How to know if an iPhone is refurbished

Refurbished iPhones are available in the market at low rates and are sometimes even certified by Apple Inc. itself. These are specifically the phones that have been returned by their previous owners due to some kind of software glitch or device problems (ranging from breaks and scratches to bigger hardware problems). Apple takes away these devices from the market, repairs them, replaces faulty parts and resells them. Most of the refurbished products are fully functional and operational but available at a low price. This makes refurbished phones a popular choice among buyers.

Now, there could be cases when the retailer would be selling you a refurbished iPhone, stating it to be a completely new package. Some cases have also been reported where a refurbished iPhone still has the inherent problems of software and hardware. Whatever it is, as a buyer, you need to know what you are paying for. Even if you are actually looking for a refurbished phone, you need to know that it is fully functional and operational.

From the outside, the packaging of a refurbished iPhone would look just like an original (read unused) one. However, there are certain tricks to identify refurbishments.

Look for the Apple certified seal 

The Apple certification seal will rightly indicate if your iPhone has been tested and worked upon by Apple technicians. 

Check the package carefully 

Refurbished phones come only in all white boxes or no box at all. For this, you can go to an original Apple store, check out their packaging and match it with the refurbished packaging you have eyes on. 

Checking the serial number 

The serial number contains a lot of information than you can imagine. Follow the steps below: 

After turning on the phone, go to Settings > General > About > Serial number (fourth last in the list). You can also get the serial number by turning off the phone, taking out the SIM and the serial number should be printed on the SIM tray.

Now, if your phone has been worked upon by Apple technicians, the first digit of the refurbished device would be 5. Further, the thirds digit in the serial number represents the year of manufacturing. If the number is 7, it means that the phone was manufactured in 2007. The different between the year of manufacture and the year you are buying it should help address queries. Lastly, the fourth and the fifth digits will indicate the week (pertaining to the year of manufacturing) of production.

Check for the space where the Apple seal features itself 

For devices like iPhone 4S, 5, 5S, 6 and 6S, the Apple certification seal should be at the bottom of the box. Anything otherwise would mean that the seller is trying to do something strange. 

If you have the budget, it is always advisable to go for new devices than refurbished ones. However, if you have brought home a refurbished device by mistake, you are stuck with it. This should also work fine, but do ensure:

1. That the battery is new and working. Old batteries come with reduced battery life.
2. Don’t try running unnecessary apps.
3. Add extra screen protection solutions (screen guards, covers, etc)
4. Never go for third party software, even if it is for things like virus protection
 

A well refurbished iPhone is as good as a new one. However, as a customer, you should ensure that your investment doesn’t go in the wrong way.

Reasons behind the Rejection of Apps on Apple Store [Infographic]

Apple Store is well known for its uniqueness. More than millions of apps were rejected in 2014 alone by Apple because they were not according to the guidelines of this famous platform.

Apple is a big platform where every application developer wants to get positive reception and recognition. Various reasons are there behind the rejection of apps on Apple Store. Here are few causes which can even drag any submission into the categorization of being discarded. Take a look.  

Infographic created by: Hot Bargain Phones

Top 10 Iphone Tips And Tricks

You may be using a smartphone for several years but they always come with surprises. We use a smartphone but our knowledge is just limited to a few known features. Few years ago iPhones were identified as the most sophisticated phones used by people with big pockets but these days even an average earning person can also afford an iPhone. The only problem is, most of us might not know the tricks of handling the device as it was conceived to be. Let us have a look on a few hidden tips and tricks of iPhones.

1. It’s a very rare occurrence, but sometimes an iPhone might lock up automatically. Maybe it won’t wake up from sleep mode, even if you know that the battery isn’t completely drained, therefore don’t panic.

2. There is a dictionary built into iOS that you can use to look up for definitions at almost any time. If you see a word which you don’t recognize then tap and hold on it and you can get the meaning.

3. IMessage does two tasks as an SMS app. When you’re texting your non-iPhone using friends, anything over 160 characters gets split into two. You can see when this is going to happen by adding a character count to iMessage.

4. You can immediately jump to the top of a long web page, email, document, etc. Like if you’ve scrolled down to the end of a page and want to go back to the top, tap on the clock at the top of the screen. You’ll be taken right to the beginning.

5. If you have just typed a long sentence and accidentally deleted it then you need not worry. You can simply shake your iPhone and by doing that you can easily red0 or undo your message. No other smartphone by far can provide you with this unique feature. 

6. Some people complain that Apple’s smart phone doesn’t have an LED to flash to silently notify you of an incoming call or an alarm going off, a standard feature on most of this device’s competitors. Actually it does: the camera flash can be set to take care of this issue.

7. You can raise your iPhone to your ear and start barking out orders to Siri at any time, without needing to touch the Home button. You need to enable this, though. Just go to Settings > General > Siri > Raise to Speak.

8. The Lock Screen isn’t really locked. Even without unlocking your device you can do quite a bit. Tap and hold on the Home button and you’ll bring up Siri. Double tap the Home button and audio controls will appear. And, of course, a camera button was added to the Lock Screen in iOS 5.1.  

9. You can take a picture using the headphone cord. Ever want to get a bit farther away from the camera when taking a self portrait? Everyone should know that you can snap a picture with your iPhone by pressing the Volume Up button, but few people realize that this works with the volume buttons built into the headphones, too.

10. You can create an image of your iPhone’s screen at any point. Press down the Home and Power buttons at the same time and a screenshot will be saved in the Images app.

 

Guide to Buy a Refurbished Smartphone [Infographic]

Are you planning to buy a latest smartphone? You can give a thought to refurbished phone if you are tight on budget. You can get the same features and warranty with a refurbished one as well. 

Refurbished phones have been used formerly by customers however the customer might return the phone to the company for some internal faults. The company checks the phone and runs several tests. They also repair it if they find any faults. Here are some tips you should follow while buying refurbished phones.

 

7 Smart Ways to improve your iPhone’s Battery Life

Improving iPhone’s battery life is something that most of the mobile users need to know about. When you use your phone regularly, and check it for everything in your day-to-day life, it can truly drain the battery and possibly abandon you with a dead phone- exactly when you require it most!

So, here are a couple of tips to dragging out and extending your iPhone’s battery life:

Hey wait, before sharing the tips to improve the battery of your iPhone, you can check out these amazing deals on iPhone if you are looking to buy one:

 Alternatively, you can check Hot Bargain Phones for more amazing deals.

1. Switch to Airplane mode when you don’t need your phone 

One of the greatest culprits for battery usage on iPhone batteries is a poor signal, your phone is continually looking for a signal and in case you’re in a region with poor signal, it can put a strain on your battery. You should seriously consider switching Airplane mode on (Find it in “Settings”). In case, you’re in a meeting, or travelling, then this is a smart thought- just remember to change it back to normal later or you won’t get calls. You ought to additionally attempt and use Wi-Fi rather than cellular data whenever possible.  

2. Get rid of background apps 

You’d be astonished at how many numbers of apps are running out in the background on your iPhone. Many work operators sending you notifications and sucking you iPhone batteries away. You can double tap your home key and the applications which are open will show up on your screen, essentially swipe upwards on the app screen you don’t wish to have to run. Do this frequently- you’ll be astonished at how many apps you will have opened! You can likewise go to Settings > Notification Centre, to pick the apps you don’t need any warnings from. 

3. Get rid of dynamic backgrounds 

They look pretty at first, yet moving or ‘dynamic’ backgrounds deplete a lot of battery life. So choose a simple picture for your lock and home screen. Go to Settings > Wallpapers, then pick an image from your gallery or a stock picture supplied. 

4. Get your email manually 

This tip relies on the amount of email you got, and how regularly you need to syncing. If you just need to check mail at regular intervals, choose to have push emails instead of fetch. You can find the option to do this in Settings.

5. Turn off Location Tracking 

You usually don’t need applications to know where you are always. So to stop this, go to Setting > Privacy > Location Services and turn all of them off, or select particular apps you would prefer not to track you. 

6. Think about heat  

Look after you phone. This implies not leaving your iPhone lying in direct daylight or in a lot of heat. If it gets hot when you’re charging it, remove the case or any abundance iPhone parts to permit it to cool down.  

7. Get a new battery 

If you’re finding the charge really rubbish on your iPhone batteries, you may think about purchasing as another one. This can truly prolong the life of your iPhone. If you decide to do this, ensure you use iPhone genuine battery replacements when you’re looking at Apple spare parts online. Just a genuine and certifiable iPhone battery will be good for your phone – so don’t be tricked into thinking a mediocre unbranded battery would be pretty much as great. It could harm your iPhone more than helping it!