iPhone

For Christmas last year, I decided to splurge on myself by buying the Apple Watch. This was long before we even knew when an Apple Watch series 2 would make its debut, and I wasn’t willing to wait. I got it and quickly fell in love with all (well, most) of its features. Sure, apps loaded far too slowly, but I rarely used it for third-party apps. Having directions on my wrist when driving, skipping songs in two taps from the watch, and easily tracking activity throughout my day were the features I used and loved the most. But I got really tired of constantly being in touch. Honestly, I don’t need half the functions the Apple Watch has and I always feel slightly weird wearing one in public, “Walking Apple nerd, coming through.” So this Christmas, I decided to simplify. With a desire to improve my fitness in the coming year, I looked for a wearable that focused more on health tracking and less on everything else. I set a budget of a hundred dollars and required the wearable also be waterproof. Hello, Fitbit Flex 2 ($99.95). Here’s my five reasons I’m replacing my Apple Watch with a Fitbit Flex 2 this year.

How to Use Face ID with Mask

By Amy Spitzfaden Both

Face ID with mask

If you want to use Face ID with a mask, up until now you haven't been able to unless you own an Apple Watch. As of iOS 15.4 Beta, your iPhone allows you to use Face ID with a mask. Those who don't have the iOS Beta, will be able to use this feature once iOS 15.4 is publically available. Here's how to set up Face ID with a mask.

By now we’re all familiar with Touch ID, the fingerprint authentication security feature introduced with Apple’s iPhone 5s in 2013. The iPhone X replaces Touch ID with a facial recognition system, Face ID, which can be used to unlock your phone, open apps, make purchases in iTunes, and more. Biometric authentication protects our phones, but also introduces new privacy concerns by leaving iPhone users open to the possibility of criminals stealing data or law enforcement accessing it without a warrant. If you have even a few seconds notice before a robbery or unlawful search, you can discreetly and temporarily disable Touch and Face ID on your iPhone; let's learn how.

iPhone not appearing in Finder? Here's the real fix!

If your first Apple devices are a newer iPhone and a newer Mac, you may not have ever used a cable to connect the two. There are significant benefits when you do, including backing up your iPhone to your Mac and accessing files or media. But what if you connect your iPhone to your Mac, and it doesn't show up in the Mac Finder as it should? Here's how to troubleshoot and fix the problem when your iPhone isn't showing up in Finder.

How to FaceTime without Wi-Fi

By Amy Spitzfaden Both

FaceTime without Wi-Fi

Can you FaceTime without Wi-Fi? This is a common question, especially when you have an urgent call to make and your Wi-Fi has suddenly died. Or maybe you're out and about and don't have a public network to connect to. Fortunately, you can use FaceTime without Wi-Fi, though it does take up a lot of cellular data. Here is how to FaceTime without Wi-Fi

How to Print Text Messages from iPhone

Have you ever needed to know how to print text messages? Sometimes you get an important text that you need to save or document, for legal reasons or to keep a paper trail of important communications, and saving and printing your texts from a Mac is not an option. In this article, we'll cover how to print text messages from iPhone using screenshots, your Mail app, and third-party apps.

Smart Plants: The Best Gardening Tools for the Techie Horticulturist

Winter is in full swing. It’s time to drag all your houseplants inside from their outdoor abode where they’ve been living their best lives and figure out how to keep them alive in the dry indoor air and limited winter sunlight. Having a house full of vibrant greenery offers a delightful contrast to the cold gray outdoors, but keeping plants happy requires the right tools. Here are all the apps and smart gear I use to keep my indoor garden thriving all winter long.

Dropping a pin is an easy way to temporarily mark a spot on the map so that you can easily find or retrace your steps to a marked location. This is especially useful when giving people directions to a large area without an address (such as a city park). Let's cover how to pin your location on the iPhone Maps app.

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