Monday, 01 May 2023 12:08
Prevent Quick Screenshots from Cluttering Your Photos Library on the iPhone and iPad
Written by Adam Engst
By default, when you take a screenshot (instructions for iPhone and iPad), it saves to Photos. But what if you don’t want something like a quick image of a map for a friend to clutter your Photos library? In iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Apple has added new options. When you tap the screenshot thumbnail […]
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With the original version of the Apple Watch, Apple introduced “grid” view, which shows tiny icons for each app in a random circular pattern, making them difficult to find for most people. Happily, at some point, Apple relented and gave us the more sensible list view, which shows all the apps—with their names—sorted alphabetically. If […]
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Monday, 01 May 2023 12:06
New Apple Card Savings Accounts Offers 4.15% Interest
Written by Adam Engst
Apple is continuing its forays into the financial world with the introduction of Apple Card Savings, a new savings account from Goldman Sachs that offers 4.15% interest with no fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements. The Savings account is designed to hold your Daily Cash rewards from using the Apple Card, but […]
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Monday, 01 May 2023 12:05
iOS 16.4 Adds Voice Isolation Feature to Improve Cellular Calls
Written by Adam Engst
In iOS 15, Apple added the Voice Isolation feature to FaceTime calls to filter out noise around you while you’re talking, which is a boon if you’re making a call in a loud space or outside environment. With the recently released iOS 16.4, Apple has now brought that feature to cellular calls as well, but […]
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If your iPhone were to be stolen or suffer an unfortunate accident, would you lose all your precious photos? Those using iCloud Photos are probably shaking their heads smugly, thinking that all those baby and vacation photos are backed up securely in iCloud. iCloud Photos does indeed store a copy of all your photos, but […]
Monday, 01 May 2023 12:03
“Juice Jacking” Returns to the News but Still Hasn’t Happened
Written by Adam Engst
Much has been made in the media about a recent FBI warning about “juice jacking,” the theoretical act of installing malware on or stealing data from an iPhone connected to a public charging station. Researchers first demonstrated juice jacking in 2011 at the Defcon security conference. There’s no harm in following the FBI’s advice, but […]
Monday, 01 May 2023 12:02
Sidestep MacBook Optimized Battery Charging When Necessary
Written by Adam Engst
Have you ever run into a situation where the battery icon in your menu bar is stuck at 80% even though your Mac has been plugged in for hours? Luckily, there are several easy workarounds, but first, let us explain what’s going on. In the past few years, Apple has added optimized battery charging features […]
Photos we take today with our iPhones and other digital cameras automatically have metadata associated with them, information like time and date, camera type, lens and exposure information, and even location (with iPhones and newer cameras). Other metadata, like titles and faces, we have to add manually. Four of these pieces of metadata are particularly […]
Monday, 03 April 2023 09:08
Set Your Apple Watch Clock Ahead a Few Minutes to Avoid Being Late
Written by Adam Engst
Those who tend to cut things tight have a time-honored tradition of setting their watches ahead by a few minutes. That way, when you glance at your watch and realize that you need to leave, you actually have a few more minutes. You can do this with your Apple Watch, but only on the watch […]
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Monday, 03 April 2023 09:07
How to Turn Mail’s Rich Website Previews into Plain Links
Written by Adam Engst
Sometimes apps can be too helpful. Apple’s Mail on the Mac likes to turn pasted URLs into graphically rich previews, and sometimes that’s OK. But other times, the preview is confusing or takes up too much space. Or you may want to send a plain link so the recipient can see its text. There are […]
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Monday, 03 April 2023 09:06
Classical Music Fans Take Note: Apple Music Classical Is Now Available
Written by Adam Engst
Apple has at long last released the promised Apple Music Classical app. It’s a free iPhone app for Apple Music subscribers that looks and works much like the standard Music app. However, Apple has adjusted it extensively under the hood to work better with classical music, where there are many recordings of the same work […]
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Monday, 03 April 2023 09:05
Reveal Your Desktop Quickly with a Keyboard Shortcut
Written by Adam Engst
The Mac’s Desktop is a remarkably useful place. It’s a good spot for in-progress documents, screenshots, images dragged out of Web pages, and more. However, app windows tend to obscure the Desktop, making it harder to use. There are two quick ways you can temporarily hide windows, making it easy to access icons on the […]
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It’s a question as old as the personal computer. When should you replace your current Mac with a new model that’s faster and more capable? If money were no object, the answer would be easy—whenever you feel like it. For the rest of us, and particularly for organizations with multiple Macs and limited budgets, the […]
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No one intends to drop their iPhone in a pool or fall off a boat with their iPhone in a pocket. But accidents happen. Happily, Apple has designed the iPhone with significant levels of splash and water resistance, so brief exposure to rain or even a quick dunk might not cause any problems. If your […]
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Monday, 03 April 2023 09:02
Integrate Your Cloud Storage Service into the Finder
Written by Adam Engst
Many businesses, schools, and other organizations have adopted cloud storage services like Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive for excellent reasons. Cloud storage provides a centralized spot for shared data without the up-front cost or maintenance issues of a network-attached storage device. It also allows individuals to access the same files on multiple devices […]
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Monday, 03 April 2023 09:01
ChatGPT and Generative AI Will Be an Increasingly Large Part of Our Future
Written by Adam Engst
Have you heard of ChatGPT? It’s likely—the service was launched in November 2022 and gathered 1 million users in the first week. It now has over 100 million users. However, many people are still unaware of it. If you haven’t heard of ChatGPT—or have heard of it but are unclear on what it is or […]
Wednesday, 01 March 2023 11:08
What’s the Difference between Removing and Deleting an App?
Written by Adam Engst
There are many reasons you might want to get rid of apps from your iPhone or iPad. To begin, touch and hold on a blank spot on a Home Screen to enter “jiggle mode.” Then tap the ⊝ icon for any app to see the question about whether to delete the app entirely or merely […]
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Wednesday, 01 March 2023 11:07
Quickly Put Lots of Files in a Folder with One Command
Written by Adam Engst
Imagine that you’re working with a bunch of files, and you want to put a set of them in a new folder. You could stop what you’re doing, make a new folder, select all the files, and drag them into the folder, like an animal. Or you could take advantage of a slick Finder command […]
This feature evokes one of those “living in the future” moments for us. The recently released HomePod Software 16.3 now supports Find My, which means you can ask Siri to locate one of your devices or a friend or family member who shares their location with you. If you have a HomePod, ask Siri, “Where […]
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Wednesday, 01 March 2023 11:05
Need to Back Up or Export a Messages Conversation? Try PDF or iMazing
Written by Adam Engst
Occasionally, we hear from a client who needs to document a Messages conversation with timestamps, perhaps as part of a lawsuit. The only way to do that on an iPhone or iPad is to take a series of screenshots, but if you have a Mac, there are additional options. The easiest approach is to select […]
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With Wi-Fi security, it’s easy to fall into the “out of sight, out of mind” trap. Your Wi-Fi router probably lives in a corner or closet, and of course, Wi-Fi’s radio waves are invisible. But the ease of connecting your devices to your Wi-Fi network means it’s equally as easy for a hacker to connect […]
Wednesday, 01 March 2023 11:03
FAQs about Apple’s Messages App and What Can Go Wrong When Using It
Written by Adam Engst
Most of us rely on Messages every day to text with family, friends, and colleagues. Not surprisingly, we’ve fielded numerous questions surrounding common confusions with this popular app. We hope our answers here will help you use Messages more effectively and work around problems. What’s the difference between blue and green bubble conversations? A common […]
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