Apple Apps

iOS 12 has added tons of helpful and fun new features to your iPhone's software, one of my favorite new ones is the ability to add cool effects and Animojis (and Memojis!) while taking a picture or video in the Messages app.

Apple's Stocks app was formerly a pretty bare-bones affair, but with iOS 12 it's receiving a much-needed update. In addition to expanded data on the markets and stocks you're interested in, there's a section with business news stories relevant to your interests. The Stocks app has always been included on the iPhone and is now also available for iPads. This new-and-improved version comes with the ability to tailor and manage the stocks you are following in a Watchlist, so you always have the information you need to make informed financial decisions. Let's get started learning how to customize your Watchlist in the Stocks app now. 

If you have an iPhone X, iPhone XS, or an iPhone 7 Plus or 8 Plus with 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom, you can easily select the exact amount of zoom you'd like to use with each shot with the zoom slider. This is a really fun iPhone photography feature to play around with, so let's get started learning how to use the zoom slider to catch all the detail you've been aiming for in your pictures. 

Your Apple Watch Dock is a versatile, multi-functional interface that can help you quickly access your favorite Apple Watch apps including Messages, Calendar, Activity, and many more. One of the first things you'll want to know is how to set up your Apple Watch Dock with your favorite apps, so you have all the information and functionality you need literally at your fingertips. Let's get started learning how to customize your Apple Watch Dock! 

If you have an older iPad, you may have noticed that it's not as fast as it used to be and asked yourself, "why is my iPad so slow?" There are lots of different reasons why your iPad may be running more slowly than it did when you first bought it, and luckily there are just as many ways to speed it back up again! Whether you have an original iPad, iPad 2, older iPad mini, or a more recent version of Apple's tablet, we'll go over all the possible issues that may be causing your device to lag and explore some remedies for these problems. 

The Apple Watch Workout app is a fantastic activity tracker app. This fitness app not only tracks the duration and type of your workouts but also monitors other metrics like calories burned and distance traveled. Once your running, cardio, swimming, or other workout has been tracked, it counts towards your fitness goals for that day. But what if you forget to start a workout in the Workout app? That workout won't be included in your progress. Don't worry, though; if you forget to start a workout on your Apple Watch, you can still add the data manually later in the iPhone Health app. Let's get started learning how! 

If you like to download and try out new apps, you know how quickly the Home Screen on your iPhone can become a disorganized mess. We've already gone over how to move apps on the iPhone, as well as how to create app folders; but iOS 11 introduced a cool new trick that makes it easier than ever to rearrange an entire Home Screens of apps at once or drag multiple apps in to a folder at once on your iPhone. Let's get started learning how to quickly and easily get all those app icons where you want them on your Home Screen. 

Podcasts are entertaining, educational, and free in the Podcast app, so there's a temptation to subscribe to every podcast that catches our fancy. Unfortunately, though, if the podcasts you've subscribed to are automatically downloading to your iPhone, they can very quickly eat up a lot of your storage. Luckily, there's a way to limit the number of episode from each podcast your iPhone automatically downloads, so you can stop downloading unmanageable numbers. You can even set this limit at different numbers for different podcasts you're subscribed to! Let's get started learning how to limit the number of automatic podcast episode downloads on our iPhones.  

Great news, everybody; iOS 12 has been announced at WWDC 2018, and it's bringing performance improvements across the board. These benefits will extend not just to the latest iPhone models, but also to every older iPhone that can be updated to the new operating system as well. This means that things are about to get a lot quicker and smoother for the iPhone 5s and later. From animations, to app launch, to Camera, to keyboard display, if you need your iPhone to perform better, the release of iOS 12 is just the boost your device needs. Let's get started talking about the latest iPhone update, and how it's going to make your iPhone faster! 

One aspect of iOS 12 that I can't wait to try out when the new operating system is released in September, is a fun new feature called Memojis. Memojis allow you to create your own Animoji, but not just any Animoji, an Animoji of yourself or any character you can dream up. Once you've created your Memoji, you can use it in FaceTime or Messages. You can create as many custom Animojis as you want, some for family, some for friends, and you can customize their features, hairstyles, accessories, and much more. Of existing iPhone models, Memojis can only be created on the iPhone X running iOS 12 since this is the only version of the iPhone to incorporate the TruDepth camera; but the new crop of iPhones, and possibly also the new iPads coming this fall will also be able to create and use Memoji. If you don't have an iPhone X and won't be purchasing one of the new iPads or iPhones, you'll still be able to receive Animoji and Memoji messages, although you won't be able to create them. If you still want some of the fun of custom Memojis, check out this article about a free emoji app. Let's go over how Memojis work, so you can be ready to make your own avatars once you update your iPhone to iOS 12.  

Apple unveiled iOS 12 today at the WWDC 2018 Keynote, and we can expect exciting improvements and features when the iOS update is released in the fall. From overall upgrades to performance, privacy, and security, to app overhauls for the News and Stocks apps, to fun additional Animoji choices, as well as the brand-new Memoji option, Apple engineers have put together a well-balanced crowd-pleaser of an operating system that we can't wait to upload to our devices! Let's go over which devices are compatible with iOS 12, discuss all the new iOS features, and learn how to sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program to try out iOS 12 before the official release date. 

Sometimes you get the perfect shot on your iPhone, but you'd like to crop the photo so the focus is on the main subject. If you're wondering how to crop a picture on iPhone, there's a quick and easy way to accomplish this without adjusting the crop box manually. 

The Apple Watch is the ideal accessory for on-the-go people who need a workout watch that offers both functionality and durability. With handy features including fitness tracking, health monitoring, and the ability to play music, the Apple Watch offers everything an athlete needs to stay informed and motivated about activity levels and fitness. The Activity app for Apple Watch tracks data about your workouts each day, then archives that information for future reference. Let's get started learning how to view your Activity app workouts, so you can sort your data and have the fitness information you need at your fingertips. 

If you love podcasts, and also love iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices, you've probably heard that you can sync your podcasts across your devices. Once your devices are synced you can use the Podcasts app to listen to a podcast on your iPhone, then pick it up right where you left off on your iPad. Syncing across Apple devices includes not only podcast playback positions but also your podcast subscriptions and stations. If this sounds like podcast heaven to you, follow the steps below to sync up your devices and start listening.

I don't know about you, but before I purchase an app in the App Store, I like to read a few reviews to see how other customers have liked (or disliked) their purchase. Now iOS 11.3 makes it easier than ever before to sort app reviews so customers can find the information they want about individual apps. Let's get started learning how to find and sort user-submitted reviews in the App Store on our iPhones, so we have more information before purchasing apps. 

The iPhone's Health app has long been useful for tracking all sorts of medical data, but iOS 11.3 is bringing even more functionality to your Health app. Medical records such as lab results, immunizations, and more can now be organized and shared with a new feature of the Health app, called Health Records. Rather than emailing scanned medical records to healthcare providers, doctors, and hospitals, patients can use Health Records to forward their information directly from their iPhones. Let's get started learning how to set up Health Records and view your medical history, right from your iPhone. 

The Apple News app is great for keeping up to date on the day's top developments and stories. The more users interact with the News app, the more customized it becomes, and now, with iOS 11.3, Apple has made the News app even more individualized. The For You section of the News app now allows you to tailor the For You video selection to your preference. Let's get started learning how to personalize the For You section of Apple's News app on your iPhone, so you can get all the content you're really looking for by keeping or eliminating the Today's Videos and Must-See Videos section. 

iOS 11.3 is now available and brings with it fixes that iPhone owners have been hoping for, as well as upgrades and a few surprises. Two major fixes include greater transparency about data and privacy, and more information about battery health and throttling. Among the new features added to iOS 11.3: a Health Records feature in the Health app, the Business Chat platform, app integration with ARKit for a more diverse range of Augmented Reality experiences, and of course, four new animoji!