Another year, another update to iOS. And while things may look pretty much the same on the face of it, iOS 8 is well worth everyone's time. While iOS 7 was a big departure from what we were used to in regards to aesthetics, iOS 8 goes another route, this time preferring to take a scalpel to the operating system's innards rather than its exterior.
Apple has finally flipped the switch. You can now download iOS 8 from the links given below. The immediate availability of iOS 8 means that users with compatible devices can start to process over-the-air updates to their iPhone or iPad to get started with the latest iteration of iOS. Alternatively, the live download links are also available for anyone who prefers to manually craft a full back-up of the device before restoring to the latest, and supposedly greatest, version of iOS.
Tomorrow is the big day when Apple will push the big red button after which the final release of iOS 8 will be available to all iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users around the globe. And in order to prepare our readers for the big update, we’ve outlined a handy guide which will ensure that the whole process will go smoothly for everyone.
Apple took the wraps off a number of great software features at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, and among them, Continuity seeks to allow users to work between devices with as few seams as possible. Incorporating OS X Yosemite as well as iOS 8, Continuity has promised to strengthen ties between Apple's two major platforms, and SMS Continuity, which allows SMS and MMS messages to be managed through the Messages app on iPad and Mac, is one of the most useful of them all. Unfortunately, though, this feature will not roll out until next month, meaning that while iOS 8 is just days away, SMS Continuity won't make the initial cut.
The GM release links of Apple's iOS 8 is now ready to download, and although, strictly speaking, this is not the final release, it's identical to the build that end users will be receiving in about a week's time. As ever, we've got the details and download info right here.
If you happen to be on a capped data plan, you'll know all about using certain apps sparingly while monitoring roaming settings like a hawk. But while it's seemingly obvious that a YouTube binge is going to quickly use up that precious quota, Apple's iMessage is a comparatively silent culprit. After all, you can send images, videos, audio clips and text with relative ease, and unlike with WhatsApp and others, they're not heavily compressed. If you want to keep abreast of iMessage's data-usage habits, checking the amount of cellular MBs used is possible at stock level, and although the feature is a little obscure, you can easily access it with just a little bit of navigation.
If you've been inundated with iMessage spam and don't know how to combat it, there are a couple of different avenues you can explore in the battle against the apparently prevalent spamming.
Apple has just seeded iOS 8 beta 6 to testing partners, and in a decision apparently taken due to the imminent nature of the GM release, the tech giant has opted not to seed this one to developer. It's usually the case that beta releases can be downloaded and tested out by those subbed to the Developer Program, but with the public release of iOS 8 now just a matter of weeks away, this sixth beta is preserved only for testing partners.
The Pangu jailbreaking tool, which covers iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users running iOS 7.1 right up to the current 7.1.2, has just been updated to version 1.2.1 for Windows. The bump fixes a minor issue that would cause crashes with some Windows users, and so if you do plan to jailbreak any of your devices on a Windows PC, then grabbing the very latest version would be very much advised.
To get one untethered jailbreak per major iOS release is a blessing in itself, but even though the job of the jailbreaking scene gets more difficult with each year that passes by, the fact that Evad3rs and Pangu both dropped untethered jailbreaks for iOS 7 was nothing short of heroic. Evad3rs' Evasi0n tool took care of iOS 7.0.x, and when this was eventually plugged, the self-titled tool from the Pangu team took care of iOS 7.1.x. Now, both are up for a Pwnie award in the ‘Best Privilege Escalation Bug’ category, a gathering that highlights the work of those in the field of security research, and although we've no personal affinity to one over the other, we'd certainly love to see a jailbreak team yield such acclaim.
















