Ask Adrian: Shall I wait for the next iPhone or ‘upgrade’ now?

Our technology editor answers your trickiest tech questions

The iPhone 15 is the current model, with the iPhone 16 due out in the autumn

Adrian Weckler

Question: I’m due an upgrade to my iPhone but am wondering whether I should wait until the next model? Is there a new one coming out soon? — Miriam O’Mahony

​Answer:

It will be late September or October before the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro are available. If it was me, I wouldn’t bother waiting. From what we hear, the main upgrades will be slightly thinner bezels. Which is to say, it will be almost exactly the same. So don’t let that be a reason to hold off.

On a general point, there’s a new iPhone every autumn. Sometimes it’s worth waiting for the new model. I don’t think it will be this year.

Taking a step back, I have to ask you about something else in your question. An ‘upgrade’? Are you paying for a subsidised phone? If so, you’re almost certainly paying over the odds. “Upgrades” usually come with monthly mobile bills that are €45, €55 or even more. You should not be paying more than €25 – maximum — for a monthly mobile bill. If you are, it’s because you just haven’t got around to switching to one of the main affordable networks — Gomo or 48 — or one of the slightly pricier but still not extortionate alternatives such as Three or Tesco Mobile.

If you’re one of those who thinks it all sounds like a hassle to change, know that it isn’t. You keep your number and it can be done within an hour. Ask anyone who has switched from one of the expensive Vodafone (in particular) packages and they’ll tell you that they wouldn’t go back.

Question: Is my phone listening to me? I was talking to someone about a possible holiday to a country we’ve never been to before and now I’m getting ads on Facebook about it. — Peadar Boyle

​Answer:

No, your phone isn’t listening to you. Either you, or someone in your close family or friend group went off and googled that country for holidays. Or there’s a promotion on to that place. Or a number of other explanations (I’ve written about this in depth before, see independent.ie for more).

Not only is it illegal for phones to illicitly ‘listen in’ on your physical conversations, they have no way of monetising it. (It’s not possible for a company to buy ads on a social network based on keywords gleaned from ‘listening’ to a physical conversation.)

Email your questions to ­aweckler@independent.ie

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