To secure notes when using the Notes app, Apple allows you to create a unique Notes password for each of your Notes accounts, whether they're in iCloud, iPad or iPhone Notes, or an email-associated account. This way, if you want to keep some notes only on your iPhone under an extra layer of security, you can.
Apps
Neat & Tidy Notes: How to Draw with Lines & Grids in the Notes App
By Rachel Needell
Just when you thought the Notes app couldn't get any better, you learn that you can actually turn a note into graph paper, or create evenly spaced lines that help you maintain straight writing. This is a super handy tip, especially if you're drawing out a math problem or simply want to take handwritten notes on some lined paper. The Notes app can do it all! Let's get into how to add lines and grids to Notes.
How to Make Google Maps Default on iPhone (Even Though Apple Won't Let You)
By Amy Spitzfaden Both
Apple Maps has its strengths and weaknesses, and those weaknesses may lead you to prefer Google Maps. It can be a pain to separately open the app and type in an address every time you want to navigate, so you might be wondering how to change your default map on your iPhone. Unfortunately, you can't officially do this, but you can make it so every navigation you launch from your mail or your web browsing takes you straight to Google Maps. Here's how to set Google Maps as the default on your iPhone by working around Apple's limitations.
How to Save Pictures from Messages & Facebook on Your iPhone
By Olena Kagui
The images you receive on your iPhone don't automatically save to your Photos app. Fortunately, you can easily save pictures from iMessages or Facebook to your iPhone. You can even bulk save photos from a Messages conversation! Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to transfer photos in these scenarios.
How to Take Better iPhone Photos in a Snap
By Cullen Thomas
Once you’ve got an iPhone in your pocket or purse, it’s quick to become your go-to camera just because it’s there and ready, whether for taking selfies, family photos, or even more artistic fare. Personally, I almost never carry my expensive DSLR camera anymore. Instead, I keep a few tips in mind and a pocket full of small accessories so I’ll be ready when the light is just right.
How to Find & Download Music from Apple Music on iPhone
By Leanne Hays
Apple Music is a service that allows subscribers to browse and listen to a library of over 40 million songs. Apple Music users can also download music, make playlists, and follow friends to find out what they're listening to. There's even an Apple Radio feature where subscribers can tune in to a wide selection of live radio stations to hear streaming music, or create their own custom radio stations. If you find a song you like on any radio station you're listening to, you can save it to your Apple Music Library, add it to a playlist, and share it with other Apple Music listeners you've connected to. But how do you go about downloading a song or album from Apple Music when you find content you enjoy so much that you want to have constant access to it? Let's find out!
How to Use the HomePod mini Temperature and Humidity Sensor
By Olena Kagui
Apple surprised HomePod mini owners with the iOS 16.3 update that activated a previously unused sensor sitting on our shelves. This HomePod sensor not only measures your home's temperature and humidity but can also trigger HomeKit automations for your smart home setup! This means that a change in temperature or humidity can turn on your AC or dehumidifier as long as they are compatible.
Seeing Apple Music appear in Tesla's All Apps folder was one of the best surprises of the December 2022 Tesla software holiday update. The lack of Tesla-Apple Music integration has been a pain point for Apple users who own Teslas. However, thanks to the Tesla update, Apple Music is now available in Tesla's running 2022.44.25 or newer.
Watch Live Performances with Wide Spectrum Audio on FaceTime
By August Garry
Have you ever tried to share a recital or conduct a music lesson over FaceTime? If so, Wide Spectrum Mic Mode may be for you. Wide Spectrum mode brings in and enhances all the background noise around you so your friends or family can hear things with better quality.
Apple Fitness Plus: How to Add a Favorite Workout to My Workouts
By Erin MacPherson
Most Apple Fitness app users tend to favor certain workouts. If you’d rather have an easy way to find your favorite workouts instead of having to search through Apple Fitness+ each time, we’ll show you how to add favorite workouts to your My Workouts list.
Can I Use Apple Fitness Plus without an Apple Watch?
By Erin MacPherson
Do you need an Apple Watch to use Apple Fitness Plus? Well... yes and no. There are some things you can do without an Apple Watch, but other features won't work without a compatible Apple Watch in use. Let's take a look at how your Apple Watch interfaces with Fitness Plus, and when you can use the service without your watch.
Speech to Text Software: 5 Best Dictation Apps
By Olena Kagui
Voice-to-text apps are useful because they allow you to take notes, translate real-time conversations, and even send a quick email. Dictation software enables you to transcribe audio into text which has many practical uses in today’s society. There is a lot of free transcription software out there that is perfect for every talk-to-text need.
Apple Arcade: A New Era for Mobile Games
By Nicholas Naioti
Last September, Apple launched Apple Arcade, an innovative new service that gives you access to a growing selection of high-quality iOS games for a fixed monthly fee of $4.99 per month. It now includes over a hundred games with the subscription. I don’t consider myself much of a gamer, but I was a passenger on a long car ride with lots of time to kill and decided to check it out. I’ve since used it extensively and will share the good and the bad of Apple Arcade with you here.
Do you have questions about how to find, download, open, close, organize, delete, and otherwise manage iOS apps on your Apple device? Here's your roadmap to the App Store, and how to navigate all the applications you discover there. Whether you're wondering how to find a specific type of app, how to delete apps you no longer need, how to organize your Home screen so you can easily find the apps you're looking for, or even how to fix an app that's frozen or crashing, we have you covered. Dive in to our apps guide and find the information you need to get the most out of your apps.
Offline Games for iPhone: 5 Fun Games That Don't Need Wi-Fi
By Leanne Hays
It seems unfair that the times we're able to play games on our iPhones are the exact times that there's unreliable, unsecured, or no Wi-Fi connection at all. If you've been wishing for a few fun offline games for those long flights, waits at the DMV, or road trips to the back of beyond, I've collected a sampling of no Wi-Fi games just for you. Whether you enjoy offline racing games, strategy games, puzzle games, or even RPG games, there's something in this games without Wi-Fi roundup for everybody. Let me know which of these iPhone games is your go-to when there's no internet available, and if you have any to recommend that I've missed. Let's get started!
How to Let Senders Know You Have Read Their iMessage on iPhone
By Sarah Kingsbury
Read receipts notify the senders of iMessages when the recipient reads the message. This is either great or evil depending on your perspective. My colleague and his wife both have read receipts turned on on their phones. That way if a timely iMessage doesn't get read right away, they can call each other instead. Other people prefer that the senders of messages not get notified. That way there is no pressure for an immediate reply. Whichever camp you fall in, you'll need to know how to to turn read receipts on or off.
How to Read a Message without Triggering a Read Receipt
By Conner Carey
If you have read receipts enabled but want to read the occasional text without letting the sender know you’ve seen it, just use 3D Touch to peek into the Message. (Note that this tip requires an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus.)
The Apple Notes app is a convenient organizer app for everything from planning projects to writing down your grocery list. The Notes app allows users to create folders so they can group related notes. Sometimes I'll make a note and later realize it's in the wrong folder. Other times I won't put the note in a folder, and it will end up in the general Notes folder by default. The Notes app has a simple way to fix this; you can move a note to another folder, or start a new folder. If you've been wondering, "how do I move a note to a folder in the Notes app?", read on.
Why Can't I Lock Notes on My iPhone?
By Amy Spitzfaden Both
Knowing how to lock notes on the iPhone is a handy feature that lets you easily protect your private notes. But unfortunately, there are limitations to the notes you can lock in the Notes app, which may result in frustrating failed attempts. Here's why your notes aren't locking on your iPhone and what to do instead.
Through the years, FaceTime has evolved and improved to include more devices and capabilities. With Apple's iOS 15, we can finally place a FaceTime call to Android users via a link, not to mention all the cool features now available with SharePlay. In this guide, we'll cover how to make a call using the FaceTime app, how to FaceTime with Android users, how to share your screen, and more!