Tim Hardwick

Tim is a Senior Editor at MacRumors and has been writing for the site since 2016. Formerly a magazine journalist, his work has appeared in over 30 newsstand print publications and online brands covering a range of topics, from the latest trends in technology to the mysteries of ancient history.

Based in the UK, Tim's current role at MacRumors involves editorial oversight and how tos, in addition to covering daily news and contributing occasional reviews. Tim can be reached at tim@macrumors.com, Telegram (@waxeditorial) or Twitter.

Tim Hardwick's Articles

mac os 9 spotify

Here's What Your Favorite Mac Apps Would Have Looked Like in 1999

Friday December 24, 2021 2:58 am PST by
Spotify and Slack weren't even a thing 22 years ago, but driven by curiosity and an interest in the evolution of user interfaces, graphic designer Michael Feeney has painstakingly reimagined them and other macOS 12 applications to see what they would have looked like in the Mac OS 9 era. In order to realize "(mac)OStalgia," Feeney first went back and analyzed the Mac OS 9 environment using...
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Track Santa's Journey From the North Pole Using Google's Santa Tracker

Friday December 24, 2021 1:01 am PST by
If you have been good this year, you may be interested to know that Google today launched its annual Santa tracking feature, allowing Santa to be tracked in real time on his mythical journey to the North Pole as he prepares to deliver presents to kids around the world. Google's Santa Tracker continues an 18-year tradition for the company, allowing excited children (and parents!) to keep up...
iPhone 14 Mock Feature Pruple 2

iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max Hole-Punch Displays to Be Supplied By LG and Samsung

Thursday December 23, 2021 1:58 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 14 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro Max will feature hole-punched LTPO OLED display panels supplied by Samsung and LG, according to Korean site The Elec. Rumors that the 2022 ‌iPhone‌ models won't have a notch started in March of this year, when Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said they will instead adopt a hole-punch design, a design that Android devices have used for a few years now. The...
airtag in hand

How to Find a Nearby AirTag With Your Android Phone

Wednesday December 22, 2021 2:13 pm PST by
Since Apple launched AirTags, the company has been enhancing their security to prevent stalking using the Bluetooth devices. One of these enhancements includes giving Android phone users the ability to detect an unknown AirTag if it is close to them. ‌AirTags‌ are designed to play a sound when away from their owner and will also alert iPhone owners if there's an unknown tag nearby, but...
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iPad Mini 6: How to Hard Reset or Shut Down

Wednesday December 22, 2021 2:10 pm PST by
Apple's 2021 iPad mini features an edge-to-edge display with no Home button included and Touch ID built into the Power button instead. The lack of a Home button has resulted in some re-mapped gestures and features, with Apple introducing the restart, shut down, and force restart methods that are common to other iPads with no Home button. A shut down and a restart are the same gesture now,...
22 mic camera access

AV Artists Complain Monterey 'Orange Dot' Security Feature Makes Macs Unsuitable for Live Performances

Wednesday December 22, 2021 3:45 am PST by
Audiovisual artists who use Macs to output to large stage screens are calling on Apple to provide a way to disable a new security feature in macOS Monterey that is hindering their live performances. For those unfamiliar with the feature, when an app is using the camera or the microphone in Monterey‌, a colored dot appears in the menu bar just next to the Control Center icon. Like in iOS, a ...
m1 imac colors

New 27-inch iMac Said to Launch in Multiple Colors

Wednesday December 22, 2021 12:44 am PST by
Apple's upcoming 27-inch iMac will feature a thinner exterior design and be available in multiple colors like its 24-inch counterpart, according to a new report today. Apple's 24-inch ‌iMac‌ in various colors Apple's larger-screened ‌iMac‌ has been rumored for a while to be similar in design to the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ and the Pro Display XDR, but previous rumors about the bigger all-in-one Mac have...
iPhone 13 Feature Candy Corn

iPhone 13 Mass Production Set to Begin in India From February

Monday December 20, 2021 11:59 pm PST by
Apple will see flagship iPhone 13 production begin on Indian soil early next year, courtesy of Foxconn's factory in Chennai, reports the Economic Daily News. The plans come following a reported improvement of semiconductor supply in the region, as well as a successful trial production run of the 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ 13 by Foxconn. Mass production is set to start in February, and the Foxconn...
iphone status bar emoji

How to Customize Your iPhone's Status Bar With an Emoji

Monday December 20, 2021 11:16 am PST by
Apple in iOS 15 introduced a Focus feature that's designed to let you set up your device to help you be in the moment and zone in on a single thing. When a Focus mode is active, it displays a little customizable emoji/icon in the status bar of your iPhone, next to the time. Setting up a Focus mode can be complicated, but if all you want is to see a symbol in the status bar, it's easy to do once...
apple music voice plan feature

Apple Music Voice Plan: Everything You Need to Know

Monday December 20, 2021 11:10 am PST by
Apple in October 2021 announced the Apple Music Voice Plan, a new low-price subscription tier for ‌Apple Music‌. This article explains what the Voice Plan is, what you need to use it, how to become a new subscriber, and how to play music with the service. What Is ‌Apple Music‌ Voice Plan? The ‌Apple Music‌ Voice Plan lets you access the ‌Apple Music‌ catalog with Siri. Priced at $4.99, the Voice...
ipad kids playing

How to Limit What a Toddler Can Do When You Hand Over Your iPhone or iPad

Monday December 20, 2021 2:58 am PST by
If you've ever handed your iPhone or iPad to a baby or toddler to entertain them while you do something else, you'll probably know just how easily their little fingers can navigate into all manner of screens and settings they shouldn't be messing with. Fortunately, Apple includes a feature in iOS that allows you to keep your device locked into a single app and control which features are...
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Feral's 'Alien: Isolation' for iPhone and iPad 'One of the Best iOS Conversions Ever'

Friday December 17, 2021 1:00 am PST by
Feral Interactive has released its much-anticipated port of Alien: Isolation for iPhone and iPad, which MacRumors sister site TouchArcade is calling "one of the best iOS conversions ever." Launched in 2014 on PS4, Xbox, PC, and more, the first-person action adventure game was lauded for its emphasis on stealth and survival horror in the player's confrontation with a single alien, as well as...
ios 13 iphone ipad duo

How to Erase and Reset a Locked iPhone or iPad

Thursday December 16, 2021 12:51 pm PST by
If you've forgotten the passcode for your iPhone or iPad, you can erase and reset or restore the device using your Apple ID and password. This article explains how. ‌iPhone‌ passcodes are usually six digits long, but they can still be forgotten, especially if the device hasn't been used for a while. If you find yourself in this predicament, you have the option to erase and reset it, after...
macOS Monterey FaceTime Portrait Mode

How to Blur Your Background on a FaceTime Call on Mac

Thursday December 16, 2021 12:50 pm PST by
In macOS Monterey, Apple brought several enhancements to FaceTime on Mac, including new visual and audio effects to improve the video call experience. One of the new visual features is Portrait mode in calls. With this mode enabled, you can blur your background so that the focus is on you rather than what's behind you. The feature is commonly used by other video conferencing apps like...
22 mic camera access

macOS Monterey: What Does a Green or Orange Dot in the Menu Bar Mean?

Thursday December 16, 2021 12:49 pm PST by
If you're wondering what the green and orange dots are that you sometimes see in your Mac's menu bar, just next to the Control Center icon, you've come to the right place. Apple has added these to macOS as a privacy feature in order to indicate when an app is using your Mac's microphone or camera. The feature was first introduced on iPhone and iPad, after it emerged that some popular apps...
scotland aerial screensaver e1639571845470

Apple TV Just Got More Screen Savers, Here's How to Get Them on Your Mac

Wednesday December 15, 2021 4:25 am PST by
With the release of tvOS 15.2 earlier this week, Apple added nine new high-resolution screen savers to Apple TV HD and ‌Apple TV‌ 4K, including three featuring Scotland's Isle of Skye and Loch Moidart, and six offering various views of Iceland's stunning landscapes. Traveling along the coast of the Isle of Skye, Scotland ‌Apple TV‌ downloads new screen savers on a regular basis depending on your...
Child Safety Feature yellow

Apple Removes All References to Controversial CSAM Scanning Feature From Its Child Safety Webpage [Updated]

Wednesday December 15, 2021 12:53 am PST by
Apple has quietly nixed all mentions of CSAM from its Child Safety webpage, suggesting its controversial plan to detect child sexual abuse images on iPhones and iPads may hang in the balance following significant criticism of its methods. Apple in August announced a planned suite of new child safety features, including scanning users' iCloud Photos libraries for Child Sexual Abuse Material...
monterey shared with you

How to Turn Off 'Shared With You' on Mac

Tuesday December 14, 2021 4:10 pm PST by
In macOS Monterey, Apple introduced a feature called Shared with You that takes content you've received in Messages and makes it available in the relevant app on your Mac. So when a friend shares content with you, such as a link to a news story or TV show, that content will show up in a dedicated Shared with You section in the corresponding app. If you don't want content that's been shared...
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How to Use Safari Tab Groups in macOS

Tuesday December 14, 2021 3:56 pm PST by
In macOS Monterey, Tab Groups are a new Safari feature that aim to make organizing and preserving your open browser tabs more manageable without having to have those tabs active and taking up space. Tab Groups are a way to easily save and manage related tabs, such as those used when planning trips or shopping, or groups can be used to store the tabs you visit daily. If you're planning a...
Whatsapp Feature

WhatsApp Now Hides Your 'Last Seen' Status From Strangers

Tuesday December 14, 2021 12:00 am PST by
WhatsApp has made a privacy change to prevent people on the messaging platform from viewing the "Last Seen" status of users whom they have never chatted with, according to the latest report from independent feature specialist WABetaInfo. As regular WhatsApp users will know, the "Last Seen" status of a contact sits atop the conversation thread, informing you when that contact last opened the...