Wesley's Tool-Box

As far as changes go, iPhone 7 is doing a big jump we've come to expect when the major number changes (e.g. iPhone 5S to iPhone 6). It just happens to be that Apple was happy to keep the general shape and size for the third generation. Personally, this seems like Apple is happy with these design decisions instead of being lazy. After all, Original iPhone style survived three generations as well until thinner design became feasible.

In any case, the packaging of the iPhone 7 is also largely the same as the previous 4.7" iPhones. Two major differences, other than the phone itself, are the photo of the iPhone on the box and the bundled EarPod earphones using the Lightning connector instead of the 3.5mm earphone jack. 3.5mm to Lightning adapter is included for those who need to use the existing earphones.


Speaking of the earphone jack, iPhone 7 indeed no longer has one as you can see here. This has been the source of much online drama, but I expect it to simmer down as time goes on, much like when Lightning connector itself was introduced with iPhone 5.

iPhones and iPads bought (or intended to be sold) in either Korea or Japan has the camera shutter sound forcibly turned on at maximum volume no matter what sound setting is used. I've noted this three years ago. This is due to local regulations, but even making a screenshot causes the same sound, which is inconvenient.

Recently, though, someone at Ruliweb has posted an interesting tip that can override this if you're using iOS 10.0.1. I would like to share this information here.

1. Run Settings app and go to General > Accessibility

2. Scroll to the bottom and enter "Accessibility Shortcut" option. Select "AssistiveTouch".

3. Back in the Accessibility menu, scroll up to the middle. Find and enter "AssistiveTouch" option.

4. Enter "Customize Top Level Menu" and remove icons until there's only one left. Select "Mute" for this icon. (If you leave two or more icons, this tip will not work.)

When you triple-click the home button, a small floating AssistiveTouch button will appear on the screen. When you press it, the system sound will be muted completely, including the camera shutter sound and alarm. Pressing the AssistiveTouch button again will re-enable the system sound, and triple-clicking the home button will hide the AssistiveTouch button.

In a nutshell, you can use AssistiveTouch to disable or enable camera shutter sound at will. User reports indicate that the tip works across all devices, including iPhone 7 that I personally confirmed. However, it doesn't seem to work on iOS 9. Therefore it isn't clear if this is a bug or an intended effect. Use at your discretion.

I had about four and a half hours to go around Osaka once I bought my iPhone 7. That's not much of a time to see this city, but since I've been here quite a few times before, I didn't have a specific place I wanted to go to. So instead I decided to see if I could reach most of the major areas and take snapshots as some sort of a time-limited challenge. First, I started off from the Namba Station at the Minami ("South") area, where this started and ended.


Walking up a bit north, I reached Dotonbori, the flashy shopping and entertainment district along the namesake canal. This place is quite a sight to see in the night, but I didn't have the luxury of staying that late this time.