How Tos - Page 16

With iOS 17, Apple introduced several new privacy and security features to its mobile operating system, one being the ability to require secondary authentication for Private Browsing tabs in Safari. Here's how it works and how to turn it off. On an iPhone or iPad running iOS 17 or iPadOS 17, if you have any Private Browsing tabs open in Safari and then exit the session or the app, Apple's...

In macOS Ventura and later, Apple includes an accessibility feature for Mac called Background Sounds. These sounds are designed to help you stay focused at work, promote calm, and minimize distractions. Keep reading to learn how it works. Apple first introduced Background Sounds on iPhone, allowing users to play ambient soundscapes in the background. This feature is also available on Macs,...

In macOS Sonoma, Apple has improved the search function in its stock Messages app for Mac, which now allows you to combine search queries and narrow down results to quickly find the messages that you're looking for. This article explains how it works. Previously in macOS, you could type a word or phrase in the search field of Apple's Messages app and it would return matching results, but...

In iOS, Apple lets you disable individual Home Screen pages on your iPhone. It's also possible to rearrange the order of your ‌‌Home Screen‌‌ pages, and delete pages outright rather than merely disable them. Here's how it works. How to Rearrange ‌Home Screen‌ Pages Touch and hold a space on the ‌Home Screen‌ to enter jiggle mode. Tap the row of dots representing your ‌Home Screen‌ pages. In the...

Does your iPhone keep displaying certain contacts whenever you go to share something in iOS, and you'd rather not see them? Keep reading to learn how to get rid of them. Whenever you go to share something on your ‌iPhone‌ or iPad using the Share button, iOS brings up the activity view – often called the Share Sheet – at the top of which is a row of suggested contacts with whom you've...

In macOS Sonoma, Apple has made its stock Notes app significantly more useful by adding the simple yet powerful ability to link notes and connect related notes together on your Mac. Here's how it works. With just a few clicks, you can create links between notes in the Notes app in ‌macOS Sonoma, making it easy to jump from one idea to another. To add a new link to another note, right-click ...

Apple in macOS Sonoma added inline predictive text. Here's how it works on the Mac, and how you can turn it off. Apple has improved its machine learning technology for Macs in an effort to make macOS a lot more helpful, and one of the features in which this tech has been deployed is inline predictive text. Predictive text does just what it says - it predicts what you're going to type...

Digital privacy is a perennial hot topic these days, and Apple is regarded as being at the forefront of security when it comes to smartphone and tablet operating systems. For example, for an app to access your iPhone or iPad's camera, camera and microphone access must be enabled for the app in question in the Settings app. Social media apps will often ask you for access to your device's...

By default, ‌macOS Sonoma‌ hides all your active windows when you click on your desktop wallpaper. This is handy if you tend to have a bunch of files on the desktop that you need access to. But if you find this behavior maddening, there is a way to turn it off. Apple's latest macOS Sonoma operating system for Mac has a new option called "Click wallpaper to reveal desktop." Enabled by...

Apple introduced its long-awaited Journal app for iPhone in iOS 17.2. Keep reading to learn how to keep your journal's contents secure and safe away from prying eyes. Apple announced in June 2023 announced it was bringing its own journaling app to iOS 17, and it has since been confirmed that the app is included in iOS 17.2, which is currently available to download as a beta. Apple's...

Apple in iOS 17.2 added its long-awaited Journal app to iPhone. This article explains how to set a journaling schedule and get reminders for when it's time to write. Apple announced in June 2023 announced it was bringing its own journaling app to iOS 17, and it has since been confirmed that the app is included in iOS 17.2, which is currently available to download as a beta. Apple's...

If you plan to give away, sell, or trade in your old Mac, the first thing you should do for security and practical reasons is erase the data on it and perform a factory reset. This article shows you how. If yours is an Apple silicon Mac running macOS Monterey or later or an Intel Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip (2017-2020 models), follow the steps to erase all content and settings instead of...

AirDrop is a handy feature on Apple devices since it lets users discover nearby Macs, iPhones, and iPads, and securely transfer items between them over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and even continue larger transfers over cellular. The only problem is that it doesn't always work. If that sounds like your current experience with AirDrop, this article offers some troubleshooting steps that may help. Subsc ...

In iOS 17.1 and later, iPhone users in the UK can now view banking information like account balance when using Apple Pay and viewing bank cards and credit cards in the Wallet app. Keep reading to learn how it works. Apple's Wallet app on ‌iPhone‌ has been able to display ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions made using your bank and credit cards for a while now, but if you are a Wallet app user in the United ...

Apple's iPhones include a calling feature that can make your voice clearer to the person you're speaking to when on a call, even when you're in a busy environment. It's called Voice Isolation, and here's how it works. In iOS 15 and later, Apple includes several features to make video conferencing with FaceTime and other video calling apps more appealing on iPhone. One of these features,...

iPhones running iOS 16 or later include a feature called Live Activities that you can use to follow sports scores in real time on your Lock Screen, so you don't miss a thing. Keep reading to learn how it works. Introduced in iOS 16, Live Activities are lingering interactive notifications that provide real-time updating information directly on an iPhone's Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island ...

Wi-Fi 6E, the latest advancement in Wi-Fi technology, offers several benefits when enabled on your iPhone or Mac, but it can also cause problems. This article explains what Wi-Fi 6E is, which Apple devices support it, and how to turn it off if you encounter issues. What is Wi-Fi 6E? Wi-Fi 6 operates on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, while Wi-Fi 6E also works over the 6GHz band for increased...

Google's Chrome browser has often been criticized for being a system resource hog, which has led Chromium developers to provide ways to free up memory and keep things running smoothly when users have multiple windows and tabs open. One of the latest developments in this regard is more transparency into Chrome's tab throttling behavior, by, for example, giving users the ability to view the...

In iOS 17.2, you can turn off your Apple Music Listening History with a new Focus filter, so if you allow someone else to use your device to listen to music, you can quickly activate the Focus with a tap and prevent their song choices from affecting your recommendations. Have you ever regretted letting a friend or family member use ‌Apple Music‌ on your iPhone after their poor song choices...

When Apple released the first iOS 17 beta to developers, for the first time it gave non-developers the opportunity to download beta software updates on their iPhones for free. Keep reading to learn how it's done. In years past when Apple has announced a major new operating system update, the first wave of betas has officially only been available to download if you are a paying subscriber to A...