Is iPhone 6S Rumored 3D Force Touch Display Just A Headache Waiting To Happen?

The iPhone 6S is just two days from reveal, and the hottest rumor right now is the beefed up Force Touch screen feature dubbed “3D Touch Display” by 9to5Mac.

While we’ve been hearing all summer that Force Touch was coming to the next iPhone –iPhone 6S presumably – Apple has allegedly taken the force-sensing feature and put it on steroids. The feature will reportedly debut in the newest iPhone reveal, at Apple’s August 9 event.

What Is ‘3D Touch Display’ ? Latest iPhone 6S Rumors Boast A Third “Hard Press” Gesture

According to 9to5 Mac’s infallible “sources,” the 3D Touch Display feature will bring three different levels of force touch – tap, press, hard press — which will yield various actions from the device. For example, when using email different touches could mean different things. A tap on an email might tell the device to open it, a press might tell the device to show options like reply, reply all or forward, while a hard press might mean to archive, junk or move to another folder.

Some other examples of the 3D Touch display’s use in the iPhone 6S as dreamed up by 9to5Mac are:

• User could look up a point of interest in the Maps application and Force Touch on the destination to immediately begin turn-by-turn directions (This would eliminate several steps in the process)
• In the Music application users could Force Touch on a listed track to access commonly used actions like repeat, favorite or make available to play offline.
• Force Touch in app icons like the Phone app could shortcut directly to specific features (e.g. deep pressing on the icon could shortcut directly to the Voicemail tab.)

‘3D Touch Display’ Sounds Great But Will The New Feature Be More Trouble Than It’s Worth?

While power iPhone users have long hoped for new ways to make their devices even more powerful, with greater multitasking features and more ways of accessing the information they need faster, some worry that the introduction of the 3D Touch Display could bring with it a number of complications — particularly for those accustomed to Apple’s intuitive user experience. Could the introduction of 3D Touch bring more trouble than it’s worth?

According to Gordon Kelly of Forbes, the new 3D Touch Display rumored in the iPhone 6S is a “massive gamble” as the introduction of yet another touch type could bring increased confusion on the part of users. “It risks being a case of trial and error,” Kelly writes, particularly if the action a touch elicits varies significantly from app to app.

“The results of a tap, press or strong press could vary wildly from app to app with no obvious ‘rule of thumb’ or on screen indications to what the differences will be … making things even more confusing … For example, in photo editing apps … a press might save it in one app and delete it in another, while a strong press might delete it in one and save it on another. Apple will have to tread very carefully with developer guidelines,” wrote Kelly.

‘3D Touch Display’: A Chance For Developers To Shine

These concerns are not unfounded. Certainly with the introduction of the Apple Watch came a great deal of “trial and error” on the part of early adopters. But will the adjustment to Force Touch be any more dramatic than learning to navigate a new app? I would wager to say, no. While Apple is certainly free to create guidelines or developer suggestions for how the Force Touch should be implemented in iOS 9 apps, ultimately, the success of the feature will be determined by how well developers incorporate it into their apps.

As one who has dabbled in iOS jailbreaking, when asked which feature is most desirable to jailbreakers, the answer will unanimously be, Activator. Why? Because it is a tweak through which users can invoke a variety of actions from their devices dependent on the gestures (e.g. taps, presses, swipes, pinches etc.) they use. The feature is not only time saving, it also opens up apps to a world of powerful possibilities. Is there a learning curve when you install these new gestures? Of course. Does it take time for muscle memory to kick in as you use them? Definitely. But once you start regularly using them, you will find yourself wondering how you lived without them.

To ease users into the transition, Apple will likely include some documentation in its “tips” app that gives users awareness of the 3D Touch features. I also don’t think it’s too far-fetched to imagine Apple adding a toggle in the Settings app to turn the 3D touch display off if users dislike it.

Despite its possible shortcomings, the introduction of 3D Force Touch displays signal that Apple is aware of the growing sophistication of its user base. It understands the need for pushing forward — even if the transition may be a bit uncomfortable (iOS 7 anyone?). I, for one, look forward to bumbling through the learning curve on the new 3D Touch Display, as the benefits will most certainly outweigh the costs.

iPhone 7 Will Be The Thinnest iPhone Yet

You might be wondering why you’re reading about the iPhone 7 when the iPhone 6S hasn’t even been formally launched and when there’s one full year to go before that handset becomes due. That’s because a well known Apple analyst with a good track record has said to investors today that the iPhone 7 is going to be the thinnest iPhone yet from Apple measuring between 6.0 to 6.5 millimeters thin.

This prediction comes from infamous KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who saysthat the iPhone 7 will be as thin as the iPad Air 2 and the iPod touch as both of them are 6.1 millimeters thin.

iPhone 6 is 6.9 millimeters thin whereas the upcoming iPhone is expected to be over 7 millimeters due to the 7000 series aluminum that Apple has reportedly used.

That’s also there is that Kuo has to say about the iPhone 7 at this point, which should only be taken with a grain of salt for now, considering the fact that there’s a long way to go before we start hearing things about the iPhone 7.

Apple has an event scheduled for September 9th where it’s going to formally unveil the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, countless rumors and reports have detailed the specifications and features the new handsets are expected to bring.

Key Specs	iPhone 6s
Status	(Highly) Speculative
Resolution	1334×750
Display Diagonal	4.7″
Processor/Soc Name	A9, 2 GHz
Max. Total Storage Capacity	128 GB
Megapixels	12 MP
Battery Capacity (mAh)	1810 mAh

iPhone 6S or 7: 'weaker battery and thicker frame' for new iPhone

Apple's new smartphone, expected to be called either the iPhone 6S or iPhone 7, will have more than 5 per cent less battery power than its predecessor, according to reports from component makers in China.

And photographs revealed yesterday appear to confirm that it will be slightly larger and heavier than the model it replaces, in a reversal of the usual consumer electronics trend towards products that are ever slimmer and lighter.

MacRumors has published images of an iPhone 6S or 7 that has been assembled from leaked components. It looks indistinguishable from the current model, but measures 7.08mm thick, compared with the 6.9mm iPhone 6. The larger screened iPhone 6S Plus comes in at 7.3mm, compared with 7.1mm for its predecessor. Both new iPhones are also slightly taller and broader than the models they replace, but by less than a millimetre in each direction.

The slight increase in size results from "several factors including a change in the aluminum being used for the shell, thickening of weak spots in the case to help address concerns over bending, and new support for Force Touch functionality in the display", according to MacRumors.

The changes are small enough that few will notice them unless the old and new handsets are placed side by side, and cases and other accessories designed for one iPhone are likely to fit the other. Of more concern to potential customers is likely to be this week's claim that the new model will have a less powerful battery.

Tech news site cnBeta says the battery capacity of the standard-sized iPhone 6S or 7 will be reduced from 1810 milliampere hours to 1715 mAh, and the large-screened model will drop from 2910 to 2750 mAh. That amounts to a power drop of 5.3 per cent for the iPhone 6S or 7, and of 5.5 per cent for the larger iPhone 6S Plus or 7 Plus.

"These aren't huge decreases," says Forbes, "but it is of particular concern for the iPhone 6S as battery life is already one of the worst features of the iPhone 6."

iPhone users frequently complain about their handsets being unable to make it through the day without needing to be recharged.

Many had been hoping that the iPhone 6S or 7 would herald an improvement in battery life, particularly because Apple appears to have been focusing on the problem.

The company "has made a point of how new operating system iOS 9 will be more energy efficient than iOS 8, including a new Low Power mode and new updates adding around an hour to battery life," says the Daily Telegraph. 

Software improvements may compensate for the new iPhones smaller batteries, but it seems clear that prospective customers should not expect a significant increase in battery life.

Nor should they expect the iPhone 6S or 7 to be any smaller or lighter than its predecessor. This week's report from cnBeta appears to confirm earlier leaked information suggesting that the new handset will be marginally thicker and broader, if only by a few millimetres, to accommodate the pressure sensitive touchscreen necessary for Force Touch (see below). It will also be a few grams heavier.

Yesterday, 9to5Mac.com reported that in the US, phone companies will sell the iPhone 6S or 7 on two-year contracts at the same price offered for iPhone 6 at its launch last year. No details about pricing for Sim-free purchases directly from Apple have yet been leaked. 

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 6S or 7 at an event in California on 9 September. It never comments on new products in advance of their official launch.

Force Touch for iPhone 6S or 7: how it will work

1 September

For several months Apple has been expected to equip the iPhone 6S or 7 with Force Touch, a new input method already available on the Apple Watch and MacBook laptop. But now a new leak appears to reveal precisely how it will work on the smartphone.

Force Touch makes use of a modified touchscreen which can differentiate between a light tap and a longer, harder touch, and react differently to each. For example, on the Apple Watch, a light tap on an email opens it up to be read, while more sustained pressure takes the user directly to the reply screen.

On the iPhone 6S or 7, says 9to5Mac, Force Touch will let you skip long lists of menus.

"A user can look up a point of interest in the Maps application, and then Force Touch on the destination to immediately begin turn-by-turn directions, the website says. "Currently, if a user wants to start navigating to a destination, she must search for the point of interest, click the navigation logo on the map view, then click another button to actually start navigating. In this case, the Force Touch gesture will skip two steps."

In other contexts, Force Touch will bring up menus containing further options, for example a firm press on the phone icon on the home screen will let you "shortcut directly to the voicemail tab".

iPhone 6S or 7 camera: what to expect

1 September 

Although Apple never comments on what it has in store for the next iPhone, analysts and consumers will be surprised and disappointed if the iPhone 6S or iPhone 7 doesn't come with a substantially upgraded camera when it's unveiled next month.

For some time Apple's eight-megapixel camera has looked, on paper, as if it should have been eclipsed by those fitted to rival smartphones - although there have been few complaints from iPhone users.

"Apple's focus on ease of use, coupled with image processing that's consistently spot-on, has enabled the iPhone to deliver image quality far in excess of what others have been able to achieve with similar hardware," writes Paul Monckton for Forbes.

Nevertheless, most commentators say that the iPhone 6S or 7 will have to deliver an improvement in photographic capabilities.

Soon after the launch of the last iPhone, John Gruber, a blogger who runs the website Daring Fireball and has often revealed accurate information about forthcoming Apple products, told consumers to prepare themselves for the "biggest camera jump" ever on the next iPhone model. He said he had heard that the new phone would have two lenses, which, in tandem, would bring iPhone 6S image quality up to that of a full-sized digital SLR camera.

That report has since been largely discredited, at least for the 2015 iPhone model, as analysts are not expecting Apple to introduce the kind of radical design changes that would be needed in order to equip its phones with dual lenses.

But more recent reports do still point to substantial improvement in the iPhone 6S or 7 camera.

"The camera on the next iPhone will have a bigger sensor that can take in more light, and a lens that's designed to work with that improved sensor," reports Business Insider. "This means we can expect the iPhone 6S to capture higher-quality photos than the iPhone 6."

It quotes an unnamed source who says that Apple has ordered 12-megapixel camera sensors, and a new lens assembly to work alongside them. Both components are said to have entered mass production.

Increasing the megapixel count will result in several advantages. "[It] would improve overall sharpness, but more importantly, enable cropping more deeply into images without a noticeable loss of quality and provide higher quality digital zoom for video," Forbes says. "It would also finally allow Apple to tick the 4K video box on the forthcoming spec sheet." 

Many other smartphone makers have equipped their handsets with ultrahigh-definition 4K video, but Apple's previous phones have not been capable of recording video with the necessary resolution.

Business Insider's report suggests that Apple may be planning an even more substantial camera upgrade for whatever model it produces after the iPhone 6S or 7. It says the 2016 upgrade will include six lens elements rather than the five used in the iPhone 6 and planned for the phone that will replace it this autumn.

What's the significance of the extra lens element?

Each lens element is a curved piece of glass, or, in the case of smartphone camera assemblies, a tiny sliver of plastic, which refracts light in a highly controlled manner.

There is no direct link between the number of lens elements and the quality of the image they produce, but as a general rule more sophisticated smartphone camera set-ups require more lens elements.

"In order to increase a camera's aperture, which is essentially a passage that allows light to enter through the camera, you would need to add more elements to a camera's lens," explains TechInsider." The larger the aperture, the more light can travel through the lens to the camera's body, which in turn produces better photographs."

If Apple does produce a new iPhone next year with a six-element lens, it will be catching up with some of its rivals. The Samsung Galaxy S5 and OnePlus 2 both have cameras with six-element lens assemblies.

How else could Apple improve the iPhone 7 camera? 

Here are four other ways in which Apple could beef up its smartphone's camera:

Stable images: Only the larger of Apple's two current iPhones, the 6 Plus, features optical image stabilisation – which helps to prevent blurry images, especially in low-light conditions. The most obvious improvement would therefore be to extend that feature to the junior version of the iPhone 6S or 7 as well, although space constraints within the smaller chassis may prove challenging. If reports that the new iPhone's battery will be smaller prove correct, it is possible that some of that space could be allocated to a stabilisation unit.

Faster camera launch: One simple way in which Apple might improve the camera is to speed up the launch process and make it more accessible whatever you're doing with your phone at the moment a photographic opportunity arises. The iPhone 6 is no laggard, but rivals from Samsung, LG and Sony have recently overtaken Apple's launch procedure. Shaving a second or two off the process may not make any headlines, but it would please millions of iPhone photographers.

Faster, brighter lens: The aperture of the lens on the iPhone 6 – which determines how much light the camera sensor receives – is a respectable f/2.2, but it has been superseded by rival smartphone makers offering cameras with f/1.8 apertures. "While these might seem like very small numerical differences, the extra light gathering capability is really rather large," says Forbes. "When all other parameters remain equal, an aperture of f/1.8 gathers 50 per cent more light than an aperture of f/2.2." Stepping up the brightness of the lens could help to counteract the effect of reducing the iPhone 7's pixel sensor size (see above). 

Variable aperture: This would allow Apple to take a substantial step towards the "DSLR quality images" touted by many commentators. The size of the camera lens aperture – in simple terms, the hole through which light passes to reach the sensor – determines how much of the image is in focus. A wide aperture produces a narrow depth of field – which means, for example, that a pin-sharp subject in the foreground of a photo will stand out against an out-of-focus background. A narrow aperture keeps much more of the image in focus, which is useful in landscape photography. Equipping the iPhone 7 with a variable aperture would give smartphone photographers the kind of controls over depth of field that SLR cameras have offered for decades.

iPhone 6S or iPhone 7 'on sale on 18 September'

19 August

Two German mobile phone networks are preparing for the iPhone 6S or iPhone 7 to go on sale on 18 September, suggesting that Apple is planning to repeat the launch pattern of previous years for its 2015 iPhone upgrade. A second leak, from Japanese Home, suggests that Japan is also gearing up for an 18 September debut.

Last week leaked information suggested that Apple will schedule its launch event for the new phone for 8 or 9 September (see below), and the on-sale date has typically followed on the Friday of the week after the grand unveiling.

The handset is likely to go on sale in the UK on the same day as in Germany and Japan, according to Apple Insider.

"Germany has long been one of Apple's first-tier launch countries," the website reports. "If the rumored launch date is accurate, that would therefore point to when the 6s will ship in other first-tier regions — namely Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the UK and the US, with mainland China being a possibility."

iPhone 6S or 7: launch date 'set for 9 September'

Here's what we know about the iPhone 6S – or could it be the iPhone 7? – a month before its likely launch date

23 August

Apple is planning to reveal the new iPhone on Wednesday 9 September, according to reports that have been seized on by Apple enthusiasts.

"The company intends to hold a special event the week of Sept. 7, with Wednesday the 9th being the most likely date," reports John Paczkowski of Buzzfeed.

Tech news site MacRumors says Paczkowski "has provided reliable information on event dates in the past", but a Wednesday launch for the iPhone 7 would break with recent Apple tradition. For the past two years, the company has held its annual iPhone events on a Tuesday, with the new models going on sale on the Friday of the following week. For that reason, The Independent suggests that Tuesday 8 September is the likely launch date.

There is more agreement about when the new iPhone will actually go on sale, with 18 September the favoured date. Several large phone companies, including two in Germany and one in Japan, have let slip that they're preparing to support the iPhone 7 from that day - and the handset is likely to go on sale in the UK at the same time, according to Apple Insider.

"Germany has long been one of Apple's first-tier launch countries," the website reports. "If the rumored launch date is accurate, that would therefore point to when the 6s will ship in other first-tier regions — namely Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the UK and the US, with mainland China being a possibility."

However, it's not clear whether the companies' preparations are based on inside information, or an assumption based on Apple's previous launch schedules.

iPhone 6S or iPhone 7: what can we expect this autumn?

10 August

A great deal of doubt surrounds the extent of the changes planned for Apple's flagship phone – as well as the new model's name.

Most commentators say the company will keep to its usual product launch schedule, in which it follows an all-new product one year with minor upgrades the next.

After last year's iPhone 6, which brought in a new look, larger screens and significant new features, major changes this autumn would come as a surprise. Therefore, they say, the 2015 model will be called the iPhone 6S.

Apple itself never comments on new products until their official launch, but the company's new operating system, iOS 9, reveals many of the developments we can expect in the iPhone 6S or iPhone 7.

"Updates and features include Siri becoming more proactive in recognising your behaviour, longer battery life and improvements to existing apps including Maps and Notes," says the Daily Telegraph. "The new News app aims to provide an experience akin to reading a magazine, with big glossy visuals."

One expert scouring the code of iOS 9, which has already been released to app developers, has found evidence to suggest that the new iPhone will have a much-improved front-facing camera.

Hamsa Sood says the iPhone 7's "selfie-cam" will be capable of shooting slow-motion, 240 frame-per-second video, along with 1080p video at normal speed, and panoramic still images. Other leaked information is yet to back up this theory, but Sood has been a reliable source of advance information about previous Apple launches.

Most analysts are agreed that Apple will have to increase the resolution of the rear-facing camera to at least 12 megapixels in order to keep pace with rivals, and some have suggested that Apple is planning an even more significant camera upgrade.

It sounds like the screen in the iPhone 6S is going to be unlike any Apple product we've used

Apple's next iPhone, which we're expecting to see for the first time next week, will reportedly come with the company's pressure-sensitive Force Touch technology embedded in its screen.

Over the past several weeks, reports from industry watchers and analysts have suggested that this will be the same technology we've seen in the Apple Watch and Apple's new MacBooks. 

Now, however, a new report from 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman suggests that the technology going into the iPhone 6S is going to be significantly different.

It may be so different, in fact, that Apple may not even call it Force Touch.

Gurman writes (emphasis is our own): 

Sources say that Force Touch on the iPhone is only akin to the MacBook and Apple Watch in name, as the functionality is much more advanced. With that in mind, sources say Apple will likely call the Force Touch technology on the new iPhones by another name ... According to sources, the new phones will be able to determine the difference between a tap, a standard press, and a deep press, adding a third level of sensitivity over the Apple Watch screen and MacBook trackpad.

It's not too surprising to hear that Apple may be changing how Force Touch works for its new iPhone. On the Apple Watch, Force Touch is essentially used as an extra button in some circumstances, since its screen is so small.

On the iPhone 6S, however, it's expected to be used more as a means of executing shortcuts across iOS. Since they're likely going to be used for different purposes, it seems plausible that the technology would need to work differently. 

Although Force Touch for the iPhone hasn't been announced yet, some app makers are already thinking about how they could improve their apps to take advantage of the new feature. Sketching and photography apps such as Astropad and Litely are bound to incorporate Force Touch into their apps, since the pressure sensitivity could be ideal for editing images.

"We really want to take advantage of the variations in pressure," Matt Ronge, creator of the app Astropad, previously told Business Insider when asked about Force Touch on the iPhone.

We're expecting to learn about Apple's next iPhone at its event on September 9. 

Which Android Wear Watches Work with the iPhone?

Yesterday, Google finally released support for iPhone with Android Wear smartwatches. Here’s which Android Wear watches work with the iPhone currently.

iPhone support for Android Wear has been rumored for a while, with many hoping that Google would make it official at its yearly I/O conference earlier this year, but it was sadly MIA. However, the company made a surprise announcement yesterday revealing the news.

This means that smartwatches running Android Wear not only work with Android devices, but also on the iPhone, also meaning that the Apple Watch and the Pebble aren’t the only smartwatches that work with the iPhone anymore.

All you have to do is download the Android Wear iPhone app, which will allow you to pair your Android Wear smartwatch with your iPhone, as well customize settings and notifications that your watch receives. You can also use the app to change out watch faces.

Android Wear works with the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus, and it will most likely work with the iPhone 6s when it releases next month.

As for which Android Wear watches work with the iPhone, that’s another question entirely, and Google is a bit confused as to which smartwatches work with iOS.

Here’s what Android Wear watches work with iPhone right now.

Android Wear Watches on iPhone

Officially, Google only lists one specific Android Wear smartwatches that work with the iPhone, and it’s the new LG Watch Urbane. However, the company says that any new Android Wear device that releases from now on will be compatible with iOS:

“All future Android Wear watches, including those from Huawei, Asus, and Motorola will also support iOS, so stay tuned for more.”

What Google left out is that older Android Wear smartwatches actually work with the iPhone, just as long as the watch is updated to the newest Android Wear 1.3 version.

Based from users’ experiences, the LG G Watch, G Watch R, Moto 360, and the Samsung Gear Live work just fine with the iPhone. We haven’t heard any other reports of other Android Wear devices working with the iPhone, but if your smartwatch is running version 1.3 of Android Wear, it will likely work with the iPhone.

Of course, as time goes on, more and more Android Wear watches release and there will be an even bigger selection of smartwatches to choose from for your iPhone, so this is only the beginning.

What Can Android Wear Do on iOS?

So perhaps one of the bigger questions is what exactly can an Android Wear smartwatch do on the iPhone and what’s supported?

Well, to be frank, there’s not much you can really do. You can receive any notification that comes through the iOS Notification Center, including iMessage notifications, but you can’t act upon those notifications from the watch.

Aside from that, that’s about all you can do. You can use Google Now on your Android Wear watch, so that’s certainly a plus, but compared to the Apple Watch, Android Wear watches on iOS simply can’t do much.

Since the Apple Watch works seamlessly with iOS, there’s a ton of stuff that you can do with the device that Android Wear devices can’t do. However, it’s easy to see why some iPhone users might go with an Android Wear smartwatch instead of an Apple Watch, especially if you like the round design of the Moto 360. Plus, you can grab a used Moto 360 for as little as $100, saving you over $200 from the price of an entry-level Apple Watch.

Hopefully, Google opens up more functionality for Android Wear, but it’s possible that many of the downsides are Apple’s fault, since the company likes to close off a lot of its features to third-party developers and manufacturers.

Google has a new logo

Google is introducing a new logo today. Just a month after unveiling a major restructuringof the company, Google is updating its image, too. The new Google logo is still a wordmark, but it’s now using a sans-serif typeface, making it look a lot more modern and playful. The colors are also softer than they used to be. The logo bears a bit more resemblance to the logo of Google’s new parent company, Alphabet, as well. Alphabet’s wordmark has a similarly unadorned look, and this update makes the two companies’ design language fall more inline.

As Google’s video introducing the new logo notes, the wordmark has been evolving ever since it was created in 1998. But this is easily its biggest change since 1999, when Google first cleaned up the lettering and settled on its four colors. Since then, the logo has just been flattened out more and more, with today’s update representing a huge leap. In addition to changing up the wordmark, Google is also changing the tiny “g” logo that you see on browser tabs. It’s now going to be an uppercase “G” that’s striped in all four of Google’s colors. Google says that the new design will be rolling out across all of its products soon — in fact, it’s already on Google’s homepage, with a cute animation that wipes away the old logo and draws in the new one.

So why did Google decide to make the change? In a blog post, Google discusses how much technology has changed how we interact with its products and with the internet at large. It doesn’t really settle on a specific reason that a redesign was needed, but it says that this logo should better reflect the reality that Google is no longer a site you visit on a desktop computer — it’s a huge collection of sites, apps, and services that you visit on PCs, Chromebooks, smartphones, and anywhere you can find a web browser. Google writes that its new logo is meant to reflect “this reality and [show] you when the Google magic is working for you, even on the tiniest screens.”

Making the logo look good on small screens seems to have been a major consideration. The new, simpler lettering is supposed to scale better to smaller sizes, making the wordmark more distinct and easier to read. It’s also supposed to be easier for Google to display on low-bandwidth connections: Google says that it’s made a version of its logo that’s “only 305 bytes, compared to our existing logo at ~14,000 bytes.” Given that one of new Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s big goals is to bring the internet — and Google, of course — to areas of the globe that don’t already have it, that small difference is definitely going to be an important one.

You can also see the new Google “G” beginning to appear across its services. Among the more notable is Google+, which is now represented by a big colorless version of the new G.

Android Wear for iPhone: What You Should Know

iPhone support for Android Wear has been rumored quite a bit over the last several months, but it’s finally hear. Here’s what you should know about Android Wear for iPhone.

It was rumored all the way back in March that Android Wear could make its way to the iPhone at some point, and many users thought that Google would announce it at their yearly I/O conference, but sadly it was MIA.

We’ve even seen hacks from developers getting the Moto 360 smartwatch to work with the iPhone, however limited the functionality was. It still proved that it could be done, even without help from Google, but luckily that didn’t need to happen.

Google made a surprise announcement today revealing the details of Android Wear on iOS, allowing iPhone users to use Android Wear devices with their iOS-equipped smartphone, giving them more options other than using the Apple Watch, which was the only smartwatch compatible with iOS before today besides the Pebble devices.

Luckily, users can now take advantage of the many Android Wear smartwatches on the market and use them with their iPhones. However, there are a few things you’ll want to know about Android Wear for iPhone before you get started.

Android Wear iOS App

In order to pair an Android Wear device to your iPhone you’ll need the Android Wear iOS app, which is rolling out today, and you may already see it in the App Store.

The app obviously allows you to connect and Android Wear smartwatch to your iPhone, but it also allows you to customize a number of things, including which notifications pop up on your smartwatch, and the app will even guide you through your watch and show you the ropes.

The app is free to download and is available today. If you don’t see it yet when searching for it in the App Store, give it some time to appear or click on the link above to go directly to to the app listing.

Compatible iPhones and iOS Versions

Unfortunately, Android Wear for iPhone won’t work on every Apple device. Currently, you need an iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, or iPhone 6 Plus in order to use Android Wear on your iPhone.

Furthermore, your iPhone needs to be updated to at least iOS 8.2 in order to use the Android Wear iOS app.

Unfortunately, the app isn’t compatible with the iPad, which means you can’t pair your Android Wear smartwatch with your iPad, but that’s to be expected.

Compatible Android Wear Smartwatches

One of the biggest things that you should know before you dive into Android Wear on iOS is that there’s only one Android Wear smartwatch that’s currently compatible with the iPhone officially, and it’s the LG Watch Urbane.

However, any new upcoming Android Wear smartwatches that release will automatically be compatible with iOS. However, older Android Wear devices like the Samsung Gear series, Moto 360, etc. are not officially supported just yet, but it should be arriving soon enough. For what it’s worth, though, the Moto 360 actually pairs to the iPhone just fine.

What You Can and Can’t Do

Of course, there are handful of things that you can’t do with your Android Wear watch on iOS, mostly due to the limitations that iOS puts on non-Apple devices.

For instance, you can’t reply to notifications from your Android Wear watch and receive phone calls. You also can’t run third-party apps and not all third-party watch faces are available on the iOS version.

However, we like to see the glass as half full, and you can still do a whole lot of stuff with your Android Wear smartwatch on iOS, including using Google Now, receive any notification, and using Google Fit to track fitness.

Once we try out Android Wear for iOS, there will most likely be a whole lot of stuff that we’ll learn to use with our iPhone, but for now it’s good news that Android Wear is on iOS in the first place.

IDC: Apple Is The Second-Biggest Wearable Maker Behind Fitbit

Wearables such as fitness trackers have been around for the past couple of years, with Apple only officially launching their own wearable, the Apple Watch, earlier this year. However it seems that Apple’s brand and reputation is enough to give it a huge advantage because according to the IDC, Apple is now the second-largest wearable maker.

This puts them behind the likes of Fitbit who is still the largest wearable maker, and it also seemingly displaces Xiaomi who a couple of months ago, wasconsidered to be the second-largest wearable maker. According to Jitesh Ubrani, Senior Research Analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers, it seems that Apple’s arrival had the greatest impact on the wearables category.

Ubrani states, “About two of every three smart wearables shipped this quarter was an Apple Watch. Apple has clearly garnered an impressive lead in this space and its dominance is expected to continue. And, although Fitbit outshipped Apple, it’s worth noting that Fitbit only sells basic wearables – a category that is expected to lose share over the next few years, leaving Apple poised to become the next market leader for all wearables.”

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Apple has yet to officially reveal exactly how many Apple Watches they have sold to date, so for now all these numbers are considered unofficial, but so far estimates have put the number of devices sold in the millions, so hopefully we will hear the official numbers from Apple soon so we can stop speculating.