How Tos - Page 5

If you've been interrupted by your iPhone's Wallet app with unwanted promotional alerts, here's some good news: In iOS 26, currently in beta, Apple has listened to complaints and added a simple toggle to silence these marketing messages for good. The new toggle comes after widespread complaints this summer when Apple pushed unwanted notifications about F1 movie ticket offers through the...

With iOS 26 (currently in beta), Apple has finally caught up with rival podcast apps like Overcast by adding more fine-grained playback speed controls to the Podcasts app. While competitors have long offered precise speed adjustments, Apple's rigid presets often left you caught between speeds that felt either too slow or uncomfortably fast. In previous versions of iOS, Apple's stock...

Apple's iOS 26 update, currently in beta, brings a nice optional upgrade to screen capture quality with HDR (High Dynamic Range) capture support. The new feature captures or video-records what's on your iPhone's screen while preserving rich colors and detail. HDR screenshots are particularly valuable when capturing content with high contrast – like bright app interfaces against dark...

In iOS 26, Apple offers a new Adaptive Power Mode that works alongside the existing Low Power Mode to intelligently extend your iPhone's battery life. Unlike Low Power Mode's heavy restrictions, this AI-powered feature makes subtle adjustments that you're barely meant to notice. Here's how it works. What Adaptive Power Mode Does When your battery usage runs higher than usual, Adaptive Power ...

If you installed iOS 26 Beta or iPadOS 26 Beta through Apple's Developer Program or Software Beta Program, you may decide you want to downgrade because of usability or stability issues. Keep reading to learn how it's done. Apple's beta versions of its major software updates can be notoriously buggy, especially the early releases. You may find apps not working properly, poor battery life,...

Apple has made available the third public beta of iOS 26, bringing the new software to a wider audience following initial testing by developers. Keep reading to learn how to prepare your device for the beta software and how to install it. Signing up to get the ‌iOS 26 or ‌iPadOS 26 public beta is simple, and can be done by enrolling an iPhone or iPad in Apple's free Apple Beta Software...

In iOS 26, Liquid Glass is Apple's new translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings, while dynamically transforming to help bring greater focus to content across system controls, navigation elements, app icons, and widgets. The design represents the most significant visual overhaul since iOS 7, and it also brings a new clock appearance option to your iPhone Lock Screen....

Apple has made the third macOS Tahoe public beta available for testing before the new Mac operating system's official release in the fall. Keep reading to learn whether you should install it on your Mac, and if so, how to go about it. Getting access to the macOS Tahoe public beta is simple, and can be done by enrolling your Mac in Apple's free Apple Beta Software Program. The steps you need...

Apple has uploaded all of macOS Tahoe's beautiful new screen savers to its servers, and you can watch them right now without waiting for the operating system's release. The collection showcases some breathtaking aerial footage and nature scenes from the likes of India that will grace Mac screens later this year. Rather than waiting to see what Apple has in store, you can preview every single ...

In iOS 26, Apple has a helpful new feature that notifies you when your iPhone's camera lens needs cleaning – something Android devices have offered for years. Here's how to turn on this smart notification system. Whenever your iPhone's camera is active, iOS 26 monitors the incoming light for signs of reduced clarity or smudging that could indicate a dirty lens. When triggered, you'll see a ...

In iOS, Apple makes it easy to spot potentially unsafe Wi-Fi networks before you connect. There are helpful privacy indicators in Control Center that instantly show whether nearby networks are password-protected or open to the public. Accessing Wi-Fi Privacy Indicators Getting to these privacy indicators is straightforward. Pull down from the top-right corner to invoke Control Center, then...

If you haven't heard, OpenAI's launch of ChatGPT-5 on August 7 has caused a furor among a contingent of paying ChatGPT subscribers who find the new frontier model's communication style too clinical compared to legacy model GPT-4o's warmer, more conversational approach. Keep reading to make the old model available to select again in the ChatGPT app for Mac. After just a few days of trying...

In iOS 26, Apple Music introduces playlist folders, bringing the same organizational power that's long been available for photos and notes to your music collection. Whether you're juggling workout mixes, seasonal soundtracks, or genre-specific selections, folders should be a welcome management tool for your most favored collections. The feature works exactly as you'd expect – simply create ...

In iOS 26, currently in beta, creating a new task for Apple's Reminders app is now a much faster process, thanks to the introduction of a "New Reminder" control that lets you create tasks without ever opening the app. Whether you assign it to Control Center, your Lock Screen, or the Action button (on iPhone 15 Pro models and newer), this simple addition should make it a lot easier to record ...

Keeping track of missed calls can be challenging if you're juggling several tasks during the day. Thankfully, iOS 26 introduces a streamlined way to set callback reminders directly from the Phone app, making it less likely that you'll forget to return important calls. Set a Callback Reminder for a Missed Call When iOS 26 launches this fall (or if you're already on the beta), you'll be able...

Apple has finally caught up with rival podcast apps like Overcast by adding an Enhance Dialogue feature to the Podcasts app in iOS 26 (currently in beta). The new audio processing option isolates voices and makes them sound clearer, which should prove ideal for any mumbled true crime episodes or echo-heavy interview shows you listen to. How to Enable Enhance Dialogue The setting is...

iOS 26 gives you two distinct ways to add websites to your iPhone's Home screen – as web apps or traditional bookmarks. They might look similar at first glance, but choosing the right option can dramatically improve how you access your favorite sites. Understanding the Difference When you add a website to your Home screen using the "Add to Home Screen" option, iOS 26 allows the website to...

iOS 26 finally breaks free from the tyranny of the 9-minute snooze. Apple's latest update (currently in beta) lets you customize your iPhone's alarm snooze duration anywhere from 1 to 15 minutes, which may well put an end to years of morning routine frustration. Whether you only need a quick 2-minute buffer before rising from your slumber, or prefer a longer window to properly wake up, iOS...

Setting custom ringtones on your iPhone is dramatically easier in iOS 26. Apple has eliminated the need for the cumbersome process of exporting a track from the GarageBand app, and now provides a simple four-step process that works directly from the Files app. The new streamlined approach means you can transform any MP3 or M4A audio file that's less than 30 seconds into a personalized...

In iOS 26, Apple is introducing several new features for its Messages app, and this one in particular is likely to make interacting with message bubbles way less frustrating. When you tap and hold on any message bubble, a new "Select" option now appears alongside the familiar copy and reaction choices, finally solving one of Messages' most persistent frustrations. The Select feature...