How Tos

How to Identify and Remove Unnecessary Apps on Your iPhone and iPad

Thursday June 21, 2018 3:56 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
With so many paid-for and free apps available on the App Store these days, it's easy to reach a point where you have so many of them on your iPhone or iPad that a sizable proportion are simply forgotten about, and soon storage space starts to become an issue. Fortunately, there's an easy way that you can keep tabs on which apps you use the most and which ones have basically become redundant to you, and are just adding needless clutter to your home screen and eating up storage. Follow the steps below to learn how it's done. How to Identify and Delete Redundant iOS AppsLaunch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. Tap General. Tap iPhone Storage. A list of all the apps (including stock apps) on your iOS device will load in order of size, with the largest apps listed first. Scroll down the list and look at the Last Used: date underneath the title of each app. If it's been several weeks or months since you opened an app, or it says Never Used, then consider uninstalling it – tap the app in the list. Two uninstall options are presented on this screen. Tap Offload App to unload the app but preserve any documents and data (these are reinstated if you later reinstall the app) or tap Delete App to remove the app and all related data from your device.If you tend to download a lot of apps that often get left unused, consider enabling the iPhone Storage menu recommendation to automatically Offload Unused Apps when you're low on storage. If you uninstall a purchased app but later decide that you want to use it (and it's still available in the App Store) simply follow the
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How to Change a File Type's Default App in macOS

Tuesday June 19, 2018 3:58 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Each document that you have on your Mac is associated with a default application which macOS uses to open the file whenever you double-click on its icon in Finder. Sometimes you may have a legitimate reason for changing which app your Mac automatically launches when you open a common file type – when a newly installed app assumes control of it, or when you want to open AVI video files in VLC instead of QuickTime, for instance. The following steps show you how to do just that. In a Finder window, right-click (or Ctrl-click) the file whose default launch app you want to change. From the contextual menu, select Open With -> Other.... A new navigation window will appear for you to select an alternative app to open the selected file. In our example, we're selecting the VLC media player app. Tick the checkbox next to Always Open With to ensure your selection applies in future to all files with the same extension (AVI files, in our case). If you don't see the checkbox, click the Options button at the lower left of the window and it should appear. Click Open.If the app that you want to use to open the file type is greyed out, it's because macOS doesn't think there's a valid association between the two. In most cases this is correct, but you can still override it by changing the Recommended Applications view to All Applications using the Enable: dropdown menu. There's another way you can change a file type's associated app in macOS: Right-click (or Ctrl-click) on the file in a Finder window and select Get Info. In the information dialog that appears, you
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How to Learn Which Apps Will Stop Working on Your Mac When 32-Bit Support Ends

Tuesday June 5, 2018 3:52 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple has begun the process of phasing out 32-bit applications on Macs, which is why many users who upgraded to macOS 10.13.4 or later will have come across the following warning message the first time they launch certain older apps. This is the first of many warnings Apple plans to provide as it works to put an end to 32-bit apps on the Mac, as it did on iOS devices with the release of iOS 11. Apple has confirmed that macOS 10.14 Mojave, set for public release in the fall, will be the last version of macOS to allow 32-bit apps to run, but it will include more "aggressive" warnings about their use before they are phased out entirely. In this article, we'll show how you can quickly find out which apps installed on your Mac are 64-bit and which are still living in the 32-bit age. If you don't rely on apps that fall in the latter camp, you can safely uninstall them. However, if you're a frequent user of one of these apps, try contacting the developer to find out if a 64-bit version is in the works. If one isn't planned, try and find an alternative app with similar functionality before the time comes when it refuses to launch.
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How to Add a Passcode to Your Apple Watch and What to Do if You Forget it

Friday June 1, 2018 1:53 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
There are several reasons why you should consider using a passcode on your Apple Watch. Without one, you won't be able to use Apple Pay to make contactless transactions using the device, nor will you be able to use it to automatically unlock your Mac. But apart from losing out on functionality, not using a passcode on your watch means that anyone who got hold of it could potentially gain access to your Health and other app data, and possibly more besides. Using a passcode on your Apple Watch isn't like having one on your iPhone or iPad, because you don't have to enter it every time you use your watch. You'll only be prompted for it if you remove your Apple Watch from your wrist or if the watch is restarted. Also unlike iOS devices, if you ever forget your Apple Watch passcode, there are steps you can take to regain access. With those benefits in mind, here's how to set up your Apple Watch passcode.
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How to Watch Apple's WWDC 2018 Keynote Live

Wednesday May 30, 2018 4:03 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
WWDC 2018 starts on Monday, June 4, and as with previous years, Apple is kicking off the conference with a keynote on the first day, offering a look at some upcoming products and providing the first details on new operating systems. Rumors have suggested we could potentially see new iPad Pro models and perhaps a new iPhone SE, and several Macs are due for a refresh, including the MacBook Pro, iMac, and 12-inch MacBook. We're also expecting a first-look at next-generation versions of macOS, iOS, and tvOS. You can watch Apple's WWDC18 Keynote live as it happens using one of the methods described below. Note that the livestream for the event starts at 10:00am Pacific Time at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. For reference, here's when the event will begin based on other time zones in the United States and around the world: Honolulu, Hawaii — 7:00 a.m. HAST Anchorage, Alaska — 9:00 a.m. AKDT Cupertino, California — 10:00 a.m. PDT Phoenix, Arizona — 10:00 a.m. MST Vancouver, Canada — 10:00 a.m. PDT Denver, Colorado — 11:00 a.m. MDT Dallas, Texas — 12:00 noon CDT New York, New York — 1:00 p.m. EDT Raleigh, North Carolina — 1:00 p.m. EDT Toronto, Canada — 1:00 p.m. EDT Halifax, Canada — 2:00 p.m. ADT Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — 2:00 p.m. BRT London, United Kingdom — 6:00 p.m. BST Berlin, Germany — 7:00 p.m. CEST Paris, France — 7:00 p.m. CEST Cape Town, South Africa — 7:00 p.m. SAST Moscow, Russia — 8:00 p.m. MSK Helsinki, Finland — 8:00 p.m. EEST Istanbul, Turkey — 8:00 p.m. TRT Dubai, United Arab Emirates — 9:00 p.m. GST Delhi,
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How to Customize Mail App Inbox Gestures in iOS 11

Tuesday May 29, 2018 3:50 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
In iOS 11, Apple's Mail app includes a handful of neat swipe gestures that can help significantly reduce the amount of time you spend managing messages in your inbox on iPhone and iPad. In this article, we'll show you how to perform these gestures and how to customize some of the actions they reveal according to your personal preference. The basic inbox gestures are swiping right or left on an email to reveal tappable actions that you can perform instantly, without having to call up additional menus. For example, swiping left on an email reveals three options: the default Flag action which can be customized, a Delete or Archive button (depending on the account), and a More option that takes you to a pop-up menu with additional email management functions.
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How to Add an AirDrop Shortcut to Your Mac's Dock

Friday May 25, 2018 2:10 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's AirDrop feature lets you wirelessly send and receive files between nearby Macs as well as to and from local iOS devices. It's usually accessed from the sidebar of an open Finder Window (or using the Command + Shift + R keyboard shortcut within Finder), but here we're going to share with you a trick that enables you to launch AirDrop straight from your Mac's Dock. Having the AirDrop shortcut in your Dock will allow you to access it from any screen, regardless of the application you're using, and without having to open a Finder window first. Regular AirDrop users in particular should appreciate the convenience it provides.
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How to Tame macOS Hot Corners Using Modifier Keys

Thursday May 24, 2018 2:15 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
In macOS, the Hot Corners feature turns each of the four corners of your screen into a designated action, allowing you to quickly access certain functions built into the system, such as Mission Control, Notification Center, the Screen Saver, and more. Many Mac users would agree, there's something satisfying about bringing up these commonly used functions with a simple, swift cursor movement. What isn't so satisfying, however, is accidentally triggering a Hot Corner, which can lead to all kinds of unintended desktop behavior - like application windows flying all over the place. This can happen when you lose track of the mouse cursor, or when you're working within the confines of a small MacBook screen. Thankfully, there's a way to tame wayward Hot Corners using modifier keys. Here's how.
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How to Delete or Deactivate Your Apple ID Account and Data

Wednesday May 23, 2018 7:30 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple has launched a new Data and Privacy website that enables users to request a copy of all of the data associated with their Apple ID accounts that the company maintains on its servers. The page also provides options to delete or deactivate an Apple ID by following the step-by-step instructions outlined below. While any customer anywhere can delete an Apple ID account, Apple says the ability to deactivate an Apple ID account is limited to accounts with locations set in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Apple intends to roll out the deactivation option around the world "in the coming months." Keep in mind that deleting an Apple ID account and any associated data is a permanent, irreversible* action. After your account is deleted, Apple can't reopen or reactivate your account or restore any of your data, and you will no longer be able to access any of the content and services listed
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How to Request a Copy of Your Apple ID Account Data

Wednesday May 23, 2018 3:57 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple now allows its customers to download a copy of their personally identifiable data from Apple apps and services. This can include purchase or app usage history, Apple Music and Game Center statistics, marketing history, AppleCare support history, and any data stored on Apple servers, including the likes of calendars, photos, and documents. This article outlines the steps you need to take to request a copy of your data from Apple. As of writing, the service is available to customers in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, but Apple will be rolling it out worldwide over the coming months. If you live in a country or region that's not listed above, you can still contact Apple to request a copy of your data. Apple promises to fulfill all data requests within seven days. Bear in mind that the size of the data download depends on the items that you choose to include (iCloud Photo Libraries can be several gigabytes, for example), but Apple will divide it into multiple files to make the download more manageable.
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How to View All Events as a List in Your Mac's Calendar App

Monday May 21, 2018 3:20 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Some third-party calendar apps (Fantastical, for example) allow you to view all your upcoming events as a vertical list. Many users find this sort of viewing mode beats staring at the regular calendar interface, since it provides a quick at-a-glance summary of their entire schedule over the coming days and months. Fantastical 2 for Mac On the face of it, Apple's Calendar for macOS lacks an equivalent feature. However, there is one way to force a list view that includes all your events, which we've detailed below. The trick even works with iCal going back at least to OS X Mountain Lion, which makes us wonder why Apple doesn't make the option a bit more obvious. How to View All Events as a List in CalendarLaunch the Calendar app on your Mac. Click the Calendar button. Select which calendars you want to include in the list view using the checkboxes. Click the Search field in the upper right corner of the Calendar window and type two double quotes ("") to generate a list of all upcoming events. We find the list view makes it easier to copy multiple events and paste them into other apps in chronological order. For example, to copy several contiguous events, hold the Shift key, click the two outlying events bordering a given period, right-click (or Ctrl-click) an event in the selection, and select Copy from the contextual dropdown menu. You can then paste the events (including their details) straight into a document in date order. To copy non-contiguous events in your calendar, simply perform the same action but hold down the Command key instead of Shift.
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How to Convert Several Images into a Single PDF Using Preview

Friday May 18, 2018 1:28 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Over the years, Adobe's PDF file type has become a universally accepted method for sharing digital documents. The format's cross-platform adoption means the documents can be viewed on almost any mobile device or computer, so it's no surprise to find that macOS includes native support for viewing and creating PDF files. In the Preview app, for example, it's possible to create a single multi-page PDF document out of several separate image files. The feature is particularly useful if you need to share a number of scanned documents over email or digitize something for reference. Keep reading to learn how it's done.
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How to Quickly Resize Images on Your Mac Using an Automator Service

Thursday May 17, 2018 3:40 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Resizing images in macOS is easily done in the Preview app, but if your daily workflow requires you to scale images to a specific size – for uploading to a blog, for example – then using an image resize service is a much faster way of getting the job done. In this article, we'll show you how to use the Automator app to create a simple service that will have you resizing images in just a couple of clicks, without even going near an image editing app. Keep reading to learn how it's done.
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How to Stop Your Apple Watch From Launching the 'Now Playing' App When Audio Plays on Your iPhone

Tuesday May 15, 2018 2:10 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Most Apple Watch owners will recognize the "Now Playing" app – it automatically launches by default whenever you play audio through the Music or Podcasts app on your iPhone. A similar screen shows when you play audio through any third-party iPhone app that also has an Apple Watch extension, like Overcast, for example. The Now Playing app provides quick access to playback controls on your wrist, as well as track options like Love/Dislike and Delete From Library. You can also turn the Crown on your Apple Watch to adjust volume, which is handy when you're listening on AirPods or other headphones that don't have built-in volume controls. You might not like the way the Now Playing app automatically appears when you play audio on your iPhone. If you just want to see your watch face when you raise your wrist during audio playback, you can turn off the default behavior by following the first set of steps below. You can still make it easy to access the Now Playing app without it automatically taking over the screen whenever you play audio. One solution is to add the Now Playing app to your Apple Watch's Dock, accessed with a press of the Side button. Another option is to enable the Now Playing watch face complication. Click the links to find out how. How to Disable Auto-Launch Audio Apps on Apple Watch Press the Crown on your Apple Watch to invoke the app launcher. Launch the Settings app. Tap General. Tap Wake Screen. Toggle off Auto-Launch Audio Apps.How to Disable Auto-Launch Audio Apps via iPhone Launch the Watch app on your iPhone. Tap General. Scrol
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How to Remove GPGTools/GPGMail Encryption Plugin From Apple Mail

Monday May 14, 2018 3:30 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Security researchers are warning users of PGP/GPG email encryption plugins not to use the software, after critical vulnerabilities were discovered that could potentially be used reveal the plaintext of encrypted emails. The official advice from security researchers is to disable and/or uninstall the affected software until the vulnerabilities are disclosed and fixes can be issued. In the meantime, users are advised to seek alternative end-to-end encrypted channels such as Signal to send and receive sensitive content. This short how-to guides users through the steps necessary to remove the popular open-source encryption plugin GPG Tools (GPGMail) from Apple Mail. It requires deleting a "bundle" file used by the app. Users' existing encryption keys are not affected by the procedure and will remain on their hard disk. GPGTools has also since published a temporary workaround that it believes mitigates against similar so-called "Efail" attacks. How to Uninstall GPG Tools from Apple MailQuit Apple Mail if it is running (Mail -> Quit Mail in the menu bar). Click on the desktop and in the Finder menu bar, select Go -> Go to Folder.... In the Go to Folder dialog that appears, type /Library/Mail/Bundles and click Go. Delete the GPGMail.mailbundle file by either dragging it to the trash in your dock or by right-clicking (Ctrl-clicking) it and selecting Move to Trash in the contextual dropdown menu. If you don't see the mailbundle file, return to the previous step but type ~/Library/Mail/Bundles in the Go to Folder dialog (note the tilde (~) character denotes your
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How to Change Siri's Voice on iPhone or iPad

Friday May 11, 2018 1:15 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In the United States, the default Siri voice is an American female voice, but if you've never delved into Siri's settings you might not know that you can change that voice to something else that you might prefer more. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Open up the Settings app on iPhone or iPad. Select "Siri & Search." Choose "Siri Voice." Tap an option to hear an audio demonstration of what the voice sounds like. Leave the option checked to select it and exit out of the Settings app. These settings are available in all countries where Siri can be used, but not all options may be available in all countries. The voices you have access to will depend on where you live and the language your iOS device is set to. In the United States with an iPhone set to the English language, you can choose from an American, Australian, or British accent in either a male or a female voice. If you use Siri on a Mac, you can also change the voice there. Just open up System Preferences, choose the Siri option, and use the dropdown menu under "Siri Voice" to choose something
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How to Set Up a System-Wide Word Count Service on Your Mac

Friday May 11, 2018 12:14 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
In this article, we're going to show you how to create a system-wide service that enables you to get an immediate word count and character count in TextEdit, Safari, Mail, or indeed any app on your Mac that lets you highlight text. It offers a handy home-made solution if you often find yourself pasting into a blank Word or Pages document for no other reason than to find out how many words are in a text selection. The steps below will guide you through the process of creating your own word count service using the macOS Automator app. It's a simple procedure to follow and should only take five minutes, but if you'd rather use a third-party solution, then check out WordCounter, a free Mac menu bar utility from Onekerato.
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How to Use the macOS App Switcher to Open Files, Hide and Quit Apps, and Launch Exposé

Thursday May 10, 2018 12:12 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Most long-time macOS users will be aware of the Application Switcher. It's invoked using the Command+Tab keyboard shortcut, and lists all of the apps currently running on your Mac, enabling you to quickly switch between them. In this article, we'll run through the Mac App Switcher's most basic functions, and then highlight some of our favorite lesser-known App Switcher tricks that you're bound to find useful once you're familiar with it. Basic Functions of the Application Switcher When you hold Command and press Tab, the App Switcher overlay appears above all other open windows on your desktop, and remains visible until you release the Command key. Letting go switches you to the last active application, prior to the one you were just using. As you might expect, repeating this action switches you back to the previous active app. Repeatedly tapping Tab with the Command key held down cycles you through the list of apps in the App Switcher from left to right, while releasing Command takes you to the selected app. If you hold down Shift when tapping Tab, the selection moves right to left. You can also press the right and left arrow keys to move the selection box forwards and backwards. A two-finger drag on a trackpad does the same thing, or you can use your mouse cursor to highlight an app in the list and then click to select it. Invoke Exposé and Open Files From the App Switcher If you press the up or down arrow keys with an icon highlighted in the App Switcher overlay, Exposé will be activated for the selected app, which causes all of its windows to fan
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How to Create File Templates on Your Mac With Finder's Stationery Pad Feature

Wednesday May 9, 2018 12:58 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Stationery Pad is a handy way to nix a step in your workflow if you regularly use document templates on your Mac. The long-standing Finder feature essentially tells a file's parent application to open a copy of it by default, ensuring that the original file remains unedited. Stationery Pad doesn't get much attention these days, but it's a neat alternative to repeatedly editing templates and using the "Save As..." command, which can lead to overwriting the original file if you're not too careful. Almost any file type can be defined as a template with Stationery Pad – it could be used to streamline common Photoshop jobs, create skeleton HTML/CSS files, or help with Word document invoicing. To make use of Stationery Pad, create the file you want to use as a template, then follow the steps below.
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How to Remove Third-Party Accounts Like Facebook From Your Mac

Friday May 4, 2018 4:10 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
With the release of iOS 11, Apple nixed its built-in integration with Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and Vimeo, a feature that allowed iPhone and iPad users to store their third-party account information and access it within apps that needed to use those services. The equivalent feature remains in macOS High Sierra, although Apple has removed it completely from macOS 10.14 Mojave, which many users are likely to welcome in light of the recent data scandal.. While we wait for macOS Mojave to be released in the fall, this article shows you how to manually remove third-party accounts like Facebook from Macs running macOS 10.13. Note that the following guide only deletes associated third-party accounts at the system level of your Mac – you'll still be able to access your Facebook account and related data by logging into Facebook.com (where you can delete your account permanently) or via the official iOS app, for example.
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