The eventual – and successful – release of iOS 8.0.2 has not only saved Apple from further iOS related embarrassment, but it’s also acted as a catalyst for another internal decision. Hours after successfully pushing out the latest version of iOS, which introduces a number of new features as well as fixing some serious bugs that were accidentally introduced with 8.0.1, Apple has also stopped digitally signing the iOS 7.1.2 firmware, making it impossible for users to downgrade from iOS 8.

Here’s a quick and easy tutorial on how to downgrade iOS 8 to iOS 7.1.2 on iPhone 5s, 5c, 5, 4s, iPad Air, iPad mini or even iPod touch 5.

Apple’s iOS 8 software has only been lurking for about a week, but the time period has presented us with ample opportunity to get a proper look at it. As well as a an abundance of new features, it would seem that the software is equally laden with bugs and performance issues, and according to newly-published crash analytics data, its crash rate is significantly higher than the preceding iOS 7 software.

If what they say about imitation and flattery is true, then the folks at Apple must be pretty darn flattered right now after Xiaomi showed off the new version of their particular flavor of Android – MIUI 6.

Some iOS and OS X users have noted of a minor glitch pertaining to the use of the stock Calendar, resulting in the wrong holiday dates being shown for certain regions. Thus, folks in countries like Lithuania are seeing the holidays of nations like Mexico and Hong Kong, and although this rather confusing scenario seems to have affected multiple users running on iOS 7.1.x as well as others on Mac, Apple has reportedly noted of the issue and will come through with a fix in a forthcoming software update.

For a lot of jailbreak fans out there, one of the most important aspects attached to liberating a device is the ability to efficiently access the internal file system. This access could be required for a number of reasons which are beyond the scope of this article, but suffice to say it’s undoubtedly an important part of jailbreaking.

The Pangu team might just have delighted the jailbreak scene with the release of an untethered jailbreak for iOS 7.1 – 7.1.1, but it’s not without its share of early issues. Bundled within the package is an app called PPSync, which is known to cause certain stock apps to crash, and make the system feel generally unstable, and basically subject iOS to no-end of nuisance. The obvious solution, then, would be to remove this package post-haste, and below, we’ll show you just how to do this.

With so much iOS 8 excitement and noise in the way, we tend to forget at times that iOS 7 still exists for devices in our pockets. And today we’ve learned that iOS 7 is due for an incremental update, in the form of 7.1.2, which should drop in a mere few days, according to a new report that has just surfaced.

Smartphones, tablets and mobile gadgets in general are regularly targeted by unwanted individuals, and devices bearing the famous Apple logo tend at higher risk than those created by other manufacturers. The iPhone, in particular, has been a hot item given its strong resale value, and as such, Apple has felt compelled – obliged even – to take action. The Activation Lock system introduced alongside iOS 7 has, according to a new report, notably reduced iPhone theft across three of the world’s major cities, with London, New York and San Francisco all having noticed less activity involving theft of Apple’s most prized of assets.

With every iOS update, Siri is getting smarter and better. It is now able to process information relayed in a variety of ways. Here, we run through a selection of Siri tricks that you mightn’t have stumbled across before, and after checking out all of the tips, we’re pretty sure you’ll wind up using Siri a lot more than you currently do.

Apple prides itself on its relatively good record of preserving security, but despite ongoing efforts to ensure that public releases of iOS and OS X are as stable and water-tight as possible, we’re often reminded that software, inherently, is not infallible and that inevitable, faults will arise. The headlines have, for the past week, been largely dominated by talk of the upcoming iOS 8, but as Apple looks to pipe on the improvements, a new flaw within the current iOS 7 has just been unearthed.

With Apple having announced iOS 8 and subsequently rolled out the first beta over the past couple of days, it’s no surprise to see that users have flocked to download and checkout some of the new features. But, being in beta and all, it’s still far from finished, and having had a little taster of what’s to come, it’s quite likely that you’ll want to revert back to the more familiar, stable environment that is iOS 7.1.x. If you have tried the beta and wish to step back to the latest public release, we’ve got the steps for you below.