The discovery of a simple Terminal command that brings back the classic startup chime on newer Macs has gone viral in recent days. Apple disabled the startup sound on new Macs in 2016, and while a couple of tricks have worked in the past to get the chime back, updates to macOS appear to have stopped them working. However, the latest trick – first shared in the MacRumors Forums by BigMcGuire – appears to have a high success rate, although depending on your Mac model, your mileage may vary. If you yearn for that classic Mac sound, follow these steps to re-instate it. Launch the Terminal app, which can be found in the Applications/Utilities folder. This will open a Terminal window and a command prompt for you to begin typing. Input the following command and then press Return: sudo nvram StartupMute=%00 Enter your admin user password when prompted. Close Terminal, then restart your Mac.Make sure the volume is up, and with a little bit of luck, you'll hear that soothing F-sharp chord sound the next time your Mac boots up. If you want to get rid of the chime after re-activating it, simply repeat the steps above but replace the Terminal command in step 2 with the following: sudo nvram StartupMute=%01. The iconic chiming startup sound was originally made to indicate that diagnostic tests had found no hardware or software issues. A similar sound accompanied almost every Mac boot sequence since 1991 and the most recent F-sharp chord incarnation was first used in the iMac G3. Originally, a C major chord was recorded by Apple engineer Jim Reekes using a Korg

An Apple ID is a key part of owning an Apple device, and it is used for access to iCloud, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, and more. It is also necessary for syncing content across devices, making purchases, using Find My to keep track of devices, and more. Creating an Apple ID is free and easy, and it's the first step to getting an Apple device set up if you're new to the Apple ecosystem. This how to walks through creating an Apple ID on an iPhone or an iPad. Create an Apple ID When Setting Up a New Device When you're setting up a new device for the first time, you'll be prompted to sign in with an Apple ID. If you don't have one, you can create an Apple ID right from this screen. At the Apple ID setup screen, tap "Forgot password or don't have an Apple ID?" Tap on "Create a Free Apple ID." Enter all of the required information in the forms that follow. You will be asked to enter a first and last name, birth date, country, password, and you will be required to answer a series of security questions that can be used in case your Apple ID password is ever lost. Note that the email address that you enter will be the login for your Apple ID. If you don't have an email address, Apple also has a process for setting up an ‌iCloud‌ Email address before signing up for an Apple ID. Create an Apple ID Using the Settings App If you don't want to create an Apple ID during the device setup process, you can do it later on the ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ through the Settings app. Open the Settings app. Tap "Forgot password or don't have an Apple ID?" Tap

An Apple ID is a key part of owning an Apple device, and it is used for access to iCloud, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, and more. It is also necessary for syncing content across devices, using Find My, making purchases, and more. Creating an Apple ID is free and easy, and it's the first step to getting an Apple device set up if you're new to the Apple ecosystem. This how to walks through creating an Apple ID on a Mac. Sign Up Through System Preferences Open up System Preferences. In the empty profile interface, tap "Sign In." Click on the "Create Apple ID..." option at the bottom of the window. Follow all of the prompts and fill out the required information to create an account. You will be asked to enter your first name and last name, country, date of birth, a password, and a series of security questions. Apple ID account sign ups will need to be verified, and Apple will send a verification email. Your Apple ID will be the email that you signed up with, which is worth keeping in mind. Sign Up Through the Mac App Store You can also create an Apple ID using the Mac App Store if you prefer. Open up the Mac App Store. Click on the "Sign In" button at the bottom of the window. Choose the "Create Apple ID" option. Enter an email address, password, and country, then click to agree to Apple's Terms and Conditions. Note that you may be asked to provide a credit card and billing information when signing up through the Mac App Store, but choosing "None" allows the request to be bypassed. Signing Up on the Web On a Mac, you

An Apple ID is a key part of owning an Apple device, and it is used for access to iCloud, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, and more. It is also necessary for syncing content across devices, making purchases, and more. Creating an Apple ID is free and easy, and it's the first step to getting an Apple device set up if you're new to the Apple ecosystem. This how to walks through creating an Apple ID using the Apple ID website. Open a browser window using your favorite browser. Visit the Apple ID account page through this link. Scroll down to "Create your Apple ID" and click it. Go through the steps and fill out the form. You will need to enter your first name and last name, country, a password, and the answers to a series of security questions that will be used if you lose your password. Apple ID account sign ups will need to be verified, and Apple will send a verification email to the email address that you enter. Your email address will serve as your Apple ID username, which is something to be aware

An Apple ID is a key part of owning an Apple device, and it is used for access to iCloud, the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, and more. It is also necessary for syncing content across devices, making purchases, and more. Creating an Apple ID is free and easy, and it's the first step to getting an Apple device set up if you're new to the Apple ecosystem. This how to walks through creating an Apple ID on an a Windows PC. Open iTunes for Windows and make sure it's up to date. Using the menu bar at the top of the iTunes window, select Account > Sign In. Choose the Create New Apple ID option. From here, you'll need to agree to Apple's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, and then you can fill out the form to create a new Apple ID. Your Apple ID will be the email address that you use to sign up for the account. You need to enter your first name and last name, country, a password, and a series of security questions. Note that you may be asked to provide a credit card and billing information, but choosing "None" allows the request to be bypassed. Apple ID account sign ups will need to be verified, and Apple will send a verification email. Signing Up on the Web On a PC, you can also sign up for an Apple ID on the web by following these steps: Open a browser. Visit the Apple ID account page through this link. Scroll down to "Create your Apple ID" and click it. Go through the steps and fill out the form. The process for signing up for an Apple ID on the web is identical to the sign up process through iTunes, and it will require the same

If you're tired of seeing trailers for shows or movies start to play as you browse the Netflix home screen, we have some good news for you. Netflix has listened to user feedback and now offers a way to disable autoplaying videos. What you need to know is that the setting can only be changed by signing into Netflix from a web browser. As it stands, there's no way to do it from within the Netflix app on your smartphone, tablet, or smart TV. Here's how it's done. How to Disable AutoPlay Previews in Netflix Open a browser on a smartphone or computer and go to www.netflix.com. Sign in to your Netflix account with your username and password. Click your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen and select Manage Profiles. If you see the profiles selection screen instead of the Netflix home screen, simply click the Manage Profiles button underneath the row of profiles. Click the profile that you want to customize settings for. Untick the checkbox next to Autoplay previews while browsing on all devices. Click Save.Note that from the Edit Profile screen you can also uncheck Autoplay next episode in a series on all devices to prevent Netflix from automatically starting the next episode when you're streaming a TV series. If you notice a delay before your settings take effect, switch to another profile on your Netflix account and then switch right back to your own. If that doesn't work, log out of Netflix and log back in again.

As of iOS 13.4, Apple lets you share folders that you've synced to iCloud with friends and colleagues who have an Apple ID. Whether you're sharing from an iPhone or iPad, you'll be able to give people one-way access to the file, or allow them to modify the document if you're collaborating on a piece of work. This step-by-step guide shows you how it works. The sharing options that you choose automatically sync across your devices, so you could, for example, share a file on ‌iPhone‌ and change access permissions on your ‌iPad‌ or on iCloud.com at a later time. Note that the following steps require that all devices are running iOS 13.4 or later. How to Share ‌iCloud‌ Folders on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ Launch the Files app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. Locate the folder in iCloud Drive that you want to share, then long press on it. Tap Share in the dropdown menu. Select Add People from the actions in the Share Sheet. Tap the method you'd like to use to send your invitation. You can also optionally tap Share Options to control who can access the folder (Only people you invite / Anyone with the link) and their permissions (Can make changes / View only). Depending on how you chose to share the invitation, the relevant app will open containing a link to access the folder, ready for you to share.How to Change Access Rights to a Shared ‌iCloud‌ Folder Changing ‌iCloud‌ folder sharing permissions in iOS is easy. Once you've shared an ‌iCloud‌ folder, the Add People option you used in the above steps is replaced with a Show People option. Selecting this will display who has access to the

People compress electronic files for different reasons – to make them easier to transport electronically, to organize their backups, or to save device storage space, for example. In iOS 13 and later, Apple's native Files app supports the common ZIP compression format, which means you can now uncompress zipped files downloaded in Safari, or compress several files into one neat zipped package ready for sharing, right on your iOS device. Keep reading to learn how it works. How to Uncompress a Zip File on iPhone and iPad How to Compress a File or Folder on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ How to Compress Multiple Files in a Single Zip on ‌iPhone‌ and iPadHow to Uncompress a Zipped File on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ Launch the Files app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. Find the zip file that you want to uncompress. Press and hold on the zip file, then select Uncompress from the contextual menu.The uncompressed files will be saved in the same location as the original zip file, which is now safe to delete. How to Compress a File or Folder on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ Launch the Files app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. Find the file or folder that you want to compress. Press and hold on the file or folder, then select Compress from the contextual menu.The new compressed zip file containing your file/folder will be automatically saved in the same location as the originals. How to Compress Multiple Files in a Single Zip on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ Launch the Files app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. Find the files and/or folders that you want to compress. Tap Select in the top-right corner of the screen, then tap on the

Apple used to limit the size of App Store downloads over cellular to 150MBs to prevent iPhone users from accidentally downloading a large app over 3G or 4G networks and using up all their data allowance or running up data charges. In May 2019, Apple upped the limit of over-the-air downloads to 200MB, but offered no way to opt out of the limit at the time, leaving users with unlimited data plans frustrated. Thankfully, with the release of iOS 13, Apple made the 200MB maximum for app downloads over a cellular network an optional limit. By default, when you try to download a big app over cellular on your ‌iPhone‌ or iPad, you'll be asked if you really want to go ahead. You can customize this behavior by following these steps. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. Tap iTunes & ‌App Store‌. Tap App Downloads. Select Always Allow to permit all apps to download automatically using cellular data; select Ask If Over 200 MB to only permit apps under 200MB to download automatically using your carrier's cellular connection (the default setting); or select Always Ask if you'd always liked to be asked for permission to download apps using cellular data, regardless of their size. Note that permission to download is always required when you're roaming, which helps avoid receiving a mammoth phone bill at the end of a

All iPhones and iPads with cellular have a slot on their sides that houses the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card provided by your mobile carrier. The SIM card enables your device to access the carrier's network and use voice and data services. If you plan to switch mobile network carriers or have upgraded to a new iPhone, you'll need to remove the SIM card. Keep reading to learn how. What You'll Need To remove the SIM card in your ‌iPhone‌ or iPad, you'll need the SIM eject tool that Apple includes in the device's box. If you don't have one, you can use a regular paper clip. Simply straighten the outer end of the paper clip so that it's longer and points away from the rest of the metal. The picture provides an example. The SIM Card Slot Location on ‌iPhone‌ Since the ‌iPhone‌ 4, Apple has generally kept the SIM card slot in the same place on the handset on successive generations. You can find it on the right side of the phone, on the side opposite the mute switch and volume buttons. On the iPhone XR, Apple moved the slot further down but it's still on the same side. Image credit: iFixit If you have an original ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPhone‌ 3G, or ‌iPhone‌ 3GS, the SIM card slot is on the top of the handset in between the headphone jack and the power button. The SIM Card Slot Location on iPads With Cellular The SIM card slot has switched location a few times on cellular ‌iPad‌ generations, so checking which model you have should help you find it. On the original ‌iPad‌, it can be found towards the middle of the left side of the ‌iPad‌, opposite the side where the mute switch

Apple Watch Series 2 and newer models are water resistant and can be worn for shallow water activities like swimming in a pool or ocean, but that doesn't mean water can't get inside. If your Apple Watch gets wet in the rain or after a swim or a heavy workout, its speaker may sound muffled. There's no need to insert anything into the openings though, and you don't need to shake your watch to remove any water that may have got inside. Apple Watch Series 2, Series 3, Series 4 and Series 5 include a Water Lock feature, which locks the screen so you can swim without activating it. You can also use this feature at any time to eject water out of the speaker holes and prevent moisture from causing long-term issues. To manually clear water from ‌Apple Watch‌, follow these quick steps. Bring up the Control Center on your ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌: Swipe up on a watch face, or when in an app, press the bottom edge of the screen then drag up the Control Center. Tap the Water Lock icon (it looks like a water droplet). When you're back in a dry environment, turn the Digital Crown to unlock the screen and clear water from the speaker. As you turn the Digital Crown, you'll hear noises and see an animation on the screen that will indicate when the speaker is clear of water and when the process is

AirDrop is Apple's ad-hoc service that lets users discover nearby Macs and iOS devices and securely transfer files between them over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. When using AirDrop between Macs and iOS devices, you can send and receive photos, videos, documents, contacts, passwords and anything else that can be transferred from a Share Sheet. Keep reading to learn how to use it. AirDrop Device Compatibility How to Adjust AirDrop Settings on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ How to Adjust AirDrop Settings via Control Center How to AirDrop Files on ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and ‌‌iPad‌‌ How to Share Passwords Over AirDrop in iOS Using AirDrop on iPhones With a U1 Chip How to Adjust AirDrop Settings on Mac How to AirDrop Files on Mac AirDrop Device Compatibility ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌: To use AirDrop on iOS, you'll need an ‌iPhone‌ 5 or later, ‌iPad‌ 4 or later, ‌iPad‌ mini, or fifth-generation iPod touch. Mac: All Mac models released in 2012 and later and running OS X Yosemite or later support AirDrop. You can confirm that your Mac is compatible with AirDrop by clicking the Finder icon in the Dock and selecting Go in the menu bar. If AirDrop is not listed as an option, then your Mac is not compatible with the feature. How to Adjust AirDrop Settings on ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ There are two active settings for AirDrop: You can set it to accept shares from anyone, or only from people whose email address or mobile number appears in your contacts. Alternatively, you can disable the feature completely. These settings can also be used to ensure that you don't become the victim of an unsolicited

Apple's native Clock app in iOS has a hidden feature that allows you to go to bed at night with audio playing on your iPhone and it will automatically stop playing after a set time – ideally, after you've fallen asleep. It's really handy if you don't want your ‌‌iPhone‌‌ playing through that audiobook, ambient playlist or podcast series when you're not awake to enjoy it. It can also help save your battery, and potentially your data allowance if you're streaming music or radio over cellular. Here's how it works. Launch the Control Center on your ‌iPhone‌ – on iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen; on ‌iPhone‌ X or later, swipe down from the upper right "ear" of the screen. Tap the Timer button. Using the dials, select a time that you want your audio to play for. Tap When Timer Ends. Scroll down to the bottom and select Stop Playing. Tap Set in the top-right corner of the screen. Tap Start to start your timer.You can now turn off the screen on your ‌iPhone‌ and tuck into bed. If the timer ends and you haven't fallen asleep yet, just resume whatever audio was playing and restart the

This article walks you through the typical transaction process that's used to buy things online with Apple Pay when browsing on a Mac. Once you've set up ‌Apple Pay‌ on your Mac and familiarized yourself with it, there's a good chance it will become your preferred payment option for online purchases because it's so convenient. You can use it wherever you see the ‌Apple Pay‌ symbol. ‌Apple Pay‌‌ transactions are authorized on your Mac using the Touch ID sensor on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. If you have an older Mac that doesn't feature a ‌‌Touch ID‌‌ sensor, you can still use ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ to buy things online, but you'll have to use the cards stored in the Wallet app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌Apple Watch‌. The second set of steps shows you how this works. How to Use ‌Apple Pay‌ on Macs With a ‌Touch ID‌ Sensor Open Safari on your Mac. Visit an online merchant that accepts ‌Apple Pay‌ as a payment method on the web. Find the merchandise or service that you want to buy and progress the order to the checkout process. Select ‌Apple Pay‌ as your payment method (it's usually displayed as a black button that says "Buy with ‌Apple Pay‌"). Check that your shipping and billing information is correct in the ‌Apple Pay‌ dropdown pane. Place your registered finger on the ‌Touch ID‌ sensor at the top-right corner of your MacBook's keyboard to authenticate the transaction. How to Use ‌Apple Pay‌ on Macs Without a ‌Touch ID‌ Sensor Open Safari on your Mac. Visit an online merchant that accepts ‌Apple Pay‌ as a payment method on the web. Find the merchandise or service that you want to buy and

Apple Pay is a secure and convenient way of paying for things with your iPhone or Apple Watch when you're out and about, but it can also be used for purchasing merchandise online when you're on your Mac. You can authorize Apple Pay transactions on your Mac using the Touch ID sensor on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. If you have an older Mac without a Touch Bar, you can still use ‌Apple Pay‌ to buy things on the web, but you'll need to use the cards stored on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌Apple Watch‌ to pay for them. Keep reading to learn how it all works. How to Set Up ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ in Safari on Mac How to Set Up ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ on a MacBook With ‌‌Touch ID‌‌ How to Set Up ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ on an Older Mac How to Allow ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ Payments on Mac via ‌‌iPhone‌‌ How to Allow ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ Payments on Mac via ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ How to Manage ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ Cards on Your Mac How to Change Your Default ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ Card on Mac How to Remove a Card From ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ on Mac How to Edit Your Contact and Shipping Information How to Edit Your Billing Address Using ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ on Your Mac How to Set Up ‌Apple Pay‌ in Safari on Mac To pay for things online when you're on your Mac, you need to be using Apple's Safari. Before you do anything else, you need to make sure the browser is ready for ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions. Just follow these quick steps. Open Safari. Go to Safari -> Preferences in the menu bar. Click the Privacy tab. Select the checkbox next to ‌Apple Pay‌ to Allow websites to check if ‌Apple Pay‌ is set up. How to Set Up ‌Apple Pay‌ on a MacBook With ‌Touch ID‌ If you have a

In December 2019, a security researcher discovered that Apple's iPhone 11 Pro models access user location data even when all apps and system services on the iPhone are set to not request the data. Apple responded by explaining that ‌these ‌iPhone‌‌ models have a U1 Ultra Wideband chip, and there are some areas where Ultra Wideband technology is not allowed because of international regulations. These iPhones use location data to make sure they're not in restricted areas. In other words, what the researcher had discovered was expected behavior. Apple says that the location checks are done on-device and no data about location is being sent to Apple's servers. Even so, with the release of iOS 13.3.1, Apple is adding an option to its ‌iPhone‌ software that allows users to turn off the UI chip entirely if they so wish. The new option is hidden away in settings, but you can find it by following the steps below. Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌. Tap Privacy. Tap Location Services. Tap System Services at the bottom of the menu. Toggle the Networking & Wireless switch to the grey OFF position. A prompt will appear – tap Turn Off to confirm.Note that leaving the Ultra Wideband chip disabled in this way may also affect your ‌iPhone‌'s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi performance, so it's best to weigh up the pros and cons with regards to your own needs and circumstances.

Apple Pay is a convenient way to pay for things with your iPhone or Apple Watch when you're out and about, but it's also an easy and secure way to pay when buying merchandise online with your Mac, wherever you see the Apple Pay symbol when checking out. Your Mac will use the default card in your Wallet that's set up to work with ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌. If you have multiple cards in your Wallet, you can easily change the default card your Mac uses by following the steps below. Bear in mind, whichever card you choose as the default will become your preferred card for Mac App Store, Apple Music, and Apple services. Here's how it's done. Launch System Preferences from your Mac's Dock, from the Applications folder, or from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...). Click Wallet & ‌Apple Pay‌. Select your preferred card from the Default Card pop-up menu at the bottom of the preference pane.That's all there is to it. Note that you can also change the default card that ‌Apple Pay‌ uses when you pay for something with your ‌iPhone‌ and with your ‌Apple Watch‌

You can use Apple Pay in stores to make purchases using your iPhone wherever you see the ‌Apple Pay‌ logo or the contactless symbol. It's as easy as holding your device near the terminal and authenticating the transaction with Face ID or Touch ID. But if it's more convenient, you can use your Apple Watch instead. Simply double-click the side button and hold the display of your ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ within a few centimeters of the contactless reader, and the transaction will be processed with an audible ding. Your ‌Apple Watch‌ will use the default card in your Wallet that's set up to work with ‌Apple Pay‌. If you have multiple cards in your wallet, you can easily change the default card your ‌Apple Watch‌ uses by following the steps below. How to Change the Default Card for ‌Apple Pay‌ on ‌Apple Watch‌ Launch Apple's stock Watch app on your ‌iPhone‌. Tap the My Watch tab. Tap Wallet & ‌Apple Pay‌. Under Transaction Defaults, tap Default Card, then choose the card you'd like to use for ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions.Once you've chosen‌ your default card on ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌, you can start paying for things with it right away. Pro Tip: If you have two cards that you switch between frequently, set one card as the default on your ‌Apple Watch‌ and the other card as the default on your ‌iPhone‌. Once you remember which card is set to which device, you can choose which one to pay with simply by using either your watch or your phone at the

You can use Apple Pay in stores to make purchases using your iPhone wherever there's a contactless card terminal or wherever you see the ‌Apple Pay‌ symbol. It's as easy as holding your ‌iPhone‌ near the terminal and authenticating the transaction with Face ID or Touch ID. Your ‌iPhone‌ will use the default card in your Wallet that set up to work with ‌Apple Pay‌. If you have multiple cards in your wallet, you can easily change the default card by following the steps below. How to Change Your Default Card for ‌Apple Pay‌ Launch the Settings app on your ‌iPhone‌ or iPad. Tap Wallet & ‌Apple Pay‌. Under Transaction Defaults, tap Default Card. Select the card you wish to use for ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases.If you frequently use different cards for different transactions, you can actually switch the default card that ‌Apple Pay‌ uses on the fly: Launch the Wallet app and simply touch and hold the card that you want to use, then drag it to the front of your card

One of the issues that Apple Card users sometimes raise is that while the Wallet app offers plenty of well-organized information about spending, there's no option to directly share transaction data from the card with third-party money management apps like Mint or Lunch Money. Fortunately, Apple recently provided a solution – you can now download a CSV/OFX spreadsheet from the Wallet app that contains all your ‌Apple Card‌ data, which you can then import into most budgeting apps and get a more complete picture of your finances. The following steps show you how it's done. Launch the Wallet app on your iPhone. Tap the Card Balance panel under your ‌Apple Card‌. Scroll down to the Statements section and tap on the month you wish to export transactions from. Tap Export Transactions at the bottom. Select CSV or OFX from the pop-up menu. To save the data as a CSV/OFX file, tap the Share icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, where you can opt to AirDrop it to another device such as your Mac, print it, or Save to Files to save it your iCloud folders or on your iPhone.Note that some budgeting apps accept imported transaction data, but may need file format conversions prior to