MacRumors

Apple's Family Sharing feature allows you to share music, movies, apps, photos, and more with family members, and in iOS 11, Family Sharing extends to Apple's iCloud Storage plans.

When you purchase a 200GB or 2TB iCloud Storage plan, all members of your family can share the storage space. Depending on how many family members you have, family plans offer more storage at a better price than individual plans.

For example, a 50GB storage plan is priced at $0.99 per person. For two people, the $2.99 200GB plan offers each person an additional 50GB of storage for only $1 more.

How to Upgrade to a Family iCloud Storage Plan

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on your Apple ID profile at the top of the app.
3. Choose "Family Sharing," the sixth option in the list.
4. Tap on "iCloud Storage" to bring up a notice about the new Family Sharing options.
5. Click "Continue" to choose a plan.
6. Pick a 200GB or 2TB plan.

You can also access the plan settings through the standard iCloud Storage menu in the Settings app, accessible by going to iCloud > Manage Storage after tapping on your profile.

How to Stop Sharing iCloud Storage With Family

You can sign up for a 2TB or 200GB storage plan and keep family members from accessing your storage space. Here's how:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on your Apple ID profile.
3. Choose "Family Sharing."
4. Choose "iCloud Storage."
5. Tap on "Stop Sharing With Family."

How to Downgrade iCloud Storage

If you want to go back to a cheaper iCloud Storage option, downgrading is as simple as choosing a new plan. New rates won't kick in until the next billing period.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on your Apple ID profile.
3. Choose "iCloud."
4. Tap on "Manage Storage."
5. Choose "Change" under the iCloud Storage option.
6. Select a 5GB or 50GB plan to downgrade.

It's important to note that there's no way to allocate how much storage each person gets when using one of Apple's new iCloud Storage plans for families, so it's not always an even split. If a family member is hogging too much space, that's a problem that will need to be worked out offline. You can see how much storage each family member is using by going to profile > Family Sharing > iCloud Storage.

When you choose a 200GB or 2TB storage plan and opt in to Family Sharing, family members who are on the free 5GB plan will be upgraded automatically and will begin using the family storage plan.

Family members who already have a paid plan will need to opt in to the family storage plan to transfer over from their own plans. If they want to have separate storage, your family members can continue to pay for their own plans and choose not to opt into the family plan.

To let your family know that you've signed up for a family iCloud plan, Apple offers an automatic iMessage alert that can be sent out to family members that lets them easily switch over to the family plan.

iOS 11 includes a new "Automatic Setup" feature, which is aimed at making it quicker to get a new device ready to use right out of the box. Automatic Setup streamlines the setup process for new iPhones and iPads, transferring over preferences, Apple ID and Wi-Fi info, preferred settings, and iCloud Keychain passwords.

Automatic Setup is not the same as restoring from an iCloud backup and it does not offer full device-to-device content transfer. After transferring settings using Automatic Setup, you will still need to transfer over app data by restoring from a backup, a step available after Automatic Setup is complete.

1. Power on your new device.
2. After choosing your language, you'll see a "Set Up Your iPhone (or iPad)" prompt.
3. When this appears, place your existing iOS device near the new device to initiate Automatic Setup.
4. Your existing device will show a pop up letting you know you can use Automatic Setup. Tap "Continue" to start.
5. An Apple Watch-style pairing image will appear on the new device, and you'll be instructed to scan it with the camera on your existing device.
6. In an area with decent lighting, hold the existing device's camera over the image to pair.
7. Enter the passcode from your existing device on the new device.
8. From there, all of your data starts transferring over to the new device.

After Automatic Setup, you'll need to go through the Touch ID, Siri, and Wallet setup processes, but your other information is synced over. An "Express Settings" feature further speeds up new device activation, automatically enabling Find My iPhone, location services, and analytics. If you don't want these options enabled, tap on "Customize Settings" to change them.

At this point, you can restore all of your apps and app data from an iCloud backup, or set a device up as new. You will need to use the iCloud backup step for a full content transfer from your old device to your new device as Automatic Setup is only for settings and bypassing some of the setup steps that can take several minutes.

To use Automatic Setup, both of the devices involved need to be running the iOS 11 update, so it's perfect for customers who are receiving an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus and have already upgraded their previous-generation devices to iOS 11.

Apple CEO Tim Cook this afternoon announced on Twitter that Apple plans to donate $1 million to recovery efforts in Mexico. "While there is life, there is hope," Cook wrote in the tweet announcing the donation.

On Tuesday, a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Central Mexico, causing widespread devastation in Mexico City and surrounding states. Hundreds of people died in the disaster as buildings and structures collapsed. The earthquake followed a magnitude 8.1-earthquake that hit the southern coast of the country earlier this month.

As of August, Apple had raised more than $3 million both through its own donations, donations from employees, and donations from customers, and on September 8, Apple donated another $5 million to Hand in Hand, a benefit held for hurricane relief. Apple is still accepting Hand in Hand donations through iTunes.

If you have an iPhone 8, Apple Watch Series 3, or Apple TV 4K scheduled for delivery tomorrow, be aware that Apple requires its courier partners like UPS and FedEx to collect a signature upon delivery since they are valuable items.

Fortunately, if you won't be home during the day, Apple offers the option of printing, filling out, and affixing a pre-signed notice to your door, allowing the courier to leave the package without someone being there to sign for it.

How to Pre-Sign for Delivery

1. Open your shipment notification email from Apple.
   
   

2. Click on the blue Pre-Sign for Delivery button.
   

3. Click on the gray Pre-Sign for Delivery button on Apple's order status page.
   
   

4. Check the "I accept the above terms and conditions" box and click the blue "Continue" button.
   
   

5. Click the blue "Print this page" button on the Release Authorization page.
   
   

6. Fill out the form with your complete address information and phone number.
   

7. Indicate whether you would like the delivery at the front door, back door, or somewhere else.
   

8. Print your first and last name, sign, and date the form.
   

9. Affix the form somewhere near the designated place of delivery.

There is also the option to authorize delivery to a neighbor or building manager, but the person must be present to sign for the package. If you prefer this option, make sure to include the person's address on the form.

To ensure that packages are not stolen once the courier leaves, all deliveries are subject to the discretion of the driver. If a delivery is not completed, the driver will leave a door tag detailing the steps you can take to receive your package.

As a point of emphasis, be aware that your shiny new products could be stolen before you get home, and Apple would not be responsible. For this reason, delivery to a back door or other obscure location, or to a neighbor, is the best option.

If you opt not to pre-sign at all, and the package arrives while you are away from home, the driver may attempt delivery again later or, as mentioned, leave a door tag detailing the steps you can take to receive your package.

When you take a screenshot in iOS 11 or later, there's a new feature that's designed to let you open it right up and edit it with Apple's Markup tools.

Using the screenshot editing feature, you can capture what's on the screen of your iPad or iPhone and then add text, crop, highlight specific areas, and more.

Using Instant Markup

1. Press the Home button and the sleep/wake button simultaneously to capture a screenshot.
2. A preview of the screenshot will pop up in the lower left of the display. Tap it to open up the Instant Markup interface. You'll have about five seconds before it disappears.
3. Use a finger to adjust the blue outline if you want to crop your image.
4. Choose a pen/marker/pencil and a color and then draw with a finger or the Apple Pencil (on iPad Pro) to edit your screenshot.

If you take multiple screenshots at once, they'll all be displayed in Instant Markup and you can swipe between them.

There are all kinds of tools in Instant Markup, including a pen, pencil, highlighter, eraser, drop shadow tool, crop, multiple pen colors, and undo/redo.

To access even more tools, tap on the "+" button. This gives you access to a text entry field, a signature tool to add a signature to a screenshot, a magnifier tool, and various shapes.

Saving, Sharing, or Deleting an Edited Screenshot

When you're done editing your screenshot, you can save it to photos, delete it, or share it.

1. To save a photo or delete it, tap the "Done" button in the upper left of the iPad's display and then choose the appropriate option.
2. To share, tap on the Share Sheet icon at the upper right of the display, which will pop up icons to share the screenshot in an iMessage, email, or social network.
3. The Share Sheet also includes options to save the screenshot to the Files app, add it to the Photos app, and more.

Instant Markup is a feature that's present on the iPhone and the iPad in iOS 11. There is no way to turn it off at the current time, so if you dislike those little screenshot popups, the only option is to wait the few seconds for them to disappear or swipe them away to the left of the display.

With the launch of iOS 11 and watchOS 4, Apple made it easier than ever to turn your own personal photography into an Apple Watch face. As long as you're running iOS 11 or later and watchOS 4 or later on your iPhone and Apple Watch, follow these steps to quickly add one of your Camera Roll pictures onto the face of your Apple Watch, where you can even turn it into a kaleidoscope faces.

Turning a Camera Roll Photo Into a Photos Watch Face

1. Open Photos in iOS.
2. If you only want one image on your Photos Watch face, simply navigate to it now and jump to step 5.
3. If you want to make an album of images, tap "Select" in the top right corner of the Photos app.
4. Scroll through your library and pick up to ten photos to include in your new Photos Watch Face.
5. Tap the share sheet extension in the bottom left corner of the screen.
6. At the very bottom of the screen, scroll until you find "Create Watch Face" and tap it.
7. Choose "Photos Watch Face".
8. Edit the Time Position and add up to two Complications.
9. Tap "Add".

Turning a Camera Roll Photo Into a Kaleidoscope Watch Face

1. Open Photos in iOS.
2. Navigate to the image you want to turn into a Kaleidoscope Watch Face.
3. Tap the share sheet extension in the bottom left corner of the screen.
4. Tap "Create Watch Face."
5. Choose "Kaleidoscope Watch Face."
6. Pick between "Facet," "Radial," and "Rosette" designs for your Watch Face.
7. Decide on adding up to three Complications.
8. Tap "Add".

After following either of these guides, your all-new Apple Watch face will be waiting in "My Faces" within the Watch app on iOS. Once you find it in that list, you can tap on it, scroll down, and tap "Set as current Watch Face." If you have a Kaleidoscope Watch Face or decided on just one image for the Photos Watch Face, then that's what you'll see each time your wrist is raised. Anyone who has decided to add in multiple photos to their Photos Watch Face, however, will get a shuffled image with each wrist raise.

If you're waiting for the new Apple TV 4K to arrive tomorrow, Apple has already opened up the ability for you to purchase 4K HDR movies on iTunes as of last week. Although any movie you own in HD will be automatically upgraded to the enhanced 4K HDR format, Amazon is offering customers the chance to increase their iTunes film collections this week with a discount on the $100 iTunes gift card tier, being sold at $85 right now with free shipping (limited to one per customer).

That'll let you purchase five full-priced movies on iTunes for nearly the price of just four, and you can of course still use the gift card to buy any app, game, song, album, TV show, or book sold by Apple. There isn't currently a discount on the other price tiers of iTunes gift cards, so $50 and $25 cards on Amazon are priced at their respective levels.

Studios currently supporting 4K movies on iTunes at $20 include 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures. New releases available to purchase today include Wonder Woman, Baby Driver, Alien: Covenant, The LEGO Batman Movie, Logan, and many more. Currently, Disney is the only studio holding out from releasing its films in 4K on iTunes.

Head over to our Deals Roundup to discover more recent and ongoing discounts, including sales on Jaybird and Jabra headphones at Best Buy, over 50 percent off a Thule Stravan Deluxe Attache for 13" MacBooks at B&H Photo, and an updated roundup of Qi inductive wireless chargers.

Starting with iOS 11, Apple began offering a new feature that provides suggestions on how you can save space on your iOS device. These built-in space-saving suggestions, which can be found in the Settings app, can help you free up space on your iPhone when storage space is running low.

Toggling on Space Saving Suggestions

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap on "General."
3. Choose "iPhone Storage."
4. Tap "Enable" on any of the suggestions Apple provides to turn them on.

Offload Unused Apps

One of Apple's suggestions is to automatically delete unused apps when the storage space on your device is low. If you enable this feature, Apple will delete apps you don't use often, while saving the documents and data so you can download them again and pick right back up where you were if necessary.

You can also offload individual apps by selecting them from the list of apps located just below all of Apple's suggestions.

Auto Delete Old Conversations

With "Auto Delete Old Conversations" enabled, Apple will automatically delete all messages and attachments that were sent over a year ago. This can save significant space, but be aware that once gone, there's no getting those messages back.

Review Large Attachments

The "Review Large Attachments" feature lets you see a list of the largest files on your device, located in Photos, Mail, and Messages. A tap will let you view a file up close, and a swipe to the left on an item in the file list will bring up an option to delete it. You can mass delete files by tapping on the "Edit" button in the upper right corner of the device.

Along with these three options for storing space, the Storage section of the Settings app also displays all of the apps you have installed, with the app using the most storage space at the top. It also lets you know how long ago the app was last used, making it easy to cull items that aren't used often.

Depending on what's installed on your device, you may or may not see all of these storage options, but if you're getting low on space, they should appear.

Popular smart light bulb manufacturer LIFX has been promising to add HomeKit support to its bulbs for quite some time now, and with an app update released this morning, some LIFX bulbs are now HomeKit compatible.

The 3.8.1 LIFX app update adds HomeKit support for LIFX, LIFX GU10, LIFX Downlight, and LIFX+ bulbs. It's only the third-generation bulbs that work with HomeKit -- original bulbs and LIFX White 800/Color 1000 won't work, nor will the company's LED strips.

A firmware update is required to enable support, with the app able to provide a HomeKit code for lights that did not ship with one. From there, the bulbs can be added to a HomeKit setup like any other product.

LIFX bulbs are similar to the Philips Hue line of bulbs, offering a range of color and white selections that can be controlled with a smartphone. LIFX bulbs do not require a hub and are controlled over Wi-Fi.

Pricing on LIFX bulbs starts at $59.99, but multiple bulbs can be purchased for a discount. LIFX bulbs can be bought from the LIFX website.

Instagram today expanded its selection of face filters to live video, allowing users to swap between filters when filming live content.

To use face filters during a live video, Instagram users can tap on the bottom right corner to browse through the filters and then apply them.

Starting today, you can play with face filters while sharing live video. Whether you're channeling a kitten or want to add some stars or rainbow light to your face, you can easily try on face filters while connecting with friends and followers in the moment.

All existing face filters are now available in live video, along with a brand-new sunglasses filter that will be available exclusively in live video for the next week. The sunglasses filter allows users to tap to change the scenery reflected in the lenses of the filter.

Instagram says face filters for live video are rolling out globally over the course of the next few weeks.

watchOS 4 brought several new features to the Apple Watch, including a new flashlight function that lights up the face of the Apple Watch so you can have an extra light when you're digging around in a bag, trying to open a door in the dark, or wherever else you might require a little bit of light.

It doesn't put off as much light as an iPhone screen, but it's handy in a pinch, especially since it's a hands-free light source.

Apple has also designed the flashlight to be a safety feature for runners and bicycle riders. At night, you can turn it on and have it flash, making other people out on the road aware of your presence.

Accessing the Flashlight

1. While wearing the Apple Watch, raise your wrist up to illuminate the screen.
2. Swipe up from the bottom to bring up the Control Center.
3. Tap on the icon that looks like a miniature flashlight.
4. Your Apple Watch display will now light up at maximum brightness.
5. Close the flashlight by swiping down to dismiss it or by pressing the Digital Crown.

Changing Flashlight Modes

There are three flashlight modes in total - pure white, flashing white, and red. Changing between them is simple:

1. With the flashlight active on the initial bright white display, swipe to the left.
2. This switches the flashlight to the second display mode, which is a flashing black and white.
3. Swipe to the left a second time to access the red light.
4. Swipe right again to cycle through modes.
5. Close the flashlight by swiping down to dismiss it or by pressing the Digital Crown.

Saudi Arabia today lifted a ban on services that provide access to calling someone over the internet, part of government efforts attempting to attract more business to the country. This means that "all online voice and video call services," including Apple's FaceTime and Microsoft's Skype, opened up for user access last night at midnight (via Reuters).

These apps and services previously faced harsh regulations in Saudi Arabia with a ban that began in 2013, due to the government's wariness over secure internet communication. Now, users in the country will be able to FaceTime friends and family members, with the Saudi information ministry stating this should help "kick-start" the country's economy after recently being hit by low oil prices.

Saudi Arabia will lift a ban on internet phone calls, a government spokesman said, part of efforts to attract more business to the country. All online voice and video call services such as Skype, Snapchat, and Line that satisfy regulatory requirements will become accessible at midnight (2100 GMT), Adel Abu Hameed, spokesman for the telecoms regulator CITC said on Twitter on Wednesday.

“Digital transformation is one of the key kick-starters for the Saudi economy, as it will incentivise the growth of internet-based businesses, especially in the media and entertainment industries,” a statement from the information ministry said. “Access to VoIP (voice over internet protocol) will reduce operational costs and spur digital entrepreneurship – that’s why it is such an important step in the Kingdom’s internet regulation,” it said.

The Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission also published a press release [Google Translate] on the ban's lifting.

According to a tipster's email this morning, because iPhones sold in Saudi Arabia have had FaceTime completely blocked in the past, these devices will need some kind of carrier update in order to enable the feature. In response, local carriers are reportedly saying that this update is Apple's responsibility, so it's unclear when such an update will occur.

ALDI today announced it will now accept all forms of contactless payments, including Apple Pay, at all of its nearly 1,700 stores in the United States.

Shoppers can pay for their groceries by tapping their contactless-enabled bank card, smartphone or other wearable device on a payment terminal. Contactless payments are safe and secure, and have the same protection as making a payment with your PIN.

Some other grocery stores that accept Apple Pay in the United States include select Giant Food, Wegmans, BI-LO, Food Lion, Save Mart, Shop 'n Save, Trader Joe's, Winn-Dixie, Whole Foods, and United Supermarkets locations.

Apple's financial chief Luca Maestri recently said Apple Pay is by far the number one NFC-based payment service on mobile devices, with nearly 90 percent of all transactions globally—three out of four happen outside the United States.