Leanne Hays

Author Details

Leanne Hays's picture

Author Details

Leanne Hays

Leanne Hays has over a dozen years of experience writing for online publications. As a Feature Writer for iPhone Life, she has authored hundreds of how-to, Apple news, and gear review articles, as well as a comprehensive Photos App guide. Leanne holds degrees in education and science and loves troubleshooting and repair. This combination makes her a perfect fit as manager of our Ask an Expert service, which helps iPhone Life Insiders with Apple hardware and software issues.
In off-work hours, Leanne is a mother of two, homesteader, audiobook fanatic, musician, and learning enthusiast.

If you haven't downloaded iOS 13.5, there's a feature that will make unlocking your iPhone while wearing a mask a little faster. Apple has rolled out a small but helpful improvement for the age of Covid-19, and if your iPhone has Face ID, it will save you time. Now, if your iPhone detects that you're wearing a face mask when you attempt to unlock your iPhone, it will immediately give you the option to go to the Passcode screen rather than rquiring you to wait while it tries to identify your face. We've already gone over how to add another person to your iPhone's Face ID and how to turn on iPhone Face ID for apps. Now, let's learn about the new Face ID update that makes it easier to unlock your iPhone while wearing a mask.

Apple announced the first version of iOS, Apple's operating system for the iPhone, iPod Touch (and formerly the iPad), back in January 2007, and at iPhone Life magazine we've been covering everything iOS related for almost as long. Starting with iOS 5, Apple has announced a new version of iOS each year at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) and this year's virtual developers conference should be no exception when it comes to Apple's software announcements and our coverage of it. Don't want to wait until the big Apple keynote to find out what to expect from iOS 14? In this rumor roundup, we've got everything you should know about this year's new iOS, including expected release dates, compatibility, the possibility of 5G for the new iPhones, new apps, and improvements to classic, native apps. So read on.

Have you been curious about Apple Pay, and wondering if it's a service you'd like to use? If you've been asking, "what is Apple Pay," and "how does Apple Pay work," we'll fill you in. Apple Pay is a secure platform that allows users to make purchases and send, receive, and transfer money from the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac, no contact or cash required. Let's answer the questions of what is Apple Pay, how Apple Pay works, where it's accepted, and the security features that allow users to make and receive payments safely and with confidence. 

The Apple Notes app is a convenient way to keep track of lists, ideas, and more. You can choose to start a new note from your Lock screen every time you need to jot something down, or to continue with the last note you were working on. We've already shown you how to write a note directly from your iPhone's Lock screen, and how to organize your notes by transferring them to a folder. Now, let's learn how to set whether to continue a previous note or start a new note when opening Notes from your Lock screen. 

Can you use a Bluetooth mouse with an iPad? You can now! We've long been able to use accessories like Bluetooth speakers, headphones, or the Apple Pencil with our iPads, but starting with iPadOS 13, iPad mouse and trackpad support finally arrived in a limited way as an Accessibility feature. Now, with iPadOS 13.4, pairing and using a mouse with your iPad is a fully integrated feature. In even better news, Apple announced a new Magic Keyboard with a trackpad with a cursor for navigating, editing, and gestures. We've already gone over iPad tutorials and tips such as how to take a screenshot on an iPad, how to use an iPad as a second monitor with Sidecar, how to set up your iPad for work, and even recommendations for the best iPad Pro apps for professionals. Now, let's learn how to pair and use your iPad with a wireless mouse or trackpad.

Zoom is a web and app-based service that offers the ability to chat, make a phone call, host a webinar, create a virtual conference room, and host or join online audio and video meetings with people around the world. You can use Zoom on your iPhone and iPad to audio or video chat between two people or with a group of up to one hundred. Zoom works for both Android and iPhone, PC, and Mac, so all your contacts can communicate.

Are you into iPhone photography and wondering how to get the best shots in low light? Apple's latest iPhones, the 11 and 11 Pro, offer a new camera feature called Night Mode. Night Mode makes night photography easy, allowing users to take clear, vivid pictures in low-light situations. We've already answered the question, "how do you use the new iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 camera on Night Mode?" Now, we'll go over the different ways to use Night Mode camera settings on your iPhone so that you can have more control over the amount of exposure in a low-light shot.

If you're into iPhone photography and looking for ways to get the best shots in low light, you're in luck. iPhone 11 and newer models offer a feature called Night mode. Night mode makes night photography easy, allowing users to take clear, vivid pictures in low-light situations. So, how do you use Night mode for iPhone 11 or later? We'll go over the ins and outs of these camera settings below.  

There are thousands of apps available that you can use to reach out and let someone know you care. Whether you'd like to share a laugh with a meme app, send a poem via a poetry app, create personalized cards to mail to friends, or share an interesting recipe or article, there's an app for that. If you want to send tangible help in addition to your good wishes, use the Grubhub app to order meal delivery from a local participating restaurant. If your friend or loved one needs groceries or other household supplies, check out our social distancing app roundup for more great ways to help. You’ll rest well knowing your loved one is taken care of, and they’ll appreciate the gesture!

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