Say Hello To The New Apple iPhone Upgrade Program [Details]

I tend to upgrade my personal iPhone every two years. I've been doing so for quite a while now meaning I never owned an iPhone 5s or 4s or even 3Gs except briefly for work.

If you're like me and caught in the two-year cycle, you've learned to overlook new iPhones for a year. Carrier contracts impose this restriction by not offering discounted pricing unless you're eligible for upgrade to the new devices.

But Apple wants to change that. And today, they've announced their new iPhone Upgrade Program which will allow users to upgrade to a new iPhone every year without breaching your two-year carrier contract.

Apple Confirms Most Rumors At iPhone 6s Event, Makes No Mention Of CarPlay

Apple just wrapped up its keynote address at their Fall event in San Francisco today. Most rumored products were confirmed with new iPhones, Apple TV and an iPad Pro being announced. Here's a summary on how the keynote unfolded.

5 Things Apple Could Announce At Tomorrow's Keynote

Apple will announce new iPhones tomorrow in San Francisco, California. The media event will be kicked off with a keynote that is expected to be iOS-centric.

The keynote will be streamed live to millions of iOS and other devices starting at 10 a.m. Pacific tomorrow. What are the possible announcements coming? The rumor mills have churned out a lot of information this year. Here's a list.

Countries Listed After Bulgaria On Open Radio Are Unreachable In Android Auto

Say you have that favorite French radio station you like to listen to. Or maybe a few reggae tunes from the Caribbean island of Jamaica. There are plenty of apps that would allow you to stream such remotely located stations on Android but when it comes to Android Auto, you have much fewer choices.

One of your choices is Open Radio. The Android Auto compatible app lists almost every country out there and has at least one or two stations in each country it can stream. But there is a problem. A big one. If your favorite radio station is located in a country listed alphabetically after Bulgaria, you may be out of luck.

Android Auto has restrictions for safety reasons to the way long lists of items can be accessed. In fact, I posted about this a few days back. Open Radio throws a ton of content at you which cannot be accessed in Android Auto due to this restriction. There is, however, a way you around it to an extent.

Let me explain.

Wireless CarPlay In iOS 9 And The Challenges It May Face [Opinion]

Apple's Fall media event is almost upon us and everyone is looking forward to the announcement of the next generation iPhones. Along with new hardware, Apple's upcoming iOS 9 will be released. And one feature car enthusiasts will be eager to see is Apple's implementation of wireless CarPlay.

Wireless CarPlay was promised back when iOS 8.3 was announced in April this year. But Apple dropped the feature from the final release. But at WWDC 2015 in June, the feature was included as a part of iOS 9 during Apple's keynote (screenshot above is from the event).

Seems like Apple will finally take a bite at wireless CarPlay. So what are the challenges the feature could face?

This Is How WhatsApp And Other Messaging Apps Work In Android Auto [Video]

You can look high and low but you won't find a native Android Auto interface for any of the compatible messaging apps. This is because Google has decided to allow all messaging apps to work only using voice commands. CarPlay, on the other hand, is a little different.

In CarPlay, Messages (which is the only messaging app currently compatible) has a dedicated interface. Although you can't read any of your texts on the CarPlay screen, you do get a list of your recent messages by the name of the person who sent them.

In Android 5.0 Lollipop, the SMS messaging app has been included inside Hangouts (which is a little annoying in my opinion). But Hangouts doesn't have a dedicated Android Auto interface or even an icon you can click on to launch. The only way to send messages is using voice commands.

Android Auto has plenty of third-party messaging apps that are compatible with the software. WhatsApp is perhaps one of the popular ones. Check out this short video on how you can receive and send texts in Android Auto...

How To Grant Permission To Use CarPlay While iPhone Screen Is Locked

When CarPlay first launched it worked on any iPhone running iOS 7.1 or later. One limitation was your iPhone's screen had to be unlocked in order for CarPlay to work. Apple did away with that with the release of iOS 8.3 back in April.

If you connect an iPhone with iOS 8.3 or later to a CarPlay-capable head unit or car, you will be prompted to allow permission to use CarPlay while the phone is locked. Click 'Allow' and you should be good to go.

What if you clicked 'Not Now' but later on feel that unlocking the iPhone to use CarPlay can get disruptive? There is a way you can change you permissions through 'Settings'. Here are a couple of other things to keep in mind.

This Android Auto Feature Can Be Restricting But It's For Safety...

Both Google and Apple have continually mentioned the need for safety while driving and using their in-car infotainment softwares. Android Auto and CarPlay both have a long list of safety features which are designed to help drivers keep their eyes on the road without getting distracted by the dashboard.

However, one such feature built into Android Auto, is not present on Apple CarPlay. It has to do with the number of times you can tap the display before being locked out. And I have a feeling it may actually jeopardize safety rather than ensure it. Here's a more detailed explanation...

This Nifty Mount From Satechi Puts Your Apple Watch On The Steering Wheel

Who says watches are for wrists only? At least as far as the Apple Watch goes, one accessory manufacturer believes you should be able to put the little piece of tech on other things too.

Satechi has started selling an Apple Watch Grip Mount that will help you put the device on your steering wheel or bicycle's handlebars. And it won't break the bank either. Take a look at this product description and more pictures...

Finding An Android Auto Compatible Phone Can Be A Nightmare [Smartphone List]

Personally speaking, I live on the iOS side of things. But keeping up with this website demands an Android perspective too. So, I've owned my fair share of Android smartphones in recent times. In testing Pioneer's AppRadio Mode on Android, I have gone through a few devices in the past ranging from the Samsung Galaxy lineup to Motorola and LG.

And now Android Auto, as you may know, is one of the two big players in the car infotainment playing field; Apple CarPlay being the other one. But unlike CarPlay which works on any lightning iPhone running iOS 7.1 or later, finding an Android Auto compatible smartphone is not as straightforward.