If you have jailbroken your iOS device, then you may be one of the at least 225,000 jailbroken users whose Apple IDs and passwords were stolen by the KeyRaider malware. According to the report released by security specialists Palo Alto Networks, this may be the “largest known Apple account theft caused by malware”.
See also: One Simple Text Can Hack 950 Million Android Devices
How KeyRaider steals information
If your device was not modified, then you should breathe a sigh of relief. The malware targets only hacked or jailbroken iOS devices using the Cydia repository to steal your account information. Cydia is an app store for jailbroken iPhones, and it allows users to download paid apps and in-app purchases for free.
Palo Alto Networks’ Claud Xiao explains, “the malware hooks system processes through MobileSubstrate, and steals Apple account usernames, passwords and device GUID by intercepting iTunes traffic on the device.” The stolen data is then uploaded to the malware’s server. The attackers use the stolen account credentials to download apps from the App Store without paying.
And it doesn’t stop there. KeyRaider also steals Apple push notification service certificates and private keys, which then prevents the infected device from being unlocked by the passcode or the iCloud service. Some users found their iPhones and iPads being held in ransom because of this malware attack.
Why jailbreaking is dangerous
So if you’re thinking about jailbreaking your iPhone or iPad, this is a reminder that it’s NOT a good idea especially when you are not aware of the tweaks you’re installing.
Jailbreaking is the same as hacking into the device because the user is going around the built-in security protections, making it vulnerable to malware attacks like this. KeyRaider is not the first of its kind; there was also the “Unflod” that intercepted encrypted traffic to steal passwords. The malware AppBuyer not only stole account information but also purchased apps from the App Store without the user’s permission.
How safe are you from KeyRaider
The bulk of the malware attacks are in China but it expands to up to 18 countries including the United States. China is the biggest victim because the malware was distributed through Chinese Cydia repositories, and many pre-jailbroken iPhones are being sold to customers.
The 225,000 users affected is only a very small percentage to Apple’s 885 million iTunes accounts (as of 2014). However, this in eyeopener to curious minds about the potential dangers of jailbreaking your device.
If you’re having software issues on your iPhone or iPad, visit our iPhone Repair and iPad Repair list of services.
Now that Apple is set to unveil its latest iPhones, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, now is the perfect time to sell your old iPhone. You’ll be able to get the best possible price for your smartphone, and you can use that cash to offset the cost of buying the new iPhone.
According to rumors, the next generation iPhones will be released on September 18. So while you still have time, better cash in your old phone.
How much is an old-generation iPhone worth?
Based on the prices gathered on eBay and analyzed by NextWorth (a gadget trade-in site), resale values will start falling by about 10 percent in September and October. As many iPhone users prefer to have the latest Apple device, they start selling their handsets as they wait to purchase the new iPhone. The market now becomes infiltrated with a huge supply of older iPhones. As we have learned in economics, when the supply goes up, the prices go down.
By the end of the year, the value of your phone can lose as much as 30 percent of a phone’s secondary market price, according to CNN Money. Nextworth has seen this trend happen consistently for the past four years every time Apple releases the latest iPhone.
Where can you sell your old iPhone?
You’ll want to shop for prices first before you sell your iPhone. Here at iCare Repair, our prices are real-time and are based on the prices of our online competitors. So you can be sure that you’re always given a fair value for your iPhone, no matter the condition.
An AT&T iPhone 6 with 128GB can be sold to us for as much as $293 (as of the time of publication of this article). If you wait until the end of the year, you may only be able to sell it for as low as $205.
A T-Mobile iPhone 6 Plus with 128GB can fetch you up to $315, but by December, it may only be worth $220. Of course, your iPhone’s value will depend a lot on its condition, storage capacity, whether or not it is unlocked, and if it is under a contract.
Before selling your iPhone, make sure to back up your memory and do a factory reset of your phone. You don’t want the next person to be able to get ahold of your personal data. Here’s our Lansing manager, Nando, who will explain the proper steps you should take before selling your iPhone.
On the flipside, now is also the best time to upgrade your iPhone to a later model because of the large supply of iPhones in the market. iCare Repair offers pre-owned iPhones at our several locations, so give us a call and ask for the model you want.
Just when we thought that Apple would forever be against phablets, here they are now with their second generation of plus-sized phones. The iPhone 6s Plus is making waves in the world of mobile technology after Apple’s big event, but how does it compare next to the newest Android phablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Let’s take a look.
The iPhone 6s Plus still looks the same as the iPhone 6 Plus, except it will come with the new rose gold option. And it promises to be the most durable of all iPhones as it is made from stronger aluminum. No more “bendgate” for sure.
The Galaxy Note 5 has moved away from the fake leather design that the Note 4 has, and instead looks much classier with a glass and metal case. The Note 5’s S Pen is also very useful for many who choose to use it. Just be careful not to put the S Pen in the wrong way or it can seriously damage your phone.
The iPhone 6s Plus retains its 5.5-inch display as its predecessor, with 1920×1080 pixel resolution and 401 ppi. It also boasts of the 3D Force Touch technology, which detects not only taps, but also presses and long presses.
If you receive a text message, just press on the message and it will pop out in a preview window. When you let go, it will hide. This means you don’t need to bother with closing and re-opening tabs for small tasks, and you can just use the touch gestures to see a preview.
The Note 5 display is steps ahead with its 5.7-inch AMOLED display with 2560×1440 pixel resolution at 551 ppi. It’s so far one of the best displays you can find in a mobile device.
The iPhone 6s Plus will run with the new 64-bit A9 processor with an M9 motion co-processor. Apple does not provide a lot of details but the RAM may have been upgraded to 2GB. The 6s Plus will come in 16, 64, and 128GB storage options.
The Note 5 is run by Samsung’s Exynos 7420 processor plus a blazing 4GB of RAM. Definitely one of the fastest phones you can find out there today. Internal storage comes in 32GB and 64GB.
From 8MP, the iPhone 6s Plus now comes with 12MP rear camera with optical image stabilization. The front camera is now at 5MP, with the display now acting as a flash. Video-recording is available at 4K and the camera turns photos into short videos.
When it comes to megapixels, the Note 5 takes the cake with a 16MP rear camera with LED flash, image stabilization, and impressive low-light performance. The front-facing camera is also at 5MP, just like 6s Plus.
Even though the iPhone 6s Plus battery may be a little smaller than its predecessor, the iOS 9’s power management may still make it more efficient. Besides, Apple should not be releasing a newer phone with worse battery life, right?
The Note 5’s 3,000 mAh battery is smaller than the one in the Note 4, and unfortunately, does not last as long as its predecessor. But Samsung compensated for this shortcoming as the Note 5 supports fast charging and also fast wireless charging.
iPhone 6s Plus or Galaxy Note 5?
It always comes down to your preference between iOS and Android. But if you are still on the fence, here’s some tips. If you’re looking for a powerful phone with astounding horsepower and more personalization options, you can go for the Note 5.
But when it comes to looking elegant and taking better photographs, you might want to choose the iPhone 6s Plus. The iPhone’s camera specs may not look good on paper but Apple works its own magic with its camera sensor, which delivers better photos.
Have you made your decision? Or will you be buying another phone model instead? Don’t forget that iCare Repair buys old iPhones and smartphones, so if you need extra cash for your new phone, visit any of our locations near you. If you would rather buy an older iPhone or Galaxy phone, we also sell pre-owned devices. Whatever you choose, we hope you’ll love your new phone!
Apple has finally released the iOS9 and you’re probably excited to upgrade your OS right away. But before you do so, here are some things you should know first so you won’t have to delete any of your favorite apps, images, or videos.
Installing the iOS9 update will require 1.3GB — or even more space if you haven’t upgraded your Apple device for some time. During the iOS8 update last year, some users reported needing 5.7GB of free space to download the software.
This can be a big problem if your iPhone only has an internal storage of 8GB or 16GB. To go around this issue, the answer is simple: iTunes.
Download the update through iTunes in your computer and transfer the software to your device. Thus, you won’t need to delete any data from your device to make space for the download. Do it through the computer, not over the air.
Steps:
1. Back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your computer and iCloud.
2. Select “Check for Update” to install iOS9.
3. Don’t click “Restore iPhone” to avoid deleting any data.
And that’s how you upgrade to iOS9 seamlessly! Of course, you may avoid having to plug your device into a computer if your iPhone has more internal storage than a simple 16GB. With all the apps and data going through your device nowadays, the bigger the storage the better.
To learn more about the changes made on the iOS9, we recommend this review by Mashable.com.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
After the news about the Keyraider Malware broke out a few weeks ago, another hacking news has alerted the iOS community. When before it was only jailbroken Apple devices that were affected, now legitimate apps that you may have downloaded from the App Store have been infected. So even if your iPhone, iPad, or iPod is not jailbroken, your device’s security may still have been breached.
The security threat is called XcodeGhost, which was able to bypass App Store security and now potentially affects hundreds of millions of Apple users. The App Store has a strict approval team, making it difficult from hackers from China to infiltrate it so they went for the middleman instead. The hackers inserted malicious code in a customized version of Xcode, a tool used by developers to package iOS apps, and made it available to developers in China. The unofficial Xcode was released from untrusted servers in China, and downloaded by unsuspecting developers.
The counterfeit Xcode was then used by developers to work on their apps, and more than 50 apps containing the XcodeGhost were accepted in the App Store. This includes the popular chat app WeChat, which has around 600 million users. These infected apps have been removed from the App Store since it was discovered by research company Palo Alto Networks.
The developers are currently rebuilding these apps using the official Xcode software, but while you wait until the malware has been removed, it is wise to uninstall them from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod right away.
Do you have an old smartphone or tablet lying around the house? Do you want to install your very own DIY security camera? You can put your old mobile device into use without spending a lot of money. Just download a free app into your smartphone or tablet, and voila! You can repurpose your spare device into a security camera that can remotely alert you if it detects any movement.
Both Android and Apple devices have monitoring apps that you can use for this purpose. Let’s talk about popular apps for each.
Security Camera App for Android Phones and Tablets
If you have an Android smartphone or tablet, download the Salient Eye available free from Google Play. With a low energy profile, the app can run for up to 10 hours and it will remain active even if the display is off. If your device has a battery problem, get a battery replacement or keep the device plugged in.
When Salient Eye detects movement, it will alert you via email or text. You’ll get to see photos of the intruder as the app uploads them to a free cloud storage account. Plus, it also creates a loud alarm to hopefully scare off the intruder. A password must be entered to shut off the alarm.
It’s best if your device is connected to Wi-Fi to receive immediate notifications of an intruder. But even without Wi-Fi, Salient Eye can still capture images and trigger the alarm. You also have an option not to receive notifications if you just want to use the app as a motion-activated alarm.
In cases when you are expecting someone to enter your house, you can turn the alarm off and just receive images of what the person is doing without alerting them. The app also has a paid feature that allows you to turn it on and off from a distance. Note that Salient Eye only shows image captures and not videos.
Security Camera App for iPhones, iPods, and iPads
If you have a spare iPhone, iPod, or iPad, you can download the free Manything app from the Apple Store. It works just like Salient Eye, where it triggers an alarm when it detects movement. But unlike Salient Eye, Manything can capture audio and video, and stream it live to your Apple device. It stores up to 12 hours of video in a free cloud account.
Besides using it for home security, you can also monitor your children or keep tabs on your pets with Manything. Just don’t forget to enable and connect it to Wi-Fi to record and store up to four hours of video footage. If you want to save more hours of footage, the app offers different paid options and you can get as much as 30 days of footage.
Repurposing an Old Device
Rather than letting your old smartphone or tablet collect dust, turning them into a security camera gives them new life and gives you added security at the same time. If the device is too old or broken to be repurposed, you also have the option to have it recycled at iCare Phone Repair. We buy old devices in any condition and we will properly dispose of them. It’s good for the environment and also on your wallet! Visit any of our locations or get an instant quote online.
Mobile devices have become so popular that we can’t imagine ourselves without one anymore. In fact, the number of mobile users in the U.S. is forecast to top 200 million by 2017. Moreover, a projected 40 million people will break their phones in the next year.
Our favorite smartphones and tablets are prone to accidents and getting cracks on the fragile glass, among other issues. That’s where iCare Repair comes in, specializing in helping individuals and businesses get back to their routine by fixing the problems on their mobile devices.
iCare Repair is now expanding and is opening its doors to savvy Michigan-based entrepreneurs looking for a franchise opportunity in the estimated $4 billion revenue industry. With eight locations since its inception in 2012, the phone repair company plans to add at least five more franchises throughout Michigan in 2016.
Known for its five-star ratings on Google+ and Facebook, same-day repairs, price match guarantees, and corporate discounts, iCare Repair delivers outstanding quality of repairs at affordable prices. With exclusive territories offered, the company offers a low-inventory, low start-up cost business model with a potential for exceptional return-on-investment.
The required investment for a single franchise unit ranges from $55,900 to $117,000, which includes the franchise fee of $20,000, 3-month operating expenses, and free training. To augment its growth, iCare Repair is seeking tech-driven and business-savvy Michiganders to be part of its energetic team and own their share of a brand that is all about great repair services and customer service.
Founded in 2012 by a mobile device repair and sales professional, iCare Repair provides fast and effective smartphone and tablet repair to individuals, schools, and businesses. iCare Repair ensures quality services through in-depth repair training of its team. It now has eight locations in Michigan and Washington and has recently started franchising.
Since the release of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in October, we’ve already had dozens of customers coming in to get their brand new iPhones repaired. Usual cause of problem: cracked screens. Ouch!
After spending a few hundred dollars on a new smartphone, the best thing you can do for it — and yourself — is to make sure it’s well-protected. That means if you have to invest on a “pricey” Lifeproof case, do it! Because you will end up saving your money in the event that you accidentally dropped your iPhone 6s Plus onto concrete.
How much does a Lifeproof case cost? It depends on your device but it ranges between $79.99 to $99.99 at our iCare Phone Repair locations. That’s not bad compared to the cost of getting a screen repair, which can go as much as $399.99. So should you buy a Lifeproof case? We definitely recommend it!
Here’s a prime example of an iPhone 6 Plus that had a Lifeproof case. Looks bad? Not really. The iPhone only suffered a cracked screen after falling on the highway and getting run over at least ten times by cars. You would have thought that it would all be smashed into metal and glass pieces, but the touchscreen still works perfectly. Instead of having to buy a new iPhone, the customer only needed the glass screen repaired.
And check out the Lifeproof case. The edges look scratched up, which is totally understandable after getting run over, but it was definitely able to withstand the trauma of getting hit and dragged on the road.
If you’ve had your phone screen broken at least once in your life, don’t feel so bad because you’re just one of the 34 percent of people in the country who’ve had the same experience. Glass screens are very fragile and it is definitely the most popular repair that we do at all our locations. So, if you want to get paranoid, feel free to do so! Because in the long run, having a Lifeproof case will be cheaper than the cost of a new phone, or a repair especially when it’s the latest model.
Lifeproof cases are available at all our locations. Give us a call or drop by our store to get one for your phone before it’s too late!
If you’re one of the many owners of a Galaxy Note 5, or if you’re planning to buy one, make sure to read this very important pro tip: INSERT THE S PEN POINTY END FIRST. Not backwards, as some people unfortunately learned by experience. If inserted the wrong way, the internal S Pen detection sensor can get damaged when you try to remove it again.
Mere hours after getting my Note 5, I put the pen back in the hole without really looking at what I was doing, and stuck it in backwards. To my utter horror, I was then unable to extract it! I tried pushing, pulling, and wiggling it for several minutes without pulling too hard, and eventually it came out. BUT, my pen removal detection seems to have stopped working. Nothing happens when I pull the pen out anymore.
Is it a design flaw? Well, this is Samsung’s response:
We highly recommend our Galaxy Note 5 users follow the instructions in the user guide to ensure they do not experience such an unexpected scenario caused by reinserting the S-Pen in the other way around.
For those who never read user guides, Samsung has included a new warning label for the Galaxy Note 5 and the S Pen. Now everyone can clearly see that “inserting the S Pen the wrong way can cause it to become stuck and can damage the pen and your phone.” The label also has a pair of images that depict the correct (and incorrect) way of inserting the S Pen.
It may be annoying that Samsung designed the S Pen to be inserted only in one way, but the manual does provide a warning on how to insert the stylus with the nib pointed inward. If this advice came to you too late, iCare Phone Repair is here to get it fixed! Follow the link to find an iCare location near you.
If you’re looking to upgrade your smartphone or tablet to a newer model, then Black Friday is the best time for it! Or if you’re looking to shop early for Christmas gifts, Black Friday deals are the greatest money savers you’ll find before the year ends.
Here are the top Black Friday electronic deals on smartphones and tablets that you can take advantage of.
Newegg Black Friday Electronic Deals
Starting November 23, Newegg will be offering more than 5,000 deals including Samsung’s 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3 Lite. From $139.99, its price is dropping to just $79.99, which makes it a perfect inexpensive tablet for kids. To check out more electronic deals from Newegg, visit https://blog.newegg.com/holiday-deals
Amazon Black Friday Electronic Deals
Amazon has been offering Black Friday deals since the start of November but there’s still better bargains to come this week. Starting November 20, Amazon will add more deals every five minutes up until Black Friday. And to top that off, there will be 10 Deals of the Day from midnight on Thanksgiving and 10 more on Black Friday.
Kindle Paperwhite will drop to only $99.99, Amazon Fire gets as low as $34.99, and they have more discounts on Amazon Fire TV, Fire Stick, TV sets, sound bars, speakers, and projectors. It’s as good as it gets! To check out more electronic deals from Amazon, visit https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=384082011
Verizon Wireless Black Friday Deal
If you’re a qualifying Verizon Wireless subscriber, you can receive 2GB of free data as part of Verizon’s “Thanksgetting” promotion. Customers with an eligible plan can get 1GB of free data on their current billing cycle and 1GB on the next cycle.
Visit their Thanksgetting page to claim your free data. Click “Get it now”, log in, and follow the instructions. The clock is ticking so you better hurry!
iCare Phone Repair Black Friday Electronics Deal
Here’s a great Christmas stocking stuffer! All our iCare Phone Repair locations will be selling ZipCord battery packs for up to 60% off on Black Friday. So if you know someone who’s always running out juice, then you’ve found the perfect gift. The ZipCord 6,000mAh is now only $19.99 (orig $50.00) and the 3,600mAh batteries will drop to $14.99 (orig $40.00). Every location will have a limited number of ZipCords for sale, two 6,000mAh and three 3,600mAh so stop by as early as you can. To find an iCare location near you, please visit https://icarerepair.com/locations.
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