iPhone Software Terms

Find out what Apple devices are compatible with the latest and greatest operating system, iOS 5.

A list of the video formats that are supported by the various models of iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

Since iOS 4.1, the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch have all come pre-loaded with Game Center, Apple's social gaming platform that lets you post your scores to worldwide leaderboards or compete head-to-head in network games. But not everyone uses their iOS device for gaming and those who don't may want to delete it.

Find out how many apps the App Store has now--and how many it's had at various points in its growth--here.

An explanation of iAd, Apple's iPhone app advertising system.

IPhone Wallpaper refers, generally, to full screen images viewed on certain system elements of the iPhone or iPod touch. But, depending on the scenario, it has different meanings and implications. While technically wallpaper is only the image that is displayed under the app icons on the homescreen, it is also often used to refer to the lock...

Learn all about tethering, a way to share your iPhone's Internet connection with other nearby devices over Wi-Fi.

An explanation of iPhone push notifications, a tool that lets apps update users as new content arrives.

VoiceOver is a feature of iPods and iPhones that allows the device to speak the names of onscreen menus to the user. It was introduced with the third-generation Pod Shuffle.

MMS is the service that allows cell phone users to send multimedia messages – music, photos, video – from one phone to another. It is a common feature of many cell and smart phones.

Voice Control is a feature introduced with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone OS 3.0 software that allows users to control the iPhone 3GS by speaking into its mic and to have the phone speak information to the user. The feature supports control of the phone in multiple widely used languages

3G is the wireless network standard used in the iPhone 3G. It is called 3G because it is the third generation of cellular telecom standards.

A definition and explanation of the term jailbreak as it applies to the iPod touch and the iPhone.

A definition and explanation of Apple's iPhone App Store, for use with the iPhone and iPod touch.

Firmware is the software that runs the iPhone and provides much of its built-in functionality. This is a history of each version of the firmware, when it was released, and what it added to the iPhone.

A definition of the term firmware, how it applies to the iPhone, and a history of all iPhone firmware versions.

A definition and explanation of the EDGE network, the data network supported by the first-generation iPhone.

A definition of SMS, the formal name for text messaging, used on the iPhone.

A definition of the iPhone SDK, a software development environment that allows developers to create software that runs natively on the iPhone.

A definition of iPhone web clips, a web browser shortcut added to the iPhone in software update 1.1.3.

A defintion of FaceTime, Apple's video calling technology.

A definition and explanation of unlocking, a process that lets the iPhone work on any cell phone network.

An explanation of AirPlay, an Apple technology that lets users broadcast audio and video to other devices.

A description of the GPS technologies used in the iPhone, and some of the kinds of apps that employ them.

An explanation of Apple's Game Center social gaming platform.

An explanation of Apple Mobile Me, an online service for Mac and iOS device owners.

An explanation of Personal Hotspot, a feature of the iOS that allows sharing of cellular Internet connections among multiple devices.

A definition of Airplane Mode, the feature of the iOS that allows you to use the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad safely on a plane in flight.

There are a lot of web browsers other than Safari that you can use on the iPhone, but is IE (aka Internet Explorer) one of them?

Find out everything there is to know about Siri, the voice-activated assistant that works introduced on the iPhone 4S.