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.
Got a new pair of AirPods? Once you know how to set up, connect, and configure them, you'll discover why people who own a pair of Apple's wireless earbuds or wireless over-ear headphones love them. We're here to help get you started with this Apple AirPods manual, which will cover the original AirPods, AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Max.
By Leanne Hays
With the latest iOS update, you can do more with your iPhone even before unlocking it. Here's how to respond to your notifications directly from the Lock screen. For iPhone 6s or later, you'll use 3D Touch. For the iPhone XR, you'll just use long press or swipe and tap.
By Leanne Hays
This will sound strange coming from someone who works for a tech publication, but I’ve been so worried about buying my daughter a cellphone that I’ve put it off until she was literally the last kid in her grade without one. What have I been worried about? Everything from the more minor things like screen addiction and gigantic data overages, to larger, 60 Minutes-level fears of her getting cyberbullied or meeting an online predator. Now, though, she’s almost 14 and will be in high school next year. I’ve come to the realization that it’s part of my job as a parent to ease my teenager into the technology that’s an everyday part of all our lives, rather than keeping her from it so she has to acclimate herself all at once when she’s old enough to purchase her own smartphone.
By Leanne Hays
I'll confess that when I first learned about the Apple TV, I thought that it was, well, a TV. I remember being surprised at the price; "Wow! $149 for an HDTV, that's so reasonable for an Apple product!" Clearly, I had no idea what an Apple TV is, let alone how to hook one up or use one. Things have changed, though (it was a steep learning curve), and now I actually know how an Apple TV works, what's needed to connect one, how to set up an Apple TV, and even how to pair the remote or use your iPhone as a remote. Let's get started setting up your Apple TV!
By Leanne Hays
We use the internet for just about everything; shopping, banking, communicating with friends and family, and storing music, photos, and videos. It's vital to safeguard all the personal data associated with these services with a different, strong password for each account. A password manager can help you generate and keep each password safe. There are lots of reputable, free password keepers to choose from, so it can be hard to choose the right one. Let's discuss the best password safe app for iPhone.
Through the years, FaceTime has evolved and improved to include more devices and capabilities. With Apple's iOS 15, we can finally place a FaceTime call to Android users via a link, not to mention all the cool features now available with SharePlay. In this guide, we'll cover how to make a call using the FaceTime app, how to FaceTime with Android users, how to share your screen, and more!
By Leanne Hays
The iPhone has a bunch of great native apps that can really help you get your work done. But one of the best, little-known apps that come on your iPhone is the Measure app and its hidden spirit level. The level on your iPhone, while sometimes imperfect, does a pretty decent job of gauging how straight your paintings are hanging. There are a few keys to getting it to work right, but this has helped me out in so many circumstances where I did not have access to a spirit level.
By Leanne Hays
So you forgot your iPhone passcode; now what do you do? If you've entered the wrong password for your Lock Screen too many times, you already know your iPad or iPhone is disabled and are wondering how to restore your device. There are a few ways to reset the Apple password on your device and get into a locked iPhone or iPad, whether you have an older iPhone like an iPhone 6 or 7, all the way up to the newest iPhones. Let's get started learning how to reset a disabled iPhone or iPad with iTunes, iCloud or recovery mode.
By Leanne Hays
As someone who lives very far away from my closest friends and much of my family, FaceTime calls have become the lifeblood of many of my longest relationships. This also means that so much of our lives are separate, and I can’t simply lean over on the couch to show my friend or family member something cool on my phone. However, it can be that simple with Screen Sharing on a FaceTime call!
By Leanne Hays
Face ID has been the default for Apple's smartphone security since its debut. However, if you'd like to share your iPhone with a partner, friend, or child, unlocking might be a little difficult. Luckily, just like Touch ID allows you to save multiple fingers, there is a way to allow another face to unlock your iPhone. We'll show you how to add another Face ID.
