How to Use iOS 10’s Redesigned Lock Screen

With a brand-new iOS operating system now available, many users are excited to delve into iOS 10’s biggest and boldest changes, like an overhauled Messages app and a more personal space in Photos to relive past vacations and family get-togethers. However, before you even get to all of iOS 10’s new features, you’ll have to get used to its new lock screen mechanisms, which completely change the way the iPhone is unlocked moving forward.

iOS 10 brings about the first major overhaul to the lock screen since the iPhone launched in 2007, ditching the popular “Slide to Unlock” instruction on the bottom of the screen for a collection of new prompts that make it easier than ever take advantage of the lock screen. Prior to iOS 10, iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users in particular experienced some frustrations with the traditional method of unlocking the phone, as the faster Touch ID system would unlock “too quickly,” causing users to miss notifications that might have been on the lock screen.

While slightly complex until you get the hang of it, iOS 10 streamlines this process so that you can still have your thumb placed on Touch ID when the iPhone wakes up via a new Raise to Wake feature on the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE, without immediately jumping past the lock screen. For more details on how to navigate the lock screen, interact with notifications, and unlock your iPhone, follow each set of instructions below.

Navigating the iOS 10 Lock Screen

Before you even get past the lock screen, there are a few new additions to the front-end menus in iOS 10 that should be noted for anyone who likes to take a glimpse at their apps or snap a quick photo without unlocking their iPhone.

To start off, bring your iPhone up to eye level to activate Raise to Wake.
Once the screen is awake, simply swipe right-to-left to bring up the iPhone camera.
To go back to the main lock screen while still in camera, press the home button (trying to swipe back right will simply cycle through the camera’s various photo and video modes).
Swipe right from the main lock screen to access your widgets page, which contains a customizable array of widget-supported apps you have downloaded onto your iPhone.
Scroll down to view more widgets.
All the way at the bottom you will find an “Edit” button to rearrange, delete and add any new widgets onto your lock screen.
If you decide to enter the edit menu, gently place your finger on the home button or enter your passcode when prompted.
Tap “Done” when finished editing your widgets, or “Cancel” if you change your mind.
Return to the central lock screen by swiping left.

Interacting With Notifications on the iOS 10 Lock Screen

Thanks to new rich notifications in iOS 10 on 3D Touch-enabled iPhones, you can also use quick actions to jump directly into your favorite apps. Apps currently have varying degrees of interactivity, with Apple’s own apps unsurprisingly having the greatest functionality for the time being.

Apple’s first-party Messages and Mail apps, for example, allow you to perform various actions directly from the lock screen, such as responding to messages, while most other third-party apps simply direct you to the app itself once your phone is open because developers need to specifically add support for rich notifications. As with the adoption of 3D Touch itself, these features are expected to grow in popularity as more developers embrace iOS 10.

Since any app that allows you to remain on the lock screen will be largely self-explanatory (like typing a text in Messages, as in the screenshot below), these steps will be for notifications that require you to dive past the lock screen.

Whenever you have an incoming notification, tap and hold on the message to activate 3D Touch.
The resulting dialog box prompts vary from app to app, but could include the option to place a bid on an ending auction (eBay), or view the post a friend recently liked (Instagram), among a variety of other options.
If you choose to follow through with the 3D Touch pop-up dialogue box, enter your passcode or place a finger on the home button to activate Touch ID.
The iPhone will then unlock and bring you to the app you were interacting with on the lock screen.
If you change your mind following a 3D Touch press, tap anywhere else on the screen to return to the normal view.
Note: Apps that don’t support rich notifications on the lock screen will simply lack any interactive prompts after pressed upon.

Unlocking the iOS 10 Lock Screen

When you’re finally ready to get into your iPhone, follow these steps to get past the security features of iOS 10.

As with any interaction on the iOS 10 lock screen, wake up your iPhone by picking up the device using Raise to Wake. On an iPad, you’ll need to quickly press the home or power button to activate the screen.
Gently place a Touch ID-approved finger or thumb on the home button to “unlock” the iPhone (do not press the button down).
Now you’ll see “Press home to open” at the bottom of the screen.
From here, you can browse notifications, and see widgets that require the iPhone to be unlocked before using (like Activity).
When you’re ready to enter your iPhone, simply press the Home button.
Note: If Touch ID fails after three tries, the traditional number pad will prompt you for your iPhone passcode, which will open your iPhone immediately.
Although the new features of the lock screen let you peruse various notifications and widgets for as long as you want, the duality of Raise to Wake and Touch ID also let you enter an iPhone in one quick gesture, as long as you press the home button as soon as you wake up the screen. This method will provide an unlocking method closer to that of iOS 9.

It takes a little getting used to at first, but after a few tries the new unlocking method feels far easier and more convenient than the old mainstay of swiping to unlock. MacRumors will have plenty of other how-to guides coming out to help users get acquainted with iOS 10, so keep a watch out for those and visit the forums for more specific user-created topics focused on the iPhone 7 and iOS 10.

Related Roundup: iOS 10
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Removes Option to Purchase Gift Cards by Email

Apple recently removed the option to purchase Apple Store or iTunes gift cards by email from its U.S. website, eliminating the ability to buy e-gift cards.

The option to purchase physical Apple Store or iTunes gift cards by mail remains on Apple’s website, while both physical and e-gift cards remain available from third-party resellers such as Walmart and Staples.

Apple previously allowed customers to purchase digital gift cards and send them by email. The purchaser selected a card design and value, and composed a birthday wish or similar message for the recipient.

The change appears limited to the U.S. for now, as Apple continues to sell Apple Store and iTunes gift cards by email in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Tag: Apple retail
Discuss this article in our forums

Best cases for Moto G4 Play

What are the best cases you can buy today for the Moto G4 Play?

The Moto G4 Play is barely out of the gate, but if you’re aching to equip it with some stylish protection, here are a few worthy considerations.

We’ll keep updating this page as more cases become available. In the meantime, we’ve got some great suggestions to outfit your new mid-range Moto G4 Play.

• Cimo Premium Slim Fit Protective Cover
• Innovaa Elite Hybrid Series Case
• CoverON Hard Slim Hybrid Kickstand Phone Cover
• BELK Retro Vintage Leather Wallet Case
• Moze Moto G4 Play Wallet Case

Cimo Premium Slim Fit Protective Cover

The Cimo Premium Slim Fit Protective Cover is your run of the mill silicone case. It’s extremely affordable, ships quickly with Amazon Prime, and protects the Moto G4 Play from all sides. All of the ports and buttons are protected, too, and Cimo’s cases feature raised bezels to protect the screen and the protruding rear-facing camera from touching any undesirable surface. You can also double up and purchase a screen protector for extra protection.

If you’re looking for a quick solution for protecting your spankin’ new Moto G4 Play, the Cimo’s protective cover is readily available in a variety of styles.

See at Amazon

Innovaa Elite Hybrid Series Case

Just as soldiers need to equip themselves with armor before heading into battle, so does the smartphone that we carry need a protective coat from everyday perils.

The Innovaa Elite Hybrid Series Case is specially equipped for protecting the Moto G4 Play. Its “hybrid” moniker comes from the fact that this case features two parts: a polycarbonate shell and a silicon lining that helps absorb the impact from any drops. The Moto G4 Play is all plastic, so it should be fine regardless, but for the price of this case, a little extra cushioning can’t hurt. The Innovaa case also features a brushed metal backing, which should add a bit more posh to the otherwise bland G4 Play.

The Innovaa Elite Hybrid Series case comes in six different colors, including Rose Gold and Teal. It also comes with a screen protector so that your G4 Play’s display remains scratch free.

See at Amazon

CoverON Hard Slim Hybrid Kickstand Phone Cover

Its name might be exhaustively long, but this $10 hard shell smartphone case can help ruggedized the Moto G4 Play. The case comes in two parts: a hard polycarbonate backside, and a snug, form-fitting inner layer that goes on top. The two parts then snap together around the G4 Play to protect it from the occasional drop. As an added bonus, there’s also a kickstand so you can prop up the Moto G4 Play and watch videos on its 5-inch display.

The CoverON Hard Slim Hybrid Kickstand Phone Cover is available in five color combinations on Amazon Prime. It also comes with a 90-day manufacturer warranty.

See at Amazon

BELK Retro Vintage Leather Wallet Case

Ladies and gentlemen, you don’t have to cover up your Moto G4 Play in a plain old polymer casing. Instead, you can choose to outfit it in a stylish, pleather wallet case.

Belk’s retro vintage leather wallet case holds your Moto G4 Play and features two card slots and an inside pocket for your cash. There’s also an earphone cutout so that you can have telephone convos without opening up the wallet case and exposing your cards to the outside world. There are cutouts on either side for the G4 Play’s power button and volume rocker, and a magnetic latch keeps everything tightly knit. And if you’re in the mood to watch a movie on your train ride home, Belk’s faux leather wallet features a film stand mode so that you can easily prop up the device.

Belk’s Retro Vintage Leather Wallet Case is available in six different colors.

See at Amazon

Moze Moto G4 Play Wallet Case

Here’s another wallet option if you’re looking for something a little more colorful and a bit more feminine. The Moze Moto G4 Play wallet case comes with four card slots, including one that’s exposed, and a pocket for your cash and receipts. All of this is tightly held together by a magnetic flap, which also converts into a kickstand. There’s also an optional wrist strap, as well as a cutout for the G4 Play’s 8-megapixel rear-facing camera.

The Moze Moto G4 Play Wallet Case comes in four colors.

See at Amazon

State your case

Are you using one of our recommended cases for your Moto G4 Play?? Tell us how you like it. Or, if you’re aching to tell us about another case you’ve found outstanding, shout it out in the comments below!

Turns out a Galaxy Note 7 did not explode in a child’s hands

About that Note 7 exploding while a kid was using it…

The general consensus amidst hours of conversation here at Android Central was that as long as a Note 7 didn’t actually harm a human being during the recall process, there was a chance the Note brand could eventually recover from this exploding battery problem. Then the NY Post published a story claiming a 6-year old from Brooklyn was using his grandfather’s Note 7 when the worst happened. Anger toward the grandfather for recklessly continuing to not only use the phone but share it with a child filled our forums and comment threads. Speculation as to whether this would have happened if the battery were removable grew, and a constant wave of speculation as to how Samsung and their partners could have better handled this situation has filled the internet.

There’s just one small problem here — that phone wasn’t a Galaxy Note 7. NBC New York identified it as a Samsung Galaxy Core Prime, released in 2014. This detail still isn’t good news for Samsung, and this detail certainly doesn’t make the suffering Kadim Lewis or his family feel any better, but it’s significant all the same. The Galaxy Core Prime is a phone with a removable battery that has no history of battery problems. The reasons for the explosion are still being investigated, but at the moment there is no reason to believe it is directly related to the ongoing Note 7 battery flaw. It hasn’t even been confirmed that this Galaxy Core was using the original Samsung-provided battery, and when you consider how many shady “cell phone parts” stores and carts exist in NYC it’s not impossible for this battery to have been third-party.

It’s still a mess, and still unfortunate for a child to go through all of this, but it’s important to recognize there’s no reason to assume this is Note 7 related. No reason to blame the parents and grandparents, and certainly no reason to call for all Samsung phone sales to be halted until a full investigation is completed. And yes, you should still absolutely, unquestionably power off your Note 7 and go exchange or return it immediately.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

• Galaxy Note 7 recall: Everything you need to know
• Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review
• The latest Galaxy Note 7 news!
• Here are all four Note 7 colors
• Complete Galaxy Note 7 specs
• Join the Note 7 discussion in the forums!

Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint

Save $50 on this Chromebook that will soon run Android apps!

Right now you can pick up a Samsung Chromebook 3 for just $180 at Amazon, a savings of $50. The 11.6-inch Chromebook offers 4GB of RAM, a 16GB SSD, an Intel Celeron N3050 processor to help it run Google’s Chrome OS with ease. Samsung’s Chromebook 3 offers 11 hours of battery life, which should get most people through an entire day’s use without plugging it in.

If you’ve been looking to check out a Chromebook, or want to be prepared for when they can run Android apps, Samsung’s offering is one you will want to check out. This deal won’t last long, so be sure to get your order in quickly if you are interested. Will you be picking one up? Let us know in the comments.

See at Amazon

Google’s fancy new Wallpaper app is the best thing about its leaked ‘Pixel launcher’

The launcher for Google’s upcoming smartphones has leaked — but that’s not even the most interesting part about it.

In the past day notorious HTC leaker @LlabTooFeR has leaked the latest version of Google’s “Pixel launcher” — the home screen app that’ll be preloaded on the two upcoming HTC-built Pixel phones (neé Nexus). Obviously it’s important that this is branded as the Pixel launcher — removing any doubt that that’s what this year’s Google phones will be called. Also big: No more Google search bar, instead a Google “tab” icon you can drag out to get to Google Now. And the app drawer has changed significantly, almost moving back to the Android 2.x days where the drawer was a literal drawer that you’d pull up to see your apps.

All of that is important a neat, but what’s way cooler is what Google’s now doing with wallpapers.

Google’s new wallpaper picker exists as a separate APK, meaning it can be installed without loading the Pixel launcher, and used with any Android home screen. As well as standard options like your own photos and built-in wallpapers, the app gives you a vast selection of wallpapers from different categories of artwork:

• Earth: Satellite-style imagery, as we’ve seen from the past couple of Nexus releases
• Landscapes: Beautiful scenery like the sort you might find preloaded on a Chromebook
• Cityscape: Urban photography, including a few impressive macro shots with beautiful bokeh effects.
• Life: A collection of photos featuring abstract, floral and everyday objects.
• Textures: Repeating patterns, sometimes abstract, sometimes from the real world.

These categories appear to be curated, and pulled down from the Internet, so it’s likely the library will grow and change over time. After selecting a wallpaper, you can view more details, including where it was taken and by whom.

This admittedly huge selection of wallpapers is just the beginning.

Each category has as few dozen options to choose from, and if you want a new wallpaper from any of these categories every day, the “Daily wallpaper” feature lets you start off each morning with a fresh background. It’s reminiscent of the Muzei app created by Google designer Roman Nurik, which did much the same thing with classic artworks.

This new wallpaper app, which should be loaded on the upcoming Pixel phones, is great way to provide owners with an easy way to freshen up their wallpaper on a regular basis, and stop things from becoming stale. Good wallpapers are hard to find, and a phone maker providing free, high-quality wallpapers as a service is a feature so obvious it’s surprising it’s not happened before. And what we see here is just the start. We’re hearing that the loadout of still wallpaper will be augmented with some sweet new live wallpapers — along similar lines — when the Pixel phones eventually land.

The wallpaper picker — and the Pixel launcher itself — is available from LlabTooFeR’s site. Sideload at your own risk.

Google’s Pixel phones — new launcher, wallpapers and all — are rumored to arrive in early October.

Go Time! Episode 9: Walk your Magikarp

Don’t miss out on Episode 9 of Go Time!

Episode 9 of Go Time has arrived, with Russell, Erin, and James representing their respective teams.

This week we were joined by the wonderful James Bricknell from 3D4Geeks repping Team Valor. We got to chat about the type of Pokémon you find when you live in the desert, and the awesome new buddy system that Niantic has started rolling out. Of course we had to mention that Pokémon Go now has Apple Watch support, and then Erin detailed how she plans on spending $100 in PokeCoins.

We’re still just getting started! Be sure not to miss an episode of our fun with Pokémon Go!

• Google Play
• Soundcloud
• iTunes
• Or add us to your podcatcher of choice!

You can also join our Facebook page to keep up on all things Pokémon Go. See you in the world!

Pokémon Go

• Join our Pokémon Go forums!
• How to deal with GPS errors in-game
• Which team should you choose?
• How to play without killing your battery
• The Ultimate Pokémon Go Game Guide!
• Listen to the Pokémon Go podcast!

Get in on Google’s Chromecast ‘Preview Program’ for early access to updates

Want to be the first to see new Google Cast features? Of course you do.

Google announced a new “Preview Program” for all versions of the Chromecast that lets those of us who are eager to see new features in on the latest software updates before they’re broadly released. While this explicitly isn’t a “beta” program that will give you potentially unstable updates, it will give you access to the latest Google Cast features before everyone else.

In Google’s own words:

The Chromecast Preview Program is a user opt-in channel that updates your Chromecast device with the latest version of Chromecast’s firmware before it is made broadly available. This gives members of the program early access to features and improvements on their Chromecast. It’s an exciting way to get a sneak peek at the latest and greatest updates.

If that sounds like something you’re interested in (we bet it is), the process of joining is pretty simple:

Open up the Google Cast app on your phone or tablet.
Tap the overflow menu button on the Chromecast you want to enroll.
Tap Device settings.
Tap Preview Program and tap Join Program.
That’s it! You’ll receive the latest updates early until you leave.

If you chose to allow Google to email you you’ll get a message each time a new Preview Program update arrives, and you can drop back out of the Preview Program at any time from the same menu. It couldn’t be simpler.

While you aren’t likely to see amazing groundbreaking features weeks ahead of everyone else, you may get something neat a few days earlier than your friends who chose to stay on the standard release schedule — and that alone is worth it. And considering that Google isn’t expecting any addition instability in these updates, it’s really a win-win situation.

Chromecast and Chromecast Audio

• New Chromecast and Chromecast Audio review
• All the latest Chomecast news
• Join the discussion in our forums

Chromecast:

Google
Walmart
Best Buy
Currys UK

Chromecast Audio:

Google
Walmart
Best Buy
Currys UK