How Tos - Page 87

Apple's HomePod speaker is best enjoyed when linked to an Apple Music subscription, since this allows you to make the most of Siri's enhanced music smarts and its DJ-like role as a personal music curator, or "mixologist", as Apple calls it. As ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers will know, the streaming service learns your music preferences based on what you say and play, which helps it populate the...

You can use Siri on your HomePod to access your messages, notes, and reminders, all of which are what Apple calls Personal Requests. As a rule, these only work when the device that was used to set up ‌HomePod‌ is connected to the same local network, which ‌Siri‌ interprets to mean that you're home. If the option is enabled, ‌Siri‌ can also recognize your voice so it knows that it's you if a...

Apple's HomePod smart speaker is primarily geared towards playing songs from the Apple Music catalog and listening to music and podcasts in your iTunes library, but it also features a handy speakerphone function that's ready to use out of the box. The speakerphone feature is available on both the HomePod mini and larger ‌HomePod‌, but it works best with the latter device since it has a...

Before you can start using your new Apple HomePod, you'll need to set it up using an iPhone or iPad that's synced to an iCloud account. During the setup process, ‌HomePod‌ will link the ‌iCloud‌ account to personal request features accessed through the speaker via Siri voice commands, such as the ability to send messages, set up reminders, and get calendar notifications. It will also link...

iCloud Keychain is a feature of your Apple account that you can use to keep your website login credentials, personal details, credit card details, and wireless network information up to date and available across all your Apple devices. With so many usernames and passwords to remember these days, iCloud Keychain provides a convenient way of always having this information at hand. And with its...

Apple's Live Photos, introduced in 2015, are photos that capture 1.5 seconds of video before and after you take a picture, with the aim of adding a little bit of life and movement to still images. When you take a photo with an iPhone, not every shot comes out crisp and clear, but with Live Photos, if you get a blurry image, you can open it up and see if other frames you captured are clearer. ...

Apple introduced two-factor authentication (2FA) in 2015 to provide an enhanced level of security when accessing Apple ID accounts. With 2FA enabled, you'll be the only person who can access your account, regardless of whether someone learns your password – as the result of a hack or a phishing scam, for example – so it's well worth taking the time to enable the feature. In this article,...

If you're looking to cut down on the amount of time you spend performing certain actions on your iPhone, there's usually a solution hidden in Apple's mobile operating system. Here are five quick iOS tips that once you start using will make you a lot more time-efficient in the long run. This article assumes you're using an iPhone running iOS 11 or later, but some of these tips will work on...

On iOS devices, there's a feature that lets you save any webpage as a PDF, so you can add edits, annotate it, read it offline, share it with friends, and more. Saving a webpage as a PDF is simple enough to do, but if you haven't done it before, you might not know the feature exists. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Here's how to do it: Open up Safari. Navigat...

In iOS 11, Apple introduced a new feature that lets you add a quick drawing or sketch to an email message right within the Mail app. It's a simple, easy-to-access feature, but it's a little bit hidden, so you might not know that it exists. Here's how you can get to the built-in drawing tools in the Mail app on an iPhone or iPad: Open up the Mail app. Compose a new email or reply to...

Accidentally close a browser tab in Safari on iOS and want to open it back up? There's a simple gesture for that, which you may not know about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. All you have to do is open up the tab view in Safari and long press on the "+" icon to get a look at all of the tabs that you've recently closed. Even if you're aware of the gesture, it's...

There are some iOS gestures and tricks that have been around forever, but remain relatively hidden because they're hard to find unless you know about them. Closing all of the tabs in your Safari browser on an iOS device is one such trick -- it's simple if you know how to do it, but it's a gesture you might not know exists. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Here's...

If you got a new iPhone or iPad for Christmas, you may have an old one that you're ready to sell or trade in to get a bit of extra cash. You'll want to make sure to adequately erase everything on it to get it ready for its next owner. There are only a few steps to follow so it take you just a few minutes to clean up an old iOS device. Here's what to do: Unpair Your Apple Watch If you're...

AirPods, introduced last December, are Apple's completely wire-free earphones that have a W1 chip inside for simple pairing between devices. AirPods work like magic, and while they're easy to set up, the process may not be intuitive to all users who received AirPods this Christmas, so we thought we'd share some quick, easy to digest instructions. Remove the AirPods from the packaging. ...

If you got a new iPhone or iPad for Christmas and you already have at least one iOS device that's running iOS 11, setting up the new device is simple and quick with Automatic Setup. Introduced in iOS 11, Automatic Setup streamlines the setup process for new iPhones and iPads, transferring over Apple ID info, your WiFi network credentials, your preferred settings, and your iCloud Keychain. ...

In iOS 11, the native camera app includes functionality that allows you to scan QR codes and access QR code content like URLs without having to download a third-party app. Here's how to scan a QR code when you run into one: Open the Camera app on the iPhone or iPad. Make sure you have adequate lighting so the camera can pick up the QR code. Align the camera with the QR code. That'...

A newly discovered bug in macOS High Sierra enables the root superuser on a Mac with a blank password and no security check, essentially giving anyone full access to your Mac. Apple is likely already working on a fix, but in the meantime, there's a temporary workaround -- enabling the root user with a password. Here's how: Open Spotlight and search for Directory Utility. Double click...

Apple Cash (formerly Apple Pay Cash) is Apple's peer-to-peer payments service. Once you've set up an Apple Cash card on your iPhone or iPad, it can be used to make and receive payments in Messages, or you can get Siri to send money to a friend or family member. This article shows you how. When someone sends you money via Apple Cash, it goes on your virtual Apple Cash card, which is stored...

iPhone X pre-orders begin this Friday, October 27 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time on a first come, first served basis, and customers that want any chance of receiving the smartphone on launch day will need a combination of speed and luck. The quickest way to pre-order the iPhone X is to use the Apple Store app on iPhone. Prospective buyers that want any chance of receiving the iPhone X when it...

macOS High Sierra adds integrations with several third-party apps that let you do all kinds of fun things with your photos, from making photo books to putting them on t-shirts and coffee mugs. Third-party apps supplement the existing built-in tools that allow you to make prints or create books, slideshows, cards, and calendars You can use these tools directly in the Photos app without...