How Tos - Page 59

Skype has introduced support for custom backgrounds in video calls, following the recent popularity of an equivalent feature in Zoom. The option to use custom backgrounds is part of the version 8.59.0.77 update for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Web, which began rolling out on April 16. As Skype's release notes describe the feature: "Want to look like you're calling from the beach, or from space?...

With the release of iPadOS 13.4, Apple brought official Bluetooth mouse and trackpad support to its iPads. This article explains how to connect your chosen input device from your iPad. To learn more about how to use a connected mouse or trackpad with ‌iPad‌, click here. You can check that your device has been updated to iPadOS 13.4 by launching the Settings app and going to General -> Software ...

With the release of iPadOS 13.4, Apple brought official Bluetooth mouse and trackpad support to its iPads. This article explains how to use your chosen input device with your iPad. To learn how to connect a mouse or trackpad to ‌iPad‌, click here. Navigating and controlling your ‌iPad‌ with a Bluetooth mouse or trackpad is similar to using one on a desktop or notebook computer. However, there...

Spotify lets you make your own playlists, but it also allows you to enjoy millions of others created by Spotify, artists and other listeners worldwide. Not only that, it makes bespoke playlists just for you, such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar, which are based on your listening habits (what you like, share, save, skip) and the listening habits of others with similar taste. Of course,...

Apple in the second macOS Catalina 10.15.5 beta added a new Battery Health Management feature for Macs, which is designed to prolong the battery life and battery health of modern Mac notebooks (aka those with Thunderbolt 3 ports) by reducing the rate of chemical aging. Battery Health Management is an intelligent feature that analyzes the battery status of a Mac notebook and its charging...

Apple's Announce Messages with Siri feature allows you to listen to and respond to incoming text messages when you're wearing connected AirPods or Powerbeats Pro headphones. Once you've enabled the feature, when you receive a message, ‌Siri‌ will transcribe it to you so you don't have to look at your iPhone or Apple Watch. In case you want to reply instantly, ‌Siri‌ will avoid interrupting...

As part of its updated parental controls, Netflix now includes an option that lets account holders PIN protect individual profiles to help prevent kids from using them. Even if you're not a parent or guardian, so long as you're the account holder you can still use the PIN feature to prevent other people in the same household from watching stuff on your Netflix profile and messing up your...

Apple's official TV app is designed to bring together all the ways to watch TV on your device in a single app. The idea behind it is that you can subscribe to just the channels you want, without downloading any apps, and then watch the content on demand and across all your devices. In other words, you don't need a subscription to Apple TV+, Apple's streaming television service, to be able to ...

Apple enables iCloud account holders to use email aliases, which allow you to send and receive emails without disclosing your true email address. Using an email alias to log in to websites and online services can help protect your genuine email address by hiding it from spammers and other sources of unsoliticted messages. In addition, email aliases make it easy to filter messages, because...

In iOS, the ubiquitous Share Sheet is a powerful feature that lets you share the content you're viewing in an app with people in your contacts or with other apps on your iPhone or iPad. The first row of icons in the Share Sheet shows suggestions for conversations that you might want to share something to, while the second row offers a quick way to export what you're viewing to other apps,...

Normally your iPhone will stop listening for the "Hey Siri" command when you place your device face down on a surface or the screen is otherwise covered. In these circumstances "Hey ‌Siri‌" is automatically disabled until the situation changes. If you find this automated behavior inconvenient for your purposes, you'll be happy to learn that in iOS 13.4, Apple has added an option to always...

If you're a frequent user of FaceTime, you may have relocated the ‌FaceTime‌ app to your main Home screen for convenience. Or perhaps you've set up the Phone app widget for quick-access to your favorite ‌FaceTime‌ contacts. Alternatively, you could always use your voice to make a ‌FaceTime‌ call using Apple's Siri virtual assistant. It really couldn't be easier – the following steps show you how...

On iPhone, if you're on a regular voice call to someone and they're also using an ‌iPhone‌, you can switch in mid-call to a FaceTime video chat, without even hanging up. It's a handy feature to make use of if you're chatting to someone over the phone and they want to show you something. The following steps show you how it's done. Remember, ‌FaceTime‌ is an ‌‌iPhone‌‌-only feature, so placing a...

If you have an Apple TV+ subscription or you've rented or purchased movies via iTunes, you can stream them over Wi-Fi or cellular using Apple's TV app for iPhone and iPad. In iOS 13.4 and later, ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ users can control the streaming quality of TV app content over Wi-Fi and cellular, which is particularly good for those who don't have unlimited streaming plans or don't want to hog the ...

Apple on Thursday began rolling out a new Apple Music feature on iPhone and iPad that alerts users to new albums, EPs, and videos from artists included in their music library. The alerts show at the top of the Library tab in the Music app, and given that they relate to content that's available in ‌Apple Music‌, they're likely to be welcomed by most subscribers to the streaming service. But...

FaceTime is great for when you want to stay in touch with friends and family using your Apple devices, but it's also pretty good at dealing with contacts that you don't want to hear from. If you've blocked people from calling you on ‌FaceTime‌ and you want to see a list of their numbers, you can do so by following the steps below. The first set of steps are for iOS devices, while the second...

FaceTime is great for when you want to stay in touch with friends and family, but it's also good at dealing with contacts that you don't want to hear from. If you've blocked someone from calling you on ‌FaceTime‌ and you've since changed your mind, follow the steps in this article to unblock them. The first set of steps are for iOS devices, while the second relate to ‌FaceTime‌ on Mac. How to...

FaceTime is great for when you want to stay in touch with friends and family, but it's also good at dealing with people you don't want to hear from, too. Apple provides features on Mac and iOS that allow you to block nuisance calls from the same number coming through to your ‌FaceTime‌ account. The steps below show you how it works. How to Block Unwanted ‌FaceTime‌ Calls on Your iPhone or iPad ...

Animoji are animated emoji characters designed to mimic your facial expressions, while Memoji are customizable humanoid Animoji characters that you can design to look just like you. In iOS 12 and later, you can entertain friends and family by "wearing" your favorite Memoji and Animoji during live FaceTime chats using the Effects camera. The following steps show you how. Note that to use an ...

When using Apple's FaceTime app, you can apply camera effects while on a video call, including built-in filters, stickers, labels, and shapes. ‌FaceTime‌ camera effects can be used on these devices: iPhone 7, ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus, ‌iPhone‌ 8, ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus, ‌iPhone‌ X, ‌iPhone‌ XS, ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, ‌iPhone‌ XR, ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and later models. If you have a supported device,...