How Tos

watchOS 3: How to Share Activity With Your Friends

Thursday September 22, 2016 8:19 am PDT by Mitchel Broussard
When watchOS 3 launched alongside iOS 10, it brought a handful of feature additions and speed improvements to the Apple Watch. One of the new social features is a way for users to share their Activity Rings with friends and family through "Activity Sharing." Mainly focused in iOS 10's Activity app, the ability to share workout data nevertheless requires an Apple Watch updated to watchOS 3, and for you to be comfortable with certain people receiving live updates on your fitness activity. When you're ready to start sharing your Activity Rings, and you've updated to both iOS 10 and watchOS 3, follow these steps: Activity Sharing on iPhone Open "Activity" on your iPhone. Navigate to the "Sharing" tab on the bottom right. Tap the "+" icon in the top right corner to add a friend. The app will offer suggestions from your contacts of users who may own an Apple Watch, so you can tap one of those or type in someone specific in the text box. You can include multiple invitations at one time, and once you have everyone included in the "To" box, tap "Send." From there, simply wait for your friend to accept the invitation. Afterwards, you'll begin to see one another's Calorie, Workout, and Standing rings in the same Sharing tab you sent the invite from. Once you amass a group of friends and family members, you can also sort the data in helpful partitions depending on what you'd like to see. Simply tap "Sort" in the top left corner of the Sharing tab and choose from Name, Move, Exercise, Steps, and Workouts as the primary focus.
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How to Use Siri in macOS Sierra

Wednesday September 21, 2016 7:28 am PDT by Husain Sumra
With macOS Sierra, Apple has finally brought its well-known personal assistant, Siri, to the Mac. Siri for Mac differs from iOS' version of Siri in several ways, taking advantage of the larger real estate of a Mac's display and the Finder file system. Users can also easily transfer or pin Siri's search results to the Notification Center or documents they're working on. To help you get started with Siri for Mac, we've put together a guide outlining what it's capable of. Activating Siri There are three ways to activate Siri in Sierra. Two of the methods are visually obvious while the third is not. The Dock icon sitting in between the Finder and Launchpad logos. The Menu Bar toggle in between the Spotlight search and Notification Center icons. The keyboard command. Hold the Command and Space buttons for approximately two seconds. Siri can be enabled two ways. While you're installing macOS Sierra, there'll be a prompt asking you whether you'd like to enable Siri. Additionally, Siri can be enabled and disabled in the Siri section of System Preferences. There are several other options for Siri in System Preferences, including language, voice, voice feedback, mic input and customized keyboard shortcuts.
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How to Perform a Clean Installation of macOS Sierra

Wednesday September 21, 2016 6:47 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
macOS Sierra is Apple's latest desktop operating system, which succeeds OS X El Capitan and adopts a new name to bring it in line with iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The OS will come pre-installed on all new Macs once current stock is depleted and is a free download for existing Mac owners. The main new feature in macOS Sierra is deep Siri integration, bringing Apple's personal assistant to the Mac for the first time. It also adds new features to Photos and Messages, and includes Continuity smarts like Universal Clipboard and an Auto Unlock option for Apple Watch owners. This tutorial explains how to download macOS Sierra and perform a clean install, which offers several benefits over the automatic upgrade process included in the installation package.
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macOS Sierra: How to Unlock Your Mac With Your Apple Watch

Tuesday September 20, 2016 1:04 pm PDT by Juli Clover
macOS Sierra makes it easier for Apple Watch owners to unlock their Macs with a new "Auto Unlock" feature that lets the Apple Watch be used for authentication purposes instead of a traditional password. It's a feature that's limited to more recent Macs so it's not going to work on every machine that can run Sierra, but when it is available, Auto Unlock is a super useful feature that genuinely saves a bit of time. It isn't enabled by default, so there are a few steps to go through to turn Auto Unlock on. Here's how to use it. Navigate to the Apple logo on the upper left hand of the screen and select "System Preferences." Click on "Security & Privacy" from the first row of apps. Auto Unlock is an option under the "General" section. Click the check box to turn it on. Enter your password. Once enabled, Auto Unlock works automatically whenever your authenticated Apple Watch is near your Mac (as in within a few feet). When waking a Mac from sleep and the password entry screen pops up, it will say "Unlocking with Apple Watch..." instead of bringing up the password text box. A few seconds later, the Mac will unlock and you will receive a notification on your Apple Watch letting you know the unlocking was successful. If Auto Unlock fails to authenticate for some reason, the password entry option will pop up after approximately 10 seconds and you will be required to enter your password to log in. Auto Unlock is a Continuity feature, so it is limited to some of Apple's more recent machines. It is supported by all Mac models introduced in mid-2013
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macOS Sierra: How to Use Apple Pay on the Web

Tuesday September 20, 2016 10:52 am PDT by Juli Clover
macOS Sierra and iOS 10 both include a new Continuity feature that allows Apple Pay to be used to make purchases on the web using Safari, giving Apple users an alternative to other web-based payment services like PayPal. On Macs, Apple Pay for the web requires an iPhone with Touch ID and Apple Pay support or an Apple Watch, as payments are authenticated through the phone or watch. Apple Pay on the web requires merchants to adopt Apple Pay, so it isn't yet available everywhere, but support has started rolling out. Sites like Time Inc., Wayfair, and Apple's own online Apple Store have started accepting Apple Pay, and payment processors like Stripe, Big Commerce, Shopify, and Squarespace all offer support, so it may be almost everywhere in just a couple of months. Here's how it works: Visit a website that supports Apple Pay on the web, like Apple.com. I'll be using Apple's online store as an example. Choose a product you want to purchase and click "Add to Bag." On Apple's site, you're automatically taken to the cart, where "Check out with Apple Pay" is an option. Choose it. At the next checkout screen, choose delivery options and then click on the Apple Pay button. If you're wearing an authenticated Apple Watch, you'll be asked to verify the payment with the watch. Double tap on the side button (watchOS 3) to confirm and make the purchase. With no Apple Watch, a confirmation screen will pop up on a connected iPhone, locked or unlocked. It requires a fingerprint to be placed on the Touch ID home button to confirm the payment. Once
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How to Reset an iPhone 7 or Enter DFU Mode for Last-Ditch Recovery

Friday September 16, 2016 9:22 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
This tutorial explains how to reset an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and how to activate Device Firmware Upgrade (DFU) mode to troubleshoot your device if needed. Apple has changed the reset process with the iPhone 7 series, and with the devices now making their way into users' hands, it's a good time to let everyone know what to do when things go wrong. A hard reset basically force-reboots your iPhone, which is useful if the device is freezing, throwing up errors, or has stopped responding completely. DFU mode, on the other hand, restores an iPhone if a reset or standard Recovery Mode doesn't solve the problem you're experiencing. DFU mode lets the device interface with iTunes, update the firmware and restore the OS without automatically installing the last downloaded version. It's useful for installing older versions of iOS if a beta persistently hangs your phone, or if a jailbreak goes bad. Note for iPhone 6s and earlier owners: Apple has had to alter the hard reset process and DFU mode activation on the iPhone 7 because the physical-click home button has been replaced with a Force Touch-based Taptic Engine, which is rendered unresponsive if the OS isn't functioning properly. Owners of iPhone 6s/6s Plus or earlier devices should therefore consider all mentions of the "lower volume button" in the below steps to indicate when the home button should be held down instead.
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How to Customize Favorite Contacts in iOS 10

Thursday September 15, 2016 11:20 pm PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Among the many new features in iOS 10 is a neat way to organize your favorite contacts and even access them quickly thanks to a new widget system introduced in the update. iOS 10 goes beyond general phone call-launching features, introducing ways to customize whether each contact icon will call, FaceTime, text, or email the person you tap on. The addition makes favorites a far more useful and personal feature, superior to the 3D Touch Quick action it was limited to in previous versions of iOS (an enhanced 3D Touch option is still available). It should be noted that the basic communication preferences stored within each contact card on your iPhone will come into play when customizing your new favorites widget, so be sure to add in any phone numbers and email addresses before you start if you haven't done so already. Customizing Favorites in the Phone App Once you have iOS 10 downloaded, follow these steps to navigate through the new way you can customize favorites in the phone app. The above image represents Step 5 in the instructions below Navigate to the Phone app. The app should open on the "Favorites" tab, but if not tap to it. Tap the "+" button in the top left corner of the screen. Search for the contact you want to add and tap it. Choose between Message, Call, Video, or Mail as your shortcut. To pick a number or email other than the one shown as default, tap the small down arrow to the right of Message, Call, or Mail to pick from any number/email already stored in your phone for this contact. Return to the Favorites tab and your new quick
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Messages in iOS 10: How to Send Handwritten Notes

Thursday September 15, 2016 1:28 pm PDT by Juli Clover
The Messages app in iOS 10 has been entirely overhauled, adding a slew of new capabilities that make it more fun to keep in touch with friends and family. One of the more personal touches added to Messages is a new handwriting feature, which allows users to send handwritten messages to their loved ones. Using the handwriting feature is simple, but it's also a bit hidden on the iPhone, because the button to activate it won't show up unless you're in landscape mode. Here's how to do it: On an iPhone, turn it to landscape mode. On the iPad, you can use handwriting in landscape or portrait mode. Tap the handwriting squiggle to the right of the return key on the iPhone or to the right of the number key on the iPad. On the iPhone 6 and 6s, the handwriting screen will pop up automatically. Use a finger to write whatever you would like to say on the screen. Once you reach the end of the screen, press the arrow if you would like to keep writing. Go back to the beginning by using a two finger swipe. Alternatively, tap one of the pre-written options below, which include phrases like "thank you," "happy birthday," and "I'm sorry." When finished, tap "Done" to return to the standard keyboard. Your handwritten message will be available as an image to send in the message compose box. After you send your handwritten message to someone, it will display as a neat little animation that lets the person on the other end watch as you write each letter. Handwritten messages need to be viewed within the Messages app and notifications for them will simply read
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How to Use Apple Music Lyrics in iOS 10

Thursday September 15, 2016 9:28 am PDT by Husain Sumra
One of the newest features in iOS 10's redesigned Apple Music app is the ability to view lyrics for your favorite songs. While the ability to quickly access song lyrics to learn the lines is helpful, the new feature may get lost in the midst of Apple Music's new look. We've put together a how-to guide to show you how to view lyrics for your songs. First, you'll need to start playing a song. Once a song is playing, click on the song's banner, just above the Apple Music menu bar at the bottom, to open the song's individual card. From here, there are two methods to view lyrics. Method One: Tap the "three dots" button in the bottom right corner. This brings up a menu overlay displaying options for the song, like adding it to a playlist or creating a station. Tap the "Lyrics" button below the "Share Song" option. Songs with available lyrics will have this option displayed, while songs without lyrics available will not. The lyrics will pop up in a separate translucent window that slides over the song window. Method Two: Scroll down while in the song card. The lyrics toggle will be displayed directly beneath the song, right above the "Up Next" feature. Tap on "Show" to reveal the lyrics to your song. Currently, lyrics are not available on all songs and albums, but Apple has been rapidly expanding the number of tracks with lyrics support throughout the beta testing period and coverage has become fairly broad in time for the public
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Photos in iOS 10: How to Edit Memories

Wednesday September 14, 2016 6:30 pm PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Within the new Photos app in iOS 10, there's a tab called "Memories," which curates various photos and videos you've taken in the past into specific memory collections. Without any steps required on your part, Memories gives you an automatic homemade movie from these past family gatherings or vacations, but thanks to a few editing tools, you can also tweak each memory to your liking (note all steps are in portrait mode, although landscape is available). Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Navigate to Photos to find the new "Memories" tab in the center of the app, where you can scroll through your personally curated list of memories and choose whichever one you wish to edit and share. Within each detailed memory view, you'll find a list of all the photos and videos contained in the memory (tap "Show all" to see more than a summary), the geographic location the pictures were taken, nearby photos, and related memories you might be interested in. A few examples of Memories in the new Photos app The last two options at the very bottom let you favorite the memory or delete it permanently. Although the "Select" option on this page might seem like an option to remove photos only from this memory, it should be noted that deleting any content through this method will delete it from your iPhone and iCloud Photo Library, not only the memory. Jump to the instructions for "complex memory editing" below to discover how to delete photos and videos only from the memory, as well as add more.
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Messages in iOS 10: How to Use Digital Touch

Wednesday September 14, 2016 3:09 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In iOS 10, the Messages app is gaining Digital Touch, a communication feature that was previously limited to watchOS. With Digital Touch, you can send friends and family drawings, heartbeats, fireballs, kisses, and more, all with just a few taps. Sketches, taps, and other Digital Touch messages created on your iPhone are also viewable on the Apple Watch and vice versa, giving you plenty of ways to express yourself. Here's how to use the new feature. Accessing Digital Touch Open the Messages app. Open an existing conversation or start a new one. Tap the icon that looks like two fingers over a heart. Tap on the arrow on the right hand side to expand the Digital Touch window. You can send taps and drawings by using the smaller Digital Touch interface that replaces the keyboard, but there's more screen real estate to work with when it's expanded to the size of the full iPhone display.
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How to Use the New Control Center in iOS 10

Wednesday September 14, 2016 2:11 pm PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Although iOS 10 brings with it a few subtle visual and mechanical changes, some of its alterations to the most-used iPhone software features will probably be pretty easy to spot. One of those is the new Control Center, which has not only received a cosmetic upgrade, but has gotten a few new added abilities as well. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The Control Center, in essence, is no longer a single card stocked with all of the expected iOS features you've become used to seeing (like the flashlight, calculator, and timer) — it's now a sliding collection of three panels. The first is a basic launchpad of settings like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the second is dedicated to Apple Music, and the third houses your favorite accessories from Apple's new HomeKit-focused app "Home." Control Center in iOS 9 (left) and iOS 10 (right) Some of these shuffled-around buttons can make Control Center in iOS 10 a bit discombobulating when you first bring it up, so follow this guide to get a general impression of how to use Control Center, and how to find your favorite features that may not be where they were before.
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How to Use Native 3D Touch Actions in iOS 10

Wednesday September 14, 2016 12:35 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick
With iOS 10, Apple has focused on expanding 3D Touch functionality to make it more relevant to users, in the hope that they eventually come to see it as second nature. If you have an iPhone 6s or later, there are a wide range of 3D Touch gestures that you can test out in iOS 10, particularly from the home screen. Here we've compiled a list of native app icons that now support 3D Touch, as well as a handful of other useful functions. Some of them will be more relevant to you than others, depending on your usage habits. You can find additional 3D Touch shortcuts for the Control Center and Widgets Panel in iOS 10 in our respective how-to guides. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Settings Icon Some of the most handy 3D Touch functions can be found by hard-pressing the Settings app icon, which allows you to access the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi screens to quickly connect to a wireless device or hotspot.
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Messages in iOS 10: How to Use Emoji Replacement and Prediction

Tuesday September 13, 2016 6:21 pm PDT by Mitchel Broussard
In iOS 10, Apple is making it even easier to use emojis with an all-new replacement and predictive system that replaces key words and phrases with relevant emoji characters. Although still short of a full-featured search functionality -- which many have asked for -- the new emoji replacement ability turns text messages into emoji-filled communications that are fun alternatives to basic blocks of text. Using Emoji Replacement To insert a few emojis into texts for yourself, follow these steps: Open Messages. Tap on the person you want to chat with. Type a message as normal, but don't hit the send arrow yet. Long-tap on the Globe icon to bring up your list of installed keyboards, and choose "Emoji." Tap any orange-highlighted word directly in your text message to turn it into an emoji. If no highlighted words appear, Apple didn't find any potential emoji replacement opportunities in your message. Tap the send arrow when you're finished. Some emojis have multiple potential keywords, and for these you'll be presented with a pop-up box where you choose the emoji you want to use. The word "confused," for example, is associated with both the "confused" and "neutral" faces.
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How to Use Messages' Tapback, Screen Effects and Bubble Effects in iOS 10

Tuesday September 13, 2016 4:52 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In iOS 10, Messages features creative tools to give users new ways to express themselves and communicate with friends and family. Additions include new bubble effects that change the way iMessage bubbles look, tapback reaction options for sending quick feedback on texts or photos, and screen effects that add fireworks, confetti, and more to the whole messages screen. All of these tools are simple to use, but there are some hidden features and accessing them for the first time can be tricky, so make sure to check out our how-to for pointers. Using Bubble Effects There are currently four kinds of bubble effects that can be added to chat bubbles to impact the mood of a message: Slam, Loud, Gentle, and Invisible Ink. Each one changes the way a chat bubble looks when it's delivered to a friend. Slam, for example, expands the size of the chat bubble and slams it down onto the screen, while Loud enlarges the chat bubble and makes it shake for a few seconds before it settles down. Gentle, meanwhile, makes the text within the chat bubble tiny for a few seconds before it expands in size, and Invisible Ink, the neatest effect, fully obscures the look of the text in the chat bubble until a finger is swiped over it to unveil it.
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Photos in iOS 10: How to Find and Use Image Markup

Tuesday September 13, 2016 3:52 pm PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Apple is expanding the iPhone's photo editing abilities in iOS 10 with a new feature called "Markup" that lets you doodle, magnify, and place text on any picture you have within the Photos app. Thanks to Markup's flexibility, it could be used for both casually sharing photos with friends and family, and also to enhance and add detail to an image in an enterprise situation. Markup is also available directly through the Messages app in iOS 10, adding it to the roster of inventive and colorful updates coming to text messaging in the new iPhone operating system this fall. In both locations, Markup is a bit buried and somewhat difficult to find, so follow these steps to discover the new photo editing feature in iOS 10. Finding Image Markup in Photos Open the Photos app. Find the image you want to edit and tap on it. Tap the editing slider button. While in editing mode, tap the button that looks like an ellipsis within a circle and choose "Markup" from the popup menu. Finding Image Markup in Messages Open Messages. Tap the contact you want to send the photo to. Tap the Camera icon to the left of the iMessage conversation box. Find the image you want to edit by taking a new picture, scrolling right to browse all your images, or scrolling left to jump into a vertical version of your Photo Library. Tap on the photo to place it in the conversation box, then tap on it once again within the box. Tap "Markup" in the bottom left corner. Using Image Markup In Photos or Messages, the editing features of Markup are mostly similar, although the former
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Messages in iOS 10: How to Install and Use Sticker Packs

Tuesday September 13, 2016 2:07 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In iOS 10, the simple Messages app you're familiar with has transformed from a bare bones texting platform into a fun, interactive communication service that takes advantage of games, apps, drawings, stickers, message effects, and more. Following in the footsteps of apps like Facebook and Line, Apple is delving into stickers in a big way, giving iOS users new ways of expressing themselves. Like the real thing, Stickers in iOS can be stuck onto messages or images, or sent by themselves, and they can be resized, rotated, and stuck to other stickers for fun layering effects.
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How to Use iOS 10's Redesigned Lock Screen

Tuesday September 13, 2016 12:32 pm PDT by Mitchel Broussard
With a brand-new iOS operating system now available, many users are excited to delve into iOS 10's biggest and boldest changes, like an overhauled Messages app and a more personal space in Photos to relive past vacations and family get-togethers. However, before you even get to all of iOS 10's new features, you'll have to get used to its new lock screen mechanisms, which completely change the way the iPhone is unlocked moving forward. iOS 10 brings about the first major overhaul to the lock screen since the iPhone launched in 2007, ditching the popular "Slide to Unlock" instruction on the bottom of the screen for a collection of new prompts that make it easier than ever take advantage of the lock screen. Prior to iOS 10, iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users in particular experienced some frustrations with the traditional method of unlocking the phone, as the faster Touch ID system would unlock "too quickly," causing users to miss notifications that might have been on the lock screen. While slightly complex until you get the hang of it, iOS 10 streamlines this process so that you can still have your thumb placed on Touch ID when the iPhone wakes up via a new Raise to Wake feature on the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone SE, without immediately jumping past the lock screen. For more details on how to navigate the lock screen, interact with notifications, and unlock your iPhone, follow each set of instructions below.
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How to Install the iOS 10 Public Beta

Thursday July 7, 2016 3:06 pm PDT by Eric Slivka
With the release of the iOS 10 public beta, many users are thinking about putting the new operating system on their devices to try out all of the new features. We've already taken a look at whether it's a good idea to install the iOS 10 public beta considering potential bugs and other issues that can interfere with your daily usage, but if you've decided to go ahead with installing it, we've put together this how-to to show you the steps you need to take. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. First, you'll need to prepare your iOS device for the update, and the first step is backing things up in case you run into a problem. A full backup to iTunes is recommended, and it should be encrypted if you wish to preserve your Health and Activity data. Archiving the backup is also a good idea to make sure it remains available should you need to roll back from iOS 10. Next, you'll need to install a profile on your device that will give you access to the beta software. It's accessible through Apple's Beta Software Program website, and once you've registered there you'll need to log in from the device you want to install the profile on. If you've previously been enrolled in an iOS public beta or developer program, you may already have profiles installed on your device for testing beta software, and these should be removed through the Settings app before trying to install the new iOS 10 profile. It's possible you may also have a previous pending beta update such as a iOS 9.3.3 beta already downloaded to your device but not yet installed, and you'll want
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How to Password Protect Notes in iOS 9.3 and OS X 10.11.4

Wednesday March 23, 2016 1:34 pm PDT by Mitchel Broussard
Although more prominent features like Night Shift and a few new Quick Actions are getting the spotlight with the launch of iOS 9.3, one new lesser-known update is definitely worth checking out. In iOS 9.3, Apple has improved the functionality of its first-party Notes app with the ability to add password or Touch ID security for individual notes. The feature allows users to prevent access to sensitive information on a case-by-case basis (some notes, like a shopping list, might not be as high risk), just in case someone gets past the lock screen security of the iPhone itself. With some people even using Notes to store passwords for various sites and services, Apple's security-enhanced update is well worth checking out. Creating a Password in Notes on iOS The steps needed to set up a password or Touch ID for your Notes are straight-forward and should only take a few moments to complete.
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