The phones in the photo are the new iPhone 13s. They come in midnight, blue, starlight, pink and red. I just got the blue one. I traded in my red iPhone 8. For Black Friday, T-Mobile and AT&T had sales. If you had a new model to trade in, you got a big discount. Since I only had an iPhone 8, I got $200 off — which I still thought was good. Before I used to worry about things not transferring from one phone to another — especially notes I made in the Notes. But everything transferred! I think the process has improved over the years. The only thing that changed was my Google Maps app. It used to have an Australian male voice, and now it has an Australian female voice. Not sure how that happened. Anyway, I had to learn to maneuver without using the home button. So far, have mastered it, but in the iPhone 8 to close open apps, you would click the home button twice and all the open apps would appear. Then, you could slide them off the screen. Not sure how to do that with the iPhone 13; will have to look it up. I will have to admit, the iPhone designers know how to make us want things we didn’t know we needed. I couldn’t do without texting, the camera, Google Maps, Facebook, banking app Chase, calculator, Pandora, AudioFetch app to connect to the TVs at the gym, Google, Uber & Lyft, Ring for my doorbell, Dark Sky for the weather, SpanishDict for English translations, Words with Friends, Google Photos, Zoom, Podcast app, etc. So many apps and so little time. Let’s learn more about this techy device that has become a necessity for a lot of us.
According to Wikipedia, the iPhone is a line of smartphones designed and marketed by Apple Inc. that use Apple's iOS mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007. Since then, Apple has annually released new iPhone models and iOS updates. As of November 1, 2018, more than 2.2 billion iPhones had been sold.
The iPhone has a user interface built around a multitouch screen. It connects to cellular networks or Wi-Fi and can make calls, browse the web, take pictures, play music and send and receive emails and text messages. Since the iPhone's launch further features have been added, including larger screen sizes, shooting video, waterproofing, the ability to install third-party mobile apps through an app store and many accessibility features. Up to 2017, iPhones used a layout with a single button on the front panel that returns the user to the home screen. Since 2017, more expensive iPhone models have switched to a nearly bezel-less front screen design with app switching activated by gesture recognition.
The iPhone is one of the two largest smartphone platforms in the world alongside Android, forming a large part of the luxury market. The iPhone has generated large profits for Apple, making it one of the world's most valuable publicly traded companies. The first-generation iPhone was described as "revolutionary" and a "game-changer" for the mobile phone industry and subsequent models have also garnered praise. The iPhone has been credited with popularizing the smartphone and slate form factor. A slate is a smartphone form with few to no physical buttons, instead relying upon a touchscreen and an onscreen virtual keyboard for input. The form factor of a mobile phone is its size, shape and style, as well as the layout and position of its major components. The iPhone also created a large market for smartphone apps or "app economy." As of January 2017, Apple's App Store contained more than 2.2 million applications for the iPhone.
History and availability
Development of what was to become the iPhone began in 2004, when Apple started to gather a team of 1,000 employees led by hardware engineer Tony Fadell, software engineer Scott Forstall and design engineer Sir Jonathan Ive to work on the highly confidential "Project Purple."
Apple CEO Steve Jobs steered the original focus away from a tablet — which Apple eventually revisited in the form of the iPad — towards a phone. Apple created the device during a secretive collaboration with Cingular Wireless — which became AT&T Mobility — at an estimated development cost of $150 million over 30 months.
According to Steve Jobs, the "i" word in "iMac" — and therefore "iPod", "iPhone" and "iPad" — stands for internet, individual, instruct, inform and inspire.
Apple rejected the "design by committee" approach that had yielded the Motorola ROKR E1, a largely unsuccessful collaboration with Motorola. Among other deficiencies, the ROKR E1's firmware limited storage to only 100 iTunes songs to avoid competing with Apple's iPod nano.
Cingular gave Apple the liberty to develop the iPhone's hardware and software in-house and even paid Apple a fraction of its monthly service revenue — until the iPhone 3G — in exchange for four years of exclusive U.S. sales until 2011.
Jobs unveiled the iPhone to the public on January 9, 2007, at the Macworld 2007 convention at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The two initial models, a 4 GB model priced at $499 and an 8 GB model at $599 — both requiring a two-year contract — went on sale in the United States on June 29, 2007, at 6:00 pm local time, while hundreds of customers lined up outside the stores nationwide. The passionate reaction to the launch of the iPhone resulted in sections of the media dubbing it the “Jesus phone.” Following this successful release in the U.S., the first-generation iPhone was made available in the UK, France and Germany in November 2007, and Ireland and Austria in the spring of 2008.
On July 11, 2008, Apple released the iPhone 3G in 22 countries, including the original six. Apple released the iPhone 3G in upwards of 80 countries and territories. Apple announced the iPhone 3GS on June 8, 2009, along with plans to release it later in June, July and August, starting with the U.S., Canada and major European countries on June 19. Many would-be users objected to the iPhone's cost, and 40% of users had household incomes over $100,000.
The back of the original first-generation iPhone was made of aluminum with a black plastic accent. The iPhone 3G and 3GS feature a full plastic back to increase the strength of the GSM signal. The iPhone 3G was available in an 8 GB black model or a black or white option for the 16 GB model. The iPhone 3GS was available in both colors, regardless of storage capacity.
The iPhone 4 has an aluminosilicate glass front and back with a stainless steel edge that serves as the antennas. It was at first available in black; the white version was announced, but not released until April 2011, 10 months later.
Users of the iPhone 4 reported dropped/disconnected telephone calls when holding their phones in a certain way. This became known as antennagate.
On January 11, 2011, Verizon announced during a media event that it had reached an agreement with Apple and would begin selling a CDMA iPhone 4. Verizon said it would be available for pre-order on February 3, with a release set for February 10. In February 2011, the Verizon iPhone accounted for 4.5% of all iPhone ad impressions in the U.S. on Millennial Media's mobile ad network.
From 2007 to 2011, Apple spent $647 million on advertising for the iPhone in the U.S.
On Tuesday, September 27, Apple sent invitations for a press event to be held October 4, 2011, at 10:00 am at the Cupertino headquarters to announce details of the next generation iPhone, which turned out to be iPhone 4S. Over 1 million 4S models were sold in the first 24 hours after its release in October 2011. Due to large volumes of the iPhone being manufactured and its high selling price, Apple became the largest mobile handset vendor in the world by revenue in 2011, surpassing long-time leader Nokia. American carrier C Spire Wireless announced that it would be carrying the iPhone 4S on October 19, 2011.
In January 2012, Apple reported its best quarterly earnings ever, with 53% of its revenue coming from the sale of 37 million iPhones, at an average selling price of nearly $660. The average selling price has remained fairly constant for most of the phone's lifespan, hovering between $622 and $660. The production price of the iPhone 4S was estimated by IHS iSuppli, in October 2011, to be $188, $207 and $245 for the 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB models, respectively. Labor costs are estimated at between $12.50 and $30 per unit, with workers on the iPhone assembly line making $1.78 an hour.
In February 2012, ComScore reported that 12.4% of U.S. mobile subscribers used an iPhone. Approximately 6.4 million iPhones are active in the U.S. alone.
On September 12, 2012, Apple announced the iPhone 5. It has a 4-inch display, up from its predecessors' 3.5-inch screen. The device comes with the same 326 pixels per inch found in the iPhone 4 and 4S. The iPhone 5 has the SoC A6 processor; the chip is 22% smaller than the iPhone 4S' A5 and is twice as fast, doubling the graphics performance of its predecessor. The device is 18% thinner than the iPhone 4S, measuring 0.3 inches and is 20% lighter at 4 oz.
On July 6, 2013, it was reported that Apple was in talks with Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom to release the next generation iPhone with LTE Advanced technology.
On July 22, 2013, the company's suppliers said that Apple was testing out larger screens for the iPhone and iPad. "Apple has asked for prototype smartphone screens larger than 4 inches and has also asked for screen designs for a new tablet device measuring slightly less than 13 inches diagonally,” they said.
On September 10, 2013, Apple unveiled two new iPhone models during a press event in Cupertino. The iPhone 5C, a mid-range-priced version of the handset that is designed to increase accessibility due to its price is available in five colors — green, blue, yellow, pink and white — and is made of plastic. The iPhone 5S comes in three colors — black, white, and gold — and the home button is replaced with a fingerprint scanner or Touch ID. Both phones shipped on September 20, 2013.
On September 9, 2014, Apple revealed the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus at an event in Cupertino. Both devices had a larger screen than their predecessor, at 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, respectively.
After the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus was released, some users started complaining about the 6 and 6 Plus bending from normal use. This trend became known as "Bendgate," which later started "Touch Disease." However, Apple released the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, a more bend-resistant iPhone than the 6 and 6 Plus, to solve this issue.
On September 7, 2016, Apple unveiled the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which added water and dust resistance, improved system and graphics performance, a new dual-camera setup on the Plus model, new color options and featured the removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack from the iPhone.
On September 12, 2017, Apple officially unveiled the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, which featured a new glass design, camera improvements, a True Tone display, wireless charging and improved system performance. It also unveiled the iPhone X, which featured a near bezel-less design, a facial recognition feature dubbed "Face ID" with facial tracking used for Animojis, an OLED screen with the highest pixel density on an iPhone, a new telephoto lens which works better in low light conditions and improved cameras for augmented reality.
On September 12, 2018, Apple officially unveiled the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR at the Steve Jobs theater at Apple Park. The XS and XS Max feature an improved Super Retina Display with Dolby Vision and HDR10 support with the XS Max featuring a larger 6.5-inch display, improved cameras with Smart HDR and the A12 Bionic chip. The iPhone XS and XS Max are IP68 water-, liquid- and dust-resistant which allow the devices to be submerged in up to 2 meters for a duration of 30 minutes, while iPhone XR retained the IP67 certification found in the first-generation iPhone X and also features an IPS LCD display instead of the OLED displays found in the higher-end models. The iPhone XS/XS Max's IP68 certifications were tested using various liquids such as chlorinated water, salt water, tea, wine, beer and juices. Apple also announced the fourth generation of Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Series 4.
On September 10, 2019, Apple officially unveiled the iPhone 11 at Steve Jobs Theater, along with the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro series were virtually announced on October 13, 2020, featuring a refreshed design, Super Retina XDR Displays across all models and 5G connectivity.
The iPhone 13 and 13 Pro series were virtually announced on September 14, 2021.
Production
Up to the iPhone 4, all iPhones and other iOS devices were manufactured by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd. — trading as Foxconn Technology Group and better known as Foxconn — based in Taiwan. In 2011, new CEO Tim Cook changed Apple's manufacturing strategy to diversify its suppliers. The iPhone 4s in 2012 was the first model to be manufactured simultaneously by two standalone companies: Foxconn and Pegatron Corp., the latter also based in Taiwan. Although Foxconn still produces more iPhones, Pegatron's orders have been slowly increased: the company made part of the iPhone 5C line in 2013, and 30% of iPhone 6 devices in 2014. The 6 Plus model was produced solely by Foxconn. In 2019, Apple investigated reports that some Foxconn managers had used rejected parts to build iPhones. In India, Apple pays Wistron Corp., a Taiwan-based manufacturer with a plant near Bangalore, to assemble iPhones to sell in the region.
Interface
The interface is based around the home screen, a graphical list of available applications. iPhone applications normally run one at a time. Starting with the iPhone 4, a primitive version of multitasking came into play. Users could double click the home button to select recently opened applications. However, the apps never ran in the background. Starting with iOS 7, though, apps can truly multitask, and each open application runs in the background when not in use, although most functionality is still available when making a call or listening to music. The home screen can be accessed by a hardware button below the screen on the iPhone 8 and earlier. iPhone X and later models, with the exception of the second-generation iPhone SE, instead use touch-based gestures.
The original iPhone contained the following apps: Messages — SMS and MMS messaging, Calendar, Photos, Camera, YouTube, Stocks, Google Maps, Weather, Voice Memos, Notes, Clock, Calculator, Settings and iTunes store. The App Store was introduced in iPhone OS 2 for the original iPhone and iPhone 3G. Compass was added in iPhone OS 3 for the iPhone 3GS. FaceTime and Game Center were added in iOS 4 and 4.1 respectively. In iOS 5, Reminders and Newsstand were added, and the iPod application was split into separate Music and Videos applications. iOS 6 added Passbook as well as a new version of Maps called Apple Maps that relies on data provided by TomTom as well as other sources, and YouTube no longer came as a pre-installed application starting from that version. iOS 7 introduced a modern flat design for the interface and added a motion-based parallax feature to give the device a quasi-3D effect. iOS 8 added Health app. iOS 9 replaced Newsstand and Passbook with News and Wallet. iOS 10 introduced Home and dedicated a page on the home screen for the widgets. iOS 11 added Files. iOS 12 introduced Measure, an app that uses augmented reality technology to measure objects and things. It is available on devices with an A9 chip or newer.
Docked at the base of the screen, four icons for Phone, Mail, Safari internet and Music delineate the iPhone's main purposes. On January 15, 2008, Apple released software update 1.1.3, allowing users to create "Web Clips," home screen icons that resemble apps that open a user-defined page in Safari. After the update, iPhone users can rearrange and place icons — by holding down on any icon and moving it to the desired location once they start shaking — on up to nine other adjacent home screens, accessed by a horizontal swipe.
Users can also add and delete icons from the dock, which is the same on every home screen. The dock holds up to four icons and is located at the bottom section of the screen. Each home screen holds up to twenty icons for the first-generation iPhone, 3G, 3GS, 4 and 4S; The iPhone 5, 5C, 5S and first-generation iPhone SE hold up to 24 icons; while the iPhone 6 and later iPhone models support up to 28 icons. Users can delete Web Clips and third-party applications at any time and may select only certain applications for transfer from iTunes. Apple's default programs could only be removed since the iOS 10 update. The 3.0 update added a systemwide search, known as Spotlight, to the left of the first home screen.
Almost all input is given through the touch screen, which understands complex gestures using multitouch. The iPhone's interaction techniques enable the user to move the content up or down by a touch-drag motion of the finger. For example, zooming in and out of web pages and photos is done by placing two fingers on the screen and spreading them farther apart or bringing them closer together, a gesture known as "pinching."
Scrolling through a long list or menu is achieved by sliding a finger over the display from bottom to top, or vice versa to go back. In either case, the list moves as if it is pasted on the outer surface of a wheel, slowly decelerating as if affected by friction. In this way, the interface simulates the physics of a real object. Unlike previous scrollable views, in which the user pressed a "down" control to move the view "downwards," on iOS the user pushes upwards, as if moving a "plank of wood floating on the water," creating the impression that the user is directly manipulating the content displayed on the screen.
Other user-centered interactive effects include horizontally sliding sub-selection, the vertically sliding keyboard and bookmarks menu and widgets that turn around to allow settings to be configured on the other side. Menu bars are found at the top and bottom of the screen when necessary. Their options vary by program but always follow a consistent style motif. In menu hierarchies, a "back" button in the top-left corner of the screen displays the name of the parent folder.
Phone
The iPhone allows audio conferencing, call holding, call merging, caller ID and integration with other cellular network features and iPhone functions. For example, if music is playing when a call is received, the music fades out and fades back in when the call has ended.
The proximity sensor shuts off the screen and touch-sensitive circuitry when the iPhone is brought close to the face, both to save battery and prevent unintentional touches. The iPhone does not support video calling or videoconferencing on versions prior to the fourth generation, as there is only one camera on the opposite side of the screen.
The iPhone 4 supports video calling using either the front or back camera over Wi-Fi, a feature Apple calls FaceTime. Voice control — introduced in the iPhone 3GS — allows users to say a contact's name or number and the iPhone will dial it. The first two models only support voice dialing through third-party applications.
The iPhone includes a visual voicemail — in some countries — feature allowing users to view a list of current voicemail messages on-screen without having to call into their voicemail. Unlike most other systems, messages can be listened to and deleted in a non-chronological order by choosing any message from an on-screen list.
A music ringtone feature was introduced in the United States on September 5, 2007. Users can create custom ringtones from songs purchased from the iTunes Store for a small additional fee. The ringtones can be three to 30 seconds long from any part of a song, can fade in and out, pause from half a second to five seconds when looped or loop continuously. All customizing can be done in iTunes or with Apple's GarageBand software 4.1.1 or later — available only on Mac OS X — or third-party tools.
With the release of iOS 6, which was released on September 19, 2012, Apple added features that enable the user to have options to decline a phone call when a person is calling them. The user can reply with a message or set a reminder to call them back at a later time.
Multimedia
The layout of the music library is similar to that of an iPod. The iPhone can sort its media library by songs, artists, albums, videos, playlists, genres, composers, podcasts, audiobooks and compilations. Options are presented alphabetically, except in playlists, which retain their order from iTunes. The iPhone uses a large font that allows users plenty of room to touch their selection.
Users can rotate their device horizontally to landscape mode to access Cover Flow. Like on iTunes, this feature shows the different album covers in a scroll-through photo library. Scrolling is achieved by swiping a finger across the screen. Alternatively, headset controls can be used to pause, play, skip and repeat tracks. On the iPhone 3GS, the volume can be changed with the included Apple Earphones, and the Voice Control feature can be used to identify a track, play songs in a playlist or by a specific artist or create a Genius playlist.
The iPhone supports gapless playback. Like the fifth-generation iPods introduced in 2005, the iPhone can play digital video, allowing users to watch TV shows and movies in widescreen. Double-tapping switches between widescreen and fullscreen video playback.
The iPhone allows users to purchase and download songs from the iTunes Store directly to their iPhone. The feature originally required a Wi-Fi network, but since 2012, it can be used on a cellular data network.
The iPhone includes software that allows the user to upload, view and email photos taken with the camera. The user zooms in and out of photos by sliding two fingers further apart or closer together, much like Safari. The camera application also lets users view the camera roll, the pictures that have been taken with the iPhone's camera. Those pictures are also available in the Photos application, along with any transferred from iPhoto or Aperture on a Mac or Photoshop on a Windows PC.
The iPhone did not support voice recording until the 3.0 software update.
Internet connectivity
Internet access is available when the iPhone is connected to a local area Wi-Fi or a wide area GSM or EDGE network, both second-generation 2G wireless data standards. Networks accessible from iPhone models include 1xRTT (represented by a 1× on the status bar) and GPRS (shown as GPRS on the status bar), EDGE (shown as a capital E on the status bar), UMTS and EV-DO (shown as 3G), a faster version of UMTS and 4G (shown as a 4G symbol on the status bar) and LTE (shown as LTE on the status bar). The iPhone 3G introduced support for third-generation UMTS and HSDPA 3.6; the iPhone 4S introduced support for HSUPA networks (14.4 Mbit/s). Support for HSDPA 7.2 was introduced in the iPhone 3GS, and the iPhone 5 introduced support for 4G LTE. 5G Evolution is now supported on AT&T in areas where implemented and stylized as a larger 5G and reduced size capital E. 5GE uses the 4x4 MIMO — multiple-input multiple-output — doubling the number of antennas, 256-QAM and three-way carrier aggregation. True 5G support was added starting with the iPhone 12 series in fall 2020. All iPhone 12 models support sub-6 GHz frequencies, but only models purchased in the United States support mmWave.
AT&T introduced 3G in July 2004, but as late as 2007, Steve Jobs stated that it was still not widespread enough in the U.S., and the chipsets not energy-efficient enough to be included in the iPhone. Support for 802.1X, an authentication system commonly used by university and corporate Wi-Fi networks, was added in the 2.0 version update.
By default, the iPhone will ask to join newly discovered Wi-Fi networks and prompt for the password when required. Alternatively, it can join closed Wi-Fi networks manually. The iPhone will automatically choose the strongest network, connecting to Wi-Fi instead of EDGE when it is available. Similarly, the iPhone 3G and onwards prefer 3G to 2G, and Wi-Fi to either.
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G on the iPhone 3G onwards can all be deactivated individually. Airplane mode disables all wireless connections at once, overriding other preferences. However, once in Airplane mode, one can explicitly enable Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth modes to join and continue to operate over one or both of those networks while the cellular network transceivers remain off.
Safari is the iPhone's native web browser, and it displays pages similar to its Mac and Windows counterparts. Web pages may be viewed in portrait or landscape mode and the device supports automatic zooming by pinching together or spreading apart fingertips on the screen, or by double-tapping text or images. Safari does not allow file downloads except for predefined extensions.
The iPhone does not support Flash, which was still popular when the iPhone was introduced. Consequently, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority adjudicated that an advertisement claiming the iPhone could access "all parts of the internet" should be withdrawn in its current form, on grounds of false advertising. In a rare public letter in April 2010, Apple CEO Steve Jobs outlined the reasoning behind the absence of Flash on the iPhone and iPad. The iPhone supports SVG, CSS, HTML Canvas and Bonjour. Google Chrome was introduced to the iOS on June 26, 2012, and Opera mini is also available.
The Maps application can access Google Maps in map, satellite or hybrid form. It can also generate directions between two locations, while providing optional real-time traffic information. During the iPhone's announcement, Jobs demonstrated this feature by searching for nearby Starbucks locations and then placing a prank call to one with a single tap. Support for walking directions, public transit and street view was added in the version 2.2 software update, but no voice-guided navigation.
The iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 can orient the map with its digital compass. Apple also developed a separate application to view YouTube videos on the iPhone, which streams videos after encoding them using the H.264 codec. Simple weather and stock quotes applications also tap into the Internet.
iPhone users can and do access the internet frequently and in a variety of places. According to Google, in 2008, the iPhone generated 50 times more search requests than any other mobile handset. According to Deutsche Telekom CEO René Obermann, "The average internet usage for an iPhone customer is more than 100 megabytes. This is 30 times the use for our average contract-based consumer customers." Nielsen found that 98% of iPhone users use data services, and 88% use the internet. In China, the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS were built and distributed without Wi-Fi.
With the introduction of the Verizon iPhone in January 2011, the issue of using the internet while on the phone was brought to the public's attention. Under the two U.S. carriers, internet and phone could be used simultaneously on AT&T networks, whereas Verizon networks only support the use of each separately. However, in 2014, Verizon announced that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus would allow simultaneous voice and data over its LTE Network. T-Mobile and Sprint have enabled calls over Wi-Fi, with Verizon and AT&T soon doing the same.
Text input
For text input, the iPhone implements a virtual keyboard on the touchscreen. It has automatic spell checking and correction, predictive word capabilities and a dynamic dictionary that learns new words. The keyboard can predict what word the user is typing and complete it and correct for the accidental pressing of keys near the presumed desired key.
The keys are somewhat larger and spaced farther apart when in landscape mode, which is supported by only a limited number of applications. Touching a section of text for a brief time brings up a magnifying glass, allowing users to place the cursor in the middle of existing text. The virtual keyboard can accommodate 21 languages, including character recognition for Chinese.
Alternative characters with accents — for example, letters from the alphabets of other languages — and emojis can be typed from the keyboard by pressing the letter for two seconds and selecting the alternative character from the popup. The 3.0 update brought support for cut, copy or pasting text, as well as landscape keyboards in more applications. On iPhone 4S and above, Siri allows dictation.
Since iOS 8, third-party keyboards distributed through the App Store are allowed. Previously, they were only available on jailbroken iPhones.
Email and text messages
The iPhone also features an email program that supports HTML email, which enables the user to embed photos in an email message. PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint attachments to mail messages can be viewed on the phone. Yahoo! offers a free push-email service for the iPhone. IMAP — although not Push-IMAP — and POP3 mail standards are also supported, including Microsoft Exchange and Kerio Connect.
In the first versions of the iPhone firmware, this was accomplished by opening up IMAP on the Exchange server. Apple has also licensed Microsoft ActiveSync and supports the platform — including push email — with the release of iPhone 2.0 firmware. The iPhone will sync email account settings over from Apple's own Mail application, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Entourage, or it can be manually configured on the device itself. The email program can access almost any IMAP or POP3 account.
Text messages are presented chronologically in a mailbox format similar to Mail, which places all text from recipients together with replies. Text messages are displayed in speech bubbles similar to iChat under each recipient's name. The iPhone has built-in support for email message forwarding, drafts and direct internal camera-to-email picture-sending. Support for multirecipient SMS was added in the 1.1.3 software update. Support for MMS was added in the 3.0 update, but not for the original first generation iPhone and not in the U.S. until September 25, 2009.
Accessibility features
Starting with the iPhone 4S, Apple added an accessibility feature to optimize the function of the iPhone with hearing aids. Apple released a program of Made for iPhone Hearing Aids. These hearing aids deliver a power-efficient, high-quality digital audio experience and allow the user to manage the hearing aid right from the iPhone. Made for iPhone hearing aids also feature Live Listen. With Live Listen the iPhone acts as a remote microphone that sends sound to a Made for iPhone hearing aid. Live Listen can help the user hear a conversation in a noisy room or hear someone speaking across the room.
The Braille Displays for the iOS program was announced by Apple coinciding with the release of the iPhone 3GS, iPad and iPod Touch — 3rd Generation. This program added support for more than 50 Bluetooth wireless braille displays that work with iOS out of the box. The user only needs to pair the keyboard to the device to start using it to navigate the iOS device with VoiceOver without any additional software. iOS supports braille tables for more than 25 languages.
iPhone lets the user know when an alert is sent to it, in a variety of notice methods. It delivers both visual and vibrating alerts for incoming phone and FaceTime calls, new text messages, new and sent mail and calendar events. Users can set an LED light flash for incoming calls and alerts or have incoming calls display a photo of the caller. Users can choose from different vibration patterns or even create their own.
The iPhone can enlarge text to make it more accessible for vision-impaired users and can accommodate hearing-impaired users with closed captioning and external TTY devices. The iPhone 3GS also features white on black mode, VoiceOver (a screen reader) and Zooming for impaired vision, and mono audio for limited hearing in one ear. Apple regularly publishes Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates which explicitly state compliance with the U.S. regulation "Section 508."
With the release of iOS 9 for all iPhones, users have the ability to choose between two different screen view options. The user can choose to have a standard view or zoomed view. When the iPhone is placed in a standard view setting, the icons are normal size, and the text remains the same. With a zoomed view option, the icons on the screen and the text become slightly larger. This enables the user to have a more customized appearance and it can potentially help some users read the screen easier.
AssistiveTouch helps to adapt the Multi-Touch screen of an iOS device to a user's unique physical needs. This can be of great assistance to those who have difficulty with some gestures, like pinch, one can make them accessible with just a tap of a finger. The user can create their own gestures and customize the layout of the AssistiveTouch menu. If the user has trouble pressing the Home button, it can be set so that it can be activated with an onscreen tap. Gestures like rotate and shake are available even when the iOS device is mounted on a wheelchair.
Guided Access helps people with autism or other attention and sensory challenges stay focused on the task or app at hand. With Guided Access, a parent, teacher or therapist can limit an iOS device to stay on one app by disabling the Home button and limit the amount of time spent in an app. The user can restrict access to the keyboard or touch input on certain areas of the screen.
In 2019 Apple began developing satellites so that the iPhone could skip wireless carriers.
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