS 7...

Apple starts training support staff on OS X Mavericks ahead of impending release

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 2, 2013

The AppleCare support staff has begun official OS X Mavericks training in anticipation of the looming OS X Mavericks release, a reliable blog has learned. The upcoming Mac desktop operating system release should hit the Mac App Store before November and will bring a host of improvements and new features, including Maps integration across desktop and mobile, better handling of notifications, and several new features for power users. Apple first demoed OS X Mavericks at its summer developer conference in June 2013...

Details on ‘imminent’ AppleCare+ launch in Europe

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 30, 2013

We already told you that Apple has cancelled support personnel vacations from September 15-28 and is now training AppleCare support employees on iOS 7 and iTunes Radio ahead of the iPhone 5S/5C introduction next month.

Yesterday, word on the street was that Tim Cook & Co. were gearing up to roll out the extended AppleCare+ coverage for iOS devices in key European markets.

First details are now beginning to trickle in.

Allegedly, the AppleCare+ launch is now "imminent" in the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Germany, France and Switzerland, at least initially. If true, this will be the first time Apple offered the $99 extended coverage and premium support service to customers outside the United States, Canada and Japan...

Apple canceling support staff vacations ahead of iOS 7 launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 30, 2013

Just like it did ahead of every iPhone launch since the original iPhone's release back in the summer of 2007, Apple is now canceling vacations for its AppleCare support personnel ahead of next month's release of new iPhones. Specifically, Apple is restricting employees from taking time off from September 15 and all the way through September 28.

Of course, Apple during this two-week window is expected to announce and start selling the iPhone 5S/5C and release iOS 7 for public consumption. Just earlier today, we reported the firm is now asking its registered developers to update their applications with app icons optimized for the new iOS 7 sizes...

AppleCare employee training commences ahead of iOS 7 launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 29, 2016

Apple today has reportedly begun educating its support army on the intricacies of iOS 7 and iTunes Radio and is training AppleCare employees to efficiently handle customer queries and help them transition to its revamped operating system, a reliable blogger has learned Thursday.

With iOS 7 now looming on the horizon and the software's official launch and public availability pegged for September 10, the AppleCare staff training is said to focus mostly on the visual changes in iOS 7, with specific emphasis on a few cherry-picked features. The company is also asking AppleCare employees to basically tell puzzled customers iOS 7 still works the same even though it looks significantly different than its predecessor...

Apple rolls out revamped AppleCare support website with 24/7 live chat

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 29, 2016

Earlier this month a reliable blogger asserted Apple would be making changes to its support website. The new experience was to be focused on a simpler and cleaner design that's iOS-friendly so customers could access the many support materials and browse the various sections comfortably from their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Sure enough, and right on cue, Apple this morning has started rolling out a redesigned Apple Support website with non-stop live chat support.

The redesign calls for large thumbnails providing easy access to the product hubs, such as Macs, iTunes, iPods, iPhones, iPads and more, with each section containing a wealth of related support materials, like downloads, manuals, frequently asked questions and lots more...

Multiple iCloud services are down, all over again

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 22, 2013

In what's quickly becoming a worrisome pattern for Apple, a number of iCloud services are down as of this morning. The iMessage system is acting up (all over again), as are Photo Streams, Documents in the Cloud, Backup services and iPhoto Journals, according to Apple's iCloud Status Page.

The downtime started at around 12:30am Eastern / 9:30pm Pacific. None of the services have been restored as of post time.

As things stand now, the affected users have been unable to access the aforementioned services for more than ten straight hours. Fortunately, only a small percentage of users appear to have been affected by Apple's ongoing cloud woes...

AppleCare to launch iOS-friendly web UI and 24/7 chat support next Monday

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 7, 2013

According to the well-informed blogger Mark Gurman, the iPhone maker is about to unveil a revamped support interface on the web that should play nicely with iOS devices, allowing customers to access materials and browse the support sections comfortably from their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

The current interface is not optimized for iOS devices so constant pinch-zooming is required. In addition, the company is rumored to be introducing round the clock chat support as early as next Monday.

In giving customers ability to chat with a live agent at any time of day or night, using an iOS-friendly web interface, Apple is hoping to further improve upon its praised customer service...

Apple launches new iMessage spam reporting tool

Cody Lee ∙ July 30, 2013

A new knowledge base document has appeared on Apple's support site this evening, introducing a new spam reporting tool for iMessage users. The document outlines a way for users to report unwanted messages, or spam, directly to Apple.

The posting comes ahead of the release of iOS 7, which adds a new Contact blocking feature for phone calls and messages. Apple has obviously discovered that spam is a problem for its messaging platform, and it's doing something about it...

Apple revamps support pages on its website

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 15, 2013

Following the flattening of both the iOS software which powers iDevices and Jony Ive's title (now shortened to SVP of Design), Apple seems adamant to remove shine and gloss across its marketing communications and visual communication channels.

A slight revamp of the online Apple Store for Father's Day was obviously a sign of things to come as the company has now tweaked the appearance of a number of support pages on its website - again, adopting the simpler two-dimensional appearance reminiscent of iOS 7...

Microsoft details band-aid fixes for iOS 6.1 Exchange bug

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple yesterday fixed 3G and reliability issues with the iOS 6.1.1 firmware update for iPhone 4S users, but a bug with Microsoft's Exchange email service persists. First noticed in the iOS 6.1 software update, it kills your battery and AOL thought it was sever enough to temporarily disable the ability to manage meetings on company-issued devices. Theories abound that an Exchange server glitch is causing poor device performance and battery life and Microsoft just issued a support document providing workarounds for the bug...

AppleCare reps given pre-release iTunes 11 builds ahead of today’s release

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 29, 2012

According to a new report, Apple Care representatives are installing pre-release builds of iTunes 11 as we speak, most likely part of an effort to give them a couple hour lead time ahead of the official worldwide release later today. As you know, the Wall Street Journal yesterday reported that iTunes 11, after being delayed for a month due to unspecified “engineering issues” requiring parts to be rebuilt, will be ready for public consumption on Thursday, November 29...