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Mac tip: Turn off “automatic renewal” for your iTunes subscriptions

Mac tip: Turn off “automatic renewal” for your iTunes subscriptions

by ben patterson | Jun 29, 2016 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

It’s easy to forget the magazine and pay-TV subscriptions you signed up for through your iTunes subscriptions—or at least, they’re easy to forget until those auto-renewal notices unexpectedly land in your inbox. If you’ve lost track of your various...
iCloud tip: Hide unwanted apps from your list of Purchased apps

iCloud tip: Hide unwanted apps from your list of Purchased apps

by ben patterson | Jun 12, 2013 | apps, how-tos, music

George writes: I have deleted apps and noticed they are stored on iCloud after being deleted. Is there any way to delete unwanted apps from iCloud? Any help would be appreciated. Hi George! While you can’t actually delete unwanted apps from iCloud, you can hide...
How to keep iTunes from automatically syncing your iPhone or iPad (reader mail)

How to keep iTunes from automatically syncing your iPhone or iPad (reader mail)

by ben patterson | Apr 24, 2013 | desktops, how-tos, laptops, phones, tablets

Libby writes: When I plug my Apple iPad into my PC, iTunes immediately starts an 8-step syncing saga, culminating in starting a download in excess of 5,000 photos. This I do NOT want it to do. Can you help please? Hi Libby! Yep, we can fix this. All you have to do is...
iTunes tip: Keep the “MiniPlayer” floating on your desktop

iTunes tip: Keep the “MiniPlayer” floating on your desktop

by ben patterson | Dec 5, 2012 | apps, desktops, how-tos, laptops, music

A tiny control panel that sits on your desktop and acts as a virtual remote for iTunes, the MiniPlayer lets you play and skip songs, search your music, queue up new tracks, and more, all without having to switch to the main iTunes window. Of course, the MiniPlayer...
How do I keep my iPad from syncing automatically with iTunes? (reader mail)

How do I keep my iPad from syncing automatically with iTunes? (reader mail)

by ben patterson | Oct 3, 2012 | how-tos, music, tablets

Allan writes: I connected my iPad to an iMac just after I bought it and put lots of songs on it. Now I need to connect it to my own laptop but I don’t want to lose the music or photos I already have on it. How can I stop it from automatically syncing? Hi Allan!...
5 reasons why DVDs and Blu-ray still matter

5 reasons why DVDs and Blu-ray still matter

by ben patterson | Jan 30, 2012 | editorial, home video

Streaming is all the rage when it comes to home video, but that doesn’t mean DVDs and Blu-rays are dead—or at least, not to me it doesn’t. Sure, I’ll rent the odd feature from iTunes or stream a TV show from Netflix’s instant streaming catalog;...
How to stream all your music from iCloud with iTunes Match

How to stream all your music from iCloud with iTunes Match

by ben patterson | Nov 14, 2011 | how-tos, music, phones, tablets

What if you could listen to your entire music library—you know, all those hundreds, or even thousands, of MP3 music files on your PC or Mac—whenever and wherever you wanted to? Sure, you could transfer your songs to your iPhone or iPad, but not everyone has enough...
Do I still need to sync my iPhone with iTunes now that I’m using iCloud? (reader mail)

Do I still need to sync my iPhone with iTunes now that I’m using iCloud? (reader mail)

by ben patterson | Oct 26, 2011 | how-tos, phones, tablets, the cloud

Shelley writes: I followed your instructions and now I’m backing up my iPhone with iCloud Backup. Do I need iTunes at all anymore? Hi Shelley! Sounds like you’re all set with iCloud Backup, which automatically backs up your iPhone’s settings,...
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