How Tos

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...

In iOS 26, currently in beta, your iPhone gains a handy new charging feature that takes the guesswork out of knowing when your device will be fully powered up. Instead of waiting around or checking your battery percentage every few minutes, you can now see exactly how much time remains until your device reaches 100%. A real-time estimate appears right in your Battery settings while your...

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...

Apple has made the 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 to...

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...

If you own an iPhone or iPad with a USB-C port, the port can be used to charge AirPods, an Apple Watch, or even another iPhone, which is handy for times when you don't have a spare charger or power outlet available. Here's how it works. If your AirPods or Apple Watch run out of battery while you don't have access to a charger, you can use the battery in your iPhone or iPad for a little extra ...

Since iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, Apple has included Messages-like reactions in FaceTime that lighten up your video with visual effects. But rather than triggering them with words, you can trigger them using physical hand gestures. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. When you're on a FaceTime video call on an iPhone running iOS 17 or later, or an iPad running iPadOS 17 or...

If you've ever found yourself scrolling endlessly through your iPhone's music library to find that one album you play every morning or the workout playlist that gets you pumped, then you should find iOS 26's new Music pins feature a welcome addition to the app. Basically, Apple Music lets you pin your most frequently accessed songs, playlists, albums, and artists directly to the top of your ...

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 first 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...

If you've just downloaded the iOS 26 public beta on your iPhone, the first thing you'll notice is the new Liquid Glass design overhaul, which adopts translucent elements throughout the system interface and in stock apps. On the Home Screen, the search bar, dock, and app folders are translucent. By default, app icons have a new layered glass look that gives them dimension, but there's also a...

Apple has modified the screenshot experience in iOS 26 to accommodate Visual Intelligence and its new Liquid Glass aesthetic. Taking a screenshot is still done by pressing the Side button and Volume Up button on your iPhone, but the interface has been redesigned, while there's another change that might slow down your workflow if you're used to the streamlined approach taken in iOS 18 and earlier. ...

In iOS 26, Apple introduces conversation backgrounds to its Messages app for the first time. Custom backgrounds can help users better organize their conversations at a glance, and they also serve to add a personal touch to important chats, but they can feel like an imposition for other users. The ability to apply custom backgrounds to Messages conversations in ‌iOS 26‌ will be welcomed by many ...

In iOS 18.2 and later, Apple's Genmoji feature lets you create personalized emoji that aim to perfectly match what you want to express, going far beyond the limitations of standard Unicode emoji. Want an emoji of a break-dancing astronaut or a dog playing bagpipes? With Genmoji, you can make it happen. Unlike standard emoji that are fixed Unicode characters, Genmoji are dynamically generated ...

When using macOS Finder in List view, you'll see the sizes of individual files – but not folders. Instead, folders show a pair of dashes (--) in the Size column. macOS skips calculating folder sizes by default to keep List view performance fast, especially in directories with many nested files. But if you want to keep an eye on folder sizes in certain locations, or even globally, there are a...

In iOS 18.2, Apple introduced a major change to iPhone's Mail app with a new Categories feature, which has now been rolled out to iPad and Mac with iPadOS 18.4 and macOS Sequoia 15.4. Categories automatically sorts your emails into four distinct sections: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. However, while this organizational system aims to help manage email overload, not everyone will ...

In macOS, the Hot Corners feature turns each of the four corners of your screen into a designated action, allowing you to quickly access certain functions built into the system, such as Mission Control, Notification Center, the Screen Saver, QuickNote, and more. Many Mac users would agree, there's something satisfying about bringing up these commonly used functions with a simple, swift cursor...

There are several ways to search the web in Apple's Safari browser. In this article, we're going to highlight a way of searching specific websites using a lesser-known Safari feature called Quick Website Search. The option is designed to work with sites that have a built-in search field, like the one you can find at the top of the main page at MacRumors.com. Here's how it works. Let's...

When Apple released iOS 18.2, it introduced a major change to the Mail app with its new Categories and priority messages features. Categories automatically sorts your emails into four distinct sections: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions. The change also adds contact photos and business logos for conversations in your inbox, but if you don't like how they look, it's easy enough to...

If you're concerned about hearing loss and own AirPods Pro 2, Apple offers a convenient clinical-grade Hearing Test that's easy to use. Here's everything you need to know about checking your hearing health with this new feature. Apple on December 11 released iOS 18.2, which expands the Hearing Test feature on the AirPods Pro 2 to nine additional countries, including Cyprus, Czechia, France,...