How Tos - Page 94

Apple today released the first public beta of iOS 11 for eligible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models, allowing users who aren't signed up for the Apple Developer Program to test the software update ahead of its official release in the fall. iOS 11 is pre-release software, so installing the beta on a secondary device is highly recommended. Due to bugs and other potential issues, installing...

First introduced in watchOS 3.2, Theater Mode is a simple but useful feature that's designed to prevent the Apple Watch's screen from activating when you raise your wrist. It's useful in situations where the bright screen can be a distraction, such as a movie or a play, and it's also useful for those who like to sleep with their Apple Watches. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for ...

Night Shift, the feature first introduced in iOS devices with iOS 9.3, has expanded to the Mac with the release of 10.12.4. Night Shift is compatible with 2012 and newer Macs, so it won't work on older machines. For those unfamiliar with Night Shift, it's designed to cut down on the amount of blue light you're exposed to during the evening by shifting the display of a Mac to a more yellow...

Apple has a "Find my iPhone" feature for lost iPhones, iPads, Macs, and more, but there's also a "Find my AirPods" feature that can be useful if you happen to misplace your AirPods. Find My AirPods has its limitations because it's not able to work when the AirPods aren't connected to an iOS device via Bluetooth, but the feature can help you locate AirPods lost nearby and it gives clues as to...

Last week, we shared a brief video showing that LG's revisions to the shielding in the UltraFine 5K display have successfully addressed issues with the display flickering and disconnecting when in close proximity to Wi-Fi routers. Apple and LG had temporarily pulled the display from the market while LG adjusted its manufacturing processes to incorporate the fix and push the new stock into sales...

When watchOS 3 launched alongside iOS 10, it brought a handful of feature additions and speed improvements to the Apple Watch. One of the new social features is a way for users to share their Activity Rings with friends and family through "Activity Sharing." Mainly focused in iOS 10's Activity app, the ability to share workout data nevertheless requires an Apple Watch updated to watchOS 3, and ...

Since macOS Sierra, Apple has included its well-known personal assistant, Siri, for the Mac. Siri for Mac differs from iOS' version of Siri in several ways, taking advantage of the larger real estate of a Mac's display and the Finder file system. Users can also easily transfer or pin Siri's search results to the Notification Center or documents they're working on. To help you get started with...

macOS Sierra is Apple's latest desktop operating system, which succeeds OS X El Capitan and adopts a new name to bring it in line with iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The OS will come pre-installed on all new Macs once current stock is depleted and is a free download for existing Mac owners. The main new feature in macOS Sierra is deep Siri integration, bringing Apple's personal assistant to the...

Starting with macOS Sierra, Apple introduced an "Auto Unlock" feature that makes it easier for Apple Watch owners to unlock their Macs, with the Apple Watch being used for authentication purposes instead of a traditional password. It's a feature that's limited to more recent Macs so it's not going to work on some older machines, but when it is available, Auto Unlock is a super useful option...

macOS Sierra and iOS 10 both include a new Continuity feature that allows Apple Pay to be used to make purchases on the web using Safari, giving Apple users an alternative to other web-based payment services like PayPal. On Macs, Apple Pay for the web requires an iPhone with Touch ID and Apple Pay support or an Apple Watch, as payments are authenticated through the phone or watch. Apple Pay on ...

This tutorial explains how to reset an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and how to activate Device Firmware Upgrade (DFU) mode to troubleshoot your device if needed. Apple has changed the reset process with the iPhone 7 series, and with the devices now making their way into users' hands, it's a good time to let everyone know what to do when things go wrong. A hard reset basically force-reboots your ...

On iPhone, Apple has a neat way to organize your favorite contacts and even access them quickly, thanks to its Home screen widget system. In addition to adding one-tap phone calling icons, you can customize whether each contact icon will call, FaceTime, text, or email the person you tap on. Note that the basic communication preferences stored within each contact card on your iPhone will come...

The Messages app in iOS 10 has been entirely overhauled, adding a slew of new capabilities that make it more fun to keep in touch with friends and family. One of the more personal touches added to Messages is a new handwriting feature, which allows users to send handwritten messages to their loved ones. Using the handwriting feature is simple, but it's also a bit hidden on the iPhone, because...

One of the newest features in iOS 10's redesigned Apple Music app is the ability to view lyrics for your favorite songs. While the ability to quickly access song lyrics to learn the lines is helpful, the new feature may get lost in the midst of Apple Music's new look. We've put together a how-to guide to show you how to view lyrics for your songs. First, you'll need to start playing a song....

Within the new Photos app in iOS 10, there's a tab called "Memories," which curates various photos and videos you've taken in the past into specific memory collections. Without any steps required on your part, Memories gives you an automatic homemade movie from these past family gatherings or vacations, but thanks to a few editing tools, you can also tweak each memory to your liking (note all...

In iOS 10, the Messages app is gaining Digital Touch, a communication feature that was previously limited to watchOS. With Digital Touch, you can send friends and family drawings, heartbeats, fireballs, kisses, and more, all with just a few taps. Sketches, taps, and other Digital Touch messages created on your iPhone are also viewable on the Apple Watch and vice versa, giving you plenty of...

Although iOS 10 brings with it a few subtle visual and mechanical changes, some of its alterations to the most-used iPhone software features will probably be pretty easy to spot. One of those is the new Control Center, which has not only received a cosmetic upgrade, but has gotten a few new added abilities as well. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The Control...

With iOS 10, Apple has focused on expanding 3D Touch functionality to make it more relevant to users, in the hope that they eventually come to see it as second nature. If you have an iPhone 6s or later, there are a wide range of 3D Touch gestures that you can test out in iOS 10, particularly from the home screen. Here we've compiled a list of native app icons that now support 3D Touch, as...

In iOS 10, Apple is making it even easier to use emojis with an all-new replacement and predictive system that replaces key words and phrases with relevant emoji characters. Although still short of a full-featured search functionality -- which many have asked for -- the new emoji replacement ability turns text messages into emoji-filled communications that are fun alternatives to basic blocks of...

In iOS 10, Messages features creative tools to give users new ways to express themselves and communicate with friends and family. Additions include new bubble effects that change the way iMessage bubbles look, tapback reaction options for sending quick feedback on texts or photos, and screen effects that add fireworks, confetti, and more to the whole messages screen. All of these tools are...