Apple is working to repair an annoying glitch that’s not updating iPhone 6s (pictured) and 6s Plus battery charge indicators when a user switches time zones.
The issue occurs when users move through time zones while traveling or when they change the time zones manually on their devices, according to Apple. What’s happening is that the battery charge percentage indicators are not automatically updating themselves to reflect the time change, according to a Jan. 13 post on the Apple support site.
To manually try to correct the problem, users are being advised by the company to restart their iPhone and then go to Settings > General > Date & Time, where they can ensure that “Set Automatically” is turned on, according to Apple.
iPhone users should contact Apple support if it happens again and they didn’t change the time or time zone on their devices.
“Apple is aware of this issue and is investigating the cause and a solution,” the company said.
Earlier in January, Apple released its latest beta versions of its iOS, OS X El Capitan, watchOS and tvOS operating systems for developers and users to download, test out and explore on their Apple devices. The latest betas, which are available for immediate download, include iOS 9.3, OS X 10.11.4, watchOS 2.2 and tvOS 9.2, as well as a new beta version of the Xcode 7.3 programming environment. iOS is Apple’s operating system for mobile devices, OS X is the OS for desktop machines, watchOS is the operating environment for Apple Watches, and tvOS is the OS for Apple TV.
Meanwhile, Apple is also reportedly preparing to trim production of its iPhones by about 30 percent through March due to growing stocks of unsold iPhone 6 smartphones around the world, according to a recent eWEEK story.
The production cutbacks will allow remaining iPhone inventories to be reduced in the meantime.
The move by Apple will likely affect iPhone component suppliers including Japan Display, Sharp and LG Display, which make liquid crystal displays; Sony, which makes image sensors; and TDK, Alps Electric and Kyocera, which supply other electronics components.
A similar iPhone production cut was made by Apple in 2013, which caused companies that make iPhone components to find other revenue sources until iPhone production returned to higher levels.
Apple’s latest iPhone 6s and 6s Plus smartphones went on sale last September. The iPhone 6s includes a 4.7-inch display, while the 6s Plus has a 5.5-inch display, both of which are wrapped in a new stronger cover glass. Both new phones are built around Apple’s fastest smartphone chip, the A9, which is a third-generation 64-bit chip. The cameras on the latest devices received a major upgrade with the addition of a new 12-megapixel iSight camera that has 50 percent more pixels than earlier devices. Both phones also are now capable of 4K video, run on iOS 9 and include new 5MP FaceTime HD front cameras.
In December, reports circulated that Apple is applying for a patent for a technology that could allow the company to build waterproof iPhones in the future by protecting external headphone ports and charging cords with special self-healing rubber receptacles, according to an earlier eWEEK story. The patent application, which was posted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Dec. 10 after originally being filed by Apple on June 9, 2014, could be a hint of a future feature in the company’s flagship smartphones.
The application describes the innovation as a “self-healing elastomer applied over one or more external electronic connectors,” which would protect internal electronic connectors used to plug in external headphones or charging cords. The special self-healing elastomer, which is essentially rubber, would then be pierced temporarily by an incoming plug on a headphone cord or charging cord to allow the connection to be made, according to the application. When the cord is removed, the self-healing rubber material would regain its original shape to again block the port, making the device safe from water penetrating into the device.
Other smartphones have been sold that are waterproof, including models from Samsung, but iPhones do not yet have the feature.
Earlier in December, reports surfaced that Apple could be looking at dropping the long-established 3.5mm headphone jack on its next iPhones and replacing it with a thinner Lightning connector or Bluetooth to help make the phones even thinner, according to another eWEEK story. Even if Apple does delete the headphone jack, the company’s patent application to seal iPhone ports could still be useful.