iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

How to Set Up 2 Factor Authentication with Gmail

It is not an uncommon experience to have your email hacked. It's happened to me, it's happened to my family, and it could happen to anyone. It's a very scary experience and can totally wreck an otherwise good day. Turning on two-factor verification on Gmail is a great way to prevent this scary situation, as it ensures that anyone trying to gain access to your account must also have access to another device that you own. This extra step can make a huge difference in protecting your privacy and security. Here's how to turn on two-factor authentication on Gmail. 

If you're wanting to know what the weather or temperature is in your current location or somewhere else, you can open the Weather app on your iPhone and get the current and weekly forecast. Thanks to Locations Services, you don't even need to enter your current location to get the local weather. Your iPhone will know where you are and show you what weather and temperatures to expect.

How to Add Favorites on iPhone (2023)

Want to know how to get in touch with your favorite people even faster? On iPhone, you can favorite contacts so that you can reach them easier. You can set a default contact method and then just tap their name and get instantly connected by whichever option you choose. So text, call, and FaceTime with just a tap by adding contacts to Favorites on iPhone!

Ever since Apple’s virtual assistant Siri debuted with the release of the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 in 2011, using our cell phones has become quicker and easier. So why are you still navigating your device with taps, swipes, and gestures when you could be using Siri? Whether you are a seasoned or rookie iPhone user, Siri will allow you to take control of your device, save time, and be more productive.

Best Apps: Meetup

By Hallei Halter

Feel like you need to leave the house or want to squeeze in a small outing on your business trip? If you're wondering how to meet people or find local events, the Meetup app is your answer. With its array of groups and events created by people local to the area, Meetup could show you something you've never seen before, even in your own hometown.

How to Search Events in the Calendar App on iPhone

Know you have a birthday party to go to this month but can't remember the date? Need to see when your last haircut appointment was? Here's how to search the Calendar app on your iPhone or iPad to find events and their dates. You'll have to have the events already saved to your Calendar, but most holidays (like Easter or Ramadan) are automatically entered in the Calendar app by default.

If you came of age in the pre-smartphone era, you already know the basics of phone etiquette. But now that texting and messaging apps have overtaken phone calls as the preferred method of staying in touch, it’s a good idea to become familiar with the dos and don’ts of texting as well. Here’s how to avoid being the bane of the group chat, telling someone it’s funny that their loved one died, and snubbing someone just by letting them see that you read their message!

Ever since I got my iPhone X last year, I’ve been intrigued by the possibility of creating a wireless charging station for it. Sure, there’s a burgeoning supply of furniture with Qi chargers already built in, but they’re more expensive than I’m willing to spring for. Beyond that, I enjoy repurposing all sorts of items around the house, from pallets, to fabric, to old box springs, and thought this project would be a great way to reuse a less-than-gorgeous piece of furniture while improving my less-than-stellar carpentry skills. My goal was to combine the old and worn with cutting-edge technology to create a piece of furniture no one would suspect had the ability to wirelessly charge your iPhone. 

App Saturday: Overcast

By Hallei Halter

I habitually autoplay hours of Netflix or Youtube because I like the sound of people talking while I'm puttering around my apartment. Podcasts naturally fill that need with the bonus that I'm not missing any context since there's nothing to watch, only listen to. But even when I'm only listening, I still want to personalize my choices. Overcast is a podcast player app that gives me as many choices as I want when it comes to selecting content and how I want to hear it.

There's something soothing about grouping related things together, and that goes for contacts too! Contacts are listed alphabetically in the Contacts app and Apple doesn't offer a way to group them by any other criteria (although you can use the search function to filter contacts by things like company name or notes you may have added to a contact card). But these contacts won't otherwise be grouped all together in your list of contacts. You can work around this by editing your contacts' names to include initials or words so they appear grouped together according to criteria determined by you. Use this tip to group your contacts by how you know them—work, a hobby, family, etc.—so you can quickly browse to message a specific person or see everyone in that group at once. 

At the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I picked up a pair of ThinOptics Glasses and Case (starting at $19.95) from ThinOptics. The company has a novel design for reading glasses (and computer glasses) that rest on your nose without temples, so the glasses are quite small. They are also flexible and durable.

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