iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear
How to Send Messages with Effects on iPhone
By Rachel Needell
You may have heard of Message Effects, the fun animations you can add to any text sent through the Messages app by pressing and holding the blue send button. But do you know the secret code words you can type to automatically trigger iPhone text effects? Not only is this a fun way to impress your friends, iMessage tricks are a super convenient way to make your messages a bit more snazzy with basically zero effort.
How to Change Background on iPhone Based on Time of Day
By Rhett Intriago
Learn how to utilize the iPhone’s Focus modes to change your backgrounds throughout the day. Use a more professional-looking background while at work, a bright and sunny wallpaper on your days off, and then a darker wallpaper for the evening while you wind down. You can use Focus mode to change wallpapers on your iPhone according to the time of day or days of the week.
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Why You Might Want to Pass on Apple’s New iPhone Lightning Dock
By Todd Bernhard
It got barely a mention during Apple's action-packed announcement on September 9, but Apple now offers an iPhone Lightning Dock, in four different colors. And if you want one, it's one of the few items announced that is actually available to order and shipping within 1–3 business days. The dock is sold in silver, space gray, gold, and rose gold to match the latest lineup of iPhone 6s colors. The dock itself is compatible with more than the iPhone 6s, specifically the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 6, 6 Plus, 5s, 5c, 5, and iPod touch 5th and 6th generation. But it still may not be the Lightning dock for you.
How to Edit a Voice Memo
By Paula Bostrom
I use the iOS Voice Memos app that came pre-installed on my iPhone quite often. (Sorry, iPad users, this is an iPhone-only app.) I use it when I’m interviewing someone for an article, at my doctor’s appointments (with my doctor’s permission) when I want to make sure I hear everything she is telling me regarding my medications, and, of course, if I want to record a quick memo. If I want to save part of the recording for future reference, it is much easier and efficient to trim the parts I don’t need. Here’s how:
iOS devices have a range of options for inputting text, from the onscreen keyboard that pops up when you need it to dictating text using Siri. A third option, preferred by many when they're inputting large amounts of text, is a Bluetooth keyboard that connects wirelessly to one's iPhone and iPad. A challenge with Bluetooth devices, however, is pairing them with multiple devices. The Logitech Bluetooth Multi-Device K480 Keyboard ($49.99) solves this by having a handy dial that lets you select among three different devices.
iPhone Life Podcast Episode 001—iPhone 6s Announcement Preview and Rumors
By Sarah Kingsbury
We are excited to announce launch of the iPhone Life Podcast! Tune in to hear our editors share with you the latest Apple news, best apps, iPhone tricks, and the coolest accessories.
In the first episode of the iPhone Life Podcast, Sarah, Donna, and David discuss the latest iPhone 6s and Apple TV rumors leading up to the Apple annoucement. We answer all of your burning questions including: "What is Force Touch?", "Do we need a 12 MP Camera?", "Will Apple release a streaming service?", and much more.
How to Stop Spammers From Snooping On Your iPhone
By Paula Bostrom
Everyone hates getting email spam. Sometimes it can be more than just annoying. Sometimes spammers can collect information from your device when the email is opened. If the email contains an image, it usually is downloaded from a remote server. When you open the email, it can tell spammers that you’ve opened it and can even show your approximate location. Pretty scary huh?
How to Join a Wi-Fi Network on Your iPhone or iPad
By Paula Bostrom
Unless you have unlimited data on your iPhone or iPad, it is imperative that you use Wi-Fi whenever possible to avoid costly overage charges on your cell phone bill. You probably already use Wi-Fi at home and at friends' houses and fortunately, free Wi-Fi can also be found in public spaces, from coffee shops, to libraries, and even fast-food restaurants. Most hotels offer free Wi-Fi as well. And if you’re traveling overseas, virtually every function of the iPhone can be performed using Wi-Fi so you don’t have to pay international phone costs.
How to Add a Parent to Approve Purchases in Family Sharing
By Conner Carey
Can you have two organizers in an Apple Family Sharing group? No, but the family organizer of each group can change the role of a second parent or guardian to control kids' Apple purchases. Here's how to set up Family Sharing to allow another adult Family Group member to block or approve Ask to Buy requests in Family Sharing on an iPhone or iPad.
12 Things We’re Hoping to See at the September 9 Apple Event
By Sarah Kingsbury
We can safely say that the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will be coming with Force Touch and a nicer camera, but what else does Apple have in store for its fans? Here are 12 things we hope to see during the September 9 iPhone announcement.
How to Disable Stand Reminders on the Apple Watch
By Conner Carey
The Apple Watch is set to remind you to stand every waking hour for at least a minute. If you're at a desk for multiple hours at a time, this can be beneficial and add to your over-all health. However, the Apple Watch's stand sensor is not always the most accurate; many users report getting stand reminders right when they have stood up multiple times throughout the hour. Fortunately, it couldn't be easier to get that pesky reminder to shush. And whether Stand Reminders are enabled or not, your Apple Watch will continue to track how often you move.
How to Share Voice Memos
By Conner Carey
In a previous tip, we covered how to Record Voice Memos. But once you've collected countless hours of playback on your phone, how do you share the recordings from there? Whether it's a recording of an interview, conference, or your beautiful singing voice, it's easy to share what you've recorded via email, AirDrop, or text message.
How to Swipe Email Drafts out of the Way Temporarily
By Jim Karpen
You may have had the experience of working on a draft of an email but then needing to look at a different email in your inbox. But the draft obscured the screen and couldn't be quickly pushed aside and then returned to. Fortunately, you can easily swipe away a draft, access your other email, and then quickly bring it back into view to continue working on it. This is typically referred to as "minimizing" the email draft.
How to Receive Mail Notifications for Important Contacts Only
By Conner Carey
This article will tell you how to only receive notifications from your VIP contacts on your iPhone. Not all emails are created equal. Between spam and miscellaneous messages, there are a lot of emails we get notifications for that don't need to be read right away. On the other hand, there are business emails and notes from family members that we may want to reply to immediately. By turning on email notifications for only your VIP Mailbox in the Mail app, you'll receive fewer non-urgent notifications. Or, you can set a separate notification sound for your VIPs to differentiate between the two.
Quickly Navigate between Apps & Home Screen on iPad (iPadOS 16)
By Conner Carey
Most of us are familiar with using the one-finger swipe and the two-finger pinch on our iPhones and iPads; but if you have an iPad, you may want to consider also using these four- and five-finger multi-touch gestures. We'll walk you through how to use these iPad-only gestures that make navigating between apps more seamless than ever before. These iPad gestures make it easy to see which apps are active, swipe between them, and quickly return to the Home Screen.
This is one iPhone Life journey I’m very much going on with you all. It’s that time of year: new devices in means old devices got to go. But how? Should you sell your iPhone or trade-in your iPhone? How do you get the best deal? I’m facing these same questions. Sure, selling my iPhone would mean more money toward that shiny new iPhone X, but how much trouble do I want to go through? There are a lot of iPhone trade-in offers out there, including those from carriers like Verizon, third-party resellers like Gazelle, and even from Apple itself. We can’t make the decision for you, but we can lay out all of your options and the money (or credit) you can expect to get from each. Here’s how to sell or trade-in your iPhone so you can get that new one.
Free International Texting on iPhone: How to Keep in Touch with iMessages or a 3rd-Party App
By Conner Carey
If you travel or do business internationally, you know how costly roaming charges are. Unless your mobile carrier is T-mobile (limited to 2G data speed), you need an additional service plan for international texting. AT&T international texting costs $10 a month, as does Sprint, but don't worry; you can text free in Italy, Germany, the Philipines, or almost any other country you can think of with iMessages. With iMessage, you can text from anywhere for free, as long as you have a Wi-Fi connection and the person you're messaging also has an iPhone or Mac. If you want to be able to internationally text friends without iPhones for free, you'll need a free texting app. Let's get started learning how to avoid monstrous phone bills by sending free iMessages, or using a free text app!