Apps

If you're getting in the zone on a good workout, listening to your music, and feeling the endorphin rush, then the interruption of a notification from your Apple Watch can mess up your rhythm. Luckily, all you have to do is open your Watch app, go to the General settings page, select Do Not Disturb, and activate Workout Do Not Disturb. Then your watch will automatically enter Do Not Disturb mode any time you start a workout, and your running or rowing will be the "me time" you need. Let's get started.

One of my very favorite iPhone features is a simple one, the camera! It's convenient and fun to have a camera in my pocket all the time, and to be able edit my photos right on my iPhone for the best results. Recently I learned that it's possible to use compatible third-party camera and photo-editing apps as an extension, right from my Photos app. And while many of the best photo-editing apps cost money, there are lots of free photo-editor apps with Photos extensions to choose from as well. Let's get started learning how to enable a third-part photo-editor app extension, so you can have as much fun with iPhone photography as I am. 

If you've ever wondered how to download videos or music from YouTube and been frustrated that you can't, there's a fix for that. Better yet, it's a legal one, and it doesn't violate the YouTube terms of service. I'm talking of course about YouTube Premium (formerly called YouTube Red), a paid membership that allows you unlimited access to commercial-free videos, background play to keep your tunes going even when you're using other apps or your screen is off, and the ability to download songs and videos to watch on your iPhone even when you're offline. Let's go over the details of YouTube's premium service, so you can decide if this is the way to save YouTube videos you've been looking for. 

Did you know that you can customize how you'd like your AirPods' controls and settings to work? Using the iPhone paired with your AirPods, you can name your AirPods and decide which functions you'd like to engage when you double tap your right or left AirPod, such as activating Siri to adjust the volume on your iPhone. Let's get started learning how to change your AirPod's settings with your iPhone! 

Lately I've noticed that the app switcher at the bottom of my messages is getting cluttered with icons that I never added. You can remove apps from the app switcher in the switcher's More Options menu. The overabundance of icons on my app bar has made me want to pare down my selection, so I'm not forever scrolling back and forth searching for my favorites. Let's get started learning how to add and remove apps from Messages on the iPhone, so we can have just the ones we need and want available for our texts. 

The Tour de France, a summer tradition since 1903 (except for the years during WWI and WWII,) is almost upon us again. The 2018 Tour de France runs from Saturday, July 7, through Sunday, July 29, and will cover 3,351 kilometers broken up into 21 stages. Le Tour fans are preparing to watch the annual bike race, and many are wondering how they can watch their favorite teams live, without cable, on their Apple TVs. To catch all the coverage we're hoping for, we'll need to know the Tour de France schedule, who's providing Tour de France TV coverage, and which streaming providers offer that network. Let's get started collecting all the information we need so we're ready for Tour de France 2018! 

Instagram account holders have been hit with a wave of spam lately, and from a different source than many have previously experienced. I'm talking about the auto-like or auto-follow phenomenon, where Instagrammers suddenly notice they're following unfamiliar accounts. How does this happen? Insta-following seems to happen when Instagram apps are granted more access to our accounts than they should have. Let's learn how to revoke permissions from spammy apps so we can reclaim our iPhone's Instagram feeds.

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. 

Facebook recently announced a new facial recognition feature that informs account holders when their image appears in other people's photos and videos, then allows them to tag themselves. In addition, the feature warns Facebook users when their picture is used to open another account. While some Facebook users find the facial recognition feature innocuous, or even helpful, others prefer to steer clear of what they perceive as an invasion of privacy. For those of you who would like to turn off facial recognition on Facebook, read on to learn how to do so on your iPhone.  

I downloaded a lot of mediation apps in my search for the one I wanted to feature. And there are a lot of incredible meditation apps; this is by no means the only good one available. But it’s the one I chose for a couple different reasons. Headspace is one of the first apps that became massively popular for meditation, and it hasn’t let the competition surpass it since. The app does a fantastic job of getting you started and immediately launching you into the first meditation. Within three minutes of opening the app, I pressed play and had my first session with the app. At the end, the narrator lets you know he’ll be back tomorrow with another guided meditation. In total, there are three basic meditations that give you three days to see if this app is right for you. Learn more on what it does and why I love it below.

1SE is a video-diary app that allows you to save one second videos of each day. The app will then automatically string all of those memories together to create a movie collection of your life. You can view them anytime or at the end of a year to reflect. It’s any easy yet beautiful way to capture and appreciate a little something from each day you live. With the latest update, you can add two one-second snippets to each day, as well as add journal notes and record your mood. The added features make this both the perfect keepsake and journaling app. Learn more on what 1SE does and why we love it below.

Instagram keeps track of the various hashtags, accounts, and locations account holders search for so that they can easily find their favorite pictures again, and also to use in offering suggested searches to follow and like. If you're not comfortable with your search history being saved, you can clear your Instagram search history. Keep in mind, though, that your new searches will continue to be logged, so you'll need to go through and delete all searches periodically if you don't want them on record. Let's get started learning how to clear search history on Instagram on your iPhone. 

Few things in life are as satisfying as enjoying a meal fresh from your own garden. (There’s nothing like the taste of a cherry tomato still warm from the sun!) Yet any seasoned gardener will tell you that it can be a frustrating process to actually get to that point. All too often, the work we put into it isn’t reflected at harvest time. I grew up on a farm, where I watched my grandparents (and my parents) grow gorgeous vegetable gardens that we enjoyed throughout the year. My own gardening has been limited to indoor or backyard gardens that haven’t been quite as successful. But it doesn’t stop me from trying again every spring. Fortunately for people like me, it’s 2018, and we have more technology at our disposal than our ancestors did. These gardening apps, weather apps, and smart tools take the guesswork out of garden design and maintenance. Let's get started learning how you can become a 21st-century gardener! 

I make no claims of being an amazing guitarist; I wouldn't even say I’m all that good. That said, I’ve enjoyed playing guitar for 20 years and I love it with all my heart. I find it to be both a creative outlet and a valuable form of relaxation and meditation. Back when I began my guitar playing journey, learning required paper books and teachers; nowadays, a few good apps can go a long way toward helping you learn and grow as a musician. The following are a few of my favorite, most indispensable iOS apps for guitar players.

Pages