Inside Apple's iOS 4.1 update: proximity sensor fix, GameCenter, more
The forthcoming iOS 4.1 software update will pack a number of fixes for Apple's mobile devices, including a problematic issue with the iPhone 4 proximity sensor. AppleInsider offers a closer look at the latest beta available to developers.
iOS 4.1 is currently in its third beta, released earlier this month. It addresses many issues that users have experienced, including problems with Bluetooth connectivity.
The official list of fixes and enhancements does not make mention of the proximity sensor or Bluetooth functionality. However, time spent with the latest beta build shows a marked improvement with those features.
The most recent update also added new features such as a new API that allows apps to access contact thumbnail pictures.
However, the software is still not ready for public use, as major glitches remain that prevent it from release. Most notably, there are memory leaks in beta 3 that can cause serious issues.
Proximity sensor
While not documented by Apple, experience with the iOS 4.1 beta has shown that the proximity sensor on the iPhone 4 is far more reliable. Since the device launched in June, users have reported that the handset's touchscreen will sometimes turn on in the midst of a call, resulting in accidental button presses that can end a call or place someone on hold.
At a press conference in July, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs confirmed that his company was aware of the problem and working on a fix. But the first two minor updates to iOS 4, in the form of 4.0.1 and 4.0.2, did not address the problem.
Game Center
Game Center has been touted by Apple as a major feature of iOS 4. It works much like Microsoft's Xbox Live, making it easy for users to play and talk about games.
With Game Center, users will create an alias that represents their online persona. The community service allows players to interact with one another anonymously via their alias. When Game Center is launched later this year, users will be able to create a friends list, set "status updates" and more.
Developers access the features of Game Center through the Game Kit framework API provided by Apple. The API includes leaderboards for scores, allowing players to compare their performance in a game to friends and others.
Game Kit also allows developers to enable player-versus-player matchmaking for their titles. Through a Game Center account, players will be able to compete in online games against one another, or with a group of people.
As noted earlier this week, the latest beta also added a Game Center restriction. The feature allows the owner of an iPhone, such as a corporation or parent, to restrict access to certain functions of the device.
Other changes
Users will have the ability to turn on or off a "Check Spelling" feature in the Keyboard section of the iPhone's Settings application. Users can have misspelled or unrecognized words highlighted without enabling the Auto-Correction functionality.
As previously reported, the latest beta of iOS 4.1 allows users to conduct FaceTime video chat via another person's e-mail address. This is likely how the forthcoming iPod touch refresh, widely expected to have a forward-facing camera, will allow users without a phone to engage in a FaceTime call.
Camera controls now reposition between portrait and landscape orientations. Currently in iOS 4, the flash and camera selection buttons will only rotate accordingly when the camera is physically turned. Now, the buttons transition to remain atop the screen, regardless of orientation.
Developers have access to new functions to identify the BSSID or SSID of the current Wi-Fi hotspot that the user is connected to.
iOS 4.1 carries a new modem firmware of 2.10.01.
Developers now have new methods to save images to a user's photo album.
iOS 4.1 also includes new capabilities that allow applications to control fonts.
In addition, an e-mail claimed to be from Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs was revealed Friday by MacRumors. A user complained to Jobs that iOS 4 currently runs very slow on their two-year-old iPhone 3G. Jobs allegedly responded with: "Software update coming soon."
It would be safe to assume that Jobs, if the e-mail is legitimate, is referring to iOS 4.1. The report noted that it has been said anecdotally by developers that iOS 4 performance is improved on the iPhone 3G with the betas.
iOS 4.1 is currently in its third beta, released earlier this month. It addresses many issues that users have experienced, including problems with Bluetooth connectivity.
The official list of fixes and enhancements does not make mention of the proximity sensor or Bluetooth functionality. However, time spent with the latest beta build shows a marked improvement with those features.
The most recent update also added new features such as a new API that allows apps to access contact thumbnail pictures.
However, the software is still not ready for public use, as major glitches remain that prevent it from release. Most notably, there are memory leaks in beta 3 that can cause serious issues.
Proximity sensor
While not documented by Apple, experience with the iOS 4.1 beta has shown that the proximity sensor on the iPhone 4 is far more reliable. Since the device launched in June, users have reported that the handset's touchscreen will sometimes turn on in the midst of a call, resulting in accidental button presses that can end a call or place someone on hold.
At a press conference in July, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs confirmed that his company was aware of the problem and working on a fix. But the first two minor updates to iOS 4, in the form of 4.0.1 and 4.0.2, did not address the problem.
Game Center
Game Center has been touted by Apple as a major feature of iOS 4. It works much like Microsoft's Xbox Live, making it easy for users to play and talk about games.
With Game Center, users will create an alias that represents their online persona. The community service allows players to interact with one another anonymously via their alias. When Game Center is launched later this year, users will be able to create a friends list, set "status updates" and more.
Developers access the features of Game Center through the Game Kit framework API provided by Apple. The API includes leaderboards for scores, allowing players to compare their performance in a game to friends and others.
Game Kit also allows developers to enable player-versus-player matchmaking for their titles. Through a Game Center account, players will be able to compete in online games against one another, or with a group of people.
As noted earlier this week, the latest beta also added a Game Center restriction. The feature allows the owner of an iPhone, such as a corporation or parent, to restrict access to certain functions of the device.
Other changes
Users will have the ability to turn on or off a "Check Spelling" feature in the Keyboard section of the iPhone's Settings application. Users can have misspelled or unrecognized words highlighted without enabling the Auto-Correction functionality.
As previously reported, the latest beta of iOS 4.1 allows users to conduct FaceTime video chat via another person's e-mail address. This is likely how the forthcoming iPod touch refresh, widely expected to have a forward-facing camera, will allow users without a phone to engage in a FaceTime call.
Camera controls now reposition between portrait and landscape orientations. Currently in iOS 4, the flash and camera selection buttons will only rotate accordingly when the camera is physically turned. Now, the buttons transition to remain atop the screen, regardless of orientation.
Developers have access to new functions to identify the BSSID or SSID of the current Wi-Fi hotspot that the user is connected to.
iOS 4.1 carries a new modem firmware of 2.10.01.
Developers now have new methods to save images to a user's photo album.
iOS 4.1 also includes new capabilities that allow applications to control fonts.
In addition, an e-mail claimed to be from Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs was revealed Friday by MacRumors. A user complained to Jobs that iOS 4 currently runs very slow on their two-year-old iPhone 3G. Jobs allegedly responded with: "Software update coming soon."
It would be safe to assume that Jobs, if the e-mail is legitimate, is referring to iOS 4.1. The report noted that it has been said anecdotally by developers that iOS 4 performance is improved on the iPhone 3G with the betas.
Comments
it would be great if the screen shots were a bit larger...
lol...you stole my comment
A user complained to Jobs that iOS 4 currently runs very slow on their two-year-old iPhone 3G. Jobs allegedly responded with: "Software update coming soon."
Here's to hoping the alleged email is real and also applies to the 2G iPod Touch.
Does anyone know if the 2G iPod Touch will support Game Centre? I can't remember if this was one of the new-hardware-only features.
it would be great if the screen shots were a bit larger...
yup, I was also almost not able to count the pixels....
I hope this one IS real because my 3G has been very crashy under iOS 4 (but not slow, oddly enough).
P.S. I hope the look of GameCenter keeps evolving... the green felt thing is really well done but I just don’t like it.
Here's to hoping the alleged email is real and also applies to the 2G iPod Touch.
Does anyone know if the 2G iPod Touch will support Game Centre? I can't remember if this was one of the new-hardware-only features.
Some recent beta version of GameCenter dropped support for older devices, but I’m assuming that was a temporary issue. There’s no need to make GC limited to only certain devices, and it would be absurd to do so: developers and users alike would hate that. If there are certain effects or features that older devices can’t handle, then just eliminate those, but have the basic service be universal! I predict GC will ultimately run on all iOS devices.
2) Assuming it’s real, I had hoped Jobs would have stopped with these damn emails to people. Didn’t it already blow up in Apple’s face and make this silly “antenna-gate” issue worse than what it should have been had Jobs not been replying to people.
3) I hope the iPad gets the update alongside the other iOS devices.
it would be great if the screen shots were a bit larger...
Just in case it’s not know that is the native screenshot from the iPhone 4.
These screen shots don't look like something Apple would design. Just don't look right to me. I'm calling BS!
I ran the beta, this is it.
These screen shots don't look like something Apple would design. Just don't look right to me. I'm calling BS!
You really think that iOS 4.1 betas are so hard to obtain (anyone with $99, BTW) that AI would have to fake screenshots or could be duped into posting fake screenshots, especially with Kasper?s name clearly labeled?
Why have they waited so long. This was a problem on the 3G even.
There was no widespread problem with the iPhone 3G. This is purely an iPhone 4 issue. I think they may be using the front facing camera now instead of the infrared sensor, so the problem is the result of the iPhone 4 using a different implementation. It may have something to do with only one sensor instead of two on the new phone as well. My guess is that they are increasing the delay before the touchscreen is reactivated and maybe fine tuning their image processing algorithm a bit.
There was no widespread problem with the iPhone 3G. This is purely an iPhone 4 issue. I think they may be using the front facing camera now instead of the infrared sensor, so the problem is the result of the iPhone 4 using a different implementation. It may have something to do with only one sensor instead of two on the new phone as well. My guess is that they are increasing the delay before the touchscreen is reactivated and maybe fine tuning their image processing algorithm a bit.
No way the front-facing camera is being used for proximity detection. That would be a crazy drain on the battery.
There was no widespread problem with the iPhone 3G. This is purely an iPhone 4 issue. I think they may be using the front facing camera now instead of the infrared sensor, so the problem is the result of the iPhone 4 using a different implementation. It may have something to do with only one sensor instead of two on the new phone as well. My guess is that they are increasing the delay before the touchscreen is reactivated and maybe fine tuning their image processing algorithm a bit.
No way the front-facing camera is being used for proximity detection. That would be a crazy drain on the battery.
The proximity sensor has moved from its previous location to the left of the speaker to above the speaker to allow placement of the VGA camera. The sensor HW may be different or the new placement may mean the sensitivity needed to be tweaked, but it?s most certainly not using the camera, as macintel4me stated.
Why have they waited so long. This was a problem on the 3G even.
Even on the 2G. Mine puts people on hold or hangs up on them sometimes. It's like it has it's own personality.