How-To

Chess had always been one those games where I knew what it looked like but I didn't know how to play it. Pixar's short film Geri's Game made it seem fun, while every version of Sherlock Holmes made sure to have the hero brood over the board game at least once. Chess.com's Chess - Play & Learn, has been helping me to play chess and enjoy it. The app's resources, which include news and live tournament feeds, has also gotten me excited to know about the chess world at large. 

The Apple Watch is an incredible tool for keeping track of your physical activity throughout the week. The Activity rings show at a glance how close you are to meeting your goals on a given day. Each week, you receive a notification showing your weekly activity summary, but then it goes away. What if you want to look at it again later or check your progress midweek? Here’s how to view your weekly activity summary at any time on your Apple Watch.

Apple's new operating system, iOS 12, has a set of Screen Time features that can be used to combat smartphone and device addiction by setting app limits. There are some apps, though, that you may want to have constantly available; luckily you can choose some apps that will always be allowed in your Screen Time settings. Let's get started learning how to set Always Allowed apps on iPhone and iPad. 

In Settings you can adjust quite a few of the ways your iPhone or iPad screen responds to taps. There is the option to Hold Duration, Ignore Repeat taps, and Enable Tap Assistance. We’ll go through the options and how to change them below.

With the introduction of WatchOS 3 came Breathe, a feature on Apple Watch that’s similar to Stand in that it reminds you to breathe throughout the day. Obviously we don’t need to be reminded to breathe, but the feature is about putting your focus on your breath, stopping everything else you’re doing, and taking a minute (or more) to practice a little mindfulness using breath as the centering point. On days I’m stressed, I appreciate the reminders. But most of the time, I dismiss it. If you’d rather not receive reminders to breathe throughout your day, here’s how to turn off Breathe reminders on Apple Watch with WatchOS 3.

For me, the only thing better than having a good time with family and friends is knowing that I'm getting the most for the money I spend while we're out and about. That's why I've enjoyed using the Groupon app so far, and why the shopping and coupon app has earned a permanent place on my iPhone. Whether I'm looking for discounts at restaurants, money-saving deals on a hotel room or other travel expenses, or even experiences like couples massage or indoor playground tickets for the kids, the Groupon app always seems to have a coupon or rebate to help keep costs down. Best of all, the Groupon mobile app is free, and there are constantly new businesses and merchants offering some of the best coupons and discounts I've found anywhere online or in print. Let's get started learning about the Groupon app for iPhone and iPad, so you can start saving money, too! 

We live in an age of extreme weather, according to Science Daily, "Globally... the number of floods and other hydrological events have quadrupled since 1980 and have doubled since 2004, highlighting the urgency of adaptation to climate change. Climatological events, such as extreme temperatures, droughts, and forest fires, have more than doubled since 1980. Meteorological events, such as storms, have doubled since 1980." As weather becomes increasingly unpredictable, we need an accurate weather app to report on today's forecast, both current and hourly, as well as an extended weather outlook that includes the severe weather forecast and alerts. Since so many of us travel, we need not only local radar, but also national and global weather data so we can receive updates no matter where we are. WeatherBug is a free weather app that offers all these features; let's get started learning about my favorite weather app now, so you can decide whether or not to give it a home on your Apple device.    

One of the iOS 12 features I've been eagerly awaiting is Apple's new Shortcuts app. This new app allows you to instruct Siri to accomplish a task or series of tasks with native and third-party apps, all triggered by a phrase of your own choosing. In addition to creating your own Shortcut, Apple's latest help app also lets you choose from a Gallery of pre-designed shortcuts. Let's get started learning how to find the Shortcuts app on iPhone and iPad, and then use the Gallery to install a Shortcut we all need from time to time: finding directions home. Once you've installed the driving directions Shortcut, you can choose and configure as many other Gallery Shortcuts as you need. We'll go over how to create your own Shortcut in a future tip.

I'm on a summer road trip right now with my kids and sister; an adventure I've been planning for the last two months. My favorite booking tool for accommodations has been, by far, the Airbnb app. This free travel app has saved me not only money, but also loads of time and effort in researching and budgeting for our lodgings from Iowa to the East Coast and back again. Whether you're planning a business trip or a family vacation, going to somewhere rural or to a big city, there's an Airbnb room, apartment, or house just right for you. Let's go over what the Airbnb app is, how it works, and why you should try it out if you haven't already.