If you've set up Screen Time on an iPhone or iPad for your child and have blocked or limited social media and other apps, those apps' services may still be accessible via their URL websites, providing kids with a way to get around your parental controls. Here's how to block a website on Safari, Chrome, or any browser on an iPhone or iPad. Whether it's Facebook, YouTube, or any other website that's too mature for your kids, you'll be able to fully block an app's website and not worry about kids finding a way to use them. This tip can also be used by adults who are trying to limit their own social media use, or don't want adult content unexpectedly popping up on their devices.
iPad
Review: OneCast - Xbox Streaming App
By Mike Riley
With the advent of streaming gaming services along with the migration of Apple Silicon-powered laptops to run iOS applications, the ability to play high-end, graphically intense games on iOS devices has arrived. PlayStation 4 owners have had the ability to stream their PS4 games to their iPads or iPhones ever since Sony released its free PS4 Remote app. Unfortunately, even though Microsoft has provided Android users the ability to do the same for Xbox owners, iOS users are still waiting for official support. Given the ongoing public battles between Apple and Microsoft on being allowed to stream games via Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service, Xbox owners wanting to stream games to their iOS devices need a third-party alternative.
Review: Roll for the Galaxy Game for iPhone & iPad
By Mike Riley
One of my favorite digital board game translations of all time is Temple Gates Games' Race for the Galaxy ($6.99). Shortly after releasing Race, Temple Gates announced it was working on the dice-based version of the game, appropriately called Roll for the Galaxy ($9.99). Several years later, the company has finally made good on its promise with the simultaneous release of the game on PC, Android, and iOS. Read on to find out if Roll for the Galaxy is my new favorite digital board game.
Review: Pandora Portable Power Charger
By Mike Riley
Battery chargers are as ubiquitous as wireless headsets, and trying to find that perfect needle in such a large haystack isn't easy. Some chargers have wireless capability with an anemic number of wired ports. Others have huge battery charge storage but are bulky and not that portable. And nearly all the chargers I've reviewed in the past have confusing battery level LED dot indicators that make determining remaining charge level a mystery. Infinacore has addressed nearly all these shortcomings with the Pandora Portable Power (P3) charging device ($39.95). Read on to find out how the company did.
Review: TMA-2 HD Wired Over-Ear Headphones from AIAIAI
By Mike Riley
While nearly all of the headphones I review for iPhone Life are wireless, there are those rare occasions when a product comes along that is so unique with lofty claims that warrant further investigation. Such a product is AIAIAI's TMA-2 HD wired modular headphones ($295). Just like vinyl records compared to CD's, wired headphones still offer an edge over their wireless counterparts in terms of audio fidelity since, unlike Bluetooth, there is no compression or manipulation of audio data to factor in wireless transmission data size or errors. And since all iPad models still include a headphone jack and there are people who don't want to deal with the hassles of maintaining a battery charge with their headsets just to quietly listen to music or watch a video, this review is mostly for them.
Review: Olive Smart Ear Customized Sound Amplifier
By Mike Riley
As a major segment of the US population ages, so too grows the number of people showing signs of hearing loss. Whether you listened to or frequented rock concerts or danced the night away at thumping loud parties in your younger years, you may be experiencing hearing loss to some degree. Difficulty hearing can be both frustrating and inconvenient. While your hearing loss may not yet require an expensive audiologist screening or hearing aid, many folks notice that everyday sounds and conversations are inaudible. Olive Union designed an impressive wireless earbud called the Olive Smart Ear ($299) to amplify sound, which allows the wearer to hear different audio frequencies better. Is it worth the three hundred-dollar price tag? Read on to find out.
Review: Adonit Note-UVC Stylus
By Todd Bernhard
I love when a product I've reviewed gets better. Case in point, the Adonit Note. I recently reviewed it, and I won't cover all of the details because much of those observations remain. Instead, I'll focus on what's new or different with the Adonit Note-UVC ($69.99) that Adonit sent me to try.
Everything Apple Announced During Its September 2020 Event
By Sarah Kingsbury
Today's Apple event was as notable for what it didn't announce (no new iPhones) as much as for what it did (two new Apple Watches and two new iPads along with two new subscription services). At times the brief, virtual announcement seemed to drag on endlessly as if Tim Cook and team were trying to fill time with videos recapping what they had just announced and an overview of the company's environmental initiatives. However, even with a shorter, iPhone-free event, there was plenty to get excited about. Here's a roundup of everything Apple unveiled, including the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE, iPad (8th generation), iPad Air, and the Fitness+ and Apple One subscriptions.
When I wrote my iPad rumor roundup last month, I included the idea that Apple had a 10.8-inch edge-to-edge display iPad or iPad Air ready to reveal. That rumor proves to have been a little right and a little wrong! Today Apple unveiled the fourth-generation iPad Air, and it includes a 10.9-inch, Liquid Retina edge-to-edge display, a first for the iPad Air family. Besides this all-screen display, what's new about the fourth-gen iPad Air? In a word, lots. Let's go over all the improvements Apple has made to the iPad Air, including its A14 Bionic Chip with Neural Engine, removal of the Home button, new display upgrades, camera and audio upgrades, and more.
We were expecting up to four new iPads to be announced today, but in a fall announcement noticeably lacking in new hardware, Apple only came through with two new tablets. Apple's offerings include the eighth-generation iPad and fourth-generation iPad Air; we'll go over the features and pricing of the eighth-gen iPad in this article. In particular, we'll discuss the new A12 Bionic Chip, which brings the Neural Engine to the standard iPad for the first time. Let's get started.
iOS 14, iPadOS 14 & watchOS 7 Are Available Sept. 16! Find Out Which iPhones, iPads & Apple Watches They Work With
By Sarah Kingsbury
Apple has just unveiled the Apple Watch Series 6, an iPad (8th generation) and a new iPad Air. New iPhones are expected to be announced later this fall. But whether or not you’re planning to upgrade to any of the new devices Apple announced during its September 15 event, you’ll still want to update your existing Apple devices and start enjoying all the newest features of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7 as soon as possible. Here's which iPhones are compatible with iOS 14, which Apple Watches can run watchOS 7, and which iPads can run iPadOS 14 and when you can download the new software.
2020 iPad Rumors: Will We See a New iPad, iPad Pro, Air & Mini at the Next Apple Event?
By Leanne Hays
The annual fall Apple event is on the way, and we're looking forward to the announcement of a new iPad or two, maybe even three or four! This year leaves us with more questions than an Apple announcement would usually generate, since there's Covid-19 to consider. We've gotten used to Apple announcing its new iPhone and iPad lineup in the second week of September, and they're sticking to this trend; this year's announcement is scheduled for September 15, and will be live, but most likely another all-virtual event. Now, let's get to the hardware. It's a given that Apple will release at least one new iPad, but we've heard that it could be an iPad, an iPad Pro, an iPad Air, an iPad mini, or even all four! Let's go over the iPad rumors we've collected about the upcoming Apple announcement, and what we can expect from the iPad(s) that will make their debut. Also, be sure to catch our fall announcement coverage, we'll be commenting live in our Facebook group, and record a special podcast episode right afterward!
Fall Apple Event: How to Watch the iPhone 12 Announcement on September 15
By Sarah Kingsbury
It's official! The fall 2020 Apple event will take place on Tuesday, September 15, rather than sometime in October as leaker Jon Prosser speculated back in August. We can confidently assume that Apple will announce the coolest new features, specs, and release dates of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro and Apple Watch Series 6. We'll find out if talk of four different new iPhone models (one 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and one 6.7-inch model) is accurate and we'll also see if rumors of new 2020 iPads, a more affordable version of the HomePod, and a Tile-like Bluetooth tracker called AirTags are true. We'll be offering commentary during the event in our Facebook group and in the special podcast episode we'll be recording right after. Here’s how you can watch Apple's iPhone reveal too.
Review: Scosche BaseLynx Modular Charging System
By Mike Riley
One of the most interesting new iOS accessories shown at last year's Consumer Electronics Show was Scosche's BaseLynx Modular Kit Pro Charging System ($209.96). Unlike so many other charging platforms on the market, BaseLynx is a modular system that allows you to specifically tailor the charging configuration to your device needs. Does this approach make sense from both a functional and economical point of view? Read on to find out.
How to Fix iPad Sound Not Working
By Amy Spitzfaden–Both
Did your iPad’s sound mysteriously stop working? Have you lost audio while playing music or using apps? If you have no sound on your iPad, and you've already tried rebooting it to no avail and you know there are no headphones plugged in, follow these steps to fix the most common causes of iPad sound not working.
How to Answer & Make Phone Calls On Your iPad
By Sarah Kingsbury
Forget running downstairs to where you left your iPhone; you can answer the phone or call from your iPad or iPod Touch instead. You can use the iPhone Cellular Calls feature to make a phone call or answer the phone from your iPad or iPod touch if they meet the requirements and are on the same Wi-Fi network. Here's how to make phone calls from an iPad or iPod touch.
We all want our kids to avoid screen addiction and be safe online, but that can be hard to accomplish when children have open access to the internet via their iPhone or iPad. Fortunately, Apple's Screen Time parental controls are easy and free to use. In the past you might have had to pay for iPad or iPhone parental control apps to make sure inappropriate content wasn't getting through on your kids' devices, but not anymore. Learn how to set up Screen Time settings on your child's iPhone and iPad, and how to lock those settings so your curious kids can't access the content you've blocked.
Apple is making the iPad Pro look like a regular computer more and more every day. But if you are still using a computer and wish you could share your computer's accessories with your iPad Pro, you might need an accessory like the Access Pro ($199.95) from IOGear, I tried a review unit and it does what it promises. It acts as a KVM (keyboard, video, monitor) Switch, letting you share a keyboard, mouse and 4K UHD 3840x2160 at 30 Hz monitor among two devices. The Access Pro supports Windows, Mac or iPad Pro with USB-C.
Everything Apple Announced at the WWDC 2020 Keynote
By Sarah Kingsbury
Apple covered a lot of ground today in its fast-paced virtual WWDC 2020 keynote, announcing all the new features coming to macOS Big Sur, iOS 14, iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7 along with plans to switch from Intel processors to Apple silicon for the Mac. When it came to software updates, a unified user experience seemed to be the theme of the day, with the Mac getting a customizable Menu Bar with a Control Center and app icons that match those on the iPhone and iPad, and the iPad getting sidebars similar to those on the Mac, among other improvements. Additional highlights included a Home screen redesign for the iPhone, handwriting recognition for the Apple Pencil and iPad, sleep tracking for the Apple Watch, new privacy features, AirPods with surround sound, and more. We've got all the details below.
iPadOS 14 Rumor Roundup
By Mike Riley
Next week at its Wordwide Developers Conference, Apple will share all the details about what we can expect from the newest versions of its software for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. While a majority of the conference keynote is expected to focus on iOS 14 improvements, there will also be dedicated time set aside to discuss its superset, iPadOS. Features in iOS 14 will be replicated in iPadOS 14, whith added UI improvements specifically for the iPad platform. Since Apple is rumored to be replacing Intel CPUs with its own custom ARM processors in future macOS-based laptops, the differentiation between macOS and iPadOS will essentially boil down to a legacy OS that doesn't support touch and a modern OS that does. Apple's recent addition of mouse and trackpad support in iPadOS makes it clear that Apple intends to make iPadOS the successor to macOS, and perhaps in a few years, the two operating systems will merge into a single unified next-gen OS. But for now, the incremental improvements we expect Apple to announce at this year's WWDC include the following.