How Tos - Page 36

In iOS 14 and later, Apple includes an accessibility feature called Back Tap that lets you assign an action to be triggered when you double-tap or triple-tap the back of your iPhone. This article explains how it's done. There are numerous actions that you can assign to a Back Tap on ‌iPhone‌. You could use it for quick access to something –- launching a specific app or invoking the Control...

Every so often, a seemingly small bug in Apple's operating systems survives the company's annual OS launches and continues to cause users huge frustration from one software update to the next. The phenomenon of disappearing tabs in Safari is one such problem -– reports of multiple Safari tabs vanishing without a trace go back to at least iOS 13 and the issue still to this day blights the...

Since iOS 14, Apple has supported encrypted DNS, which in a nutshell makes it much harder for snoopers on the same Wi-Fi network as you to see the domain names of the websites you are visiting. Because Apple's mobile operating system supports domain name encryption, sometimes you might see a warning that the Wi-Fi network you're connected to is blocking encrypted DNS traffic. This...

Every Apple device user is given 5GB of free iCloud storage to let them store their data in secure remote servers, but Apple also offers ‌iCloud‌+, a premium cloud subscription service that gives you more storage as well as additional features like Private Relay and Hide My Email. Apple offers ‌iCloud‌+ with 50GB, 200GB, or 2TB of additional storage for $0.99, $2.99, or $9.99 per month. If...

Most Mac users will be familiar with Finder's ability to display icon previews for file types that it recognizes. The Finder icon for a JPEG image for example will show a small thumbnail-sized version of the image, which is useful for identifying the file without having to open it. If Finder doesn't recognize an item (if it can't be matched with an installed application that can open it) or ...

This article shows you how to make use of a three-finger gesture to share a photo across your devices in super-quick time. It’s a handy trick to have in your toolkit if AirDrop is playing up or your iCloud Photos are taking ages to sync. Universal Clipboard is usually associated with copying and pasting text, but by using this gesture, you can make it work really well for sharing images...

This article explains how to get daily Apple Watch charging reminders and "fully charged" Apple Watch notification alerts on your iPhone. Keep reading to learn how it's done. Despite the fact that Apple Watch has been updated each year since it was first launched in 2015, the battery life of Apple's latest Series 7 smartwatch still only promises "up to 18 hours" of use on a single charge. ...

With the release of iOS 15.4, Apple has added the ability for users with paid iCloud+ plans to create custom email domains directly on their iPhone. This article explains how it's done. When you subscribe to ‌iCloud‌+ (prices start at $0.99) you can use custom domains to send and receive email with ‌iCloud‌ Mail. That means if you own a personal domain name, you can set up ‌iCloud‌ Mail to use it...

Like the iPad Air 4, Apple's fifth-generation ‌iPad Air‌ (2022) 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 means some gestures and features are different to older iPads, such as the restart, shut down, and force restart methods. On ‌iPad Air‌, a shut down and a restart are the same gesture, while a...

Apple's Studio Display comes with three built-in microphones that allows it to recognize "Hey Siri" voice commands and respond to spoken queries, and the connected Mac doesn't even have to officially support ‌Siri‌ for it to work. Keep reading to learn how. While ‌Siri‌ support has been available on most recent Macs for some time, some Macs such as the 2019 Mac Pro and Mac mini (2018 and later)...

Twitter has updated its iOS app with a new in-app camera feature that lets users create their own animated GIFs for posting to the social media platform. The following steps show you how it's done. In Twitter, hit the big blue plus button to start composing a tweet. Tap the picture icon in the compose window, just above the virtual keyboard. Tap the camera icon. Make sure GIF is selected ...

Following the release of watchOS 8.5 for Apple Watch and tvOS 15.4 for Apple TV, it's now possible to confirm ‌Apple TV‌ purchases from your wrist. This new method of verifying content purchases works for both one-time purchases like movies as well as in-app purchases on ‌Apple TV‌. The following steps show how it works. Update your ‌Apple TV‌ to tvOS 15.4 (Settings -> System -> Software...

Computer monitors and displays don't typically receive firmware updates, but Apple's 27-inch 5K Studio Display isn't typical. That's because it contains its own dedicated A13 processor (the same chip Apple used in the iPhone 11) and runs a full version of iOS, which powers the audio output and deals with webcam processing. The inclusion of a dedicated computer processor means Apple can issue ...

Following the release of watchOS 8.5 for Apple Watch and iOS 15.4, you can now restore an Apple Watch that has a problem using a nearby iPhone. Before the updates were released, some Apple Watch models needing to be restored had to be mailed to an Apple Repair Center. In many cases, however, this is no longer a requirement thanks to the latest software updates, and you can restore a...

Atrial fibrillation is a health condition that often goes undiagnosed, so ECG app and heart rhythm alerts on Apple Watch are highly useful for detecting early signs of disease. ECG readings also normally require a full ECG machine and a visit to the doctor, which is far less convenient than a reading taken with the Apple Watch. The irregular rhythm notification feature intermittently checks...

As of iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3, Apple has introduced support for Universal Control, the long-awaited feature that's designed to allow multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled with a single mouse and keyboard. Thanks to ‌‌Universal Control‌‌, you can use the same cursor and keyboard on any nearby Mac or ‌iPad‌ that's signed into your iCloud account. So, for example, if you...

With the release of macOS 12.3, Macs provide support for two separate features called Sidecar and Universal Control that allow Macs and iPads to be used together, but in different ways. This article explains the difference between them and shows you how to use both features in concert, provided your setup allows for it. Keep reading to learn more. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for ...

In iOS 15, you can put multiple copies of the same app on your iPhone's Home Screen. On the surface, this may seem like a strange thing to allow, and perhaps even a bug, but Apple has intentionally made it possible to have additional copies of an app across several ‌Home Screen‌ pages so that the apps can be used in conjunction with its new Focus features. One of the functions of Focus is that ...

Apple is planning to hold its first media event of 2022 on Tuesday, March 8, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time through a live stream. The event is expected to see the unveiling of a new iPhone SE, iPad Air, and at least one new Mac. We could also hear news related to the company's services and perhaps learn the release dates on iOS and iPadOS 15.4, alongside macOS Monterey 12.3, which introduces...

By default, Apple Watch periodically sends you stand reminders, but if you’re finding them annoying, there’s an easy way to turn them off from your wrist or using your iPhone. Keep reading to learn how. Remaining sedentary for extended periods of time isn’t great for your health, which is why Apple Watch includes stand reminders. If you remain seated for the first 50 minutes of an...