iOS Archives - here's the thing https://heresthethingblog.com Making sense of gadgets and technology Tue, 22 May 2018 19:23:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.3 https://heresthethingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/FB_icon_500x500-copy-130x130.jpg iOS Archives - here's the thing https://heresthethingblog.com 32 32 iOS tip: 4 ways to change the sound of Siri’s voice https://heresthethingblog.com/2018/05/22/change-sound-siri-voice/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2018/05/22/change-sound-siri-voice/#comments Tue, 22 May 2018 16:10:07 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=21061 The post iOS tip: 4 ways to change the sound of Siri’s voice appeared first on here's the thing.

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Not only will the ever-loyal Siri—you know, Apple’s voice-activated digital assistant for iPhone and iPad—cheerfully read your email, set alarms, deliver weather reports and generally be at your beck and call, she’ll even change the sound of her voice if you ask her to. In addition to changing the gender of Siri’s voice, you can also give her a different accent, teach her a new language or even ask her to keep quiet unless you’re using a headset.

The first step: tap Settings, Siri & Search. You can also ask Siri to “change the sound of your voice”; when you do, she’ll give you a shortcut to her voice settings.

1. Change the gender of Siri’s voice

Want to change the sound of Siri’s voice from female to male, or back to female again? Tap the Siri Voice setting (Settings, Siri & Search, Siri Voice), then pick “Male” or “Female” under the Gender heading.

Siri language and accent settings

You can change the gender of Siri’s voice or even give her a new accent.

2. Give Siri a new accent

You’ll probably find the Accent setting just above the Gender heading; I say “probably” because not all of Siri’s known languages offer different accents. In English, for example, you can choose between American, Australian, and British accents. If Siri’s speaking French, though, there won’t be any alternate accents to choose from.

Related: 5 tasks that Siri does better than your fingertips can

3. Ask Siri to speak a different language

Speaking of languages, Siri is fluent in everything from Arabic and Chinese to Russian and Turkish. Just back up to the main Siri screen (under Settings, Siri& Search), tap Language, and pick one.

4. Decide how much Siri gets to speak

By default, Siri will speak aloud at all times, even when your device is switched to silent mode. Want to make a change? Easy.

iOS Voice Feedback setting for Siri

Set Siri’s Voice Feedback setting to “Hands-Free Only” if you want Siri to be quiet most of the time.

Just tap Voice Feedback from the main Siri settings screen, You’ve got three settings to choose from: Always, meaning Siri will speak aloud whenever you talk to her; Control with Ring Switch, which will keep Siri quiet whenever the ring switch is set to “silent”; and Hands-Free Only, which means you’ll only hear Siri’s voice when you’re using a headset. If you want Siri to keep quiet most of the time, go for the Hands-Free Only option.

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How to get started with Apple Family Sharing for iPhone and iPad https://heresthethingblog.com/2018/03/02/ios-family-sharing/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2018/03/02/ios-family-sharing/#respond Fri, 02 Mar 2018 17:21:25 +0000 https://heresthethingblog.com/?p=26809 The post How to get started with Apple Family Sharing for iPhone and iPad appeared first on here's the thing.

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Is your family having trouble sharing your iTunes and App Store purchases while also keeping your iMessages and other iCloud data separate? One of our readers shares his story, and I’ve got some Apple Family Sharing tips that’ll help sort everything out.

Here’s a recent e-mail I received from Jan:

Hello Ben,

I just read some of your notes on using Apple IDs. This is a recurring source of headaches, irritation and disputes between me and my wife.

We share an iCloud Apple ID to share the Photo Library, Photo Stream, Contacts and Calendars, like you describe in one of your posts. We also use a shared iTunes Store Apple ID for music, apps, books, videos and another one for shopping in the U.S. stores. (Since we live in The Netherlands; some items are not sold in our local iTunes, etc.) All this similar to the setup you describe in another one of your articles.

So far, so good.

The pain is in a number of apps that store and/or use info that implicitly gets connected to the iCloud ID (I think), leading to all sorts of mix-ups. The most annoying in our experience:

iMessage: Messages link to phone numbers, iOS connects both our mobile numbers to the shared iCloud ID, effectively merging our message streams. This doesn’t work for us.)

Phone: Merging the logs of successful and missed calls—less annoying, but still confusing at times.

Health: All of our iDevices merge on the “sources” list [for Health-connected apps and devices] and cannot be separated out.

There may be more, but these three are sources for much discussion between my wife and myself.

Any suggestions on how to save this otherwise satisfactory marriage?

I feel Jan’s pain. Luckily, Apple’s Family Sharing for iOS feature makes it much easier than it used to be for families to share their calendars, photos, music and apps.

Here’s the easiest way to get started.

Activate the Apple Family Sharing feature

To access Family Sharing, tap Settings, then tap your name on the top of the screen to visit your Apple ID settings page.

First, make sure you’re logged into the right accounts. For starters, there’s your main iCloud account, but if you’re a longtime iPhone user, you may also have a separate iTunes & App Store account under a different e-mail address. Nowadays, there’s no need to have separate accounts for iCloud and iTunes, but those of us who’ve been using iPhones since the beginning had to create iTunes accounts before iCloud arrived on the scene. And no, there’s no easy way to combine an iCloud account with an old iTunes account.

Now, scroll down a bit, tap Set Up Family Sharing, follow the prompts, then tap Add Family Member. You can add up to six people under the Apple Family Sharing feature.

In my case, my wife and I used to share a single account for iCloud. When we set up Apple Family Sharing in our home, my wife created her own iCloud account. I then went ahead and added her as a family member.

Start sharing iCloud, iTunes and App Store data & purchases with your family

Once you’re done adding family members, you’ll need to choose which iOS, iTunes and iCloud features you’d like to share.

For example, tap Purchase Sharing to add a credit card that all your family members can use to pay for App Store and iTunes purchases. You can also tap Apple Music to share your Apple Music subscription (if you have one—I don’t). Meanwhile, iCloud storage lets you pool your online iCloud storage (particularly handy when it comes to storing photos in iCloud Photo Library). Last but not least, Location Sharing keeps track of where you all are via iOS’s Location Services feature (not to be confused with iOS’s Find my iPhone feature).

Setting up Apple Family Sharing will also automatically set up a shared Family album in the Photos app (look under the Shared tab), and you’ll also get a shared Family calendar in the Calendar app, too.

Any apps that you purchased under a shared Apple ID or iTunes account should be downloadable for any members under your Family Sharing umbrella.

Start sharing your contacts

OK, but what about all those contacts your were sharing in your single iCloud account? Don’t worry, you can still share contacts even with separate iCloud accounts.

Note: The method I’m about to describe involves sharing your iCloud password with someone else—ideally, a trusted partner, spouse or family member with whom you may have already been sharing a single iCloud account. I do not recommend sharing an iCloud password (or any password, actually) with anyone besides a close family member.

For example, my wife and I used to store all our contacts under my own iCloud account. Once we switched to iOS Family Sharing, she accessed our pool of shared iCloud contacts by tapping Settings, Accounts & Passwords, Add Account. She then signed into my iCloud account, checked the Contacts option, and left everything else unchecked.

Meanwhile, I went ahead and did essentially the same thing; I logged into her iCloud account and checked Contacts only. (Of course, we could also have shared Mail accounts, Reminders and Calendars, too; we simply chose not to do it.)

Now, whenever one of us searches for a contact on our respective iPhones, we’re searching the contacts in both of our iCloud accounts. That essentially means we have a shared pool of contacts again.

Sorting out the pain points

In his e-mail message, Jan noted a series of pain points when it comes to sharing a single iCloud account. For example, messages through iMessages were jumbled, phone logs were messed up, and data in the Health app is scrambled together.

The good news is that setting up Apple Family Sharing should sort out those iMessage, phone history and Health problems. Just check your iMessage and Health settings and make sure they’re both signed in using your own iCloud account.

For iMessages, you’ll also want to double-check that you’re not getting any messages from the wrong phone number or Apple ID. Tap Settings, Messages, Send & Receive, then uncheck any numbers or email addresses that shouldn’t be there.

Still need help?

Have other Family Sharing questions I didn’t quite answer? Just post a comment or drop me a line. You can also check out Apple’s support page or check out this article.

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Forget the junk drawer! Turn your iPhone into these 5 handy household tools https://heresthethingblog.com/2018/02/02/turn-iphone-household-tools/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2018/02/02/turn-iphone-household-tools/#respond Fri, 02 Feb 2018 16:42:37 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=26212 The post Forget the junk drawer! Turn your iPhone into these 5 handy household tools appeared first on here's the thing.

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No need to dig through the junk drawer to find a flashlight or a tape measure. In just a few taps, you can turn your iPhone into a variety of everyday household tools, from a ruler or a level to a magnifying glass or even a compass.

How to turn your iPhone into a magnifying glass

Having trouble reading the tiny text on, say, a medicine bottle or a cereal box? I know the feeling. Luckily, there’s a handy iPhone feature that’ll give your squinting eyes a break.

Turn your iPhone into a magnifying glass

Tap Settings, General, Accessibility, Magnifier, then flip on the Magnifier switch. Now, just triple-click the Home button, aim your iPhone’s camera lens, and behold the the magnified image on the screen. Use the slider control to boost or reduce the magnification, tap the flash button for some extra light, or tap the shutter release to take a snapshot. All done? Press the Home button to exit.

How to turn your iPhone into a compass

Go west—or north, or east, or south, all with the help of a nifty iOS app that’s already sitting on your iPhone.

Turn your iPhone into a compass

All you have to do is open the Compass app (if you can’t find it, keep swiping from left to right on your home screen until the search bar appears). When you do, a digital compass will appear on the screen, complete with your current bearing (based on whatever direction the top of your iPhone is pointing in), as well as your elevation, latitude and longitude.

How to turn your iPhone into a level

Want to make sure that shelf you just installed is perfectly flat? If you’d rather not dig a level out of your toolbox, your iPhone can do the job.

Turn your iPhone into a level Head back to the Compass app, swipe the screen from right to left to reveal the level screen, then set the edge of your iPhone on a flat surface. If the surface is level, the bottom half of the screen should turn green, and the angle measurement in the middle should read zero degrees. You can also set your iPhone down flat on its back to see a surface is level in all directions.

How to turn your iPhone into a flashlight

Whether you’re trying to find your car keys at night or trying to read the menu in a dimly lit restaurant, your iPhone’s camera flash makes for a convenient flashlight.

Turn your iPhone into a flashlight

Flick up from the bottom of the screen to open the iOS Control Center, then tap the Flashlight button to light your iPhone’s camera flash. To make the flashlight brighter or dimmer, press and hold the Flashlight button, then drag the slider up or down with your fingertip.

How to turn your iPhone into a tape measure

Need to measure your desk but no tape measure handy? Believe it or not, there’s an easy way to turn your iPhone into a virtual tape measure.

Turn your iPhone into a tape measure

While there isn’t a native Apple app that’ll take measurements, there are dozens of third-party ruler and tape measure apps on the iOS App Store. Personally, I’m a fan of SizeUp ($1.99, but there’s a free 30-day trial), an app that lets you measure rugs, tables, floors, and more by sliding your iPhone from one edge of the object to another.

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iOS tip: 4 handy iPhone Home button settings you need to try https://heresthethingblog.com/2018/01/12/4-iphone-home-button-settings/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2018/01/12/4-iphone-home-button-settings/#respond Fri, 12 Jan 2018 16:20:04 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=25195 The post iOS tip: 4 handy iPhone Home button settings you need to try appeared first on here's the thing.

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Ready to take charge of the Home button on your iPhone or iPad? Learn how to make it easier to double-click the iPhone Home button, change what happens when you hold the Home button, try some nifty triple-click tricks, and more.

Note: The following tips don’t apply to the all-new iPhone X, which lacks a physical Home button.

1. Change the iPhone Home button double-click speed

For those of us who no longer have the split-second reflexes, double-clicking the iPhone Home key (or the iPad Home key, for that matter) to switch apps can be harder than it sounds. Indeed, if you don’t click fast enough, you’ll simply wind up back on the home screen. Luckily, there’s an easy way to change the speed with which you need to double-click the Home key.

iPhone Home button change double-click speed

Tap Settings, General, Accessibility, Home Button, then pick a double-click speed: Default (the standard setting), Slow, or Slowest.

When you tap a new option, your iPhone will “buzz” three times to give you an idea of how quickly (or slowly) you need to double-click.

Related: 3 nifty iPad gestures you need to try

2. Skip pressing Home when unlocking your iPhone

Got a Touch ID-enabled iPhone? If so, you may have noticed that when you wake your handset by clicking the Power button and rest your finger on the Home button to unlock your iPhone, you still have to press Home again to get past the iOS lock screen. (Thanks, iOS 11.)

iPhone Home button rest finger to unlock

Want to skip that final Home button press? Click Settings, General, Accessibility, Home Button, then scroll all the way down and flip on the “Rest Finger to Open” setting.

Now, if you click the Power button and simply rest your fingertip (one you’ve registered with Touch ID, of course) on the Home button, your phone will unlock itself immediately, no additional button presses needed.

3. Keep Siri from beeping when you press and hold Home

By default, you’ll enable Siri—you know, Apple’s tireless, voice-activated digital assistant—when you press and hold the Home button. All well and good, but if I had a nickel for every time I activated Siri by mistake, well…you get the drift.

If you’re tired of turning on Siri by accident whenever you hold the Home button down for too long, there’s a way to turn the shortcut off.

iPhone Home button turn off Siri

Tap Settings, General, Accessibility, Home Button, go down to the Press and Hold to Speak section, then pick a setting: Siri, Voice Control, or Off.

If you pick Voice Control, pressing and holding the Home button will turn on iOS’s old Voice Control feature, which lets you do basic things like dial a number of play music via voice command. If you ask Voice Control a more complex question—like “Should I bring my umbrella today?”—you’ll get little more than a confused beep.

If you don’t want anything at all to happen when you press and hold Home, pick the “Off” button. Doing so will disable Siri altogether, unless you dig into your Siri settings (Settings, Siri & Search) and turn on the “Listen for ‘Hey Siri'” option.

4. Turn on the Home button’s triple-click shortcut

You probably already know that double-clicking the iPhone Home button lets you quickly switch between apps. What you may not know, however, is that you can triple-click the home button, too, and you can set the triple-click gesture to do some nifty tricks.

iPhone Home button three-click accessibility shortcut

For example, you can triple-click your way to a “smart” invert colors feature that acts as a de-facto dark mode, perfect for reading on your iPhone or iPad at night in a dim room.

There’s also a zoom feature that lets you pinch to zoom your iPhone or iPad’s screen, a “color filters” mode that switches your screen to black and white, and a “voiceover” feature that reads aloud any text on the screen.

To start triple-clicking the home button, tap Settings, General, Accessibility, scroll all the way down to the Accessibility Shortcut setting, then pick a feature. If you choose only one, it’ll switch on automatically when you triple-click the home button. If you pick more than one, triple-clicking Home will let you choose which of your selected Accessibility options you’d like to use.

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iOS tip: 10 easy ways to boost your iPhone battery life https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/11/29/boost-iphone-battery-life-tips/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/11/29/boost-iphone-battery-life-tips/#respond Wed, 29 Nov 2017 17:00:21 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=18434 The post iOS tip: 10 easy ways to boost your iPhone battery life appeared first on here's the thing.

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Is your iPhone’s battery gauge typically buried in the red before dinnertime? Join the club. So what’s going on? Is there a power-draining bug in iOS or something?

Well, I’m guessing some of the blame for low iPhone battery life lies with iOS’s niftiest and most power-hungry features, from those groovy animated wallpapers to apps that can refresh themselves in the background.

Also, never underestimate the strain that the iPhone’s LTE antenna can put on its battery. In my experience, Wi-Fi data doesn’t demand nearly as much battery power as cellular data does.

Read on for 10 easy ways to boost your iPhone battery life, starting with…

1. Prioritize your background app refresh settings

Thanks to iOS’s so-called Background App Refresh feature, many of the apps on your iPhone—like Dropbox, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and the like—have the ability to refresh their data in the background, even when you’re not using them.

iOS Background App Refresh settings

While the Background App Refresh feature means you’re never far from your latest tweets or Gmail messages, it can be hard on your iPhone battery life, particularly if your iPhone is struggling to refresh app data in a spotty cellular area.

You can make life easier on your battery by paring down the number of iOS apps that take advantage of background refreshing.

Tap Settings, General, Background App Refresh, then scroll down the list of apps. See any apps refreshing themselves that aren’t a high priority to you? If so, switch their switches to the “Off” position.

You can also set iOS’s Background App Refresh setting to only work when your iPhone is on Wi-Fi. Or you can even turn this feature off completely. Your call. Just tap Background App Refresh at the top of the main “Background App Refresh” setting screen, then pick an option: Off, Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi & Cellular Data.

Related: 8 easy ways to lock down your iPhone or iPad

2. Keep an eye out for battery-hogging apps

Few things will drain your iPhone battery life as quickly as a misbehaving app. Luckily, there’s an easy way to spot them.

iPhone app battery usage

First, check your iPhone’s Battery Usage meter. Tap Settings, Battery, scroll down to the Battery Usage heading, then check out the list of apps. You can see an app’s battery usage in the past 24 hours and the past week.

Now, some apps may be at the top of the Battery Usage list because you simply use them a lot, like Mail or Facebook. But if you see any surprises on the list—say, a rarely used app that’s gobbled up 25 percent of your battery life over the past week—you might want to think about uninstalling it.

3. Turn off cellular usage for data- & power-hungry apps

Wondering why your favorite iOS app is such a battery hog? Maybe it’s gobbling up too much cellular data—and as we know, heavy cellular use puts a strain on an iPhone’s precious battery life.

iPhone Cellular Data usage

Tap Settings, Cellular, then scroll down until you see the list of apps under the “Cellular Data” heading.

Check out the list and look for any apps that are using an inordinate amount of cellular data—more than, say, 100 MB (megabytes).

Did you find one? If so, is it an app that doesn’t really matter to you when you’re away from Wi-Fi range? If so, go ahead and flip its switch to the “off” position.

Doing so won’t delete the app, nor will it permanently prevent it from accessing the Internet. Instead, all you’re doing is keeping the app from chewing up big bites of cellular data, while draining your iPhone’s battery in the process.

Related: What does the iOS “Enable LTE” setting do?

4. Turn off cellular data for automatic iTunes & App Store downloads

By default, iOS automatically downloads updates for all your installed apps. Also, if you install a new app, buy an iBook, or purchase some iTunes music on your iPad, iOS will download your iTunes and App Store wares to your iPhone, too.

iOS iTunes and App Store automatic downloads settings

Here’s the thing: unless you’re careful, your iPhone may try downloading app updates and purchases from the App Store or iTunes using battery-draining cellular data when you’re out of Wi-Fi range, and that could put a serious dent in your iPhone battery life.

Do yourself a favor and tap Settings, iTunes & App Store, then switch the Use Cellular Data setting to “off.”

From now on, your iPhone will wait to download app updates (as well as “automatic” app, music, and iBooks downloads from iTunes purchases made on your other iDevices) until you’re back in Wi-Fi range. Not only will you save yourself from data overages, you’ll also preserve your iPhone battery life.

5. Turn off cellular data for iCloud Photo Library

Are you using iCloud Photo Library to store all your iPhone snapshots and videos in iCloud?

iCloud Photo Library cellular data setting

If so, don’t be surprised if snapping pictures or shooting video while you’re out of Wi-Fi range chews through a big chunk of your iPhone’s remaining battery life.

Why, you ask? Because by default, iOS tries to upload your latest photos and videos to iCloud, even over a cellular connection, and that makes for a huge battery drain. You may also feel your iPhone getting red-hot.

If you’re an iCloud Photo Library user, change this setting, pronto: tap Settings, Photos, Cellular Data, then turn off the Cellular Data setting.

Related: 6 iOS 11 tricks that even an older iPhone or iPad can do

6. Fetch new email, calendar events, and other account data less often

Do you really need to know the moment you get a new mail message or a calendar invite? If you can handle the idea of checking your email or getting calendar and contact updates less frequently, you’ll regain some precious iPhone battery life.

iOS Mail Fetch settings

Tap Settings, Accounts, then scroll all the way down and tap Fetch New Data. Scroll down to the Fetch section, then pick an option—and remember, the longer the frequency, the more data you’ll save.

Pick “Manually” if you only watch new mail, calendar, and other updates fetched when you specifically open, say, the Mail or Calendar app, or choose “Automatically” to only check for data updates over Wi-Fi or when your iPhone is plugged into a power source.

Now, your iPhone’s “Fetch” settings only apply to accounts (like Gmail and Yahoo!) that don’t support iCloud’s “Push” feature, which automatically “pushes” data updates to your iPhone. To save even more iPhone battery life, toggle off the “Push” switch at the top of the “Fetch New Data” settings screen. Once you do that, you’ll still get mail, calendar and other data updates from iCloud, but only according to the “Fetch” schedule you just chose.

7. Turn down screen brightness

The backlighting on your iPhone’s eye-popping display also happens to be one of the biggest drains on its battery.

iPhone screen brightness setting

Flick up from the bottom of the screen to activate the Control Center, then dim the brightness control a bit. If I were you, I’d keep the slider somewhere a little lower than halfway.

No, you probably won’t see a major improvement in battery life just from dimming the display, but hey—every little bit helps.

8. Turn off motion effects

Ever notice how the app icons on your iPhone seems to float above your wallpaper, especially when you tilt your iPhone this way and that?

iOS reduce motion setting

That illusion comes courtesy of a clever combination of software and motion-sensing technology that essentially fools your eyes into seeing depth on a flat touchscreen.

Pretty neat, right? Unfortunately, all the visual trickery (which needs the assistance of your handset’s motion sensors and cameras) takes a small but definite toll on your iPhone’s battery.

If you’re willing to live without iOS’s motion (or “parallax”) effects, tap Settings, General, Accessibility, Reduce Motion, then flip the switch to the “on” position.

9. Use static wallpaper

iOS dynamic wallpaper

Another nice piece of iOS eye candy is its support for animated, “dynamic” wallpaper. Indeed, iOS lets you choose between a variety of groovy wallpapers with soft, ethereal bubbles that gently float across the screen.

While I love how iOS’s dynamic wallpapers look, they demand extra work on your iPhone’s part, and your battery life will suffer for it.

If you want to optimize your iPhone’s battery life as much as possible, tap Settings, Wallpaper, Choose a New Wallpaper, and pick a “still” wallpaper instead of a dynamic one.

10. Turn on Low Power Mode

If all else fails and your iPhone’s battery is about to die, engage iOS’s “Low Power Mode” as a last resort.

iPhone Low Power Mode setting

Low Power Mode disables such iOS features as flashy visual effects, background app refresh, automatic email fetching. It’ll also dim the screen and pare down other iOS non-essentials.

You can turn on Low Power Mode by tapping Settings, Battery, then flipping on the Low Power Mode setting. There’s also a Lower Power Mode available for iOS’s flick-up Control Center.

Low Power Mode will turn itself off once your iPhone’s battery is charged up to 80 percent or more. Unfortunately, there’s no way to set Low Power Mode to automatically turn itself on once your iPhone’s battery life falls below a certain percentage.

Bonus tip: Replacing your iPhone’s battery

Over time, your iPhone battery life will slowly begin to dwindle. According to Apple, your battery will keep about 80 percent of its capacity through about 500 complete charging cycles. After that, it’s all downhill, and you may even see a message on the Battery settings screen warning that it might be time for a new battery.

If your iPhone is out of warranty, Apple will replace the battery for $79, although you may find third-party iPhone repair shops that’ll give you a better deal.


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iOS tip: 6 iOS 11 tricks that even an older iPhone or iPad can do https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/11/02/ios-11-tricks-old-iphone-ipad/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/11/02/ios-11-tricks-old-iphone-ipad/#respond Thu, 02 Nov 2017 18:13:03 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=24245 No “Live” photos, 3D Touch or Face ID? Me neither, and indeed, compared to the all-screen iPhone X or the lightning fast iPhone 8, my old iPhone 6 is looking decidedly long in the tooth. The good news, though, is that some of the best new features in iOS 11—from one-handed typing to the ability […]

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No “Live” photos, 3D Touch or Face ID? Me neither, and indeed, compared to the all-screen iPhone X or the lightning fast iPhone 8, my old iPhone 6 is looking decidedly long in the tooth.

The good news, though, is that some of the best new features in iOS 11—from one-handed typing to the ability to quickly scan receipts—will still work on older iPhones and iPads, including the iPhone 6 (circa 2014), the iPhone 5S (from 2013) or even the four-year-old iPad Air. (Click here to see exactly which iPhones and iPads are compatible with iOS 11.)

Read on for 6 new iOS 11 tricks that’ll work on your older iPhone or iPad, starting with…

Scanning QR codes

QR codes—you know, those blocky-looking digital squares that, when scanned, generally refer you to a URL—aren’t quite as ubiquitous as they used to be (although according to some, QR codes are on the way back). However, you’ll still occasionally find them stamped on billboards, magazine ads, movie posters, and other random places.

iOS 11 tricks scan QR code

Thanks to iOS 11, the iPhone’s camera now boasts a built-in QR code scanner.

Until recently, the only way to scan a QR code using your iPhone was with a third-party QR scanner app. With the arrival of iOS 11, though, scanning a QR code with your iPhone or iPad has become much easier.

Instead of scouring the App Store for a QR reader, just fire up your iPhone’s camera and point the camera lens at the QR code. Within a second or so, a “Website QR Code” notification should appear, prompting you to open the URL the code is referring to.

Related: 4 ways to take charge of the new iOS 11 Control Center

Getting help in an emergency

If you’re in distress and you’ve got your iPhone on you, there’s a new and easy way to call an ambulance or the police, assuming you’ve updated your handset to iOS 11.

iOS 11 tricks emergency 911 call

Need to dial 9-1-1? Just click the iPhone’s power button rapidly five times.

The trick: click your iPhone’s power button five times in quick succession. When you do, a trio of sliders will appear on your iPhone’s lock screen: swiping the first will turn off your phone, the second will call up your Medical ID information (which you can fill out in the iOS Health app), while the third and final one will dial 9-1-1.

If you wish, you can add one or more “emergency contacts” who will automatically be notified if you make an emergency call on your iPhone. To do so, launch the iOS Health app, tap the Medical ID tab, tap Edit, scroll down to the Emergency Contacts section, then tap the green “+” button to start adding contacts.

Last but not least, you can set your iPhone to automatically dial 9-1-1 the moment you click the power button five times. Tap Settings, Emergency SOS, then switch on the Auto Call setting. Of course, you might want to think twice about enabling the Auto Call setting if you’ve got an iPhone-obsessed little one.

Scanning receipts or other documents

I’m a little obsessive-compulsive when it comes to saving my receipts, but I also hate littering my desk with little scraps of paper. That’s why I’ve been scanning all my receipts with my iPhone, but until recently, I’ve had to use a third-party scanning app (Scanbot, in my case).

iOS 11 tricks scan receipts

The Notes app for iOS 11 makes it easy to scan receipts and other documents.

With iOS 11, though, your iPhone or iPad—and yes, even an older one—can scan receipts and other documents without the help of a non-Apple app.

Just open the Notes app, start a new note or open an existing one, tap the “+” button at the bottom of the screen, then tap Scan Documents.

Next, aim your iPhone’s (or iPad’s) camera lens at the document you want to scan. Once the Notes app “sees” the document, it’ll automatically snap a photo and crop the image. You can then tap the Action button (the square one with the upward arrow) to save the scan to your device or your favorite cloud-based service (like iCloud Drive, Dropbox or Google Drive).

Related: How to mark up a web page in Safari for iOS 11

Typing on your iPhone with one hand

I’m still disappointed that the stock iOS keyboard has yet to support gesture typing, which lets you type words by swiping the keyboard rather than tapping it.

iOS 11 tricks one-handed typing

Wish it were easier to type on your iPhone with one hand? Just enable iOS 11’s new one-handed typing feature.

With iOS 11, though, Apple has at least embraced one-handed typing—a feature that squishes the keyboard to the left side or the right, making it easier to typing with a single thumb.

To start typing with one hand, open the iOS keyboard (just open any app that supports the keyboard, or tug down on the iOS home screen to reveal the Spotlight search box), then press and hold the globe key or the emoji key. (Don’t see either? Tap Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards, then make sure there are at least two different keyboards listed. If they’re aren’t, tap Add New Keyboard to add one.)

Once you press and hold the globe or emoji button, a Keyboard Settings pop-up will appear, and at the bottom, you’ll see a trio of little keyboard buttons. Tap the left one to squish the keyboard to the left, tap the right one to make it scoot to the right, or tap the center button to return the keyboard to two-handed mode.

Easily typing numbers and symbols on the iPad’s keypad

While the iPad lacks the iPhone’s one-handed mode in iOS 11 (although who needs it, given that you can split the keyboard), it gets another keypad-oriented feature that’s among my favorite iOS 11 improvements.

iOS tip: 6 new iOS 11 tricks that'll work on older iPhones and iPads

Just flick a letter key to type a number or a symbol on the iPad’s new QuickType keyboard for iOS 11.

The new “QuickType” keyboard boasts shortcuts to numbers and symbols on the standard letter keys, and it lets you type a number or a symbol by simply swiping down on the appropriate letter key, no Shift key required. That means, for example, you can swipe down on the “Q” key to type the number 1. Pretty neat, once you get the hang of it.

Related: 3 things to know about the new iPad dock in iOS 11

Sharing your Wi-Fi passwords

So, let’s say a friend is visiting you at home, they’ve got no cellular signal on their iPhone and they ask if they can jump on your Wi-Fi network for a minute.

iOS 11 tricks share Wi-Fi password

Want to share your Wi-Fi password with a friend? Just open your Wi-Fi settings and bring your iOS devices close together.

Normally, you’d have to go through the business of digging up your Wi-Fi password and reading it to them, one digit at a time—a tedious chore, particularly if you’ve created a strong Wi-Fi password (as you should).

Thanks to iOS 11, though, you can now quickly share your Wi-Fi password with any of your iPhone- or iPad-toting friends, provided they’re nearby and listed in your iOS contacts.

First, make sure your iOS device is connected to the Wi-Fi network you want to share. Next, ask your friend to open their iOS Wi-Fi settings (tap Settings, Wi-Fi) and tap the name of your Wi-Fi network. When they do, iOS will prompt them for your password.

Now, move your iPhone or iPad near their iOS device. With a second or so, a prompt asking whether you want to share your password should appear. Just tap the “Share Password” button to proceed.

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https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/11/02/ios-11-tricks-old-iphone-ipad/feed/ 0 iOS 11 tricks scan QR code Thanks to iOS 11, the iPhone's camera now boasts a built-in QR code scanner. iOS 11 tricks emergency 911 call Need to dial 9-1-1? Just click the iPhone's power button rapidly five times. iOS 11 tricks scan receipts The Notes app for iOS 11 makes it easy to scan receipts and other documents. iOS 11 tricks one-handed typing Wish it were easier to type on your iPhone with one hand? Just enable iOS 11's new one-handed typing feature. iOS 11 tricks iPad QuickType keyboard Just flick a letter key to type a number or a symbol on the iPad's new QuickType keyboard for iOS 11. iOS 11 tricks share Wi-Fi password Want to share your Wi-Fi password with a friend? Just open your Wi-Fi settings and bring your iOS devices close together.
iOS tip: 7 ways to make the most of Safari for iPhone and iPad https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/10/26/ios-7-safari-tips/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/10/26/ios-7-safari-tips/#respond Thu, 26 Oct 2017 15:05:40 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=24165 The post iOS tip: 7 ways to make the most of Safari for iPhone and iPad appeared first on here's the thing.

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If you’ve ever grown weary of squinting at the tiny text on a web article, you’ll love a one-tap Safari feature that makes cluttered web pages easier on the eyes. Safari for iPhone and iPad also boasts tools that let you pin favorite websites to your home screen, mark up and share web pages, juggle your saved web passwords, look up obscure words, and more.

Make web articles easier to read

If you stumble across a web-based article that hasn’t been optimized for mobile devices, you’ll probably have to squint to make out the tiny text. Luckily, Safari for iPhone and iPad boasts a built-in “reader” mode that makes the desktop version of web articles much easier to read.

iOS 9 Safari Reader mode options

Just tap the little four-line button on the left side of the Safari web address bar. Safari will automatically reformat the article, boosting the font size of the text and stripping out extraneous sidebars and other elements.

To change the font style and background color in Safari’s reader mode, tap the “aA” button on the right side of the Safari address bar, then tap to pick a new font face, font size, or background.

Mark up a web page

Ever wish you could take a Sharpie to a web page and show your markups to a friend? It’s actually pretty easy, and it takes just a few taps to get started.

Safari for iPhone mark up a web page with iOS 11

On the page you want to mark up, tap the Action button (the square one on the bottom of the screen with the upward arrow), then tap the Create PDF button (in the second row of buttons). Next, tap the blue Markup button (the circular one with the tip of a pen in the middle), then start drawing with your fingertip—or, if you’re the lucky owner of a new iPad, with an Apple Pencil.

Tap at the bottom of the screen to choose from a selection of pen or pencil tips, pick a new color, or use the lasso to drag your doodles around. You can also tap the “+” button to add captions, paste in your signature, add a magnifying glass, or draw arrows, squares, thought bubbles, and other shapes. Last but not least, tap the Action button (again, the square one with the up-arrow) to save your marked-up page or share it with a pal.

Note: You’ll need to update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 11 if you want to start marking up web pages. 

Review (or delete) your saved passwords

If you’ve ever wondered what happened to all those website passwords that Safari has offered to save, there’s an easy way to find out.

How to delete a saved web password on iPhone or iPad

Tap Settings, Accounts & Passwords, App & Website Passwords to see a list of saved Safari passwords on your iPhone or iPad. Just tap a password entry to view the saved username and password info or make any changes.

To delete a password, go back to the App & Website Passwords screen, tap the Edit button in the top-right corner of the screen, select the passwords you want to delete, then tap Delete.

Mark a web site as a “favorite”

There’s an easier way to save the web address of a oft-visited web site than fiddling with Safari’s Bookmarks menu.

Drag an iOS Safari Favorite

Just browse to a favorite site, tap the Action button (the square one with the upward arrow) on the bottom of the screen, then tap the Add to Favorites button.

Now, tap the address bar; when you do, you should see the website’s icon sitting in your grid of “Favorites.” Tap and hold a Favorite to edit it or delete it, or drag it to reorder your Favorite buttons.

Add a site to the home screen

If you’d rather pin a favorite website on your iOS home screen than keep it hidden away in Safari’s Favorites panel, you can do so in just a few taps.

iOS customize home screen icon

First, surf to the site you want to pin, tap the Action button (again, it’s the square one at the bottom of the screen with the up-arrow), then tap Add to Home Screen.

When you do, a preview of your soon-to-be home screen icon will appear; go ahead and rename the icon if you like, then tap Add.

Close an open Safari tab on another iOS device

When you tap Safari’s Tabs button (the one in the corner that looks like one square on top of another), you can see a list of all the Safari tabs you have open on your other iCloud-connected devices.

Safari for iPhone close a tab on another iOS device

That you may already have known; what you may not know, though, is that in addition to viewing your open Safari tabs remotely, you can close them remotely, too.

Just swipe on a tab from right to left; when you do, you’ll reveal a red “Close” button. Tap it, and the tab you selected will close within a minute or so.

Look up a word in the dictionary

Find an obscure word during a Safari session? No need to copy and paste it into a new tab as a Google search; instead, simply look it up directly within your existing tab.

Safari for iPhone look up a word in the dictionary

Just tap and hold the word to select it, then tap “Look Up” in the black bubble that appears.

A slide-up window will appear with the definition at the very top, along with more search results “suggested” by Siri.

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iOS tip: 4 ways to take charge of the new iOS 11 Control Center https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/09/28/ios-11-control-center-tips/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/09/28/ios-11-control-center-tips/#respond Thu, 28 Sep 2017 13:12:03 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=24039 Ever wish you could pick which buttons and controls appear in the swipe-up control panel for iPhone and iPad—a.k.a. Control Center—that lets you quickly turn on Do Not Disturb mode, skip or pause your music, toggle Airplane mode on and off, and more? Now you can, thanks to the latest version of iOS. Read on […]

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Ever wish you could pick which buttons and controls appear in the swipe-up control panel for iPhone and iPad—a.k.a. Control Center—that lets you quickly turn on Do Not Disturb mode, skip or pause your music, toggle Airplane mode on and off, and more? Now you can, thanks to the latest version of iOS.

Read on to get the scoop on how to customize the new Control Center for iOS 11, tinker with a few Control Center security settings, learn how to reveal some hidden sliders and buttons, and more.

Reveal the iOS 11 Control Center on iPad

The process of opening the new Control Center on an iPhone remains the same as it did in previous iOS versions; just swipe up from the bottom of the display.

iOS 11 Control Center reveal on iPad

Keep swiping up from the bottom of your iPad’s screen to reveal the new iOS 11 Control Center.

Try that on an unlocked iPad, however, and all you’ll do is reveal the iPad’s new app dock. (Swiping up on the screen of a locked iPad will open Control Center as usual.)

So, what’s the trick for getting to Control Center on an iPad? Easy: swipe up from the bottom of the screen, then keep on sliding your fingertip up.

As you do, Control Center will appear on the right side of the screen, next to a grid of all your open iPad apps.

Related: 8 great iPad tips and tricks

Pick and choose which Control Center widgets to use

The old iOS Control Center was very much a take-it-or-leave-it affair; you got a specific set of controls, such as the Airplane mode button, a Do Not Disturb toggle, a flashlight button, a timer shortcut, and so on, and that was pretty much that.

iOS 11 Control Center customize buttons

Don’t want a particular button showing up in Control Center? Just remove it using the Customize setting.

With the iOS 11 Control Center, however, you can customize which buttons, sliders and toggles appear, perfect for anyone who loved the Control Center flashlight but could do without the Calculator shortcuts. Just tap Settings, Control Center, Customize, then start tweaking.

To remove a setting from Control Center, find it in the Include section, tap the red circle next to its name, then tap the Remove button. To add a control, scroll down to More Controls, then tap the green “+” button. You can rearrange your custom Control Center buttons by holding and dragging the three-line handles next to their names.

Keep in mind that you can only customize buttons in the bottom half of the iOS 11 Control Center. The buttons at the top—including the Airplane mode button, the Music panel, the Brightness and Volume sliders, and the Do Not Disturb button—can’t be removed or rearranged.

Tap and hold a Control Center button to see more options

There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to some of the buttons and controls in the new iOS 11 Control Center.

For example, simply tapping the Flashlight button in Control Center on an iPhone will toggle the flashlight on and off. If you tap and hold (or “deep press” on an iPhone 6s or later) the Flashlight button, however, you’ll reveal a five-level slider that lets you adjust the brightness of the flashlight.

iOS 11 Control Center tap and hold Timer button

Tap and hold a Control Center button to reveal more features—for example, the time slider in the Timer setting.

Tap and hold the Brightness slider, and you’ll find a button for Night Shift, the sleep-friendly iOS feature that adjusts the color of the screen to warmer, eye-soothing temperatures.

Next, tap and hold the Timer button and you’ll get a slider that lets you change the length of the timer by swiping up or down.

If you tap and hold the Camera button, you’ll reveal a pair of handy shortcuts: one for Take Selfie, another for Record Video.

Those are just a few examples; keep tapping and holding to reveal more hidden Control Center functions.

Hide the Control Center from the lock screen

Yes, it’s handy to swipe up on your iPhone’s screen to quickly go into Airplane mode, silence your ringer, turn on the flashlight or jot down ideas in the Notes app.

iOS 11 Control Center hide on lock screen

Enable a simple setting to keep Control Center hidden on the iOS lock screen.

That said, anyone else who picks up your iPhone or iPad will be able to tinker with your Control Center settings, too.

Related: 8 ways to lock down your iPhone or iPad

To keep Control Center hidden from your locked iPhone or iPad, tap Settings, Touch ID & Passcode, scroll down to the Allow Access When Locked section, then toggle off the Control Center setting.

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https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/09/28/ios-11-control-center-tips/feed/ 0 iOS 11 Control Center reveal on iPad Keep swiping up from the bottom of your iPad's screen to reveal the new iOS 11 Control Center. iOS 11 Control Center customize buttons Don't want a particular button showing up in Control Center? Just remove it using the Customize setting. iOS 11 Control Center tap and hold Timer button Tap and hold a Control Center button to reveal more features—for example, the time slider in the Timer setting. iOS 11 Control Center hide on lock screen Enable a simple setting to keep Control Center hidden on the iOS lock screen.
iOS tip: 3 things to know about the new iPad dock in iOS 11 https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/09/21/new-ipad-dock-ios-11/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/09/21/new-ipad-dock-ios-11/#respond Thu, 21 Sep 2017 14:23:05 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=23983 Anyone who goes ahead and updates their iPad to iOS 11 will notice a big change—a welcome one, if you ask me—to the app dock at the bottom of the home screen. No longer just a shaded area for your six favorite apps, the new iOS 11 iPad dock looks and acts a lot more […]

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Anyone who goes ahead and updates their iPad to iOS 11 will notice a big change—a welcome one, if you ask me—to the app dock at the bottom of the home screen.

No longer just a shaded area for your six favorite apps, the new iOS 11 iPad dock looks and acts a lot more like the dock on a MacBook or an iMac. Indeed, not only can the revamped iPad dock hold more apps, you can also summon it almost any time you want, even when you’re not on your iPad’s home screen.

Note: Before we dive into the nitty-gritty about the new iPad dock, I should pause and mention (as I do every year around this time) that you’d be well advised to wait a bit—say, a week or so—before taking the leap to iOS 11. You’ll find many of the standard reasons in this post from a few years back, but this time around, there’s another pressing issue: a whole crop of older apps simply won’t work on iOS 11. Luckily, you can see a list of installed apps that won’t play nice with iOS 11 before you upgrade; to do so, tap Settings, General, About, then Applications.

Read on for three things you need to know about the new iOS 11 iPad dock, start with…

You can reveal the iOS 11 iPad dock whenever you want

While the old iPad dock was only visible on the home screen, the new dock can be called up anytime, even within an app.

iOS 11 iPad dock reveal with a flick

You can reveal the new iOS 11 iPad dock at any time—even within an app—by flicking up from the bottom of the screen.

Just flick up from the top of the iPad’s display; when you do, the dock will spring into view. Go ahead and tap an app to open it.

If you swipe up from the bottom of the screen and keep on swiping, you’ll reveal the new Control Center and a grid displaying all your open apps; just tap an app to open it, or drag it off the screen to close it.

Related: 8 iPad tricks you need to try

You can add more apps to the dock than before

The old iPad app only held six app icons at a time; the new iPad dock for iOS 11, on the other hand, can cram in up to 14, including a couple of “suggested and recent” apps on the right side of the dock.

iOS 11 iPad dock fits up to 14 apps

You can now add up to 14 apps to the new iPad dock in iOS 11.

The procedure for adding and removing apps to and from the iPad dock remains the same: just go to the home screen, then drag an icon in or pull one out.

If you like, you can disable the section of the dock reserved for “Suggested and Recent Apps.” To do so, tap Settings, General, Multitasking & Dock, then switch off the “Show Suggested and Recent Apps” setting.

Bonus tip: Wondering why the iPad’s app icons no longer shake when you tap and hold them? This surprised me too, but it turns out you simply need to hold an icon a beat longer than before. When you do, all the icons on the home screen will shake just like they used to, allowing you to rearrange your rows of home screen icons or tap the little “x” to delete an app.

Related: How to split the iPad’s keyboard

You can use two apps at once by dragging an app icon out of the dock

If you’re working in an iPad app and you want to open a second app side-by-side with the first one, just flick up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the iPad dock, tap and hold an app icon, then drag it onto the screen.

iOS 11 iPad dock drag an app to multitask

You can use two iPad apps side-by-side by dragging an app out of the new iPad dock.

Those with newer iPads (such as the iPad Pro, the fifth-generation iPad, the iPad Air 2, or the iPad Mini) can use this trick to trigger Split View, an iOS feature that lets you use two iOS apps on the same screen.

If you have an older iPad (like the iPad Air or the iPad Mini 2), you can still do a little multitasking with Slide Over, which lets you peek at a second app in a thin overlay.


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https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/09/21/new-ipad-dock-ios-11/feed/ 0 iOS 11 iPad dock reveal with a flick You can reveal the new iOS 11 iPad dock at any time—even within an app—by flicking up from the bottom of the screen. iOS 11 iPad dock fits up to 14 apps You can now add up to 14 apps to the new iPad dock in iOS 11. iOS 11 iPad dock drag an app to multitask You can use two iPad apps side-by-side by dragging an app out of the new iPad dock.
iOS tip: 6 ways to make the most of the iOS Calendar app https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/08/17/6-ios-calendar-tips/ https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/08/17/6-ios-calendar-tips/#respond Thu, 17 Aug 2017 13:15:26 +0000 http://heresthethingblog.com/?p=23863 The iOS Calendar app has some clever tricks up its sleeves, such as the ability to automatically add reminders to your meetings, drag events from one day to another, display your entire work week with a simple gesture, color-code your calendars, and more. Read on for 6 iOS Calendar tricks that every iPhone and iPad […]

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The iOS Calendar app has some clever tricks up its sleeves, such as the ability to automatically add reminders to your meetings, drag events from one day to another, display your entire work week with a simple gesture, color-code your calendars, and more.

Read on for 6 iOS Calendar tricks that every iPhone and iPad user should know, starting with…

iOS Calendar default alert times

You can set the iOS Calendar app to remind you of upcoming events automatically.

Create automatic event reminders

Nope, there’s no need to manually add a reminder to each and every meeting in your calendar. Instead, you can set the iOS Calendar app to automatically add a reminder for any new events you create.

  • Tap Settings, Calendar, then tap the Default Alert Times setting.
  • Next, go ahead and select automatic alert times for up to three different types of calendar events: birthdays, generic events, and all-day events. For birthdays and all-day events, you can set a default alert anywhere from a week before to the morning of the event. For standard events, your auto-reminder choices range from a week before to the moment the event begins.
  • You can even add a “Time to leave” reminder that’ll let you know when to start commuting to an event, provided you’ve filled in the event’s Location field. Just enable the Time to Leave setting.
  • Back out of the Settings screen, head back to the Calendar app, and create a new event. When you do, you should see an alert already set up.
iOS Calendar drag and drop events

Instead of fiddling with an event’s time and date fields, just drag and drop.

Drag and drop iOS Calendar events

Need to change the time or date for an upcoming meeting? If so, you don’t have to tap the Edit button and tinker with the event’s date and time settings; instead, just drag and drop.

  • First, tap a date in Calendar’s “month” view, then make sure the Details button—it’s the three-line button in the top-right corner of the screen, just left of the Search button—is de-selected.
  • To move an event, tap and hold it, then drag and drop the event to a new time.
  • You can also change the event’s date by dragging it toward the left or right side of the screen, or “grab” a handle on the top or bottom of an event to lengthen or shorten it.
iOS Calendar week view

Just turn your iPhone to landscape view to see all your Calendar events for the work week.

View your weekly schedule

Generally speaking, the iOS Calendar app only lets you see your events one day a time (from the daily or monthly view) or a few days at a time (in “list” view, which you can access by tapping the three-line Details button).

Wish you could see an entire week at once—or the work week, anyway? Just tilt your iPhone sideways, in “landscape” mode, either in the day or month views.

When you do, you’ll get a five-day view of your Calendar events. Swipe back and forth to view days in the past or future, or tap, hold, and drag an event to move it to a new day.

IOS Calendar color code calendars

Don’t like the default color for a specific calendar in the iOS Calendar app? Just pick a new one.

Color-code your calendars

The iOS Calendar app automatically color-codes your various calendaryou know, Home, Work, Family, and so on.

If you like, though, you can change the colors of your calendars directly from the Calendars app. Once you color-code a calendar, all the events for that calendar will show up in the corresponding color.

  • Launch the Calendar app, go to any of the various views (Day, Month, List), then tap the Calendars button at the bottom of the screen.
  • Next, you’ll see a list of all the calendars on your on your iPhone or iPad. See the little “i” buttons to the right of each calendar? Tap one of them to visit the Edit Calendar screen.
  • Scroll down to the Color section, pick a new color, then tap Done.
iOS Calendar Sync setting

Nope, your old iOS Calendar events aren’t missing; they’re just not being synced.

Decide how many months of events to sync

Wondering why a calendar event from last year isn’t showing up on your iPhone? Here’s the likely culprit: a key iOS setting determines the date range for syncing calendar events from your desktop or other devices via iCloud, iTunes, or another online calendar service (like Google Calendar).

By default, the Sync setting for the iOS Calendar is generally set to “Events three months back,” meaning that any events before that period won’t show up on your iPhone or iPad. (Don’t worry, your entire Calendar event history is probably sitting in iCloud.)

Why bother with a date range? Well, some users with many years’ worth of meetings might not want their iPhones syncing each and every one of their events.

That said, you can sync all your calendar entries to your iPhone or iPad if you want.

  • Tap Settings, Calendars, then tap the “Sync” setting.
  • Next, you’ll get a series of date ranges for syncing your calendar events, from six months back to just two weeks ago, plus one more option: sync “All Events.”
  • Go ahead and take your pick. If you sync your events via iCloud, your calendars should start syncing automatically in the background. Otherwise, you’ll see the changes the next time you sync manually with iTunes.
iOS Calendar repeating events

You can creating custom repeat schedules for iOS Calendar events on a daily, weekly, monthly, or even annual basis.

Create repeating calendar events

In just a few taps, you can create an event in the iOS Calendar app that lands on, say, the first Thursday of each monthor the second Wednesday of each month, or the third Friday, for that matter.

You can also create an event that recurs (for example) once every four weeks on a Thursday (but not necessarily the very first Thursday of the month), or once every two (or three, or four) months, or even once every two (or three, or thirty) years.

  • Launch the Calendar app, create a new event, tap the Repeat setting, then tap Custom.
  • Choose the “frequency” with which you’d like the event to repeat: daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. For example’s sake, let’s pick Monthly.
  • Next tap “Every,” and make a selection—say, once a month, in this case. (You could also choose twice a month, three times a month, and so on.)
  • Now, tap “Each” if you want to create an event that repeats on a certain day—like, say, the tenth—of each month, or tap “On the…” to pick a specific day of the week—such as the first Thursday of every month.
  • Daily events can be set to repeat every day, once every two days, once every third day, and so on. Weekly events can happen once a week, twice a week, etc., and you can pick the day of the week (Thursday, for example) on which you want the event to hit. Yearly events follow roughly the same pattern, and you can choose the day of the year (like June 16) on which you’d like the event to begin.
  • All set? Once you’ve made your selections, just back up to the New Event screen, then tap the Done button when you’re finished editing.


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https://heresthethingblog.com/2017/08/17/6-ios-calendar-tips/feed/ 0 iOS Calendar default alert times You can set the iOS Calendar app to remind you of upcoming events automatically. iOS Calendar drag and drop events Instead of fiddling with an event's time and date fields, just drag and drop. iOS Calendar week view Just turn your iPhone to landscape view to see all your Calendar events for the work week. IOS Calendar color code calendars Don't like the default color for a specific calendar in the iOS Calendar app? Just pick a new one. iOS Calendar Sync setting Nope, your old iOS Calendar events aren't missing. iOS Calendar repeating events You can creating custom repeat schedules for iOS Calendar events on a daily, weekly, monthly, or even annual basis.