How-To

Next, enter your new name and then tap Done on the keyboard to complete the change.The first time you set up your AirPods, you’ll notice that Apple assigns them a default name based on the device with which you’re pairing them. While this is fine to get you started, chances are you’ll soon want to rename them. There are so many wireless headphones users who own Apple AirPods that, sooner or later, it’s likely you’ll be sharing a Wi-Fi network with another owner. When that happens, life will be a little easier if you’ve given your AirPods a name of their own. Thankfully, while learning how to connect AirPods to your Apple device may seem a bit tricky at first, renaming them is in fact pretty simple. 

Apple's new operating system, iOS 13, has a helpful new feature in the Health App; Cycle Tracking. This period tracker is useful for not only logging your menstrual cycle, but also symptoms associated with it, such as spotting, basal body temperature, fertility tracking, and calculating when your next period will start. Let's get started learning how to set up Cycle Tracking on your iPhone. 

Setting a website to always open in your preferred mode, such as Desktop or Reader View, makes it easier to browse your favorite websites from the iPhone. With Safari's custom controls, you can also allow or disable your microphone, camera, and location sharing for individual websites. Here's how to customize your Safari experience on the iPhone.

Text message conversations may contain evidence of important memories, and if you’re like me, you probably want to download your iMessages, save your messages, print your messages, or do something, anything, to make those exchanges more secure and accessible. One useful trick to save those interactions is to use the Messages Mac application to download your message history as a PDF file. This will let you keep that conversation on your computer and share it as you like, whether it was a conversation with a friend who isn't around anymore, or with a landlord and you need a record. Read on to find out how to turn an Messages conversation into a document you can save on your computer, or print later.

Among the helpful features Apple introduced with iOS 13 is the ability to take full-page, or scrolling, screenshots in Safari. This means that, rather than capturing only the section of the web page that's visible on your iPhone display, you'll now be able to screen capture the entire page. Let's get started learning how to use this useful new screenshot capability! 

The Swipe Keyboard on the iPhone, often called Swipe Text, Swype Keyboard, Slide to Type, or sometimes QuickPath, is available on the iPad as of iPadOS 13. Using the iPad’s floating keyboard, you can drag your finger from one letter to the next without lifting it, spelling out whole words in one quick motion. There’s no need for a keyboard app. To get Slide to Type working on your iPad, you’ll need to use the floating keyboard, and learn how to switch between the floating keyboard and the regular keyboard. Read on for quick instructions on how to use QuickPath and the floating keyboard on your iPad.

If you've ever wished for the ability to pair two sets of AirPods to your device so you can share audio from your iPhone with a friend, Apple has finally granted your wish. As with earlier models, you can still monitor your AirPods battery life using the Today View. This year the iPhone's latest software update, iOS 13, comes with the ability to connect two pairs of AirPods to an iPhone, so that you can listen to your music, audiobook, podcast, or movie together. Let's get started learning how to pair two sets of AirPods to your iPhone and listen to the same audio simultaneously.

Since the dawn of Siri, I’ve wanted my iPhone to read my messages to me. Now my wish is fulfilled; with iOS 13 and a compatible set of earbuds, Siri can read your texts to you in the privacy of your earbud audio. When you are sitting in the car, or out on a walk at night, Siri will announce your message contents as they arrive, and save you the trouble of scrambling for your phone and squinting at a bright screen. Let me show you how to turn on the feature and have Siri announce your text messages.

Apple's Live Photos are fun, three-second videos that capture a brief period of movement and sound, rather than a standard, static picture. These moving pictures can be turned into GIFs, used as your Lock screen, still photos can be saved from them, and more. With iOS 13, Live Photos have a new, fun capability that you'll want to try out; you can now make videos out of two or more Live Photos. If you've been wondering how to make videos from your Live Photos, read on to find out! 

You can hook up a mouse to an iPad, as long as the mouse uses Bluetooth. I was delighted to discover that the iPad Pro has mouse support, and it even works on my iPhone! You have to register the mouse as an AssistiveTouch device in the Accessibility menu. The technique should work with most Bluetooth mice, although you may have to use a special workaround for some, including the Apple Magic Mouse. Read on for step by step instructions on how to get your iPad mouse working.

High-Key Light Mono, for the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, is a gray-scale portrait effect that whites out the background and turns up the highlights on your subject. To use this effect, open your Camera app and use the Portrait Mode lighting wheel to select High-Key Light Mono. Here’s how to use High-Key Light Mono in the Photo app on your iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max.

Changing the wallpaper or background on your iPhone and iPad is a great way to update the appearance of your device, and now there are cool new Dark Mode wallpaper options to choose from. To use this tip, be sure you've updated your device to iOS 13 or iPadOS 13 so that you can turn on Dark Mode and find the new Dark Mode wallpaper selection. Let's get started finding and changing our device's wallpaper to a Dark Mode option. 

In the past, searching for a specific text in Messages was a headache. Now, Messages in-app search is not only optimized for text but also lets you browse images, screenshots, and links in a gallery view. You can access the search function by opening the Messages app and dragging down from the top of the screen. Here’s how to use search in Messages to find the information you need.

One of the new features of Apple's latest operating systems, iOS 13 and iPadOS, are Memoji sticker packs for older iPhones right in the Messages app. It's been possible to send Animoji and Memoji stickers in texts before, but now it's easier than ever for a larger number of iPhones and iPads to send Memoji stickers, even if they can't create and send the animated emoji videos. Let's get started learning about Memoji and Animoji stickers, how to create them, and which devices can send and receive them.

Dark Mode is Apple's new feature that offers a muted, eye-strain reducing color scheme; it's especially helpful for low-light environments. If you'd like to schedule Dark Mode so that it turns on and off automatically at sunset and sunrise or at customized times, it's possible on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Let's get started learning how to schedule Dark Mode on your device.

It’s official. Apple has killed off iTunes, marking the end of its oldest and most iconic piece of software. Beginning with the new update, macOS 10.15 (Catalina), iTunes is no more, prompting many to ask: How do I back up my iPhone without iTunes? The answer is simple: You can back up your iPhone in Catalina by using Finder on your Mac and, of course, you can back up your iPhone to iCloud. This article covers both options.

Do you know how to connect to Wi-Fi, or change the network you're using, directly from your iPhone or iPad's Control Center? This method is much quicker than sorting through the Settings app to find available networks. Let's get started learning how to connect to a specific Wi-Fi network, or change the network you're connected to, via the Control Center.

Apple's Calendar app has long been one of the best free calendar apps out there for iPhone users. One of the most useful aspects of the Calendar app is the ability to get a map and directions to the locations of your appointments without ever leaving your Calendar. Let's get started learning how to find and use the map and directions feature in your iPhone's Calendar.

If you're frustrated by missing important phone calls that are sent straight to voicemail, then you might have a settings issue. With iOS 13, users can turn on a new feature that blocks unknown callers to prevent harassing robocalls. Unfortunately, privacy settings like Do Not Disturb or Silence Unknown Callers are problematic when you're waiting for a call from a number outside your contact list. Luckily, there are few tricks you can use to maintain your privacy without sending important calls straight to voicemail.