Latest news with #iPhone12Mini
Hindustan Times
27-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
iPhone 17 Air—if it launches—might be Apple's next flop
This year, a new trend has started to take shape in the flagship smartphone segment—ultra-thin designs. It began with Samsung's announcement of the Galaxy S25 Edge, and now, Apple is reportedly joining the race with the iPhone 17 Air, set to launch this September and Apple's rumour mills are running overtime. If the rumours about the iPhone 17 Air are true, Apple may soon have to answer a tough question: are buyers paying more for less?(Majin Bu/ X) On paper, slim flagships sounded like an exciting shift. But in reality, the concept feels underwhelming, mostly due to the compromises and hardware limitations that come with a thinner profile. Not to forget, Apple will make compromises to shift to a thinner design. Of course, this isn't the first time Apple has experimented with its flagship lineup. We saw the introduction of the compact iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 13 Mini, both of which quietly exited the stage due to weak demand. Then came the iPhone 14 series, which brought back the 'Plus' model—again, not a breakout success. Also read: iPhone 17 Air design 'leaked' in new hands-on video, here's how it may look Now, with the iPhone 17 series, rumours suggest that Apple is scrapping the 'Plus' variant and replacing it with the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. That alone signals a shift in Apple's strategy. But it also continues the pattern of discontinuing models that fail to strike a chord with buyers. At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if the iPhone 17 Air ends up being the next flagship misfire—and there are a few reasons why. iPhone 17 Air may not excite buyers Over the past few months, leaks and rumours have painted a rough picture of what to expect from the iPhone 17 Air. And while the official launch is still a few months away, what we're hearing so far feels underwhelming—especially for a phone that might cost upwards of ₹ 80,000. Don't get me wrong—the dummy units showcasing the device's slim profile are genuinely impressive. But that excitement quickly fades when you consider the trade-offs. According to The Elec, Samsung has already scaled back production of the Galaxy S25 Edge, likely due to soft demand. And while marketing plays a big role, the success of such devices ultimately depends on how well the product connects with buyers. Apple may manage to drive early sales through brand loyalty and launch hype, but sustaining interest could be a different story. The most obvious compromise appears to be the camera. Based on dummy units, the iPhone 17 Air may feature a single-lens rear camera. Even if the image quality is good, users might lose out on ultrawide or telephoto capabilities—much like the iPhone 16e. Also read: iPhone 17 Air could launch in September 2025 — Key details revealed Battery life could be another sore point. Reports suggest the iPhone 17 Air will pack a 2800mAh battery, significantly smaller than what's offered by other iPhones or competing flagships. Yes, Apple is said to be introducing a new AI-powered battery-saving mode with iOS 26, which might stretch usage time. But whether that's enough to satisfy power users remains to be seen. Then there's the pricing. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to slot between the standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro, likely putting it around the ₹ 80,000 mark. And for that price, many buyers may wonder: are they paying more for less?
CNET
03-06-2025
- Business
- CNET
How to Find Out the Age of Your Current Phone Before Buying a New One
Our phones are such an integral part of our lives that it can sometimes feel like we've had them forever. And as news about possible tariffs on phones and technology loom, you might be wondering if you've held onto your device for too long, and whether you should consider buying a new one. No matter what your plans are, you are going to need to know how old your phone is when selling it or trading it in for an upgrade, as the amount of credit you may receive towards a new device varies based on how old it is. Or maybe there's a new software update and you're not sure if your phone is compatible with it, potentially making it more vulnerable to security threats or just more sluggish overall. It's also useful to know how old your phone is to find out if it's still under warranty, and also if it's eligible to extend it. In some cases, knowing how old your phone is can help you determine if your phone is capable of running certain applications or games. Whatever your reason may be, there are a few ways to find out your phone's age. The iPhone 12 Mini and its box. CNET Check the box If you still have the box your phone came in, that's probably the easiest way to find out when your phone was made. There's often a sticker that tells you the device's exact manufacturing date. Check your Settings Another way to find out your phone's age is to check its settings. With an iPhone, you select Settings, go to General and then tap About. With an Android, you tap Settings and then select About Phone. You'll then see general information about your phone, such as its model name, model number and serial number. Just knowing your phone's model name is enough to get a rough estimate of how old it is. For example, if I know that I own an iPhone 13, then I can look the model name of the phone online and discover that the phone was released in September 2021. That means it is roughly four years old as of 2025. The same can be done for Android phones. You can also check for the date of your last security update, which could be especially helpful if you aren't sure if your phone is still getting them. The iPhone 16 (front) and the iPhone 12 (back) Lisa Eadicicco/CNET Look up the serial number If you want more specifics about your phone, you can try using your phone's serial number. Each phone's serial number can give you clues as to when the phone was made, though since manufacturers have different ways of encoding and deciphering the serial number, it can be a little complicated. If you want to do a bit of your own sleuthing, you can look up your phone's information online to see if there's a serial number manufacturing code guide for it. With iPhones, you can use the serial number to look up specific information on when it was purchased and if it's still under warranty. Go to enter in the serial number, solve a captcha, hit submit and you'll see the purchase date of your iPhone as well as if it's still under warranty. Find the receipt While finding the phone's receipt might not be able to tell you how old it is, it's still useful if all you want to do is find out when it was purchased and if it's still under warranty. You might also need this proof of purchase when filing a phone insurance claim in the event your device needs a repair, gets lost or is stolen. That's why we usually recommend keeping email receipts for your important purchases, or at least taking a snapshot of a paper receipt.
Android Authority
03-06-2025
- General
- Android Authority
How to move text messages to a new phone
Have you just bought a new smartphone? Whether you use Google Messages or another texting app, you likely want to transfer the years of messages accumulated on your old phone to your new handset. Thankfully, this task is easier than you may think. Here's how to move text messages to a new phone, transfer Google Messages to a new phone, and more. Editor's note: We used a Google Pixel 7 running Android 14 and an Apple iPhone 12 Mini running iOS 17.2.1 to formulate these instructions. Some menus and steps may change depending on your hardware and software. How to move text messages from an old Android to a new Android phone Rita El Khoury / Android Authority Transferring messages from one Android phone to another Android phone is easy. You can use your old device and Google account to back up and restore text messages. Notably, this is the best method for transferring Google Messages to a new phone, too. You'll first need to back up your messages on your old phone before restoring them on your new device. Backup your text messages using Google One: Open the Settings app on your old Android phone. Go into Google. Hit the All services tab. Select Backup. Ensure that Backup by Google One is enabled. Scroll down and ensure SMS and MMS messages are listed. Tap the Back up now button to manually back up your messages. Restore your text messages from the Google One backup: Turn on your new phone and log in using the same Google account you used to create the backup. During the setup process, choose Restore when your phone asks if you want to restore the data connected to your account. After the setup process is complete, open Google Messages. You should now see your messages in the app. How to move text messages to a new iPhone Like an Android phone, you can use your iCloud account on an iPhone to back up and restore your messages. Let's start by turning on backups on your older iPhone. How to enable iCloud backups: Ensure you have iOS 11.4 or later installed. Plug your iPhone in and connect it to Wi-Fi. Open Settings app. Go into the Apple ID settings, which is labeled as your name. Select iCloud. Make sure iCloud Backup is enabled. Then, select Show All under Apps Using iCloud. Tap on Messages in iCloud and toggle on the Use on this iPhone option. Hit Sync Now. How to restore your Messages on a new iPhone: Turn on your new iPhone. Go through the setup steps. When prompted, tap Restore from iCloud Backup to restore your messages. The transfer process may take a while, but you should see your messages in the Messages app once it is complete. How to move text messages from iPhone to Android Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority You can transfer messages from an iPhone to an Android phone, but the process will be more involved. How to transfer text messages from iPhone to Android: Turn on your new Android phone and follow the setup process. When prompted to 'Copy apps & data,' tap Next. Turn on and unlock your iPhone, then tap Next on the 'Use your old phone' screen. You will need a cable that can connect to your iPhone on one end and an Android device on the other. This could be a Lightning to USB-C cable, or a USB-C to USB-C cable if you have an iPhone 15 or 16. Alternatively, you can pick up an adapter. Plug the USB-C end into your phone and connect the other end to your iPhone. When prompted on your Android phone, sign in with your Google account, then hit Next. You'll be asked what you want to copy. Make sure you choose Messages along with anything else you wish to copy. Then tap Copy. Tap Continue. Continue through the rest of the setup process. Your Android phone will remind you to disable iMessage on your iPhone. Ensure you do this so you don't miss out on future messages. How to transfer text messages from iPhone to Samsung phones Robert Triggs / Android Authority The process is a bit more streamlined if you have a Samsung phone. As a bonus, you can do it anytime, not just when setting up your new Android phone. Download the Samsung Smart Switch app on your Samsung device. Open the app and then select Receive data. Choose iPhone/iPad as the source. Make sure your iPhone is on and unlocked Plug the iPhone into your Samsung device using the needed cable, and an adapter, if required. You can also opt to Transfer wirelessly or Get data from iCloud. The Smart Switch app will automatically search your iPhone. Choose Messages along with other things you wish to transfer. Tap Transfer. The transfer process can take some time, but you'll see a progress indicator on your Samsung device. Ensure the Keep screen on option is enabled, so nothing gets interrupted. Once the transfer finishes, tap Next. Your Samsung phone will remind you to disable iMessage on your iPhone. Ensure you do this so you don't miss out on future messages. How to move text messages from Android to iPhone Apple offers an easy way to move messages from Android to iPhone. How to use Move to iOS to transfer text messages: Install Move to iOS on your Android phone. Turn on your new iPhone and begin the setup process. Make sure to connect to a Wi-Fi network. When the prompt regarding Apps & Data appears, select Move Data from Android. Make a note of the security code displayed on your iPhone. Open Move to iOS on your Android device. You'll need to accept the terms, privacy policy, and more. Hit Agree > Continue > Agree > Automatically Send (or Don't Send) > Continue > Continue > Continue. Enter the security code when prompted. In the Move to iOS app, select the types of data you want to transfer. Ensure you choose Messages. Complete the setup process on your iPhone. FAQs Can I get my text messages back even if I have gotten rid of my old phone? It depends. If you already had message backups enabled, then you should be able to get them back. But if not, it is probably too late. Messages are saved locally to a phone unless you have backups enabled, meaning if you get rid of the device, the messages will be gone, too. Will text message backups take up space in my Google Drive or iCloud account? Yes, but the exact amount depends on how many there are, how long they are, and whether they contain images and other forms of content in addition to text. I don't want my messages continually saved in a backup account forever; can I just back them up once for the transfer process? Yes, you can choose to back up your messages only for the transfer process and then revoke the relevant permissions in settings once everything is complete. How do I transfer Google Messages to a new phone? To transfer Google Messages to a new phone, follow the steps for backing up your data to Google One. Next, once your data is backed up, restore your data to your new phone. Once your data is restored, when you open Google Messages on your new device, your messages should be visible.
CNET
30-05-2025
- General
- CNET
I Discovered 4 Ways to Open My iPhone's Control Center One-Handed
It used to be easy for my thumb to reach every corner of my phone. But small phones with screens under 6 inches have gone the way of the dodo, and the latest and greatest devices like the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra have unwieldy, nearly 7-inch screens. If you want to use these phones one-handed, it can be a pain to access certain features. For me, one of the most annoying quirks about upgrading from a 5.4-inch iPhone 12 Mini to a 6.1-inch iPhone 16 is how difficult it is to access the Control Center. This is the iOS feature that lets me change my screen brightness, toggle Airplane Mode, use the Flashlight and lock my screen rotation, among countless other functions. If your iPhone still has the Home Button, you can open the Control Center simply by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. But on newer iPhones with a notch or Dynamic Island, you have to swipe down from the top right corner. In theory, it should be easy. In practice, it can require some elaborate finger gymnastics, especially on a screen that's pushing 7 inches. Apple If I move my finger too far to the left, I'll get the Notification Center instead of the Control Center. And if I only have one hand free to use my phone, it can be almost impossible to stretch out my thumb and reach for that corner (oh, how I wish Apple would bring back the iPhone Mini). Luckily, I've learned a few tricks that let me access the Control Center more easily. Use the Reachability feature The simplest way to reach the top of your iPhone's screen with one hand is by using the Reachability feature. It lets you pull down the entire top half of the screen. All you have to do to enable Reachability is swipe down on the bottom edge of your screen: This will bring the top right corner of your screen within thumb's reach, letting you open the Control Center without adjusting your grip on your phone. Once you've set up Reachability, you can use the feature by swiping down on the bottom edge of your screen. Screenshots by Jason Chun/CNET If you aren't able to use Reachability on your iPhone, here's how you can turn on the feature. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch. Then toggle on Reachability. While Reachability is helpful, it's not always the most intuitive to use. It can also limit your access to the lower half of your screen temporarily. If your goal is to just open the Control Center, you do have some other options. Turn on Back Tap Did you know that the back of your iPhone is technically a button? Back Tap is one of the device's most useful hidden features, allowing you to access a wide range of functions without touching the screen. It works even if you use your iPhone with a case. And it easily lets you open the Control Center while using your device with one hand. You can use Double Tap or Triple Tap to access the Control Center. Screenshots by Jason Chun/CNET To enable Back Tap to open Control Center, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap. From there, select Double Tap or Triple Tap, then select Control Center. Once you've set up Back Tap, you can bring up the Control Center with one finger, simply by tapping two or three times on the back of your phone. You might have to practice doing it at the right speed, so that your phone correctly registers your taps. But once you've mastered Back Tap, you won't have to even think about reaching for the top right corner of your screen again. Create a Shortcut bookmark You can also access the Control Center on your iPhone by creating a custom Shortcut bookmark. The bookmark is essentially an app that you can move to any spot on your home screen (especially if you have iOS 18, which gives you more freedom to rearrange your apps). You can create a custom Shortcut bookmark to add to your Home Screen. Screenshots by Jason Chun/CNET To create the Control Center bookmark, open the Shortcuts app and hit the plus (+) sign in the top right corner. Then, in the Search Actions finder, type Control Center and select the option Show Control Center. In the following drop-down menu, select Add to Home Screen. You'll see options to customize the icon, or you can simply select Add to skip. You can move this bookmark around like you would with any app. Screenshots by Jason Chun/CNET Now you have another way to open the Control Center without doing thumb stretches. One drawback to this method is that you can only access the Shortcut if you're on your iPhone's Home Screen, or whichever app page you've placed the bookmark. If you're in the middle of watching a Netflix show, browsing on Safari or doing anything in another app, you'll need to exit the app to get to this bookmark. There's still one more way to open your Control Center, and this method works no matter which app you're using. Use the Action Button On the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 series, you can customize the Action Button to perform just about any function you can imagine. You can use it to run any Shortcut -- including opening the Control Center. To set your Action Button to trigger the Control Center, follow the same steps for creating a Shortcut bookmark. Then make one modification: Go to your Shortcut for the Control Center and change the action from Show to Toggle. Change your Shortcut for the Control Center from "Show" to "Toggle", before setting it as your Action Button function. Screenshots by Jason Chun/CNET Next, go to Settings > Action Button and swipe to select the Shortcut option. In the menu, you'll see a list of your available Shortcuts. Choose Control Center. Now you'll be able to open and close your Control Center at any time with a quick press of the Action Button. By default, the Action Button is your Silent/Ring switch, and you might miss having that function by changing it to this Shortcut. However, the Control Center is a much more versatile option for the Action Button. And you'll still have easy access to the Silent/Ring switch by going to -- where else? -- the Control Center. For more iPhone tips, learn about the iOS settings that can drain your battery, and check out 10 hidden features in iOS 18.2.
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First Post
18-05-2025
- Business
- First Post
Trump tariffs may push US iPhone users towards repair, instead of replace their old devices
Repair demand may increase if inflation and trade uncertainty continue to affect consumer spending habits. Inflation and trade uncertainty in the US may both be attributed to Trump tariffs read more US President Donald Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook tour the Flextronics computer manufacturing facility where Apple's Mac Pros are assembled in Austin, Texas. Amid the tariff war with China, Trump wants Apple to manufacture its iPhones in the US. File image/AFP As US trade tensions with China threaten to increase the cost of imported goods, some smartphone users are choosing to repair ageing devices rather than upgrade to newer models. That's the decision one iPhone 12 Mini user made after learning that the phone's battery had degraded to about 80 per cent of its original capacity, according to an article published by The Verge. Rather than spend hundreds on a new device, the user opted for a $90 battery replacement, citing both economic uncertainty and personal preference for the phone's smaller size. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The iPhone 12 Mini, released in 2020, is no longer in production. Despite early reviews that raised concerns about battery life, the compact design remains favored by users seeking a lighter, more portable phone. More from Tech China's LandSpace launches 6 satellites with methane-powered rocket Some owners have continued to use the model even as its software support and battery performance have begun to wane. The decision to repair rather than replace was partly driven by fears that new tariffs on electronics and components could push up prices in the near future. In early April, the Trump administration introduced sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports, which were followed by new export controls from China targeting rare earth elements essential to the production of high-tech goods. Apple, which relies heavily on international supply chains, has faced challenges during past disruptions. The company's just-in-time manufacturing model, while efficient, can be vulnerable to supply shocks. Experts say that if tariffs persist or expand, consumers may see higher prices on both new devices and replacement parts. Apple has only recently expanded its support for independent repairs, following pressure from regulators and consumer advocates. However, critics say the company's parts pairing requirements and limited availability of official components still pose barriers for many users. Repair demand may increase if inflation and trade uncertainty continue to affect consumer spending habits. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to Bloomberg, the Port of Los Angeles has reported a sharp drop in imports, a signal that broader supply chain constraints may be taking shape. While Apple offers newer models with updated features such as USB-C ports and improved cameras, some users say they see little benefit from annual upgrades, especially if their current phones continue to meet basic needs like calls, messaging, navigation and music. Apple has not commented on how ongoing trade tensions may affect its repair services or product pricing.
