Apple introduced MagSafe accessories for its new iPhone 12 lineup today at its October 13 iPhone event. MagSafe will make charging your iPhone 12 easier and faster than previous wireless generations; the frustration of placing your iPhone "just so" for wireless charging will also soon be a thing of the past. The line of MagSafe accessories includes cases, chargers, and wallets that connect to your iPhone with magnets. Read on to learn about MagSafe improvements to the iPhone 12, how MagSafe accessories work, what kind of gear you'll be able to purchase, and what MagSafe means for the iPhone accessory market. If you enjoy learning about wireless charging, fast charging, and charging myths, we can also give you the 411 on how to safely charge your device, MagSafe or otherwise.
Apple Apps
5 Customized iOS 12 Shortcuts to Try at Home
By Jim Meeker
The Shortcuts app, a new addition to iOS 12, is designed to help you streamline your productivity on your iOS device. The shortcuts you create can be amazingly simple or incredibly intricate, depending on what you are looking for. Here is a list of my five favorite shortcuts that you can try for yourself.
How to Automate a Smart Home Accessory Schedule from iPhone
By Hallei Halter
If you're just getting started with Apple HomeKit automation, beginning with a timed automation is a great first step! Here's how to schedule an Apple Home automation, so your smart home accessory will perform an action like clockwork. For example, you can set your porchlights to turn on every day at sunset or open the curtains at a certain time while you're out of the house so your indoor plants get plenty of sunlight. The smart accessory will need to have previously been added to the Home app, as well as be charged and connected to Wi-Fi.
What Does It Mean When Safari Labels a Website “Not Secure?”
By August Garry
Have you noticed a warning in Safari that the website you are browsing is not secure? What does secure mean in this context? In short, Safari is warning you that the website is using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) instead of Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). Websites using HTTPS have encrypted their data, making browsing their site and especially entering any sensitive information, such as login credentials or payment information, much safer for you. Here is what to do if you see this warning while browsing Safari on your iPhone.
How to Share a Guide from the Apple Maps App on Your iPhone
By Leanne Hays
Apple Maps got a few new features with iOS 14, one of which is Guides. Maps users can create Guides that include favorite destinations on their iPhone or iPad then share them with friends and family via Messages, email, social media, and more.
How to Use ProRaw Photography on an iPhone 12 Pro & Pro Max
By Leanne Hays
Apple ProRAW for iOS 14.3 and later combines the best data from multiple images into one photo using Smart HDR, Deep Fusion, and Night Mode. You can use the ProRAW feature on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max; here's how.
Mac Mail App Tips: Send, Reply, Attachments, Search & More
By Erin MacPherson
Mail is a powerful email application that lets you communicate, share attachments, and keep your messages organized. Our guide walks you through basic operations like how to add an email attachment and delete messages to help manage your email documents within the Mac Mail app.
How to Set Up Apple Mail & Add Email Accounts on a Mac
By Erin MacPherson
If you’re ready to stop jumping from one email app to another, it’s time to set up your Apple Mail. Our handy guide walks you through Apple Mail setup and shows you how to add an email account on Mac, adjust Mac Mail settings to your liking, and customize Mac email notifications.
Apple Pencil Guide: Tips & Tricks for Everyday Users
By Erin MacPherson
Apple Pencils and iPads are designed work together seamlessly to bring you a more streamlined workflow. Knowing how to use your Apple Pencil will allow you to get the most out of it. If you’re looking for Apple Pencil tips, you’ve come to the right place.
How to Unblock a Number on the iPhone
By Cullen Thomas
Learn how to find blocked numbers on the iPhone and unblock someone on the iPhone. Unblocking a number on your iPhone couldn’t be easier, thanks to the forward thinkers at Apple who knew that the handy block feature should not be permanent. That’s because it’s easy to block someone accidentally or unknowingly. Maybe you were blocking robo-callers or spam texters and blocked a contact by mistake. Or maybe you intentionally blocked a friend or colleague and now you want to undo that. Or maybe you’re having trouble calling a contact, or vice versa, so you want to see the blocked numbers on your iPhone and check to see if that number is on it. Here’s how to do it.
How to Share Voicemail-to-Text Transcriptions on the iPhone
By Leanne Hays
Voicemail-to-text transcriptions on the iPhone aren't a perfect offering—the service often drops words and mangles names—but despite that, voicemail transcriptions are useful if you would rather scan a bit of text than listen to a voice message. If you want to send that text to someone else, you'll have to select the text, then on the Edit menu that pops up, choose the Share option, and finally tap the sharing method you prefer and send the text. One feature we'd love to see added to the voicemail-to-text feature is a single-step method for sharing voicemail transcriptions similar to the method for sharing the audio of voicmails. While we're waiting for this feature, though, the select-share workaround is functional enough. Read on to learn how to share voicemail to text transcriptions on your iPhone. Please note that Voicemail-to-Text Transcription is only available for the iPhone 6s and later.
How to View Notes in Gallery View in the Notes App
By Leanne Hays
This artitle will tell you how to view your Notes in Gallery View. Apple's Notes app is a handy, native application that's one of the best note-taking apps available for the iPhone and iPad. iOS 13 and iPadOS came with new features for the Notes app, including the ability to view notes in Gallery View. Gallery View allows Notes users to see all their entries with or without visual thumbnails, making it easier to find particular notes.
With an ever-increasing number of note-taking apps appearing in the App Store, Apple has responded with solid updates to its iOS Notes App in iOS 11. The most popular third-party note-taking apps are apps that can convert writing to text, scan documents with the iPhone, and search handwritten text. In iOS 11 Notes app, Apple has integrated these popular features seamlessly. These updates to the iOS Notes App will be included in the September iOS 11 update, so we have drawn up a guide on how to use the Notes app for iPad and iPhone in iOS 11.
You can save a ton of money on an iCloud storage plan, Apple Music subscription, and purchases from Apple Music, Books, TV, Game Center, and the App Store. How? By using Apple Family Sharing, a money-saving program that allows up to six family members to share Apple Music and much more. The whole family can access the same content across multiple devices without sharing accounts. Once you've set up Family Sharing and started your family group, it's simple to add a family member; you can invite new members at any time. We've already gone over how to set up Family Sharing and how to share an Apple Music family plan with Family Group members. Now, here's how to send and accept family sharing invitations, so more family members can save money by sharing Apple purchases.
How to Select the Aspect Ratio of a Photo Before Hitting the Shutter Button
By Amy Spitzfaden Both
If you want to make an image square on your iPhone or how to change the aspect ratio of a photo, it's easy to do! Don't wait until it's already taken to crop it to the right dimensions for Instagram; change the aspect ratio right there in your Camera app. Learn how to change your camera settings on your iPhone to take photos with the right dimensions so you don't have to crop it later.
Want to know how to transfer photos from your camera to a Mac or scan documents? Here's how to use the Continuity Camera feature on the Mac, which enables you to scan documents or take photos on your iPhone and instantly have them uploaded on your Mac. Your Mac needs to be updated to macOS 10.14 or later and your iPhone to iOS 12 or later. You won't have to use AirDrop or have your device physically connected to the Mac with a cable for this tip. However, both your iPhone and Mac do need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network with Bluetooth enabled and be near each other (like in the same room). Both Mac and the iPhone will also need to be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID using two-factor authentication.
Why Is My iPhone Emoji Keyboard Stuck? How To Get Back to the Text Keyboard
By Erin MacPherson
The emoji keyboard has become another way for us to communicate using our mobile devices. There is an emoji for just about every object, emotion, flag, and even food. Knowing how to navigate the emoji keyboard and its search features is an important part of using your iPhone effectively, especially if your emoji keyboard gets stuck mid-text! We'll show you a few tips to make things right again. In this article we will help you search for the right emoji, and get out of the emoji keyboard and back into your text keyboard.
A cool feature in the Photos app is the geolocation tool. Let’s say you took a vacation to Mexico. You can look at a photo on a map and see all your other pictures from that trip grouped by the different places you visited. Here’s how to view photos by location on a map with the iPhone or iPad.
How to Find Imports in the Photos App on an iPhone & iPad
By Leanne Hays
Are you wondering, "how do I find my photos and videos I imported to my iPhone?" There's a section just for imported media in the Photos app where you can easily find all the images and videos you've saved from text messages, the web, and more. We'll show you how to find Imports, and filter for pictures, video, edited media, and favorites, so it's easier to find the image or video you're searching for.
How to Manage & Organize Podcasts on an iPhone
By Olena Kagui
Using the Podcasts app, iPhone users can download podcasts, create playlists, and organize them as needed. You can even activate picture in picture in the Podcasts app to keep listening while you multitask on your iPhone. The following tips will help you navigate your podcasts for the ultimate listening experience.
