iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

You might not get excited by something as mundane as a USB-C A/C adapter, but in this case, you should. The future is USB-C, which gives you greater compatibility, faster charging, and a reversible plug. Apple has embraced USB-C for its MacBooks and the Pro version of its iPads. It's likely that future iPhones will join the party as well. But, you get a USB-C adapter with your MacBook so what's the big deal about the Omnia 100W PD Fast Charger ($54.99) that Aukey sent me to try?

Sometimes we run out of space on our Apple devices. External storage for iPads and iPhones can be tricky to use, so we are going to walk you through using a USB (also called a flash drive or thumb drive) with both an iPhone and an iPad. This will help you easily transfer things like photos to an external storage device or external hard drive. Moving certain items to external storage will free up space for you to keep taking photos and utilizing your device to its fullest potential. Let’s look at how to use a USB drive with an iPhone or iPad.

Some iPad and iPhone apps require mic and camera access to function properly, and some don't. Apple has introduced new app privacy settings with iOS 14, which allow users to customize access to personal data like photos and videos, app by app, choosing to allow full access, partial access, or no access at all. There's also a way to check microphone and camera access in your Settings app. This way, you can change camera and microphone settings for any app, all in the same place, so apps that don't need to listen to you or see you can't. Let's learn how to allow camera access on your iPhone and iPad or turn it off, and how to allow microphone access, or turn off access to your iPhone or iPad microphone.  

Long battery life and quick charging are two features that iPhone users like me enjoy on a daily basis. There are various ways that an iPhone can be charged, and there are standard wall, wireless and multi-device chargers to pick from. When your phone is on, it's easy to confirm that it's charging by checking the battery icon. However, if your phone is completely out of juice, how do you know if your iPhone is charging? 

In this day and age, we keep a lot of personal information on our iPhones. Losing your phone can be incredibly stressful, which is where Find My iPhone Lost Mode can help. But what does Lost Mode do on iPhone? Lost Mode is a feature of the Find My app, which combines Find My iPhone and Find My Friends into a single app. When an iPhone is in Lost Mode, it will be locked and will display a custom message. At the same time, it will turn on tracking so that you can see the location of the device, even if your location services were originally disabled.

Every new iPhone model comes with a screen that is more resistant to scratches and cracks than its predecessor. Despite technological advances, these expensive devices are still not life-proof. A damaged screen is not only unsightly, it can make basic iPhone use more difficult. On the other hand, there are certain drawbacks to using a screen protector. This is why many are asking, “should I use a screen protector for my iPhone?" If you're wondering if having a perfect screen is worth the hassle of choosing, installing, and eventually removing a screen protector, the answer is: it depends.

I love when a product I've reviewed gets better. Case in point, the Adonit Note. I recently reviewed it, and I won't cover all of the details because much of those observations remain. Instead, I'll focus on what's new or different with the Adonit Note-UVC ($69.99) that Adonit sent me to try.