When it comes to criticizing Apple’s mobile operating system, it’s easy to point fingers at things such as its restrictiveness or lack of flexibility.

Google’s Android definitely has the advantage here, however the reason I’ve stuck with Apple, apart from the fact that having owned an iPhone since the launch day of the 3GS, I now own quite a few apps that I can’t transfer, is that they’re simple.

I just need a phone that’s well-made, easy to use and streamlined and the iPhone has always offered this. I admit though, that iTunes still infuriates me, as do many of the restrictions compared to an Android device.

However, something that improved my iOS experience no end was when I jailbroke my iPhone. For those not in the know, this essentially means hacking the operating system and installing a program called Cydia, which is essentially a gateway to a kind of underground iTunes filled with customized apps and features.

Hacking, actually, is far too complicated a term these days as the latest free Jailbreak tool from a team called evasi0n is practically a one-click affair. It was so popular that in the six weeks it took for Apple to release iOS 6.1.3 to patch the exploits it used, more than 18 million iOS devices downloaded it, with many more downloading it since. What’s more, jailbreaking isn’t illegal and won’t void your Apple warranty – just restore your phone in iTunes and away you go as before. So what’s so great about jailbreaking and why do so many people do it? Perhaps the easiest way of explaining this is looking at features that were (and weren’t) added in iOS7, because many are what iOS owners have been crying out for and are exactly what have been available to those who have jailbroken their iPhones for years.Above you can see YouTube user iCrackUriDevice showing some of the best current jailbreak tweaks for the iPhone.

For me, there’s perhaps a single huge feature in iOS 7 that despite its introduction, is still inferior to similar add-ons you can get in the Jailbreaking world. Apple’s new Control Center, which allows you to quickly access settings such as WiFi and brightness, is step in the right direction. For me it’s an important tool in the fight to conserve battery life and helps in general to make your iPhone experience that much slicker. Fancy animations and the like are all very well, but it’s the controls like these that you use every day that make the real difference.

You only have to look online to see just how many people love the new feature but feel it’s crippled because of its lack of customization. You can’t toggle 3G on or off and settings such as personal hotspot and even location services are absent and there’s no way to add them. However, if you jailbreak your iPhone you can get all this and more.

NC Settings, Five Icon Dock and Five-column SpringBoard are just some of most popular iPhone Jailbreak tweaks

An add-on called NC Settings allows you to drop a sweepable bar directly onto your phone’s home screen, providing instant access to customizable toggles. As you can see, I have WiFi, brightness, torch, data and location services on the first row, and a quick swipe to the left shows restart, Bluetooth, volume, personal hotspot and power options. Alternatively you can add the bar to the notification area or have it appear in the same way Apple’s Control Center does with a swipe.

The number of other tweaks Jailbreaking opens up are vast and you’ll find you can replicate and even surpass most of the new features in iOS 7 too. There’s the ability to create custom commands using an array of pinch and swipe gestures, apply snazzy effects to page swipes and as you can also see with my iPhone 5, I have five columns of icons instead of four (I’ve deleted one to make way for an on-screen NC settings button bar) and also to have five icons in the icon dock at the bottom instead of four. So despite getting rid of an entire row of icons I’ve actually got more on the home screen than a non-jailbroken iPhone 5.

So is customization what’s missing from iOS 7? In some ways yes but Apple’s never been and probably never will be keen on you tweaking the OS as much as many of us would like. As good as iOS 7 is, I do feel that many features such as Control Center could offer the huge benefit of customization without – shock horror – Apple losing its tight grip on the look and feel of the OS. If you’d like to give Jailbreaking a go, you’ll need an iPad or iPhone running iOS 6.1.0-6.1.2. If you’ve already upgraded to iOS 7 then there’s likely no way to downgrade, but we live in hope that a Jailbreak for the new OS will appear soon.

A fake Apple advert claiming the new iOS 7 software makes iPhones and iPads waterproof has apparently fooled some users into destroying their devices.

The "advert" circulating on social media sites claims that updating devices with the operating system installs a "smart switch" that cuts off the phone's power supply when water is detected.

This, it claims, "prevents any damage to your iPhone's delicate circuitry".

The advert looks remarkably similar to an authentic Apple advertisement, with the same plain white background and minimalist font and style.

It seems some users have been fooled into dunking their expensive gadgets into water to test out the promised feature, only to render their devices useless.

One user wrote on Twitter: "Whoever said iOS 7 was waterproof **** you."

Another wrote: "OK whoever said iOS 7 is waterproof GO **** YOURSELF."

The prank idea is believed to have originally started on the controversial forum 4Chan.

The iOS 7 software was released last week, and is available as a free upgrade for newer models of the iPhone and iPad.

It provides a series of new features including an overhaul of the interface.

It was released shortly before the new iPhone 5S and 5C models went on sale.

The 5S features a fingerprint unlocking device for extra security. However, a group of German hackers has found a way to bypass the measure.

The group, known as the Chaos Computer Club, says a fingerprint of the phone user, photographed from a glass surface, is enough to create a fake latex finger that could unlock the phone.

Apple has not yet commented.

  The flagship iPhone 5S will feature a new chip that offers what Apple claims is desktop computer calibre performance, an improved camera and a fingerprint security scanner; the iPhone 5C will use a plastic body and many of the internals of the existing iPhone 5. Both will feature the new operating system, iOS7, that Apple hopes will update its software to compete with newer versions from Google and Microsoft.

Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president, called the 5S “the most forward-thinking phone perhaps anyone has ever made,” while chief executive Tim Cook announced that Apple would this month ship its 700-millionth iOS device, emphasising that the iPhone remains the world’s most popular single phone. Designer Sir Jony Ive called the Iphone 5S “our most refined iPhone yet”.

In what analysts greeted as a solid but largely expected pair of updates, Mr Cook claimed “We don’t just pack in feature after feature; instead we think deeply about the experience we want to create.” The remark places Apple in contrast to its growing rival Samsung, who has been accused of valuing features over the experience of using its devices.

The fingerprint sensor, called Touch ID, is a thin circle around the device’s existing home button, and removes the need to enter a pin code to activate the device, but Apple did not claim it would replace the need for more advanced security features such as those required by online banking or shopping. It will, however, work for purchases on Apple’s own iTunes Store for music and apps purchases.

The cheaper iPhone 5C, however, will be the larger shift for Apple, which for the first time will market a pair of devices, aimed respectively at the premium and the budget markets. Available in five colours, it will feature a metal-reinforced plastic body around a black screen. It will also run the new iOS7 operating system, which introduces a new look to the familiar iPhone screen, and which Mr Cook described as “the biggest change to IPhone since the original iPhone”.

Malik Saadi, of analysts Informa, said the new devices were “mainly addressed at new audiences with the aim of extending the market opportunities of the iPhone beyond the high-end segment of the market”.

He added, however, that Apple had much to prove with the new devices, as its appeal has come under pressure in important new markets, despite a slight recovery in Western market share. “The timing of this launch is crucial as the industry is getting close to the end of the third financial quarter and the iPhone’s performance during this period has been largely below expectations, particularly in China where the growth rate is falling rapidly,” he said. “It is becoming obvious that Apple can no longer afford to address the whole world as a single market for its iPhone.”

Retailers greeted the diversification strategy positively, however. Scott Hooton, Chief Commercial Officer at Phones 4u, said “We're expecting some very happy customers after today’s Apple announcement that a more affordable version of the new iPhone, the iPhone 5c, will be available alongside the iPhone 5s. Our research has shown that there is a strong appetite for both options – with 27 per cent of people indicating an interest in getting their hands on a lower cost iPhone and 33 per cent more inclined to buy a premium version.” He added that overall, demand for the latest iPhone is at an all-time high with a 76 per cent increase in the number of customers interested in purchasing the new device, since the launch of the iPhone 5 last year.”

The iPhone 5S will sell from £549, with Apple claiming it would offer similar battery performance to the existing model, despite a significantnly improved processor which it claims is unique in the world of mobile phones and will unleash a new wave of more powerful app. Its App Store and Google’s rival Play Store now contain approximately the same number of apps, and Apple is thought to be keen to regain its lead. Google also claims it is approaching 1billion active devices, while Apple has said only that it has sold 700m iOS units.

Although the 5C will officially retail for £469, just £80 less than the 5S, it will present a new opportunity for retailers and a new challenge for Apple, whose brand is notoriously closely guarded  However, is it actually a budget phone? You could probably pick up an iphone 5 for a lower price than one of these and the iPhone 5 has pretty much the same specs. Although i like the idea of Apple introducing a budget handset, and feel it will greatly increase their market share, I feel they have priced this handset too high to make much of an impression.

Meanwhile, the use of the fingerprint sensor in the 5S could be adopted by other retailers, but some commentators expressed scepticism that it may become like Apple’s ‘voice assistant’ Siri, which is largely regarded as a gimmick. Improvements in the service, however, mean it is gaining in popularity. Fingerprint sensors have previously been introduced in other devices, such as those made by Motorola, to limited success.

A London programmer named Hamza Sood has found evidence of support for fingerprint recognition through the home button in the latest version (V4) of the iOS 7 beta released yesterday to developers. Sood found a BiometricKitUI folder within the AccessibilityBundles in the Library directory of the new OS that contains the code in the above image.

Sood told 9to5Mac that the text in the <string> tags in the image “are what an iPhone with VoiceOver on would read to a user.”  9to5Mac also reported that another source told them that “the user-interface for the fingerprint scanning system has been complete.” If this is to be believed, then these text strings describe the images in an on-screen tutorial instructing users how to touch the home button on an iPhone to scan their fingerprint to unlock the phone. Apparently the image of a fingerprint (whether generic or particular) appears on the screen and changes color during the recognition process (Sood, being in London ostensibly has the UK version of iOS that spells this as “colour.”) This second source also told 9to5Mac that “the technology is focused around unlocking the phone, so it is unclear if it is built for a payment system (as rumored) in the next iPhone.”

That next iPhone has been rumored to make use of the fingerprint recognition technology that Apple has acquired from AuthenTec. If iOS 7 supports fingerprint recognition using the home button, that would further suggest that this rumor is true.

But it’s potentially even more interesting than that. As Bulgarian designer/developer Pavel Simeonov just tweeted, “Fingerprint sensor in iPhone 5S is much more than a gimmick. This + iCloud keychain = end of passwords.” So this is not just about security, but also convenience. If iCloud keychain converts and safeguards all of your passwords that you—and only you—can access via your iPhone, then Apple will have scored a tremendous usability coup that potentially makes its phone the key to your life—quite literally. These 14 lines of code could indeed have big implications!

Apple today released its third beta version of iOS 7, only two weeks after pushing out the second iteration of its newest operating system to developers.

The latest update includes fixes for pre-release bugs in Messages, iCloud, and AirPlay.

Specifically, problems with the new iCloud Keychain feature have been patched, as well as issues with the Find My iPhone and Bookmarks toggles, according to Apple Insider, which cited sources familiar with the release notes.

The Messages application, meanwhile, no longer presents an empty message list; Apple also addressed a flaw that caused the app to crash when the user viewed attachments on two separate threads.

A reportedly common issue that caused some apps to receive duplicate push notifications, or none at all, has been updated, and the app switcher now shows all suspended applications, Apple Insider said.

Developers with an authorized Apple account can download the software update, and get back to building iOS 7-compatible applications before the OS's expected fall launch.

Apple unleashed iOS 7 to the developer community at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) on June 10. At the time, the updated OS was only available for the iPhone and iPod touch, however, so last month's beta update included a version for the iPad. Beta 2 also included the return of Voice Memo, the option to select a male voice for Siri, an overhauled Reminders app, and a variety of other small tweaks.

In beta 3, Cupertino also squashed a bug that would not save per-app settings in the Background App Refresh option. Additionally, custom Passcode Lock and Auto-Lock settings have been fixed, along with authorization alerts for Newsstand background downloads.

There is still more work for Apple before the general public can get their hands on the new operating system; developers told Apple Insider that a range of applications, including Calendar, Contacts, Notes, Safari, Passbook, and others, still have problems.

The iOS 7 update, scheduled to release this fall for iPhone 4 and up, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini, and the fifth-generation iPod touch, is "the biggest change to iOS since the iPhone," CEO Tim Cook said at WWDC.

For more, check out PCMag's roundup of iOS 7's Most Exciting Features above. Also see iOS 7: What We Wanted vs. What We Got and 15 iOS 7 Features Cribbed From Other Platforms.

Personally I've always found this notification center a bit dull. I mean it's always the same old boring grey background which, I'm sure a lot of you will agree with me, is just too ordinary.

However, if you are like me and wish to customise the background of this it can be done quite easily by simply following the steps in one of my videos.

All you have to do is download an app and from then on it's customise the notification center all you like.

An example of the notification center with a changed background is below. Surely this looks a lot better?

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and customise your notification center now with Custom NC Background.