How Tos - Page 2

In iOS 16, Apple introduced some major changes to its mobile operating system, including a total overhaul of the Lock Screen. On an iPhone running iOS 16 or later, it's possible to customize the Lock Screen in ways that were simply not possible before, thanks to new options to apply unique fonts, colors, filters, and, for the first time, add widgets. Recognizing that users might like to ...

Apple designed its iPhone software so that you don't have to close an app when you're not using it, since most apps that are not active remain in a suspended state and don't use up any resources or eat up battery. However, if an iOS app becomes unresponsive, you may need to force quit the app and restart it to get it to work properly again. Here's how you can do that on both older and newer ...

Apple took Lock Screen customization to a whole new level with iOS 16, allowing you to change the font and style of the clock, add widgets, and apply dynamic weather and astronomy wallpapers. As a result, it also changed the way you go about setting a different Home Screen background to that of your Lock Screen. Keep reading to learn how it's done. When you customize the Lock Screen for the...

On the Apple TV, if you prefer not to input text using the Siri Remote you can use a nearby iPhone or iPad to type. Whenever a text field appears on the ‌Apple TV‌, a notification appears on the ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌, and after tapping the notification, you can use the on-screen keyboard on your iOS device to enter text on the ‌Apple TV‌. You can disable these notifications on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ if...

In iOS 17, there's a new AirDrop feature that lets you exchange contact information with someone by touching two iPhones together. It's called NameDrop, and here's how it actually works. Rather than type in the number of someone new to call or text them so that they have your number, NameDrop allows you to simply hold your ‌iPhone‌ near their ‌‌iPhone‌‌ to swap contact details....

This article explains how to use Safari's Private Browsing mode, which prevents your browsing history from being logged on your Apple devices. It's a useful feature if you're buying gifts online for friends or family, for instance, and you don't want anyone with access to your devices to find out what you're up to. Of course, if you've already been browsing where you shouldn't have and...

In 2022, Apple added a new feature to the stock Notes app on iPhone and iPad that allows you to quickly scan printed or handwritten text and save it in digital text format. Keep reading to learn how it works. On earlier versions of iOS and iPadOS, scanning text into Apple's Notes app required tapping on a note's text field and tapping the Live Text option in the popup menu. However, Apple...

Whenever you browse the web in Safari, the browser stores website data so that it doesn't have to download it again each time you revisit a site. In theory this should speed up your browsing experience, but there are some scenarios where you might want to clear the cache and start anew. Keep reading to learn how it's done on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. There are a couple of situations where you...

On iPhone and iPad, one of several accessibility features that Apple includes is Background Sounds. The sounds are designed to help you stay focused, stay calm, and help you minimize distractions while you are busy with something. The Background Sounds on offer include balanced, bright, and dark noise, as well as natural sounds like ocean, rain, and stream. All of the sounds can be set to...

In iOS and iPadOS, Apple includes a feature in Notes that allows you to quickly scan all kinds of documents so you can keep track of everything from receipts to recipes and photos. The Document Scanner detects the edges of a document, aligns things properly, and removes all glare and tilt so you get a clean scan every time. Apple's document scanning tools are well engineered and impressive,...

With iOS 17, Apple introduced several new privacy and security features to its mobile operating system, one being the ability to require secondary authentication for Private Browsing tabs in Safari. Here's how it works and how to turn it off. On an iPhone or iPad running ‌iOS 17‌ or iPadOS 17, if you have any Private Browsing tabs open in Safari and then exit the session or the app, Apple's...

In macOS Ventura and later, Apple includes an accessibility feature for Mac called Background Sounds. These sounds are designed to help you stay focused at work, promote calm, and minimize distractions. Keep reading to learn how it works. Apple first introduced Background Sounds on iPhone, allowing users to play ambient soundscapes in the background. This feature is also available on Macs,...

In macOS Sonoma, Apple has improved the search function in its stock Messages app for Mac, which now allows you to combine search queries and narrow down results to quickly find the messages that you're looking for. This article explains how it works. Previously in macOS, you could type a word or phrase in the search field of Apple's Messages app and it would return matching results, but...

In iOS, Apple lets you disable individual Home Screen pages on your iPhone. It's also possible to rearrange the order of your ‌‌Home Screen‌‌ pages, and delete pages outright rather than merely disable them. Here's how it works. How to Rearrange ‌Home Screen‌ Pages Touch and hold a space on the ‌Home Screen‌ to enter jiggle mode. Tap the row of dots representing your ‌Home Screen‌ pages. In the...

Does your iPhone keep displaying certain contacts whenever you go to share something in iOS, and you'd rather not see them? Keep reading to learn how to get rid of them. Whenever you go to share something on your ‌iPhone‌ or iPad using the Share button, iOS brings up the activity view – often called the Share Sheet – at the top of which is a row of suggested contacts with whom you've...

In macOS Sonoma, Apple has made its stock Notes app significantly more useful by adding the simple yet powerful ability to link notes and connect related notes together on your Mac. Here's how it works. With just a few clicks, you can create links between notes in the Notes app in ‌macOS Sonoma, making it easy to jump from one idea to another. To add a new link to another note, right-click ...

Apple in macOS Sonoma added inline predictive text. Here's how it works on the Mac, and how you can turn it off. Apple has improved its machine learning technology for Macs in an effort to make macOS a lot more helpful, and one of the features in which this tech has been deployed is inline predictive text. Predictive text does just what it says - it predicts what you're going to type...

Digital privacy is a perennial hot topic these days, and Apple is regarded as being at the forefront of security when it comes to smartphone and tablet operating systems. For example, for an app to access your iPhone or iPad's camera, camera and microphone access must be enabled for the app in question in the Settings app. Social media apps will often ask you for access to your device's...

By default, ‌macOS Sonoma‌ hides all your active windows when you click on your desktop wallpaper. This is handy if you tend to have a bunch of files on the desktop that you need access to. But if you find this behavior maddening, there is a way to turn it off. Apple's latest ‌macOS Sonoma‌ operating system for Mac has a new option called "Click wallpaper to reveal desktop." Enabled by...

Apple introduced its long-awaited Journal app for iPhone in iOS 17.2. Keep reading to learn how to keep your journal's contents secure and safe away from prying eyes. Apple announced in June 2023 announced it was bringing its own journaling app to iOS 17, and it has since been confirmed that the app is included in iOS 17.2, which is currently available to download as a beta. Apple's...