iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear
Connect with Apple Enthusiasts in the (New!) iPhone Life Facebook Group
Sponsored By iPhone Life on Wed, 04/18/2018
Introducing the new private iPhone Life Facebook group! From polls and prompts to iOS help and giveaways, we are so excited to interact with you all in a whole new way. Our foremost goal at iPhone Life is to make your iPhone and iPad experience the best it can be. We already have an incredible community (you!) of readers, but we want to connect with you even more. It really does make our day to read comments like, “Finally, the solution I’ve been looking for. Thank you!!” We love the emails our readers and podcast listeners send; even if we don’t share an email during the show, we all read them as a team on Slack and appreciate the wonderful engagement and feedback.
How to Know if Your Facebook Data Was Leaked to Cambridge Analytica
By Leanne Hays
The numbers in the Cambridge Analytica Facebook scandal just keep climbing, from an original 55 million to a new estimate of nearly 87 million account holders who have had their data breached. This is because the quiz, "This Is Your Digital Life," collected data not only from Facebook users who completed it, but from all their Facebook friends as well. Facebook has barred the personality quiz from the platform and sent a message to all account holders who took the quiz, but if you'd like to make sure your data wasn't also breached, there's a way to find out. Let's check and see if our Facebook accounts have been compromised by Cambridge Analytica; it's easy to do right from your iPhone.
How Many Apps Have Access to Your Facebook Account?
By Sarah Kingsbury
In light of Facebook's recent data leak that compromised the personal information of up to 85 million users, the iPhone Life team shares advice on how to check on and delete third-party apps you've granted access to your account in order to help you protect your data from getting into the wrong hands. Other topics include iOS 11.3 bugs and Apple's new iPad and red iPhone 8.
Stream the 2018 Kentucky Derby Live on Your Apple TV without Cable
By Leanne Hays
New racing enthusiasts may ask, "when is the Kentucky Derby?" Experienced fans will let you know; the Run for the Roses is always the first Saturday in May. The Kentucky Derby is an American tradition that's been going strong since 1875, and in 2018 we have more options than ever before for catching not only the race itself, which is over in less than three minutes, but all the pageantry and tradition surrounding the event. If you own an Apple TV, you can catch the 2018 Kentucky Derby in 4K high definition resolution, but first, you'll need to find what channel the Derby is on, and a Kentucky Derby live stream. Let's find out the Kentucky Derby race time, what channel the race is on this year, and how to live stream all the derby fun to our Apple TVs.
New iOS 11.3 Update: Battery Health, Animoji, More
By Leanne Hays
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!
How to Add Phonetic Spelling to iPhone Contacts
By Leanne Hays
Sometimes Siri has a hard time pronouncing names from your iPhone. You can teach Siri to pronounce your friends' and family members' names, and even your own name properly, but you can also do something to help your faithful AI assistant get names right before she ever attempts to say them. As an added bonus, this iPhone tip can also help you remember how to pronounce names, so you don't make any embarrassing mistakes when calling a new business contact or friend. The trick to getting Siri, and yourself, to learn how to properly pronounce the names in your Contacts is to add phonetic spelling to those names that are a little less than common. Let's get started learning how to add the phonetic pronunciation of names to your iPhone's Contacts list!
Digital Dating: Rules, Advice & Tips for Online & App-Based Dating
By Hallei Halter
Online dating has become the norm, but that doesn't mean people are instantly good at it! First, you need to decide which of the many available dating apps and sites are the best, and then the real work begins. You’ll need to know how to craft a bio that shows off your assets, avoid common online dating pitfalls, and set up offline dates with the people you meet in your apps and online. But don’t worry, I’ve put together the following list of my best online dating tips that will help make using dating apps and websites fun and rewarding.
How to Make Song Volume Consistent on iPhone
By Leanne Hays
iPhones provide many useful services, not least of which is listening to music in a portable, convenient, and customizable fashion. One thing that can really deter from enjoying music on our iPhones, though, is the way that the volume can shift up and down from song to song. It can be a bit of a Goldilocks experience; first the iPhone volume is too high, then the volume level is too low, and sometimes it's just right. Luckily there's an easy iPhone trick to fix this issue so that you're not constantly having to adjust the volume on your iPhone. Let's get started learning how to enable Sound Check on your iPhone to level out the volume throughout your listening experience.
Save Recipes, Create Meal Plans & Build Grocery Lists with Paprika 3
By Conner Carey
Everyone has to eat to live, which is why apps that make planning, shopping, and preparing healthy meals are a godsend. This year I’ve been cooking the most I ever have in my life, and I’ve quickly realized how difficult it can be to keep all the recipes I’ve tried (or want to try) organized. And on top of that, there seemed to be no way to use those recipes to create a shopping list. But what I didn't previously know about is today’s incredible app: Paprika 3. For a one-time purchase of $4.99, this app allows you to save recipes from the internet without having to type any ingredients or directions. You can create a list of everything in your own pantry, build a meal plan with recipes you’ve saved, and add whatever you need to buy to a grocery list. All the work that takes place outside of the kitchen can be done with Paprika 3. There’s a whole lot this app can do, and we'll cover it all below.
How to Check Apple Watch Battery Levels on iPhone
By Leanne Hays
If you're an Apple Watch user you can check your battery level right on your Watch, but did you know you can also check the battery on your Apple Watch from the iPhone it's paired to? This tip will come in especially handy during colder months when it might be easier to pull out your iPhone than to pull up the long sleeve covering your watch. If you've been wondering how to check the battery on an Apple Watch from your iPhone, read on to find out.
How to Keep Your HomePod from Messing Up Your Apple Music Recommendations
By Leanne Hays
One of the coolest features of Apple's new HomePod is its ability to team up with your Apple Music subscription and act as a personal DJ, playing custom playlists based on your listening habits for you enjoy whenever you ask. Your HomePod's mixology skills can get thrown off kilter, though, if family members or visitors are also asking Siri to play their favorite tunes. And this will also influence what Apple Music thinks you like and plays for you on your other Apple Devices as well. Fortunately, there's a HomePod setting you can change to ensure that you won't end up listening to a mish-mosh of all your friends' and family members' musical tastes. Let's get started learning how to keep other HomePod users from influencing your "For You" Apple Music recommendations on your HomePod.
2018 Masters Golf Tournament: Live Stream All the Coverage on Apple TV
By Leanne Hays
How to Stream the 2018 Masters Live on Your Apple TV without Cable
Broadcast rights for the tournament are split between CBS and ESPN, the Golf Channel and CBS Sports are offering previews and commentary, and DirecTV is offering a live broadcast from Amen Corner, as well as the 15th and 16th holes. With so many broadcasters offering so much Masters content, we have our work cut out for us to figure out which streaming providers and over-the-air antenna will offer the best live coverage for free, or at the lowest price possible. Let's get started learning how to live stream the 2018 Masters Tournament on Apple TV.
iCloud Backup Failed? Why iPhone Won't Back Up & How to Fix It
By Leanne Hays
If your iCloud backup failed, there are several reasons why it might have happened. Let's get started troubleshooting why your iPhone won't back up to the cloud. Here are the first steps to take:
- Check Your iCloud Settings
- Check Your Power Source
- Check Your Wi-Fi Signal & Connection
- Make Sure Your iPhone's Screen Is Locked
- Make Sure Apple's iCloud Backup System Is Working
How to Cancel a Payment in Apple Pay on Your iPhone
By Leanne Hays
Requesting and receiving money on your iPhone has been a possibility for a long time; apps like Facebook, Venmo, Paypal, and even Snapchat have all helped iPhone owners with these transactions. Apple's latest iOS update has made things even more convenient; now you can quickly and securely request and receive payments right from the Messages app on your iPhone, as long as the person you're exchanging money with also has Apple Pay. No need to exit a text thread and open an app anymore! But what if you make a payment to the wrong person, or what if your payment isn't accepted? How do you go about canceling a payment you've made with Apple Pay Cash through your Messages app? Let's get started figuring this out, so that you don't have pending payments hanging out in your transaction history.
How to Organize, Manage & Delete Photos Like You’re Swiping on Tinder
By Conner Carey
I have never used my Photos app to properly sort my pictures into albums, and I’m going to make an educated guess and say that this is true for most of us. We take a bunch of photos at an event or with friends, share the ones we love, and let the others take up space on our devices. When it comes time to find a photo, I’m always searching through the All Photos album, scanning for the one I need. But there is a better way! I found Slidebox because I was looking for an app that would let me easily create albums, sort photos into those albums, and delete the photos I don’t need to keep. To my absolute delight, Slidebox allows me to do this super easily by using swiping gestures to quickly sort through photos like you sort through potential connections on Tinder. Learn more on why I love this app and what it does below.
How to Update Credit Card Information in Safari AutoFill Settings
By Leanne Hays
Safari's AutoFill is a feature that automatically enters contacts, logins, passwords, and credit card information, so you don't have to spend time remembering and typing the same things over and over. AutoFill can even create secure passwords if you're having trouble coming up with your own. If you have iCloud set up and iCloud Keychain enabled, iCloud Keychain will securely store AutoFill information from Safari. Once your AutoFill information is stored, it can be automatically entered across all Apple devices you sign into your iCloud account on. But what happens when some of your information changes and AutoFill keeps entering old data? Don't worry; there is a way to update your AutoFill information right from your iPhone! Let's get started learning how to update credit card information, so your AutoFill data is once again helpful and correct.