On the heels of a major launch of large-screen iPhones, Apple has scheduled an October 16 event to update its iPad line, technology news website Re/code reported Friday.

The event also will include a look at next-generation software for powering Macintosh computers, Re/code said, citing unnamed sources.

The gathering is to take place in an auditorium at Apple's headquarters in the California city of Cupertino, according to the report.

Apple did not reply to an AFP request for comment.

If the report is on target, the iPad event will take place a day before Apple begins selling its latest iPhones in China.

Apple launched the large-screen iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on September 19 and has rolled the smartphones out to an array of countries, but not China where it took some time to clear licensing hurdles.

Apple's revenue in Greater China - which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan -- is second only to the United States, and chief executive Tim Cook has said he expects it to become the company's biggest market in time.

Apple, which popularized tablets with its iPad, remained the largest single global vendor in the second quarter but its market share fell to 26.9 percent from 33 percent last year, as Android makers boosted their share, according to the research firm IDC.

iPhone 6 sales soar

The first day of global sales for the phones was a huge success, with Apple breaking its sales record for an opening weekend of a new iPhone model, delivering 10 million in three days and boasting it could have sold more if it had them.

Both new iPhones have larger screens as Apple catches up with the "phablet" trend pioneered by competitors such as Samsung, which has had success with its Galaxy Note series.

The iPhone 6 has a screen of 4.7 inches and the iPhone 6 Plus is 5.5 inches, reflecting a growing preference for big screens on smartphones.

Main rival Samsung has long had a range of larger handsets, which are popular in Asia.

Apple made a rare apology last week for a software bug in a freshly released version of iOS mobile operating system that saw iPhone users lose service, and sought to quell a storm over reports that its new handsets are susceptible to bending.

Apple downplayed reports on bending of its newly released oversize iPhone -- one analyst described the damaging claims as "a black eye" for Apple --- saying it had only received nine complaints about the matter.

The statement said that "with normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus."

Apple released fully updated iOS 8.0.2 software to fix trouble with the original version of the mobile operating system for its gadgets.

Apple will launch the iPhone 6 16GB variant in India at a price of Rs. 53,500, while the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus will start at Rs. 62,500. The phones will be available in India starting October 17, in line with the date that was last seen on Apple's India website. Apple authorised dealers will start taking pre-orders next week, with customers who pre-book receiving their units on 16th night itself.

NDTV Gadgets has seen emails Apple authorised dealers are sending out to customers which mention the price and availability details.

The 64GB and 128GB 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will be priced at Rs. 62,500 and Rs. 71,500 respectively. Similarly, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus will cost Rs. 71,500 for the 64GB variant, before topping at Rs. 80,500 for the 128GB variant.

NDTV Gadgets had independently heard the same price and availability information earlier this week, but we'd been waiting for verification from other sources before sharing with our readers. Needless to say, Apple India refused to comment for this story.

Apple announced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the biggest iPhone models till date, on September 9. The phones received over 4 million pre-orders within 24 hours, andopening weekend sales topped 10 million, though the launch has been far from smooth for Apple.

The company had to deal with the Bendgate controversy, and has also been embarrassed by a series of bugs in iOS 8, the OS that comes pre-installed on the new iPhone models.

It's worth remembering that last year's iPhone 5s also came to India sporting a price tag of Rs. 53,500. More recently, BlackBerry launched the Passport - which is being sold at $650 off-contract in the US, $1 more than the iPhone 6 - in India at Rs. 49,990, raising hopes that Apple will follow suit with a sub-Rs. 50,000 tag for the new iPhone 6.

For now, those hopes look set to be dashed.

What do you think about the India price of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus? Let us know via the comments.

Apple has reportedly removed an app called Launcher from the App Store, and the developer claims the Cupertino giant said the app was a 'misuse' of widgets on iOS 8.

According to Techcrunch, Launcher by Cromulent Labs is one of the first apps to take advantage of the new functionality Apple has introduced in iOS 8, as it could launch other apps directly from the Notification Center. The app is said to be a quick way for users to access their "favourite apps or common actions" without being forced to navigate through various home screens and with fewer taps.

The developer, Greg Gardner, explains in a blog post what the removal of the app means for users who have already have the Launcher app installed. Gardner says users will still be able to use the app, can no longer purchase the Pro version, update the app, or expect any bug fixes.

Apple contacted me on September 23, 2014 and told me that they have decided to disallow any Notification Center widget that lets you launch other apps. Their only reason was that it is a 'misuse' of widgets, even though there are no written rules to this effect and the app was originally approved by them.

Apple told me I could release an update without the Notification Center widget or they will take the app off of the App Store in 'a number of days'. I submitted a fix for the app which I thought to be a valid compromise where every click on the widget always goes back to the Launcher app first which then redirects you to your target app. This was submitted on Friday, September 26 and within an hour, Apple rejected the fix and then took Launcher down from the App Store.

The developer has now filed an online petition to request that Apple allow Launcher's functionality in widgets on the App Store. Gardner, while speaking to Techcrunch, also said that the Launcher app had ranked highly on the list of the top 20 highest grossing productivity apps in the US shortly after its App Store debut. The app has also made it to the top 10 highest grossing productivity apps in 43 different countries, according to Gardner.

"It seemed that [Apple was] opening up the platform and allowing for more inter-app communication in iOS 8, but this decision shows that they still feel they know what is best for the users, even if users disagree," told Gardner to Techcrunch. "At this point I don't have any plans to continue developing iOS apps."

Smartwatch maker Pebble has announced permanent price cuts for its smartwatch duo - the original Pebble and the new Pebble Steel. The company alongside also revealed a firmware update for the smartwatches that brings support for activity and sleep tracking.

According to the company, the original Pebble will be now available at $99 (Rs. 6,100 approximately), down from the earlier price tag of $150 (Rs. 9,230 approximately). The Pebble Steel, which was launched earlier this year, is now priced at $199 (Rs. 15,400 approximately), compared to $249 (Rs. 15,430 approximately) previously.

Pebble in a blog post titled "Celebrating Pebble's Growth with New Things to Love," also announced that the company is expanding the retail presence of the smartwatches to more partners and markets. The company confirmed that the Pebble will be now available at Sam's Club, Fry's Electronics, and Sprint stores (coming soon) across the US, which will join Best Buy, Target, AT&T stores, and Amazon. Pebble starting October will be also reaching UK markets and will be available at Dixons retail, O2, and Amazon.co.uk. Some of the new markets that the company will be entering starting Wednesday are Benelux and Scandinavia.

Pebble also announced new health and fitness apps from Misfit, Jawbone, and Swim.com. The new Misfit app for Pebble has been enabled for continuous activity and sleep monitoring. While Jawbone has launched new activity tracking watch face for Pebble dubbed UP that will show daily and weekly activity progress of the user while will automatically sync with its new UP app for iOS. The company confirmed that the app will be soon launched for Android platform. Swim.com, on the other hand, measures distance, pace, times, strokes, and efficiency while swimming and automatically syncs data with the connected device and even syncs this data with cloud. Notably, Pebble is water resistant (up to 5ATM, or 50 metres) which is suitable for swimming.

The official blog post said, "Today, we're announcing a new area of growth for our ecosystem - health and fitness - and releasing software update that enables non-stop activity tracking and sleep monitoring (thanks to Pebble's class-leading multi-day battery life). This update lets Pebble users display their favorite watchface while tracking their activity in the background."

The company released the complete changelog of the Pebble's new firmware (version 2.6).

• NEW: Activity. Activity tracking apps (e.g. Jawbone, Misfit, Swim.com) for Pebble now work seamlessly in the background. View installed Activity apps and toggle preferences in the Pebble Settings menu. An Activity icon is visible within Pebble menus when a compatible app is installed and running.
• NEW: Quick Launch. Set shortcuts from a watchface to your favorite Pebble apps with a long press of the Up or Down buttons. Enable Quick Launch and set app shortcuts in the Pebble Settings menu.
• Battery icon is now persistent within Pebble menus.
• Select button once again dismisses notifications when paired with an Android device or iOS device on iOS 7 or lower. iOS 8 users get notificaion dismissal for both Pebble and the paired device when pressing Select.
• Bug fixes and improvements

With the switch to iOS 8, we get a lot of new features that really change the way our iPhones and iPads work. Visually, it's a much smaller change than the move from iOS 6 to iOS 7, but new features like extensions, widgets, continuity, battery management, and a full raft of tweaks mean that your phone or tablet just went through a lot of changes.

There are a tonne of new features in iOS 8 and we've covered pretty much every major improvement to the OS. While doing that, we noticed several smaller features that are very useful, but might slip by unnoticed. Without further ado, let's jump right in to the best hidden features in iOS 8.

1. Systemwide Hindi support

Finally, you can set Hindi as the system language in iOS. Go to Settings > General > Language & Region > iPhone Language > Hindi. This doesn't just change the keyboard, but the entire UI as well.

2. New Indian language keyboards

Full system support for more Indian languages will take longer to arrive, but we have more keyboard options than before. Hindi and Tamil keyboards were already available in iOS 7, and the latest update adds Marathi, Bengali, Urdu and English (India) keyboards. Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard.

3. Hide keyboard prediction by swiping down

Speaking of keyboards, if you don't like the word predictions that pop up above the keyboard, you can quickly hide them. Just place your finger on the predictions and swipe down. To reveal these again, swipe up in the same place.

4. Hey Siri

You don't need to press and hold the home button to use Siri anymore. If your device is charging, just say, "Hey Siri" to activate it. Enable this at Settings > General > Siri > Allow "Hey Siri" > On.

5. Siri buys songs, identifies them too

You can also ask Siri to purchase content on the iTunes Store now. Also, it can listen to music and identify the track for you. Ask Siri what song is playing and it will listen and answer, via Shazam.

6. Zoom out to tab view in Safari [iPad only]

When you're Safari on your iPad, you can zoom out all the way to tab view. Use the pinch gesture (two fingers) to do so. This can be handy if you've got a lot of tabs open and want a quick preview to find the page you want, or even if you want to rearrange them.

7. Safari tab search button [iPad only]

When you reach tab view, you'll see a Search button on the top-left. This lets you find a particular tab, which is useful if you've opened too many tabs and can't find what you need in the previews. It searches tab titles, so just enter the name of the website or title to find the right one.

8. Reader View Available text in Safari

Safari has a nice Reader View feature, which removes clutter from websites to make them reader-friendly. If Reader View is available on any website, Safari now shows the text: "Reader View Available" in the address bar. Just tap the three horizontal lines on the left side of the address bar to activate it. Once activated, you can increase or decrease font size as well, which wasn't possible in iOS 7. Tap the big A button at the top of the page to increase text size and the small button to reduce it.

9. Request Desktop Site, close iCloud tabs

Stuck on a terrible mobile website? Tap the address bar, swipe down the list of bookmarks and you'll see a Request Desktop Site button. Tap it to open the desktop view. You can finally close iCloud tabs from other devices. iCloud tabs let you sync open tabs across your Apple devices. Previously it wasn't possible to close iCloud tabs from other devices. Now tap the tabs button in Safari, swipe upwards to iCloud Tabs and swipe left on any of the tabs to reveal a Delete button.

10. DuckDuckGo

You can now set privacy-focussed search engine DuckDuckGo as default in Safari. Tap Settings > Safari > Search Engines > DuckDuckGo.

11. Scan credit card

Open a shopping website or any webpage with a form for filling credit card details. Safari will show you an option called Scan Credit Card above the keyboard. Tap it to take a picture of the credit card and have Safari key in the details for you.

12. Recent, favourite contacts in app switcher

Double tap the home button to open the app switcher. At the top you'll see a list of people you've contacted recently. Swipe to the right to see your favourite contacts. This can be changed by going to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > under CONTACTS, tap Show In App Switcher. You can select whether you want to see recent contacts, favourites, both or none.

13. Zoom controls

iOS 8 has advanced zoom controls. While this feature has been designed for the visually impaired, it's quite useful when you want to zoom in apps that don't support it (such as Instagram). Head to Settings > General > Accessibility > Zoom. Now turn on Zoom and Show Controller. After this, double tap with three fingers anywhere in iOS and you'll see a pop up that lets you zoom in and out. Drag three fingers on the screen to move round the screen.

14. Greyscale mode

Want a nice black-and-white interface? Enable Greyscale mode by going to Settings > General > Accessibility > Greyscale > On. It's not useful for most people, and is meant for the colourblind, but it could be useful for when the screen looks confusing.

15. Guided access

This feature lets you block parts of the app and control how long you want to let others use an app. This is very useful for parental control. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Guided Access > On. In the same place, also switch on Accessibility Shortcut. Now open any app that you want to let others have limited access to. Triple-click the home button and tap Options. You can choose how long you want to let the person use the app and whether they can use the keyboard, volume, sleep/wake buttons, and even whether they can use the touchscreen.

16. Create a blank home screen

iOS 8 lets you go minimalist on the home screen. Just move all icons to the next home screen and you can finally create a blank home screen. This is really not useful, unless you want to make sure people can check out your cool wallpaper.

17. Send last known location

When your iOS device's battery is critically low, it sends its last-known location to Apple so that you can track it via iCloud. This is useful in case you lose a dead phone. Settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone/Find My iPad > Send Last Location > On.

18. Hide photos

Open the Photos app. Make sure you're in the zoomed out view (where you can see multiple photos). Tap and hold any photo and press Hide. In the pop up, tap the red Hide button. This will hide your photos from the Moments, Collections and Years views, but will keep them visible in the Albums view.

19. Mail gestures

The Mail app in iOS 8 has some nice new gestures. Open your inbox and try a short right swipe on any mail to reveal a Mark as Unread option. Swipe to the left to reveal three options - More, Flag and Archive. You can change swipe actions by going to Settings > Mail > Swipe Options.

20. Add to contacts, create calendar events

The Mail app also prompts you to create Calendar events and add people to Contacts if it spots the relevant details in the mail.

21. Notifications for email replies

You can also set up notifications for replies to any mail thread. Open your inbox, slowly swipe to the left, tap More > Notify Me... > Notify Me. You can also set up notifications while composing any email. Tap the bell icon in the subject field > Notify Me.

22. Drafts to inbox swipe

Start composing a new email. Now swipe downwards from the top where you see the text "New Message" or the email subject. This puts emails in a tab view-like area below the inbox. It makes switching between the inbox and multiple drafts really easy.

23. GIF images in Notes, rich text editing too

You can finally add GIF images to Notes and use rich text formatting too. Select text, tap the tiny right arrow and tap 'BIU'.

24. Interactive notifications

iOS 8 lets app developers make notifications interactive. System apps such as Calendar support it already. Pull down the Notification Centre and swipe left on any notification to see more options. This lets you hide individual notifications as well as perform actions such as accept or decline Calendar invites.

25. Text character count

Sending an SMS and want to make sure you aren't exceeding the 160 character limit? Go to Settings > Messages > Character Count > On. Whenever you type an SMS, you'll see the character count above the Send button.

Those are all the hidden features we could find in iOS 8. If you know of any others, let us know via the comments.

At the WWDC Keynote on Monday, Apple unveiled new versions of iOS and OS X, and rolled out several interesting features. The changes that were outlined go beyond cosmetic changes, such as support for Indian language keyboards, though there's no mention of system-wide local language support so far.

You can read our overview here where it becomes clear that Apple is - as usual - picking up good ideas wherever they find them, whether it's from other devices, or from third party apps that were present on the App Store. While this isn't the best thing for developers of those apps which are now competing with Apple's own offerings, users do ultimately benefit as you get great features as soon as you turn on the devices for the first time.

Here are our 10 favourite highlights from iOS 8:

1. Health in the palm of your hand

Healthkit is one of the new features that might be incredibly useful to people, as it can gather all the information from various health and fitness apps and devices.

At present, if you have a different health apps or devices, then the data they collect sits in its own silo, but the new Health app will - with the user's permission - get specific information from other apps and devices to more comprehensively manage your health.

2. Snappy ways to chat

Messages gets a major update, and you can now add and remove contacts in group messaging, leave a conversation, and set up a do-not-disturb mode. Users can also go to an attachment view to browse through the photos and videos within a conversation, and you can send self-destructing voice and video messages.

These features could be found in different apps, but integrating them into a single place sounds like a great idea.

3. Stay in sync

Another announcement that sounded great to us is Continuity, shown off during theOS X Yosemite part of the keynote.

Apple says the new continuity features in Yosemite make Mac and iOS device perfect companions. When a user's iOS device is near their Mac, Handoff allows the user to start an activity on one device and pass it to the other. Instant Hotspot quickens the process of using the iPhone's hotspot.

SMS and MMS messages that previously only appeared on the user's iPhone now appear in Messages on all devices. Users can even send SMS or MMS messages directly from their Mac and make or receive iPhone calls using their Mac as a speakerphone.

4. More choices, more communication

One interesting change is the increased support for third parties, even as first party options become more robust. For example, TouchID is now available for all apps to use, which could be very useful for financial apps that want to deliver an extra layer of security, and Apple has also opened up extensions on Safari, something that has been lacking for a while. In another move that will bolster third parties, Apple has opened the doors for third party keyboards.

With Safari now getting more functionality, the need for third party browsers gets reduced, and while third party keyboards are now available, Apple's own keyboard has also been updaed with a feature called QuickType, which suggests words while you're typing and also makes suggestions for the next word, which are the kind of features you would have turned to a third party keyboard for in the first place.

5. Family sharing

In family sharing, you can set up upto six devices, to share things like photos, reminders, calendar, and also your books, shows and music.

All the devices can be billed to the same registered credit card, and if you've flagged users as kids, they can't buy anything without the person, whose card is registered, getting a notification.

6. Interactive notifications and widgets

As part of a comprehensive program of borrowing ideas, iOS 8 has picked up onBlackBerry 10's responsive notifications. Now, when a message or mail comes you can swipe down on the notification and reply without leaving the app you are in. It isn't a huge change - but any BlackBerry 10 user will attest to the fact that it makes sending short responses much more convenient than before. Another change to notifications, is the addition of widgets.

Apple still hasn't made room on our home-screens for widgets, but you now have them in the notification centre. There are many ways in which this kind of development could be useful, which were highlighted by Apple itself, and we are excited about this. The only catch is that the notification centre has been getting pretty crowded, and we shudder to think of what it would look like if Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Clans get to post notifications.

7. Goodbye Google

Google continues to be the default search engine for most of us, but Apple is doing what it can to help us find alternatives. Bing now powers the search function in Spotlight, on both OS X and iOS 8. Earlier, Bing had also replaced Google as the search provider for Siri.

Perhaps more interesting is the addition of a private search option for Safari, integrating DuckDuckGo. DuckDuckGo is a privacy focused search engine, which has been gaining prominence as a sort of anti-Google, as it does not track users or sell data to advertisers. Its audience is still very small, but native integration in iOS might change that.

8. Hey Siri

Siri and Google Now get compared pretty frequently, but this time, the comparison might be more reasonable. Apple has announced several new features for Siri, including an always-on, voice activated mode, that lets you use it by saying, "Hey Siri". Siri now includes more language support and Shazam song recognition, but perhaps more interesting is that you can now use it to buy iTunes content.

9. Kitting out the Home

Apple also announced something called Homekit, which lays the groundwork for the connected home. The Internet of Things has been around the corner for a decade now, but with more consumer brands putting out products in the market, we might actually see this develop in front of us now. Homekit will allow your mobile to work with things like locks, lights, cameras, doors, thermostats, plugs and switches, and let you control individual devices or scenes - groups of devices.

It might be some time still before this becomes useful to customers, as the ecosystem needs to fall into place, but it is a promising start.

10. Taking over the cloud

If you're already using Dropbox then you know what iCloud Drive is. Apple's first party cloud storage system will be useful since it will likely get supported by most third party apps, but Dropbox is so widespread these days that most apps mention Dropbox sync as a feature on their app store listings.

Still, for people who don't use too many third party apps, iCloud Drive will be very useful. The service will come with 5GB of free storage, plus $0.99 per month for 20GB, and $3.99 for 200GB, which is pretty reasonable.

(Also see: 10 Big Changes in OS X Yosemite)

Apple on Wednesday announced that iOS 8 will be available for the iPhone 4s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2, iPad with Retina display, iPad Air, iPad mini and the iPad mini with Retina display, starting September 17.

However, Apple states that SMS Continuity will be available as a free update to iOS 8 in October, and that iCloud Photo Library will be made available as a beta at around the same time. Additionally, Apple Pay will also be available in the US as a free update to iOS 8 starting October for the recently announced iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Interestingly, the iOS 8 Golden Master edition is already available via the iOS Developer Center.

(Also see: 10 New iOS 8 Features)

The iOS 8 update brings new features for Messages and Photos app, predictive typing for Apple's QuickType keyboard, Family Sharing, the new Health app and iCloud Drive. "We're excited for hundreds of millions of users to begin experiencing iOS 8, with incredible features that offer new ways to use your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. "iOS 8 also creates an extraordinary environment for developers, providing them the ability to create amazing new apps like never before."

(Also see: Apple Launches iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus)

Messages app is overhauled in iOS 8 to now feature a tap to share voice, photos and videos. Users can now share multiple photos and videos at once, and browse through all of them within a conversation from one place. Group messaging gets the ability to add and remove contacts, and the option not to be disturbed or to leave a conversation entirely. One can also choose to share their current location from within Messages for an hour, a day or longer.

In the Photos app, Apple had added tweaks which allow photos to automatically straighten horizons, and using updated editing tools a user can quickly adjust light and colour with a swipe. For deeper fine-tuning, a user can access individual tools to adjust exposure, brightness, contrast, highlights, shadows and more.

(Also see: Apple Unveils 'Apple Pay' Mobile Wallet and Payment System)

Even the keyboard has received an update where it understands the way users communicate to suggest favourite phrases enabling them to type entire sentences with a few taps. Additionally, what the QuickType keyboard learns is kept private, encrypted on your device and never sent to the could. Third-party keyboards are also available, so developers can offer additional layouts and input methods system-wide.

(Also see: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Watch Price Revealed; 128GB iPhone Now a Reality)

The new Health app gathers the information from the app or fitness device of the user's choice and presents a combined overview in a single place. Users will be able to gather and monitor their own fitness metrics using apps such as MyFitnessPal, RunKeeper and Strava. HomeKit connects home devices seamlessly with Apple devices to better manage accessories like lights, thermostats, door locks and garage doors.

(In comparison: iPhone 6 Plus versus iPhone 6 versus iPhone 5s versus iPhone 5c)

Family Sharing with iOS 8 claims to make it easier communicate and share purchases. It automatically keeps everyone connected by creating a shared family photo stream and calendar, and provides an option to locate family members and their devices.

Continuity features in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite bring Mac and iOS devices together. When the iPhone or iPad is near a Mac, Handoff lets you start an activity on one device and pass it to the other. Now the SMS and MMS messages that previously only appeared on your iPhone appear in Messages on all your devices.

Apple, in a bid to offer more security to users following the high-profile nude celebrity image leak, has brought two-step verification for iCloud access.

The Cupertino-based giant in an email titled "Two-step verification now protects iCloud" detailed the new changes.

The email (via Engadget) reads, "Starting today [Tuesday], in addition to protecting your Apple ID account information, two-step verification also protects all of the data you store and keep up to date with iCloud. The company also points users to its two-step verification support page.

(Also see: How to Enable Two-Factor Authentication For Gmail, Facebook, Apple, Twitter, Outlook, Yahoo Accounts)

The company also revealed that starting October 1, app-specific passwords will be required to access to third-party apps such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, and BusyCal, which do not support the two-step verification feature. More details can be found on Apple's support page.

The email further said, "Sign in securely with app-specific passwords: If you use iCloud with any third party apps, you can now generate app-specific passwords that allow you to sign in securely even if the app you are using does not support two-step verification."

Ars Technica reported the roll-out of two-step verification for iCloud first, and noted, "The accounts of victims of social engineering attacks or those who used passwords based on personal data could be harvested of their backup data-allowing the attacker to gain access to photos, call records, SMS records, e-mail, and other personal data."

(Also see: How to Prevent Theft of Photos From Your iCloud Account)

Apple Insider points out that the new two-step verification does not include Find My iPhone by default, which allows users to deactivate or wipe data from a trusted device remotely if lost or stolen.

The move to expand the two-step verification to Apple iCloud is aimed at restoring confidence in Apple's security since the leak of racy nude celebrity photos reported earlier this month, sparking widespread criticism of Apple's security processes from all over the world.

The company, just ahead of the iPhone 6 unveiling, had rolled out a new feature for iCloud users. Apple started sending alert emails when users' iCloud accounts were accessed through a Web browser.

Earlier this year, Apple expanded availability of its two-step verification feature for iCloud and Apple ID users to 59 countries, a list that included India as well.

For the uninitiated, Apple ID users can go to the Password and Security tab to enable the two-step verification. Users will also need to register one or more trusted devices. Following this, a 4-digit verification code is sent via SMS or through the Find My iPhone app, if installed.

After enabling it, users won't need to remember answers to security questions each time they set-up a new device with that ID. Apple also sends a 14-digit Recovery Key for safekeeping which users can use to access their account if they forget their password or lose their device.

Also, Apple does not allow two-step verification setup to proceed if the user had recently made any significant changes including resetting his password or selecting new security questions to his account information and puts a waiting period as a security measure.

Dropbox on Tuesday has notified its iOS app users it is temporarily suspending the automatic backup of photos and videos for users who have upgraded to iOS 8. The company has pushed an update to its Dropbox and Carousel photo sharing app for iOS, which temporarily suspends automatic backup of photos and videos.

The company published a blog post, saying that it has "discovered that Apple's newiOS 8 introduces a compatibility issue that may prevent Dropbox and Carousel from properly uploading your photos and videos." It added that meant only the contents of the 'Recently Added' album will be automatically uploaded.

Additionally, Dropbox includes a precautionary warning for those users who have upgraded their iOS devices to iOS 8, telling them not to delete photos or videos on the device unless sure they are backed up to Dropbox.

(Also see: iOS 8 Arrives Wednesday Ahead of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Retail Availability)

Dropbox didn't include any time frame to fix the issue, but said that the company is "in touch with Apple and are working together on a solution", and it will update iOS users on its blog or on Twitter (@dropbox_support) as soon as a full fix is ready.

Last month, Dropbox had added new features that will be available only to its Pro customers, along with a single Dropbox Pro plan at $9.99 (approximately Rs. 600) per month for 1TB storage.

Customers can also choose to pay $99 (approximately Rs. 6,000) per year for the new Pro plan and save another 17 percent compared to monthly billing. Dropbox offers 2GB of cloud storage for free, though customers can get more free space via referrals and other promotions.

The annual iOS update cycle rolls on. This time, Apple is launching the eighth iteration of its operating system for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. iOS 8 will be available as a free download on Wednesday, September 17. The download and update process itself is quite easy, but there are a few important things you should keep in mind before you download iOS 8. Here's a guide to help you through the process with zero fuss.

(Also see: How to Prevent Theft of Photos From Your iCloud Account)

Will my iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch get iOS 8?

The first thing you should check is whether your Apple device is eligible for the update. Apple has announced that the following devices will get the iOS 8 update:

• iPhone 4s
• iPhone 5c
• iPhone 5s
• iPod touch 5th generation
• iPad 2
• iPad with Retina display
• iPad Air
• iPad mini
• iPad mini with Retina display

Some iOS 8 features such as SMS Continuity will not be available on launch day, with Apple stating that they will be released in an update to iOS 8 closer to when OS X Yosemite launches. Check this report for more details on which features will be available later.

(Also see: Top 10 New iOS 8 Features)

Backup

The next step is possibly the most important in the process - backup. Apple generally has had a great track record with no major cases of data loss reported after updates, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. We've previously covered the entire process of taking a backup of your iPhone and the steps are very much the same for other Apple devices. Here's how to create a backup of your Apple device.

1. While you can take a backup of your device on iCloud, we recommend that you use iTunes as the entire process is more reliable, especially if you have spotty connectivity.
2. Plug in your Apple device to a PC or Mac. Open iTunes and click iPhone (or iPad or iPod Touch) on the top-right, next to iTunes.
3. Under Manually Back Up and Restore, click Back Up Now to start backing up your Apple device. This process takes some time especially if it's the first time you are backing up data. Make sure you have time to spare before you do this. It took us a little over 40 minutes to take a backup the first time, though your mileage may vary depending upon the storage capacity of your iPhone and how much data you have stored.
4. Once essential data from the default apps has been backed up, iTunes will ask you if you want to transfer purchases. This basically takes a backup of all the apps installed on your phone, along with data downloaded within those apps. To do this, you will have to sign in with your Apple ID.

(Also see: How to Enable Two-Step Verification for Your Apple ID)

If you don't have access to a computer, then you can use iCloud Backup. Remember that only 5GB is free and you'll have to pay Rs. 60 per month for 20GB of storage on iCloud. But since the actual apps themselves are not backed up to iCloud - only app data is, along with your photos, videos and other information - free storage is usually enough for most.

1. To start backing up, on your iOS device, go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup.
2. Turn on the switch marked iCloud Backup. You'll get a warning telling you that your iPhone will not back up to your computer automatically. Tap okay.
3. Once iCloud Backup is on, tap Back Up Now. This will start backing up your data to iCloud.

Wait for the backup to finish before proceeding further. You should see the Last Backup time (which should appear right below Back Up Now) correspond to something recent once the backup is completed.

(Also see: 10 Big Changes in Mac OS X Yosemite)

Download and install iOS 8

Now that your data is safe, let's see how to download and install the iOS 8 update. You can update your device either directly via Wi-Fi or by connecting it to a PC or Mac and downloading the update via iTunes. Downloading it directly is easier, so let's try that first.

1. On your iOS device, make sure you're connected to Wi-Fi (you can't download updates over cellular data) and plug it in to a power source.
2. Go to Settings > General > Software Update
3. On this screen, you'll see a message telling you your software is up to date. When iOS 8 is released, the message will tell you that a newer version is available. Tap Download and Install.
4. Now the device will begin downloading the update. Once the download is complete, you'll see a pop-up asking if you'd like to install the update. Tap Install. That's it. When the update is installed, your iPhone will restart.

In case you want to install the update via iTunes, follow these steps.

1. Download and install iTunes.
2. In case you already have iTunes, update it to the latest version. You can do this by going to the menu bar in iTunes and clicking Help > Check for updates on a PC or iTunes > Check for updates from the menu bar on a Mac.
3. Once you have got the latest version, connect the iOS device to your computer. In iTunes, select your device from the bar on the top-right.
4. Now click on the Summary tab and click on Check for Update.
5. To download and install iOS 8, click Download and Update.

(Also see: Apple Updates iMessage, Siri for iOS 8; Introduces Family Sharing)

Once the install is completed, follow the on-screen instructions to setup your iOS 8 device. You may be promoted to set up your device as new, restore from an iCloud Backup or restore from an iTunes Backup after reboot - select option 2 or 3 based on the backup method you selected above. You may also be prompted to re-enter your Wi-Fi or Apple ID/ iCloud password, or enable location services, while iPhone 5s users may be prompted to enter their fingerprint again - all that is normal.

That's all. Now you're ready to enjoy iOS 8.

(Also see: How to Find the Best iOS App Deals)

If you found this article useful, there are many more tutorials in our ever-expandingHow to section.