Apple Will Replace the Battery in Your iPhone 6 or Later Even if It Passes a Genius Bar Diagnostic Test

Last week, Apple reduced the price of out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacements from $79 to $29, following a wave of controversy over power management features in older iPhones. In a note to customers, Apple said its new policy applied to “anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced”, but failed to specify if this eligibility criteria was dependent on whether a given iPhone failed an official Genius Bar diagnostic test.

This morning, French tech blog iGeneration reported that an internal Apple Store memo has been circulated which states that if a customer asks for a battery replacement on an iPhone 6 or later, then the Genius Bar should allow it, even if their phone passes Apple’s own diagnostic test.

Apple has since independently confirmed to MacRumors that it will agree to replace an eligible battery for a $29 fee, regardless of whether an official diagnostic test shows that it is still able to retain less than 80 percent of its original capacity. The concession appears to have been made to mollify the anger of customers stoked by headlines suggesting that Apple artificially slows down older iPhones to drive customers to upgrade to newer models.

Anecdotal reports also suggest that customers who paid $79 to have their battery replaced before the new pricing came into effect on Saturday, December 30, will receive a refund from Apple upon request. Please let us know of your own experiences in the comments below.

Apple last week was forced to apologize over a lack of transparency regarding its process of dynamically managing the peak performance of some older iPhone models with degraded batteries to prevent unexpected shutdowns. When iOS 10.2.1 was released in February, Apple vaguely referred to “improvements” it had made to reduce occurrences of unexpected shutdowns. It only chose to explain that the changes it made may result in temporary slowdowns on some older iPhone models with degraded batteries after controversy recently reignited.

Apple can run a diagnostic on your phone’s battery remotely – you don’t need to visit an Apple Store. To initiate the battery diagnostic/replacement process, contact Apple Support by phone, online chat, email, or Twitter. Alternatively, you can schedule a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store with the Apple Support app. You can also inquire about a battery replacement with select Apple Authorized Service Providers.
Discuss this article in our forums

A US customs computer snafu caused major airport delays

US Customs and Immigration computers went down at various airports around the US yesterday, causing some havoc for travelers returning from holidays. It left hundreds of folks stuck in lines for a couple of hours in a part of the airport where there’s normally not a lot to do. The agency didn’t say what caused the problem, but said “there is no indication the service disruption was malicious in nature.”

As Reuters notes, a similar outage occurred at the same time last year, so it might be that the customs systems were slammed with Christmas travelers and couldn’t handle the excess traffic. Agents were still able to process passengers using an alternative system, albeit at a much slower rate.

Passengers depend heavily on some pretty wonky airport tech. Many airlines use ancient reservation systems, and even new ones like the Amadeus Altea system can go down, causing airport chaos. Despite those inconveniences, let’s not forget that 2017 was the safest year for flying ever, with zero fatalities on scheduled passenger jets.

Day 1 of 2018 in America. The entire #JFKAirport customs system is down. pic.twitter.com/LxaKT6wYEX

— Phineas James (@PhineasJFR) January 2, 2018

Source: Reuters

Netflix’s take on ‘The End of the F***king World’ debuts January 5th

Netflix has been diving head-first into graphic novel adaptations as of late, and its next premiere might just be a sterling example of that. The streaming service has announced that its adaptation of Charles Forsman’s graphic novel The End of the F***king World will premiere on January 5th. As the bleeped out title suggests, this isn’t exactly a family-friendly coming of age story. Self-admitted teen psychopath James joins salty rebel Alyssa on a road trip to find a new life, at first looking for opportunities to kill her and eventually realizing that he’s starting to develop feelings. Suffice it to say that their clashing-yet-oddly-matching personalities lead them to strange places.

As with a few other Netflix productions, this is a streaming/TV partnership rather than an internet-only exclusive. The show was produced in tandem with E4 and premiered on the UK’s Channel 4 back in October. In that sense, this is more about distribution than anything. However, that’s part of the appeal: Netflix can offer a wider audience for riskier shows that might not get a fair shake outside of their home country.

Via: Deadline

Source: Netflix

‘Friends’ finally comes to Netflix UK

In August 2011, Channel 4 broadcast Friends for the last time. It was the end of an era — many, myself included, had grown up with the coffee-fueled Manhattanites on the terrestrial channel and its hipper sibling E4. That same year, the beloved sitcom switched to Comedy Central, restricting it to those with an applicable Sky, BT or Virgin Media package (boo). If, like me, you’ve missed the gang and their New York hijinks, good news — the show is now available on Netflix in the UK. It’s been an awfully long wait — all 10 seasons, after all, arrived in the US on January 1st, 2015.

We’ll be there for you. All episodes of #Friends, now streaming. pic.twitter.com/utAoC0oE4y

— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) January 1, 2018

Source: Netflix UK (Twitter)

A rare Blue Moon lunar eclipse will happen this month

One of the more exciting events of 2017 was the total solar eclipse that was viewable across the US. And if you enjoyed it as much as I did, I have some good news for you. While the US won’t be getting another look at a total solar eclipse until 2024, parts of the US will get to see another rare eclipse in 2018 and they’ll get to check it out this month.

On January 31st, there will be a total lunar eclipse. What makes this one so special is that it’s happening during a Blue Moon, or the second full moon of the month (depending on which definition you go by). These two events haven’t coincided since 1866, making this one the first in over 150 years. The next one won’t be until 2028.

As Space.com reports, not everyone in the US will get to see it in full. Central and eastern Asia, Indonesia, New Zealand and parts of Australia will have a good view of the event. Alaska, Hawaii and northwest Canada will see the whole thing as well, but more eastern parts of North and Central America will have a shorter show. For example in US Mountain time (MST), the eclipse will begin at 4:48 AM, but as the full eclipse winds down, the moon will already be dipping below the horizon. For Eastern time (EST) in the US, residents in that region will see the eclipse begin at 6:48 AM and the moon will dip out of view shortly thereafter.

In other moon news, there’s a supermoon tonight. The full moon will be the closest it gets to Earth in its orbit making it appear a little bit bigger and a little bit brighter than a typical full moon. Though you probably won’t notice the difference with your bare eyes, you should still check it out. The sky is beautiful and looking up is a great way to start 2018.

Via: Space.com (1), (2)

GE’s latest smart lighting includes Alexa and HomeKit options

Creating a smart home can be a complicated affair, with a ton of options available to add voice-control and automation to your lights, window coverings, thermostats and more. GE wants to simplify your options (with its own branded products, of course), and its bringing some new smart ceiling fixtures, wall switches, and lamps to market in 2018.

The C by GE series of connected lighting now includes what the company calls the industry’s first voice-integrated ceiling fixtures that hide all the smarts in a flush mount or recessed can option. There’s a smart wall switch, too, which can provide voice-control to your connected lights, turning them on or off, dimming them, or changing the temperature of the light. No separate GE hub is needed, either, and there’s a built-in antenna to make sure you can access it, even if someone accidentally flips the switch manually.

If Amazon Alexa devices are your thing, you can now use it with GE’s Sol lamp extensions. You can sync with other Alexa devices around your house (via Amazon’s ESP feature) while managing your lights and turning on Spotify or SiriusXM apps. The feature will also be available in Canada. Finally, GE brings Apple HomeKit compatibility to (only white) C-Life and (temperature shifting) C-Sleep smart bulbs via the C-Reach bridge, which lets you use Siri on an iPhone or iPad, at home or away, to create lighting scenes and set up automation.

Samsung preps Chrome OS tablet with a high-end camera

Samsung’s Chromebooks haven’t always been smashing successes, but it’s clearly willing to shake up its formula when necessary. In a follow-up to hints from November, Chrome Unboxed has discovered code references confirming the existence of “Nautlius,” a Samsung-made detachable Chrome OS tablet. And from initial appearances, it might not just be a Google-powered Galaxy Book. While Nautlius appears to use a 7th-generation Intel Core chip like its Windows counterpart, the code points to the presence of the Sony IMX258 camera used in the LG G6. Given that many Chromebooks have a 720p cam at best, this might be the first Chrome OS device with a camera you’d genuinely enjoy using.

There aren’t many other clues, although the detachable design suggests this will likely be relatively compact with a 12-inch or smaller screen. To us, the bigger questions are the launch details. You might see Samsung unveil Nautlius at CES later in January, but we wouldn’t call it a guarantee. And then there’s the matter of price. The use of Intel chips suggests this won’t be an entry level device, but it’s not known whether Nautilus will compete with high-end Chrome OS machines like the Pixelbook or aim for a significantly lower price. Whatever the price, it might be the only game in town if you want a Surface-style tablet that packs both Google software and reasonably powerful hardware.

Via: Chrome Unboxed

Source: Chromium Gerrit

What’s on TV: ‘Star Trek: Discovery,’ ‘Falling Water’ and ‘X-Files’

Already binged your way through the new Black Mirror episodes? This weekend we’ll have new episodes of Star Trek: Discovery and Falling Water, while Fox is ready to bring back The X-Files, again. Showtime is ready to premiere Lena Waithes’ new series The Chi while Netflix has episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, The End of the F**king World, its new anime series Devilman Crybaby and Rotten, another documentary about the food industry.

The Breakfast Club is getting a Criterion Blu-ray release, while Outbreak: The New Nightmare comes to Xbox One along with The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III, which is free this month with Xbox Live Gold. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

Blu-ray & Games & Streaming

• The Breakfast Club (Criterion)
• American Made (4K)
• Cadillac Man
• Hell Night
• Snow Dogs
• Brad’s Status
• Battle of the Sexes
• The Adventurers
• Outbreak: The New Nightmare (Xbox One)
• Stikbold! A Dodgeball (Switch)
• Pic-a-Pix (Switch)
• The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III (Xbox One)

Monday

• The Bachelor (season premiere), ABC, 8 PM
• Lucifer (winter premiere), Fox, 8 PM
• The Wall (winter premiere), NBC, 8 PM
• Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Clemson, ESPN, 8:50 PM
• Better Late Than Never (season premiere), NBC, 9 PM
• The Gifted (winter premiere), Fox, 9 PM
• Valor (winter premiere), CW, 9 PM

Tuesday

• Marvel’s Runaways, Hulu, 3 AM
• Lethal Weapon (winter premiere), Fox, 8 PM
• Ellen’s Game of Games (series premiere), NBC, 8 PM
• The Middle (winter premiere), ABC, 8 PM
• NCIS (winter premiere), CBS, 8 PM
• WWE Smackdown, USA, 8 PM
• Fresh Off the Boat (winter premiere), ABC, 8:30 PM
• Black-ish (winter premiere), ABC, 9 PM
• Bull (winter premiere), CBS, 9 PM
• LA to Vegas (series premiere), Fox, 9 PM
• Major Crimes, TNT, 9 PM
• The Mick (winter premiere), Fox, 9:30 PM
• Chicago Med (winter premiere), NBC, 10 PM
• Teachers, TV Land, 10 PM
• Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, ABC, 10 PM
• NCIS: NO (winter premiere), CBS, 10 PM
• Tesla’s Death Ray: A Death Declassified (series premiere), Discovery, 10 PM
• Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, Viceland, 10 PM
• The Challenge, MTV, 10 PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11 PM

Wednesday

• The Amazing Race (season premiere), CBS, 8 PM
• The Blacklist (winter premiere), NBC, 8 PM
• The Goldbergs (winter premiere), ABC, 8 PM
• Grown-ish (series premiere), Freeform, 8 PM
• The X-Files (season premiere), Fox, 8 PM
• The Librarians,TNT, 8 PM
• Speechless (winter premiere), ABC, 8:30 PM
• Grown-ish (series premiere), Freeform, 8:30 PM
• 9-1-1 (series premiere), Fox, 9 PM
• Law & Order: SVU (winter premiere), NBC, 9 PM
• Modern Family (winter premiere), ABC, 9 PM
• Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour, A&E, 9 PM
• Seal Team (winter premiere), CBS, 9 PM
• Vikings, History, 9 PM
• American Housewife (winter premiere), ABC, 9:30 PM
• Criminal Minds (winter premiere), CBS, 10 PM
• Chicago PD (winter premiere), NBC, 10 PM
• Match Game (season premiere), ABC, 10 PM
• Happy!, Syfy, 10 PM
• Knightfall, History, 10 PM
• Catfish (season premiere), MTV, 10 PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11 PM

Thursday

• The Big Bang Theory (winter premiere), CBS, 8 PM
• The Four: Battle for Stardom (series premiere), Fox, 8 PM
• Superstore (winter premiere), NBC, 8 PM
• The Good Place (winter premiere), NBC, 8:30 PM
• Young Sheldon (winter premiere), NBC, 8:30 PM
• Will & Grace (winter premiere), NBC, 9 PM
• Killing Fields (season premiere), Discovery, 9 PM
• Truth and Lies: Waco, ABC, 9 PM
• Van Helsing (season finale), Syfy, 9 PM
• Mom (winter premiere), CBS, 9 PM
• Life in Pieces (winter premiere), CBS, 9:30 PM
• Great News, NBC, 9:30 PM
• S.W.A.T. (winter premiere), CBS, 10 PM
• Chicago Fire (winter premiere), NBC, 10 PM
• Beerland (season finale), Viceland, 10 PM
• Top Chef, Bravo, 10 PM
• Damnation, USA, 10 PM
• Ghost Wars (season finale), Syfy, 10 PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11 PM
• Superstition, Syfy, 11 PM

Friday

• The End of the F**king World, Netflix, 3 AM
• Before I Wake, Netflix, 3 AM
• Rotten (S1), Netflix, 3 AM
• Devilman Crybaby (S1), Netflix, 3 AM
• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Netflix, 3 AM
• The Grand Tour, Amazon Prime, 3 AM
• Child Support (series premiere), ABC, 8 PM
• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (winter premiere), CW, 8 PM
• MacGyver (winter premiere), CBS, 8 PM
• US Figure Skating Championships, NBC, 8 PM
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (winter premiere), ABC, 9 PM
• Hawaii Five-0 (winter premiere), CBS, 9 PM
• Blue Bloods (winter premiere), CBS, 10 PM

Saturday

• A Tale of Two Coreys, Lifetime 8 PM
• Falling Water (season premiere), USA, 10 PM

Sunday

• The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 8 PM
• The Simpsons (winter premiere), Fox, 8 PM
• America’s Funniest Home Videos, ABC, 8 PM
• Wisdom of the Crowd (winter premiere), CBS, 8 PM
• Ghosted (winter premiere), Fox, 8:30 PM
• Star Trek: Discovery (winter premiere), CBS All Access, 8:30 PM
• Family Guy (winter premiere), Fox, 9 PM
• NCIS: LA (winter premiere), CBS, 9 PM
• Shameless, Showtime, 9 PM
• Shark Tank, ABC, 9 PM
• The Last Man on Earth, Fox, 9:30 PM
• The Chi (series premiere), Showtime, 10 PM
• Madam Secretary (winter premiere), CBS, 10 PM

[All times listed are in ET]

China reportedly tests new ballistic weapon that flies under radar

A US government source told The Diplomat this week that China has conducted flight tests of a missile equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). Two tests of the HGV, a model known as the DF-17, took place in November and China is understood to have conducted a number of other tests of experimental HGVs throughout 2014 and 2016. The DF-17 is thought to have a range of between 1,800 and 2,500 kilometers and represents a new kind of weapon system, one that the US and Russia are also developing.

HGVs are similar to traditional ballistic missile systems in that they can deliver a payload, be it conventional or nuclear, to a distant target. But HGVs fly at lower altitudes than typical ballistic missiles, meaning existing missile defense systems might initially miss them since those defense systems typically scan higher altitudes. There’s a functional tradeoff, however, because when HGVs start to descend, they fly much slower than traditional ballistic missiles. Some defense systems will likely be able to take HGVs into account with a few upgrades. However, countries with less developed defense technology might not be able to deal with this new type of weapon as easily.

The source told The Diplomat that the DF-17 is expected to be put into operation in 2020.

Via: Popular Mechanics

Source: The Diplomat

Adventurous OnePlus 5T owners can try Android Oreo

Were you disappointed that the OnePlus 5T launched with Android Nougat despite Oreo having launched weeks earlier? You can rectify that today, if you’re willing to experiment. OnePlus has posted an open OxygenOS beta that brings Oreo’s features to the 5T. You now have Android 8.0 staples like picture-in-picture viewing and autofill text. The launcher also has a few tweaks, including the merger of app shortcuts and icon options as well as the option of uploading brag-worthy photos to Shot on OnePlus.

As with the OnePlus 5 Face Unlock beta, you won’t want to install this if you absolutely depend on a glitch-free phone. And be sure to back up your info if you decide to revert back, since you’ll have to wipe the slate clean. So long as you can live with those caveats, though, you won’t have to look on with envy as your Pixel-toting friends enjoy Oreo’s perks.

Via: 9to5Google

Source: OnePlus