In the seemingly never-ending quest to protect yourself and your privacy while using technology, you should be aware of a disturbing new trend. The iPhone app AirDrop was created to quickly and easily send photos and other files to those around you using WiFi and Bluetooth technology. Now people are using the app to send inappropriate and explicit pictures to unsuspecting people in their immediate vicinity.
Britta Carlson was one such victim of this type of invasion and received a lewd photo from a stranger while riding on the subway in New York City.
“It never even crossed my mind that someone may use it to send stuff like that,” Carlson told the New York Post.
A similar incident happened to Lorraine Crighton-Smith in London in 2015.
“My name on Airdrop says Lorraine so they knew they were sending it to a woman,” she told BBC. “The images were of a sexual nature and it was distressing.”
You can avoid receiving unwanted photos by changing the settings on your phone, according to AppleInsider. Just follow these steps:
Pull up the Control Center by swiping up on your phone.
Tap on the AirDrop icon. From there, you can make the app open to all recipients, contacts only, or turn it off.
If you’re using iOS 11, you should change your preferences from the Setting menu. Tap General, then AirDrop, and then choose who can send you messages.
The press release says Fairfax County police recommend turning off the feature when you’re not using it to eliminate the possibility that you’ll receive unsolicited and inappropriate photos. If you use the feature frequently and generally trust everyone in your contacts list, then you can switch it to contacts only. If you do receive a disturbing photo, it’s important to save the picture and report it to law enforcement as soon as possible.
You’ve probably already noticed the update alert hovering there on your devices, but in case you haven’t peeked at a screen recently, iOS 11 is officially out. Yup! It’s time to update your iPhones and iPads. And while I, personally, prefer to wait until there have been a few mini updates made in order to fix any problems that popped up during the initial update, you can download it now if you want.
But be prepared—there are some changes you’ll probably find annoying.
Along with pretty neat additions like an amazing new safety feature called “Emergency SOS” and a bunch of new emojis, there are also some not so cool changes. For example, you can no longer turn off Bluetooth and WiFi in the control center, and videos now auto-play in the app store. And while only time will tell if the next update will make changes to any of those changes, in the meantime, there are easy things you can do to to make iOS11 work just a little smoother for you.
In fact, Business Insider created a video showing just how easy it is to “fix” some of these issues. Check it out:
If you’d prefer videos didn’t play automatically, it’s pretty easy to turn off that feature. Just go to Settings—iTunes & App Store—Auto Play—Videos—Select “Off.”
Bluetooth & WiFi Can’t Be Turned Off In Control Center
Instead of being able to turn off your Bluetooth and WiFi right from the control center, you now need to go into Settings to do so. If you try to turn them off in the control center, it will just disconnect your phone, but will continue searching for WiFi and Bluetooth signals, which will eat up your battery. When they’re really off, the icons for both will have a slash on them.
You’d think auto brightness would be found in “Display & Brightness,” but that’s no longer the case with iOS11. Instead, you need to go to Settings—General—Accessibility—Display Accommodations—Enable/Disable.
The Control Center No Longer Has Night Shift Mode
If you like looking at your phone in bed before falling asleep—although you really shouldn’t!—you probably know night shift well. Putting your phone in this mode adjusts the display so it’s not so harsh on the eyes. There used to be easy access right in the control center, but now it’s pretty buried. You have to force press the brightness control and Night Shift will show up below the slider.
If you wanted to add an account, you used to be able to find it in the Mail settings. Now, you need to go to Settings—Accounts & Passwords—Add Account—Set up your account.
Before the update was officially released, Tech Radar made a list of some of the problems people noticed in Beta. From not being able to connect to WiFi to the phone filling up its storage to poor battery life, the website offers some tips if you’re having the same issues.
Fixes or not, I’m still giving it some more time before I take the leap. I won’t lie, though. Some of these new emojis are going to make it pretty hard to wait!
If you’re an Apple user and recently updated to iOS 11, you may have noticed that your battery is draining much faster than usual. If you’ve been experiencing this common—but annoying—problem, it turns out there are some pretty simple solutions.
Some users have said that they fixed the issue by changing the background app refresh setting. The default setting seems to be to have the background app refresh on for all apps. To change it, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and select the apps you want to stop updating in the background.
This Twitter used saying making this simple changed majorly improved his phone’s battery life:
If that doesn’t seem to do the trick, there are some other possible culprits that could be draining your battery. You can also try reducing your screen brightness, using a Wi-Fi connection, disabling location services and turning off push mail notifications, all of which can use a lot of battery power.
If you’re not sure what’s causing the problem and want to narrow it down, you can go to Settings > Battery, which will show you which apps are using the most battery.
If you don’t feel like doing a lot of investigating, the easy solution is to use Low Power Mode. This automatically disables a number of features, including background app refresh, automatic downloads, Hey Siri and some visual effects. When your battery drops below 20 precent, your device will automatically suggest that you switch to Low Power Mode to conserve the juice left in your battery.
In addition to a shortened battery life, the launch of iOS 11 has been met with criticism about a several other problems. In response, Apple has rolled out a number of updates to the operating system to try and correct the issues.
The new operating system was highly anticipated for a number of new features, including a more expressive voice for Siri, augmented reality apps, map updates, new emoji and shared Wifi. Now if we could just get our batteries to last, we can get around to trying out some of those cool new features!
These days, it seems like there’s an emoji for everything. There’s even a guy whose job title is actually “emoji translator.” If you really wanted to, you could probably conduct an entire conversation via emojis. And now you can add “breastfeeding mom” to the list of emojis that you can use to convey your every thought, emotion and action. As part of iOS 11.1, Apple has released hundreds of new emojis, including a mother breastfeeding a baby.
“The new emoji are designed to reveal every detail and adapted from approved characters in Unicode 10. iOS 11.1 will also include characters announced on World Emoji Day like Woman with Headscarf, Bearded Person, Breastfeeding, Zombie, Person in Lotus Position and new food items such as Sandwich and Coconut. Also included in the update is the Love-You Gesture, designed after the ‘I love you’ hand sign in American Sign Language,” Apple said in a statement.
Breastfeeding moms will no doubt find the new emoji super-practical and useful. Next time a friend texts during a feeding to ask what she is up to, mama can simply text back the emoji. No further explanation needed!
In fact, there’s been growing demand for such an emoji for some time. Last year, a nurse named Rachel Lee submitted a proposal to Unicode (the emoji keyboard creation) asking them to create a breastfeeding emoji, according to Fit Pregnancy.
“I propose adding an emoji for breastfeeding as a complement to the existing baby bottle emoji, and to complete the set of family emojis. The lack of a breastfeeding emoji represents a gap in the Unicode Standard given the prevalence of breast feeding in cultures around the world, and throughout history,” Lee wrote.
People on social media seemed pretty excited about the addition, such as this mom on Twitter:
Updated your iPhone lately? Although you may enjoy the awesome new emojis that came with iOS 11.1, you may have noticed a bug when texting or posting on Facebook: The letter “i” button isn’t working right. Apple and iPhone users have said that when they type an uppercase letter “i,” the software changes it to the letter “A” plus question mark emoji.
That’s a pretty dang important character for the vast majority of phone communication, so this is a big issue.
anyone else having issues with the IOS 11.1 update?! every time I type the letter "i" it automatically defaults to a question mark emoji!
Sometimes, users get an “a” with the question mark box right next to it when they type an uppercase “i.” Here’s an example of how this appears in a Facebook comment. The “A” and “?” symbol are supposed to be an uppercase “I.”
Regardless of which error you get, it’s pretty annoying. I’m betting Apple will put out another update with a fix for this issue soon, seeing as it’s a hugely fundamental error to have in a system that millions of people use every day!
But until then, you have two options to make sure your phone communication is accurate when using the letter “i.”
Fix #1: Just Use Lowercase For Now
The quick and simple way to avoid this issue is to use a lowercase “i” in lieu of an uppercase version. Clearly this is not ideal for those committed to using the English language correctly, however it’ll help you get your point across in a way that “A” and “?” will not!
i know. it does feel like pulling teeth not to use caps though, doesn’t it?
First, you can set up a text replacement shortcut that will correct the issue. Essentially, you’ll tell your phone to type a capital “I” when you type a lowercase “i.” This is the solution that the company itself suggested to users.
Here’s the quick lowdown, explained in an easy format:
Here’s a more in-depth video that will show you how to set up text replacement on your phone. It isn’t specific to this issue with “i,” but it’s helpful nonetheless:
Fix #3: Third-Party Keyboard
If the text replacement fix doesn’t work, don’t worry—there is another option! You can download a third-party keyboard app to override the Apple keyboard and type “i” freely without issue. There are quite a few options available in the App Store, including GBoard (free), SwiftKey (free) and Swype ($.99).
Choose the keyboard override app you want to use and then install it on your system. As the Apple website explains, add the new keyboard by following this process:
Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add a New Keyboard.
Once you’re there, choose the new keyboard you recently downloaded.
If you’re more of a visual learner, this quick tutorial should shed some light on how to install a third-party keyboard:
See, easy-peasy! And hopefully, Apple will have this iOS update bug fixed soon.
Jennifer Aniston is coming back to television, nearly 14 years after the actress wrapped up her star-launching role on NBC’s “Friends.”
Apple has ordered two seasons of a drama about the world of network morning television that will star Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, both of whom will also executive produce.
The project, which received a straight-to-series order (meaning a commitment was made before a pilot was produced), is a big score for Apple, considering the big-name stars involved and the competition it likely faced from other major streaming and cable networks.
The series is described as “an inside look at the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning,” exploring “the unique challenges faced by the women (and men) who carry out this daily televised ritual.”
(CNN’s Brian Stelter is a consultant on the project, as his book, “Top of the Morning,” provides background material.)
Two weeks ago, David E. Kelley, an executive producer and writer on the show, hinted at the exciting news many were hoping for:
“We’re kicking around ideas and trying to lasso the talent [and] get the band back together,” he shared. “It’s just a lot of logistical things. But I’m optimistic because everyone wants to do it. We feel we still have storytelling to do. No decision has been made yet, but we’re hopeful. Where we left it, I felt like it did open the opportunity for a lot more storytelling,” he told TVLine.
A representative for HBO declined to confirm that a second season is on the way.
While Kelley and some enthusiastic fans may be eager for more of the popular drama, not everyone involved in the show appears to be on board.
In an interview with Vulture back in April, the show’s director, Jean-Marc Vallee was adamant that a second season would ruin the magic of the first: “No, no, this is the perfect ending. There is no way; there’s no reason to make a season two. That was meant to be a one-time deal, and it’s finishing in a way where it’s for the audience to imagine what can happen. If we do a season two, we’ll break that beautiful thing and spoil it.”
The cast of “Big Little Lies” is full of Hollywood A-listers, including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoe Kravitz. The series is based on a novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty about the lives of three women who find themselves at the center of a murder investigation.
Written by Sandra Gonzalez for CNN with additional reporting by Simplemost staff.
It’s been one of the more persistent tech conspiracy theories: Apple slows down old iPhones to force people to pony up for new iPhones.
This week, Apple confirmed what many have long suspected, but the company says it’s not some elaborate scheme to move more devices. An update to iOS may slow down some iPhone models to protect their older batteries and prevent them from suddenly shutting down.
Customers are angry that Apple didn’t disclose the feature when it was first released in an iOS update last year. Two people are already suing the company, claiming the slow-downs caused “economic damages and other harm.” They’re seeking class-action status.
Before you switch to a Samsung or Google device, or lawyer up, find out if you’re impacted and what you can do about it.
Understand What’s Happening
A year ago, some iPhone users reported sudden phone shut-downs, even though they had a significant charge remaining. Apple quietly released an update that slows down the phone when it is putting too much demand on the battery, preventing these sudden shut downs.
The company says the feature is only to remedy a known problem, not a ploy to get more people to buy new phones. However, critics say there are a number of ways Apple could have handled the issue better.
It could have disclosed exactly what it was doing when the first update happened last year. Going forward, it could add an option to turn the throttling setting on or off, in part to help people identify other possible causes of a slow down. And it could make changing batteries easier.
Despite years of theories that Apple slows down all older phones, at this point Apple says the power-management update only impacts certain models.
The software tweak first rolled out last year to the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, and iPhone SE last year. More recently, Apple included it in the iOS 11.2 update for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The company plans on doing similar updates in the future.
If your phone is older than the iPhone 6, it’s likely regular wear, tear and maxed out storage are behind it slowing down. If you have an iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone X and it feels unusually sluggish, it may warrant a visit to the Apple Store.
Try These Tricks To Speed Up Your iPhone
Before swapping out your battery, make sure your phone isn’t slow due to other reasons.
Update to the latest iOS and update all apps to the most recent versions. In addition to bug fixes and feature additions that can remedy lag, iOS updates can include critical security patches that will keep your phone, and your data, safe.
Even if it’s not full, try and clear up some extra memory on your phone. Go to Settings -> General -> iPhone Storage to see recommendations from iOS on how to free up memory. This screen will tell you how big apps are and when you last used them, so you can delete any space hogs. You can also use a tool like Google Photos or Dropbox to back up photos and videos to the cloud.
Other options for potentially speeding up your device include turning off background app refresh, location services for individual apps, and motion effects.
If you’ve determined an old battery is to blame, try replacing it with a new one before buying an entirely new phone.
Unlike its flip-phone forebears, iPhone builds its batteries deep into the device. They’re accessible only by removing the back of the phone, which is held shut with proprietary screws.
Apple will only cover the cost of a new battery if it is defective and the phone is under warranty. If a battery is just showing the typical signs of use, you will have to pay for a new one. It costs $79 for an official replacement from Apple. You can mail your phone in to an Apple repair center or drop it off at an authorized Apple service store. Both options will take 3 to 5 days.
Another, usually faster, option is to use a third-party repair service. If you’re comfortable doing it yourself, you can purchase a battery replacement kit online.
Do not let anyone other than Apple crack open your phone unless it is no longer under warranty. A new iPhone is only under warranty for one year after you purchase it. You can extend that period by paying for an AppleCare plan.
Keep Your Battery In Fighting Shape
Smartphones use lithium ion batteries. They’re volatile, and their capacity can fade from age, use and exposure to temperatures. Apple says an iPhone battery goes 500 charge cycles before it drops to 80% capacity.
When you have a fresh battery, whether it’s a replacement or in a new phone, proper care can extend its life.
iPhone batteries are happiest at room temperature. Avoid exposing an iPhone to extreme cold or hot. That can include avoiding some phone cases that trap in heat. If you can’t escape high temperatures, at least put off charging your device until you are someplace cooler.
If you’re not going to use your device for a while, say days or longer, store it with a half-charged battery. Check in twice a year to re-charge so it is half full again. If you’re keeping an unused iPhone in a drawer for more than 6 months, you could also just sell or donate it.
I don’t know about you, but having my iPhone crash repeatedly is one of my worst tech nightmares. But that’s exactly what will happen if this link is texted to you over iMessage.
Abraham Masri, a software developer and researcher, told BuzzFeed News that he discovered this harmful bug while “fuzzing with the operating system. (For us non-techies, that means he was hacking the operating system by typing lots of random characters into the internal code.) With this particular bug, someone can freeze your iPhone by simply sending a link with the disastrous code. The scary part? You don’t even need to open it for it to do its damage. Without any action on your part, it will still cause iMessage to crash repeatedly, slow down Safari and drain your battery.
Masri claims he reported the bug, which he named chaiOS, on Jan. 15, but Apple didn’t seem keen on fixing the issue immediately. So, like any good tech vigilante, he posted the bug on GitHub, a web-based hosting service for managing source code, and shared a link to that GitHub page on Twitter on January 16.
“Text the link below, it will freeze the recipient’s device, and possibly restart it,” Masri tweeted, adding, “Do not use it for bad stuff.”
He wanted to get Apple’s attention and he did. “My intention is not to do bad things,” Masri told BuzzFeed News. “I always report the bug before releasing something.”
So how does it work? Someone texts you a link, which often shows up in your messages with an image preview and text (the URL and a brief title of the link). This preview is created by customized code, which a developer puts into their website’s HTML. In Masri’s case, he used thousands of random characters in the link, instead of just a few, which most likely caused the Messages app to crash.
GitHub temporarily suspended his account after he shared the malicious code publically on Twitter. Masri tweeted, however, that he’d never intended to rehost the code elsewhere but, rather, to push Apple to “take such bugs more seriously.”
So what do you do if you receive the link? Try deleting the message thread. If this doesn’t work, try restoring your device to its factory settings. Keep in mind, however, that this will erase all photos and saved data on your phone.
In the event that the bug is reposted on GitHub, one Twitter user, @eric_rmrz, suggests blocking the domain on your phone.
To do this, head to Safari’s Settings app > General > Restrictions > Enable Restrictions > Websites > Limit Adult Content > Never Allow > GitHub.io.
However, this will only work if the bug is being hosted on GitHub. It won’t help if someone posts the code on to their own server.
All in all, the best advice is to keep your device updated with the most recent version of iOS. Apple usually releases operating systems to handle new bugs as they arise. And according to Bustle, Apple confirmed a fix is coming in a software update within the week.
Activist Malala Yousafzai’s charity is getting a major investment from Apple.
Apple’s support will allow the Malala Fund to double the number of grants to fund the secondary education for girls in India and Latin America, the company announced Jan. 20. The initial goal is to help more than 100,000 girls.
“We believe that education is a great equalizing force, and we share Malala Fund’s commitment to give every girl an opportunity to go to school,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement.
The money will also be used to help the organization scale its “technology, curriculum and research into policy changes.”
Apple didn’t specify how much it’s donating, but Cook will join the fund’s leadership council.
“Through both their innovations and philanthropy, Apple has helped educate and empower people around the world,” said Yousafzai in a statement. “I am grateful that Apple knows the value of investing in girls and is joining Malala Fund in the fight to ensure all girls can learn and lead without fear.”
The Malala Fund, founded in 2013, aims to help girls in struggling countries access “free, safe and quality education,” according to its website. Yousafzai gained global attention for becoming the youngest Nobel Peace Price winner in history in 2014. She survived a gunshot to the head from the Taliban in 2012 when she spoke out about attaining quality education in Pakistan.
Australia has officially joined the ranks of 25 other countries that have legalized same-sex marriage. And to celebrate, major tech company Apple created a video called “First Dance.” Not only is this a promo for the iPhone X, which was used to shoot the commercial, but it’s also a celebration of marriage equality.
The video showcases weddings of real-life same-sex couples. The moments are intimate—first dances, kisses and more—and giving this a watch will have you feeling joyful.
Make sure you’ve got your tissues handy for this one, guys and gals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjlNKiH1iBk
The visuals accompanied by the beautiful song “Never Tear Us Apart” by Courtney Barnett make for one overwhelmingly joyful experience. So much so that people online can’t quit talking about it.
From the moment the video was released on Feb. 24, people have been brought to tears by the advertisement’s unabashed celebration of love. Twitter was practically flooded with folks crying happy tears!
“Have tissues handy,” one Twitter user warns—appropriately so:
“We’ve voted today for equality, for love, it’s time for more marriages, more commitment, more love, more respect,” Australia’s Prime Minister said in an address to the house. “This is Australia: fair, diverse, loving and filled with respect.”
Not only are Australians happy, but people all over the world are enjoying the news.
This isn’t the first time Apple has celebrated or been a supporter of equality, either. This ad, for example, which was released back in November, celebrates our differences as people:
Of course, according to a diversity and inclusion report released by the company as up-to-date as July 2017, the company is still predominantly male, coming in at 32 percent female worldwide. So the company still has some work to do as far as leveling the playing field. But Apple also has more African American and Latino employees than many of its competitors, according to Tech Crunch.
Unfortunately, creating inclusion and equal opportunities for everyone isn’t something that can happen overnight, but when there are small victories, they’re worth celebrating. That’s likely why the latest ads from Apple have been met with so much praise.
If you own a MacBook Pro laptop, you should know that Apple has announced a battery replacement program for some of the 13-inch versions.
The replacement is being offered due to an issue wherein the battery in these laptops may physically expand. The company has said the problem poses no immediate safety issue, but is encouraging customers to see if their device is affected and whether they are eligible for a replacement battery.
The affected laptops were manufactured between October 2016 and October 2017. The recall does not affect 13-inch MacBook Pros with a touch bar or older 13-inch MacBook Pro models. If you think you have a laptop affected by this issue and you have already paid to replace the battery, you can contact Apple about a refund.
You can find out if you are eligible for a new battery by entering your laptop’s serial number on Apple’s website. The replacement will be offered free of charge and customers have three ways in which to get their laptop serviced:
“Normally, a battery is charged and discharged to specific voltage limits, which is controlled by an electronic management system in the battery pack,” K.M. Abraham, an expert in this subject and a professor at Northeastern University, explained to Consumer Reports regarding what’s causing the batteries to swell. “If there’s a failure, now it is not controlling the voltage and then the battery can over-discharge and over-charge, producing gas.”
When your iPhone battery is rapidly dwindling down, it’s easy to panic and use just about anything to charge it back up. But before you grab a $5 cable from a gas station, consider whether the savings are worth risking your entire smartphone.
You can find so-called “lightning cables” nearly anywhere, from drug stores to big-box retailers to online retail giants. However, while often inexpensive, unofficial lightning cables can be unreliable or, even worse, hazardous in certain situations.
An off-brand cable may be inconsistent as well as easily damaged. And because these mass-manufactured cords may lack the quality control of Apple or certified third-party producers, your cable could fail to hold a charge or even begin to unravel after little use. Even worse, the cables can overheat, severely damaging your iPhone or ultimately catching fire.
UL, a global safety science company, created standards for lightning cables and regularly tests those available in the marketplace. It warned customers to be wary of inadvertently ruining their phones.
“You can potentially overcharge the battery, which can cause a fire or explosion, which is a safety issue,” UL Wire and Cable Program Manager Randy Ivans told “Good Morning America.” “You can damage the phone to the point that you won’t be able to use it or get the data off it anymore.”
A 2016 UL technical investigation of 400 fake Apple chargers from all around the world found that 99 percent failed a basic safety test. Researchers applied high voltage to the chargers to test for safeguards to protect users and devices from shock or damage. They concluded that all but three of the 400 off-brand chargers were potentially hazardous and 12 “were so poorly designed and constructed that they posed a risk of lethal electrocution to the user.”
Apple brand charging cables — and those from authorized third-party retailers—contain a small protective chip that protects your phone from a potential power surge or overheating. Many of the off-brand options, while low-cost, can also be low-quality, and experts say many of these cables lack that protective chip, the first line of defense against a power surge. If the chip is missing or damaged, you may be unable to charge your device or may permanently harm the processor or battery.
Jessa Jones, owner of iPad Rehab in Honeoye Falls, New York, told “Good Morning America” that she sees phones critically damaged by faulty charging cords nearly every day. She examined eight off-brand cables from gas stations, a discount store chain, CVS, Walmart and Amazon, and found that six out of eight of the cables did not have the protective chip. In fact, three of those cables even claimed to be certified by Apple or had Apple packaging, all of which were counterfeit.
You may get lucky and not experience damage from these cheap cables, but you’ll ultimately save yourself more in the long run by investing in a reliable, quality cord from Apple or one of its MFi manufacturers — and by avoid the potentially dangerous pitfalls of a quick, money-saving solution.
After months of anticipation, Apple is finally rolling out its new iOS update, and iPhone users couldn’t be more excited. Available Monday, Sept. 17, iOS 12 will have dozens of fun features and upgrades that will enhance the iPhone’s performance, from speed to responsiveness and general enjoyment.
So, what can iPhone users expect from the new iOS 12? To start, faster typing speeds and quicker app launches that will make using your device far less stressful. But Apple will also roll out a bunch of new tools with the update that will streamline your experience and in the end, make it a lot more enjoyable. Check out a few of the most interesting new features.
One of iPhone’s more frustrating features is receiving a pop-up for every single new message, email, calendar reminder, Facebook update — you name it. But thanks to the new iPhone update, individual notifications will now become a thing of the past.
Soon you’ll be able to group notifications from the same app so they appear as stacks on your lock screen, rather than an individual pop-up for each new alert. The revamped notification system also allows you to control the number of notifications you receive and from which apps.
Say It With A Memoji
Sometimes words are not enough to express how you truly feel. Instead, why not say it with a Memoji? Think of an Animoji — but of yourself. With the new iPhone update, you will be able to create an avatar that suits your mood and personality and that you can use in Messages and FaceTime. Want to show your friend just how funny you found their joke? There’s a Memoji for that!
Monitor Your Family’s Digital Habits With Screen Time
We live in a technology-driven world, which means most people waste countless hours in the digital space. It’s so easy to lose track of how much time you or your family spend browsing websites, watching videos or scrolling through social media.
Apple’s new Screen Time feature will log how many minutes or hours you spend on your phone — whether it’s using apps or sending messages — on a daily and weekly basis. This way, you can have a better understanding of your digital habits and change them as you deem necessary.
Measure Your Space With Augmented Reality
Are you redesigning your living room and need to know the dimensions of your current furniture? If you’re an iPhone user, there’s no reason to break out the tape measure. Thanks to the new Measure app, you’ll be able to use augmented reality — an immersive, interactive experience that blurs the line between reality and the virtual world — to measure real-world objects using your camera.
Do you go running at 5 p.m. every day? Pick up coffee during your lunch break at 2 p.m.? Or walk 15 minutes to your first class every Tuesday and Wednesday morning? Whatever your routine, the new updated Siri Suggestions will learn your routine and suggest appropriate — and timely — shortcuts when you need them. What’s more, the iPhone update will let you use your voice to run shortcuts or create your own with the Shortcuts app.
Host Your Own Virtual Conference With Group FaceTime
No, seriously. Later this year, Apple will roll out Group FaceTime, which will allow you to make FaceTime calls with up to 32 people at the same time. That’s right: You could use FaceTime to host a small conference or, better yet, family reunion and you don’t even need to leave your home. This particular feature, though, won’t be available until later this fall through a software update.
The new iPhone update is pretty neat and comes with a slew of cool new features that will make any Apple user giddy. What do you think will be your favorite new feature?
French toast is one of my favorite breakfasts. It’s so easy to make, and it feels like you’re getting away with eating dessert for the first meal of the day. Of course, you can never go wrong with classic French toast, but there are lots of yummy variations on this breakfast staple.
If you’re hunting for a seasonal twist, look no further than pumpkin French toast. You’re already drinking pumpkin spice lattes, chowing down on pumpkin pie and getting your hands on anything else pumpkin-flavored you can find, so why not add some pumpkin to your French toast?
The basis for this autumnal breakfast is some pumpkin puree and good brioche bread. The recipe from Delish also includes pumpkin butter for the topping. Yum!
Baked Apple French Toast
On the other hand, if you’re the type to choose apple pie over pumpkin pie any day, you’re going to love this baked apple French toast recipe from Once Upon A Chef.
Because it can be made ahead, it would be a great option for tossing in the oven on a holiday morning. And if you’ve already accepted that this isn’t the lightest of breakfasts, why not go all in and top it with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream?
Another easy breakfast (you use cinnamon rolls straight from the can for this recipe!) that includes a spin on French toast is this cinnamon pecan French toast bake from Cooking and Beer. The rich, sweet, spicy aroma from this treat baking in the oven would be enough to get everyone in the house up and out of bed.
And while this recipe for Nutella french toast casserole isn’t exactly fall-specific, do you really need a season as an excuse to indulge in Nutella? Add it to a loaf of challah bread, vanilla almond milk, butter, bananas and brown sugar, and you can’t go wrong with this breakfast treat. Plus, this recipe from I Can Cook That has an added bonus: You make it in the slow cooker and it really doesn’t get any easier than that!
Of course, you could always skip the French toast and opt for another breakfast favorite — muffins. We’re particularly smitten with these seasonal pumpkin muffins from Kirbie’s Cravings. Plus, they only require four ingredients, which makes them a clear winner for mornings when you want to whip something up fast.
Eating a healthy breakfast every morning can be a major challenge. If you’re looking for portable breakfast ideas, muffins can be a great way to get a satisfying breakfast on-the-go. Now is a great time add an autumnal muffin to your rotation, such as apple oatmeal muffins. Oatmeal is a healthy breakfast staple, and apples are the fruit of fall, so this is the perfect way to combine them for a portable and yummy morning snack.
This recipe from Prevention only takes about 15 minutes of prep time and 20 to 25 minutes to bake, so they can easily be made ahead on the weekend to stock grab-and-go breakfasts for the week ahead.
In addition to the apples and oats, it also incorporates other signature fall flavors, including pecans, cinnamon and nutmeg. Prevention recommends using diced Granny Smith apples in the muffins.
These muffins should take about 20 minutes to prepare and another 20 to bake. Once you’re done, you’ll have 12 grab-and-go breakfasts for 225 calories a pop!
Looking for other nutritious, convenient and portable breakfast ideas? Check out these 10 muffin recipes that involve four ingredients or less each. These easy-to-make pumpkin muffins will hit the spot this time of year. Get the recipe from Kirbie’s Cravings.
Or steal some of these breakfast hacks that will save you time in making popular breakfast foods like oatmeal, eggs and smoothies.
Make-ahead breakfast casseroles are another great option that allow you to snooze until the last possible minute and still have a filling, tasty breakfast waiting for you and ready to go.
Quick bread is a wonderful treat. Perfect to serve as breakfast to overnight guests or to enjoy with a warm cup of coffee after a long day, nothing else hits the spot in quite the same way. It just tastes divine, no matter how you enjoy — whether on its own or perhaps toasted with a swipe of butter.
Cinnamon apple bread is a no-fail flavor combo. You can either make it with fresh apples (baking apples like Winesaps or Braeburns are a safe bet) or save chopping time by using applesauce instead.
Over at Wishes and Dishes, Ashley uses Granny Smith apples to make her Cinnamon Apple Pie Bread. She also uses white sugar, light brown sugar and cinnamon to increase the sweetness. You can opt to add in a pinch of nutmeg or cloves to give it a touch of seasonal flavor.
The Cookin Chicks, meanwhile, keep things simple by using applesauce instead of whole apples. You can opt to use sweetened, unsweetened, cinnamon or plain. You can even get extra-flavorful and use strawberry or raspberry applesauce, which would give it a nice rosy hue.
The Cookin Chicks also uses pumpkin pie spice to bring in those seasonal flavors. Find the full recipe here.
This bread is so simple to whip up and would definitely be a hit with neighbors and friends at any upcoming gatherings or brunches. You can even wrap it and gift it as a housewarming present or a birthday treat for a co-worker!
The beauty of these quick bread recipes is that you can really personalize your ingredients to your taste buds, whether you want to add chopped walnuts, dark chocolate chips or raisins. Yum!
The Oscar-winning actress said she, Falchuk, Martin, their children, Falchuk’s kids from his former marriage and some friends all took a trip to the Maldives over the Christmas holiday.
“It was a very modern honeymoon,” Paltrow said, laughing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4bVyRQlH2w
The actress and her ex are known to have remained on excellent terms since they divorced in 2016 following a decade of marriage.
She said the trip was “lots of kids” and a good time.
“We just wanted to minimize the pain for the kids,” Paltrow said of how the family has handled life since she and Martin split. “They just want to see their parents around the dinner table, basically, so we just try to keep that.”
The couple share two children, daughter Apple, 14, and son Moses, 12.
For close to two decades, many people have relied on iTunes to get their music. But on June 3, Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference that it would phase out the longstanding music platform.
That’s right — Apple users should get ready to say goodbye to iTunes for good.
As part of the rollout of their new operating system, macOS Catalina, three new apps from the company are poised to replace iTunes: Music, TV and Podcasts.
Worried about the disappearance of your carefully curated library? Well, it turns out, you don’t need to be.
An Apple spokesperson told CNN that previous purchases and libraries will be maintained on the new apps on Mac computers. Though the company won’t get rid of any files you already have, it may reorganize where the files live.
Users will also continue to have the ability to purchase and download songs through the iTunes Music store within the Music app, as well as buy movies and TV shows within the Apple TV app.
For people who used iTunes to sync up their devices, that option will still be available. Apple has revealed that a tool will now be located via the sidebar in Finder on their Macs.
The move comes at a time when subscription services are increasingly the preferred way for people to access entertainment content.
“Apple had to put the pieces in place to make it all happen,” Ramon Llamas of IDC Research told CNN. “If you look at consumer behavior in which users are willing to pay a regular fee for unlimited content — and that’s what they can get from other services such as Spotify, Pandora and Netflix — Apple is smartly aligning itself against those competitors with its own approach.”
Apple Music will offer more than 50 million songs, playlists and music videos.
In addition to Apple TV channels, the Apple TV app has more than 100,000 iTunes movies and TV shows available to buy or rent. Coming this fall, the company’s video subscription service, Apple TV+, will be available in the Apple TV app.
The company is also rolling out new accessibility features, security measures and tools to give users greater insight about how they spend their time on their devices.
Catalina will be available in fall 2019 as a free software update for Macs from mid-2012 or later.
Customers with Macs that predate MacOS Catalina will still have access to iTunes, but it won’t be available once you make an upgrade to a newer product.
Pumpkin spice may be fall’s hottest flavor, but personally, I am all about apple. Apple cider, apple pie, apple doughnuts … I love it all. There is something about the smell of fresh or baked apples that is even more comforting to me than anything pumpkin-like.
It’s also fun to mix apples with other seasonal flavors like caramel, cinnamon or fresh rosemary — even in adult beverages. From sangria to caramel apple mimosas to hard cider, apple-flavored drinks are a must-have at any adult autumnal gathering.
And now there’s a new cocktail recipe to try out featuring apples, rosemary, orange and lime flavors. It may finally be time for pumpkin spice to take a seat!
The recipe for this Apple Rosemary Fizz cocktail was created by Cointreau, a brand of crystal-clear orange liqueur. Along with Cointreau or another orange liqueur, you’ll also need fresh lime juice, apple slices, fresh rosemary leaves and club soda.
The apples and rosemary are muddled together and then the liquid ingredients are mixed in. You can also add a sprig of rosemary and a slice of apple to garnish the drink!
Muddle the apple and rosemary in the bottom of a glass. Add Cointreau and lime juice with ice and top with club soda. Stir briefly. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a slice of apple.
If vodka is more your thing, you might want to try your hand at making this homemade apple pie vodka.
All you need for the recipe is Everclear, some apples, cinnamon, filtered water and simple syrup. You will need two days for it to infuse, but then it’s cocktail time!
Will you be trying Cointreau’s Apple Rosemary Fizz this fall?
When Apple introduced portrait mode, anyone who had an iPhone 7 or newer received an instant upgrade in their photography skills. No longer did people require a fancy-schmancy DSLR with manual mode expertise to snap professional-looking photos with the tell-tale blurry background (called bokeh if you’re in the know) and crisp subject.
The new iPhone 11 boasts an updated portrait mode, which is optimized for better photographs of people, pets and objects. According to the Apple website, this mode features additional lighting controls and new options for portrait types of both four-legged and two-legged friends thanks to a dual-lens camera.
It’s all an update of the iPhone XR, which only had a single-lens camera. The previous portrait mode worked better with humans than with pets or objects. Now with the upgraded dual lens, the camera will “better detect” subjects and set the bokeh-style background better. The front-facing cameras also get an upgrade from seven to 12 megapixels, because you’ll want to up your pup selfie game too.
So how can you make the most of these new features? Follow a few pet photography tips from Theron Humphrey, who shares photographs of his dog, Maddie, and gained an audience of 1.3 million followers on his Instagram account, @ThisWildIdea.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Lnh9zBgap/
1. Create weird moments and embrace the quirky in order to create more interesting photos. For example, his dog is well-known for her ability to sit on things, including backpacks, paint cans, flowerpots and even Humphrey’s back.
2. Set up your photo before adding in your pet. Check the shadows and light and arrange objects in and around the frame. Once the background looks the way you want it to, then you can add in your pet.
3. Give your pet time to get comfortable. They’ll get more photogenic with time, and moreso in spaces and scenarios with which they’re familiar.
4. Shoot in burst mode. He says to shoot a lot more photos than you think you need. This enables you to capture the “moment in between,” which is often the best.
5. Always focus on the pet’s eyes when shooting. Humphrey’s trick for getting your dog to look at the camera lens is to hold a treat right above the camera.
6. Use Adobe Lightroom’s free app and shoot in Raw mode for maximum flexibility and better editing afterward. (That is if you’re not using the new pet portrait mode.)
BRB, grabbing the new iPhone and taking my pup out for a photo shoot.
Apple’s AirPods Pro are the latest (and claim to be the greatest) in noise-canceling earbud technology. The new and improved earbuds from the tech giant now have two microphones for superior hearing and blocking of background noise, plus a vent that’s designed to alleviate the pressure that the silicone tips can cause.
AirPods Pro are available to order from apple.com and in the Apple Store app in the United States and more than 25 other countries and regions for $249. They began shipping on Oct. 30 and are now available in stores.
Though noise canceling is the flashy new feature, the new AirPod Pros also have a transparency mode for when you want to be able to hear what’s going on around you while still listening to your favorite music or podcast. You can use the force sensor on the stem to switch between modes as well as play, pause or skip tracks and answer or hang up phone calls.
According to the company, internal software adapts the sound based on the user’s particular ear canal shape and length as well as the noise level in the area. They come in three sizes. They’re sweat and water-resistant, making them safe for working out and outdoor adventures.
When you open the charging case near an iOS or iPadOS device and give it a tap, AirPods Pro will automatically sync to all devices signed in a user’s iCloud account. Their battery life provides up to five hours of listening time.
“AirPods are the best-selling headphones in the world,” Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said in a press release. “The one-tap setup experience, incredible sound and iconic design have made them a beloved Apple product, and with AirPods Pro, we’re taking the magic even further.”
Samantha Kelly, tech editor for CNN Business, tried out the AirPods Pro for herself, and found the noise cancellation feature to be “fantastic.” She said it successfully blocked out sirens and traffic just a few feet away from her. While she found the sound quality for music to be very good, she said it wasn’t quite as clear for phone calls.
As for the promised superior fit? Despite customized sizing, Kelly said one of the buds still flew out of her ear while she was on the subway.
PCMag.com gives the AirPods Pro a 4 out of 5 star “excellent” rating.
“For $249, these are actual earphones that seal off your ear canal, as opposed to resting against it like regular Airpods,” reads their review. “This makes for a tremendous improvement in fit as well as audio performance, with rich bass depth and crisp high-mid presence. The AirPods Pro also deliver strong active noise cancellation in a certified splash-proof build. They’re easily worth the premium over the standard model, and earn our Editors’ Choice.”
There’s no doubt about it: today’s smartphones are way more than just calling devices. On many models, the camera alone is the selling point. They’re so sophisticated that more and more people are ditching their digital cameras and using their phones to capture life’s memorable moments.
The contest runs through Jan. 29 and is open to users from around the world. A panel of international judges (including New York-based photographer and visual reporter Malin Fezehai and U.K.-based photographer Sarah Lee) will choose the five most stunning images on March 4, and these will be featured in a gallery on Apple Newsroom, on apple.com and Apple’s official Instagram page. They may also appear in digital campaigns, on billboards, in Apple Stores and even in a third-party photo exhibition.
Here’s a video from Apple’s Instagram page that explains exactly what to do:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7D9Z86ltJy/
To take part in the Apple Night mode challenge, share your images on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #ShotoniPhone and #NightmodeChallenge. If you’re a Weibo user, you can use #ShotoniPhone# and #NightmodeChallenge#. In your caption, state what model of iPhone you used to capture your image.
Not into social media? That’s okay, there’s an alternative for you. Submit your images in their highest resolution via email to shotoniphone@apple.com, using the file naming convention “firstname_lastname_nightmode_iPhonemodel.”
Visit the Apple Newsroom for full terms and conditions on entering.
For inspiration, check out the photo at the top of this page, which was taken by photographer Austin Mann on an iPhone 11 Pro. Or, check out this incredible series of nighttime images shot by photographer Delaney Allen (@delaney_allen) on an iPhone and shared on Instagram by Apple.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6n_4nsFGr-/
Night Mode ensures that low-light images are refined and well-lit and represent color in the most accurate, vivid way.
If you’ve just gotten your hands on a brand new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11 Pro Max and haven’t yet figured out the camera’s functions, Apple offers the following tips for using Night mode:
You don’t need to turn Night mode on; it comes on automatically in low-light environments. If the yellow Night mode icon is showing, you’re good to go.
If you tap on the Night mode icon, you can adjust the slider to Max to extend your capture time, rather than counting on the iPhone’s own determination based on the scene being viewed.
For an easier way to get great photos with a long capture time during the darkest part of night, use a tripod (or try propping up your iPhone).
First up, the Apple Pride Watch Pride Edition Sport Band has a vertical stripe rainbow design, reflective of the rainbow flag that has been used as a symbol of LGBTQ pride and activism for decades. It looks similar to the brand’s Pride-themed bands that were originally released in 2016.
The product description says the color strips are die-cut and compression-molded, which results in variations that make each band unique.
It’s priced at $49.00 and comes in two sizes: 40mm (which also works with 38 mm watches) and 44 mm (which also works with 42 mm watches).
“Made from a custom high-performance fluoroelastomer with compression-molded perforations for breathability, the Nike Sport Band is durable and strong, yet surprisingly soft,” reads the product description. “The smooth, dense material drapes elegantly across your wrist and feels comfortable next to your skin. An innovative pin-and-tuck closure ensures a clean fit.”
The bands were supposed to match new rainbow watch faces that were just released with watchOS 6.2.5 featuring rainbow designs, but 9to5Mac reports people are having trouble finding them after updating their smartwatch’s operating system.
Apple supports a number of LGBTQ advocacy organizations with these Pride products, including Encircle, Gender Spectrum, PFLAG, SMYAL, The National Center for Transgender Equality, The Trevor Project, Gender Spectrum ILGA World and GLSEN.
Elle Smith is a 2020 high school graduate of Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock, Texas, and has been named Student Advocate of the Year by GLSEN, an LGBTQ education organization that works to end discrimination, harassment and bullying in schools.
Smith restarted her school’s Genders and Sexualities Alliance Club to support LGBTQ students and leads it virtually now through weekly meetings. Their commitment to community and advocacy earned them the award.
“Pride season is a time where it feels safer to be authentic,” Smith (pictured above) said in a statement. “It’s the ideal world where you’re able to be safe, you’re able to be yourself, and you’re able to be loud. I think everyone who’s involved with LGBTQ organizations has done a great job shifting our programs and outreach to a virtual format. We want to keep our momentum going and make sure everyone has access to resources just as they would have pre-COVID.”
These cute watch bands are the perfect way to support Pride! Will you grab one?
When it comes to fall flavors, there’s no doubt about it — pumpkin spice is the clear favorite. From coffee to snacks and desserts, pumpkin seems to show up in everything this time of year.
There is another fall flavor, however, that may sometimes get overlooked in the rush to get our hands on all the pumpkin things: apple! From cider to pies, apples are my personal fall choice and I start craving cider long before pumpkin spice lattes.
And now, there’s a new way to enjoy apples — and this one is just for adults. New limited-edition Baileys Apple Pie is arriving just in time for fall weather. Served over ice, in chai tea or on ice cream, it has the taste of freshly baked apple pie à la mode blended with Irish dairy cream.
The new drink is available nationwide while supplies last, wherever spirits-based beverages are sold. It costs around $24.99 for a 750-ml bottle. You can also order it online as part of a Baileys Apple Pie Friendsgiving Kit from Cocktail Courier. The kit costs $84.99 and comes with everything you need to make 12 “Apple of My Chai” cocktails. The kit also includes a pack of Baileys apple pie cookies and other goodies, like a Baileys’ apron.
Of course, if you really want to bring on the fall vibes, you’ll also need some apple-flavored treats to enjoy alongside your cocktail.
If you’re looking for an easy snack, Sam’s Club has a new apple pie trail mix that not only has dried cinnamon apples and roasted almonds, but also walnuts, pie crust cookies and cream cheese-flavored pretzel clusters.
According to the brand, the new rum has the flavor of Captain Morgan’s signature Original Spiced Rum, but they added a hint of ginger and fused it with the juicy taste of sliced-up apples. The brand says it is best served neat, on the rocks or as a chilled shot, but if you prefer cocktails, try their Apple Sour or Apple Mule.
You can find Captain Morgan Sliced Apple in stores across the U.S. and Canada for a suggested retail price of $15.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle.
If rum isn’t your go-to adult beverage, Baileys also has a new apple-flavored liquor that may be more to your liking.
The new limited-edition Baileys Apple Pie can be served over ice, in chai tea or on ice cream and has the taste of freshly baked apple pie blended with Irish cream. The new drink is available nationwide while supplies last.
You can also make your own apple-flavored booze, like this apple and cinnamon vodka, which I personally tried and can verify is amazing.
All you need is your favorite brand of vodka, cinnamon sticks, two apples and a mason jar. You simply put the ingredients in the jar, place a lid on it and store the jar in a cool, dark place in your kitchen.
You’ll need to allow for about five days for the flavors to fully infuse the vodka. You can test it each day, however, and if the flavors are to your liking, you do not have to let it sit for five days.
Apple recently released iOS 14, the latest version of its iPhone operating system. Beyond adding helpful informational widgets to your phone’s primary screen, the update allows savvy and creative iPhone owners to customize their app icons more than ever.
One tech artist/guru, Thomas Reisenegger, decided to take an old-school approach to his home screen design. He reached way back to Microsoft Paint to replicate his applications’ shortcuts.
Of course, you don’t undertake a creative endeavor such as this without sharing your masterpiece. Reisenegger posted the results of his redesign on Twitter.
The result? Let’s just say the final product definitely looks a little less sleek than when it sports the normal digital icons.
“iOS 14 lets you re-do app icons so naturally remade them all much worse in MS paint style,” he posted.
iOS 14 let’s you re-do app icons so naturally remade them all much worse in MS paint style
He even apologized to “all app icon designers that spent years making them nice.”
You might think that this guy left himself out there to get totally slammed on social media. But, in true viral age form, his work has been liked by more than 70,000 fellow Twitter users.
Some people, such as Tim Jarrell at @TimmyBuddy, commented that this feature is nothing new for Android users. His personalized versions of the usual app icons mostly modifies and enlarges their shapes:
Even if the technology isn’t exactly new, the hand-drawn icons are getting a lot of attention and lots of laughs. Even the financial app Monzo got in on the joke and called out Reisenegger on Twitter as it searched for people who may have redesigned their app icon with the updated iOS options.
If you've made your own custom icon for Monzo, we'd love to see it. (Unless it looks like this). https://t.co/TLIe6ltL06
Reisenegger used the new Shortcuts app, under Settings, to create the redesigned look. He told Mashable it took him around 40-50 minutes to do it, and that included the time he used to connect his Apple pencil and figure out how to make custom icons.
He also said he had a good time doing the little project and that it resonated so well with others.
“I thought it was quite funny and I’m very glad people seem to appreciate and honor the ancient legacy of MS paint,” he said. “Also, I’m of course very glad to see that it made people smile.”
Yet in today’s digital age, many of our favorite photos are not stored in albums but on our smartphones and computers. But if something were to happen to your hard drive or your data, you could lose some of your most priceless memories. This happened to users of Adobe’s Lightroom in August after an app update wiped out data including both user presets and photos.
“Did anyone else lose all your @Adobe @Lightroom photos and presets with their last update?!” wrote @llambert89 on Twitter. “This is literally the worst. I lost 800 pictures and all my paid presets (which were worth hundreds of dollars.)”
Did anyone else lose all your @Adobe@Lightroom photos and presets with their last update?! This is literally the worst. I lost 800 pictures and all my paid presets (which are worth hundreds of dollars.) All they have to say is we apologize. pic.twitter.com/5xGsJ3nEaR
If you have beloved photos on social media and think they’re safe there, you should be aware that these images won’t have the same quality of the originals. Facebook and other social media sites will compress your pictures and decrease the integrity of the photographs. Terry Sullivan of the New York Times explains that you need to carefully choose how you store your images online because not all sites are created equal.
“But right now, most websites, including social media and even photo-printing sites, aren’t designed to truly store photos … when you back up your photos, you want to be able to retrieve an image file that is as close to, if not identical to, the original photo you captured on your phone or digital camera,” writes Sullivan. “That’s also why you want to carefully choose a backup solution, whether it’s online or an external hard drive.”
To avoid a catastrophic loss, store your photos in more than one way. That can mean using network-attached storage (NAS) or an external hard drive in addition to a cloud service, or using multiple cloud services. Whatever you choose, it’s a good idea to use a system that automatically updates in the background so you don’t have to think about it.
So what are your best options for backing up images online? Cloud services such as Apple’s iCloud are just the start. Amazon Prime members can store photos and videos on Amazon for free, but only up to a point. Prime members get complimentary 5 GB storage, but if you need more storage, you can upgrade to a plan that gives you 100 GB for $1.99 a month.
Not a Prime member? Look into Google photos where you can get 100 GB of storage for $1.99 a month or 200 GB for $2.99 a month. Dropbox is another option, offering 2 GB free storage to users. After that, you will have to pay to upgrade for either 1 TB or 2 TB of storage ($9.99 per month for 1 TB).
Though some experts also advise saving photos on a NAS Box or an external hard drive, although others say you need two external hard drives, so you can back up your backup!
When it comes to protecting your most beloved moments with family and friends, you can never be too careful.
The year is 2021. A vaccine has been out for months. You’re at a backyard barbecue or a hip restaurant. A song comes on that you love. You want to know, “What song is this?” With the push of a button, your iPhone can tell you, no app required.
OK, so you don’t really need to wait until 2021 to use this feature. If you’ve run the iOS 14.2 update on your iPhone and the iPadOS 14.2 update on your iPad, this song-identifying capability is available to you right now. It’s just … you know, in these times of social distancing, you might not be anywhere that’s playing music, unless you count your car or the tunes at the grocery store.
In 2018, Apple acquired Shazam, a service that picks up on a snippet of a song and identifies the music playing around you. While you can still download the app, Apple has also integrated the music-recognizing technology into a feature that can be accessed from your Control Center.
Even if you’ve recently updated your phone, though, this feature isn’t enabled by default.
So, here’s how you can enable a Control Center button going forward to identify a song:
Make sure you’re running the latest software on your iPhone or iPad. You’ll need to be on iOS 14.2 or later. To check for updates, go to Settings > General > Software update.
To add Shazam to your Control Settings, go to Settings > Control Center then tap the green add (plus) button next to Music Recognition.
To identify songs from your Control Center, tap the Shazam button. It will listen to what’s currently playing on your device or around you. Shazam can identify songs playing on your device even if you’re using headphones.
Another way to identify music playing around you? On an iPhone or iPad, you can say “Hey Siri,” then ask what the song is. This is so much easier than trying to remember lyrics of a song to Google later, right?
If you’re a longtime iOS user, there’s probably not much about the iPhone you don’t know. Even if you’re an Apple newbie, or not the most tech-minded individual in the world, it’s generally a pretty user-friendly device that doesn’t require a ton of explanation.
But the people at Apple HQ clearly like to keep their customers on their toes, as it turns out the brand’s iconic symbol on the back of the phone — yep, the one that’s probably covered up with a case — is a multi-functional feature. Is this the best-kept iOS secret?
Word has spread that the Apple icon on the back of the iPhone is actually a button thanks to TikTok user Brit Brown, who revealed that the Apple symbol can be programmed to perform more than 30 different tasks.
“I was today years old when I found out that the little Apple on the back of my iPhone is actually a tool,” she said.
In a step-by-step video, she shows how to customize your device’s settings to let you use the shiny logo to scroll Instagram, change the volume, open Netflix, send a photo text, screenshot photos and practically anything else you could possibly want. You can even customize your own shortcut. As Brown says, you can “have it do things for you.”
“What the what?!” Brown says in the video, and we couldn’t agree more.
The customizable back-of-the-phone button has been around since last fall, when Apple released iOS 14, The Verge reported. The feature is called Back Tap, and it’s not really a new button. Rather, Apple’s iOS update just used the iPhone’s pre-existing sensors and hardware to turn the entire back of the phone into a touch-sensitive “button.”
How To Turn On Back Tap On Your iPhone
First of all, go to “Settings” on your device and choose “Accessibility.” Then select “Touch,” and scroll to the bottom of the screen and select “Back Tap.” You can choose “Double Tap” or “Triple Tap” depending on how much tapping you like to do, and then set the amount of taps you want to do for different actions, including screenshots.
If you’d rather see it done, here’s Brown’s video on TikTok:
But while some people are already setting their sights on this year’s release of the iPhone 13, Apple quietly released a new version of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini. While the features are the same, you can now get the new phone in a metallic purple color, darker than the shade of purple offered in the iPhone 11. Apple says the new shade accentuates the aluminum edges of the new model.
Both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini feature a dual-camera system that Apple says delivers the highest-quality video in a smartphone, edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR displays and a Ceramic Shield front cover, which provides the biggest jump in durability ever on iPhone. It also includes the fastest chip in a smartphone, the A14 Bionic, and includes a new line of accessories.
The iPhone 12 is the same size as the iPhone 11 — 6.1 inches — but the iPhone 12 mini comes in at 5.4 inches, making it the smallest 5G smartphone in the world. Both models are water-resistant up to six meters for up to 30 minutes and are protected against everyday spills, including coffee and soda.
The purple versions of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini will be available for pre-order beginning April 23, with availability beginning April 30.
Because a brand-new cell phone without a case is a terrifying thought, Apple is also releasing silicone, leather and clear cases that snap onto the back of the iPhone. The cases come in even more colors than the phone itself, with the silicone case offering a dozen color options. They will all work with MagSafe, which allows you to charge the phone wirelessly.
Are you a fan of the new purple color for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini?
If you own or are at all familiar with Apple devices, you know that it’s not the ayes but the i’s that have it.
There’s an iPhone, iPad, iPod, even the operating system Apple mobile devices is called iOS. In fact, Apple has used the lowercase “i” in products since the release of the iMac in 1998. So, what gives?
Did you guess that the “i” stands for internet? If so, you are correct — at least, in part. When introducing the iMac at an Apple event in 1998, Steve Jobs explained that the “i” stood for several features and values that the company provided.
“iMac comes from the marriage of the excitement of the internet with the simplicity of Macintosh,” Jobs said during the presentation. “We are targeting this for the number one use that consumers tell us they want a computer for, which is to get on the internet simply and fast.”
It made perfect sense since iMac was Apple’s first personal computer that made accessing the internet user-friendly. It was also the first commercially successful personal computer to feature the mouse and the graphical user interface — which we all use today — rather than a command-line interface.
However, Jobs emphasized that there were other reasons for using the letter before the product name.
“‘I’ also means some other things to us,” Apple’s co-founder continued. “We are a personal computer company, and although this product is born to network, it also is a beautiful stand-alone product. We are targeting it also for education. They want to buy these. And it is perfect for most of the things they do in instruction. It is perfect for finding tremendous sources of information over the internet. And we hope as you see the product it will inspire us all to make even better products in the future.”
A slide was displayed behind him as he spoke, listing five words: internet, individual, instruct, inform and inspire. While at the time, the words were only meant to describe the iMac, they have gone on to represent Apple’s extensive product line.
You can watch a clip of the late Jobs introducing the iMac on YouTube … on the internet, of course!
If you and your crew are Apple users who enjoy making plans together, a new app will make your lives a little easier. Freeform is a new collaboration app available for iOS 16.2 or later.
This app lets you collect all of your ideas, no matter how many you come up with. Freeform’s virtual whiteboard will expand to contain whatever you add, even when collaborating with others.
It’s not just a note-taking app, either. Freeform has lots of brush styles and colors to choose from, so you can draw diagrams, incorporate sketches or add comments as well as files. You can even draw on the canvas with your finger on your iPhone and iPad or using Apple Pencil.
Another helpful feature Freeform offers are integration with FaceTime and Messages. You can work on a board with others while on a FaceTime call or a Messages thread.
If you alternate between multiple devices, you can pick up right where you left off by logging into the app. In addition, since Freeform boards are stored in iCloud, your data will sync across all your Apple devices.
Photos, videos, documents, PDFs, website and map location links and loads of other file types are supported by Freeform. You can insert images or scan documents directly onto your whiteboard using your iPhone or iPad camera or drag and drop content from other apps like Files and Finder. You can export a board as a PDF or take a screenshot.
“Freeform opens up endless possibilities for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to visually collaborate,” Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, said in a news release. “With an infinite canvas, support for uploading a wide range of files, iCloud integration, and collaboration capabilities, Freeform creates a shared space for brainstorming that users can take anywhere.”
As of Dec. 13, Freeform will be pre-installed on every iPhone, iPad, and Mac supporting iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2 or macOS Ventura 13.1. To get it now for your iPhone or iPad, you can download it from the App Store, but it is now being automatically installed when you update your device.
February is Black History Month, a time to recognize the often-overlooked contributions of African Americans to U.S. history and culture. First celebrated in the 1920s and officially recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976, this time of the year is celebrated by institutions as well as individuals.
By taking time to reflect on this crucial part of our nation’s story, companies that honor Black History Month can demonstrate their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Not only does this create an atmosphere of appreciation and acceptance within the workplace, but it also sends a positive message to the public that large organizations within the American system are actively listening and responding to the experiences of marginalized groups in society.
Following are 10 companies that are celebrating Black History Month in a range of creative and meaningful ways.
Disney
The family entertainment empire has announced that it will celebrate Black History month in several ways. For one thing, the streaming service Disney+ will present special programming for February, kicking off with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which will debut on Feb. 1.
In addition, Disney resorts will host special experiences to honor Black heritage. At Disneyland, one of these events is “Celebrate Gospel” on Feb. 18 and 15. This special event showcases performances by award-winning gospel music stars, recording artists and community choirs. Meanwhile, Troubadour Tavern will add dishes to its African-inspired menu and the Downtown Disney District will offer family crafts, live music and more all month long.
The national retailer will once again amplify and celebrate the voices of the Black community by partnering with Black-owned or designed brands for a Black History Month collection. For instance, it has collaborated with designer Samantha Black, who created a capsule of vivid and trendy pieces for men and women.
The athletic brand is celebrating Black History Month by sharing the stories of four influential Black Legacy Builders who designed customizable Air Force 1s from the latest Future Movement BHM By You collection, which is available now. These designers are Anna Cockrell, an Olympic track and field athlete and mental health advocate; Daryl Homer, an Olympic fencer who works with the Peter Westbrook Foundation; Saroya Tinker, a professional hockey player who advocates for and mentors Black girls in sports; and Brandon “Stix” Salaam-Bailey, an artist, entrepreneur and founder of the Think Watts Foundation.
In 2022 Nike partnered with Converse, Jordan Brand and Michael Jordan to address systemic racism in America. The strategic partnership has committed to investing a combined $140 million over 10 years to support organizations focused on economic empowerment, education and social justice.
The company is celebrating the first anniversary of its private label brand Hope & Wonder with a Black History Month collection benefiting Black Girls Smile, a nonprofit organization aimed at addressing mental health for Black women and girls.
“Hope & Wonder celebrates diversity and showcases a range of apparel and accessories for the entire family,” Michelle Wlazlo, JCPenney’s chief merchandising officer, said in a statement. “This brand continues to build on our ongoing commitment to inclusivity and appreciation for our diverse customers and associates.”
JCPenney’s Creative Coalition , which is helmed by the company’s “internal team of BIPOC designers,” created and curated the collection. In addition, several JCPenney associates and their families are featured as models for the collection, and 100% of net profits from the collection will be donated to Black Girls Smile.
Members of Apple’s Black creative community and allies collaborated to develop a Black Unity Collection to celebrate Black History Month this year. The collection includes a special-edition Apple Watch Black Unity Sport Loop, which has the word “Unity” abstractly woven with red, green and black yarns as a tribute to the Pan-African flag. A new matching watch face and iPhone wallpaper are included, as well.
In addition, new content will be available beginning in February, such as a series of Apple Maps Guides created by the Smithsonian and film collections curated by Dr. Jelani Cobb. Apple is also expanding its support of five organizations focused on uplifting Black and Brown communities through its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.
The retailer has announced that it will honor Black History Month with a long round-up and donation campaign in stores and online to benefit the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) beginning Feb. 1. In addition, as part of its ongoing commitment to assisting and empowering diverse businesses through its social purpose platform, Mission Every One, Macy’s will also highlight Black-owned brands, arrange online shopping events and more.
“This Black History Month, we’re furthering Macy’s mission of building a brighter future with bold representation for our colleagues, customers, and communities by spotlighting and celebrating the history, accomplishments, and resilience of Black Americans throughout our stores and across our brands,” Shawn Outler, Macy’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, said in a statement. “Through Mission Every One, we work with our communities and UNCF to raise critical funding that will empower the next generation of leaders, enabling growth and leadership through HBCU educational opportunities.”
Macy’s has raised more than $2 million for UNCF since 2021.
The insurance provider says it is honoring Black History Month by celebrating, empowering and protecting real people. In 2021, the company launched its Free to Dream initiative with a commitment to provide $105 million over five years to help close equity gaps. The initiative focuses on five “pillars,” which are economic empowerment; education and health equity; climate resilience; criminal justice reform; and workforce diversity, equity and inclusion.
Throughout February, American Family is offering free virtual events featuring notable speakers. Topics include “Descended from the Promised Land: The Legacy of Black Wall Street,” “Diversity in Genre Fiction With Jasmine Guillory,” and “Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics With Talithia Williams.”
For Black History Month 2023, AT&T announced it would amplify the voices of influential leaders with a signature program that is part of its Dream in Black lifestyle platform, Black Future Makers. Fifteen culture shapers will be featured during Black History Month through events and activations across the U.S.
“When people have access to the resources needed to unlock their full potential, the door to opportunity widens,” Michelle Jordan, chief diversity officer of AT&T, said in a statement. “I’m proud of how our Dream in Black platform and the Black Future Makers serve not only as inspiration for others in the community to achieve greater possibility, but also live up to our commitment to empower Black talent through economic opportunity.”
Consumers are also invited to share their Dream in Black stories for a chance to win $25,000, a new Samsung S23 and a social media collab with one of this year’s celebrity Black Future Makers.
Saks Fifth Avenue
The retailer is partnering with the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective to honor Black History Month, focusing on mental health and healing in the fashion industry. Along with highlighting Black designers, Saks has donated $60,000 to support BEAM’s Black Wellness Innovation Fund, providing grants to innovative Black-led wellness work and mental health resources.
Companies can make genuine progress in uplifting diverse voices through education, thoughtful dialogue, and meaningful gestures. By recognizing Black History Month and beyond, companies like those included in our list have the power to make significant strides toward a more equitable future for all.
Apple has finally made it possible to use iMessage on Windows 11. After years of waiting, users can now send and receive messages from an iPhone to a Windows computer.
Making iMessage available for use on Windows is a significant leap forward in breaking down platform barriers. In the past, Apple has chosen to keep its app restricted to its own devices, but Microsoft reportedly figured out a workaround that will allow many other people access to iPhone texts.
While the current offering does not support group messaging, photos or videos, it can still be an effective way for iPhone users to stay connected with Windows-based friends and family.
“Research has been telling us this is something our customers want,” Ali Akgun, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows and devices, told Bloomberg.
It’s important to note that currently, only Windows 11 users can take advantage of access to iMessage through Microsoft’s Phone Link app. The app uses Bluetooth to sync the iPhone and the PC for messages to be sent to the iMessage app.
You will be able to receive basic iOS support for calls, messages and contacts. The new feature lets you message contacts that also have iPhones from your computer and view iMessage conversations on your PC in a simplified form. However, there there are limitations.
You cannot send photos in messages or participate in group messages using this app. You also won’t be able to view the entire message history within conversations. Only messages sent or received using this app will be displayed. Additionally, Microsoft doesn’t use blue or green bubbles to distinguish between standard texts and those sent via iMessage.
However, this still provides users with an easy way to stay connected with people who have iPhones.
If you are an “Insider” who has opted into Windows Insider Preview Builds on your device, you can go to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program to see if the preview has been rolled out to you yet. If you don’t have it, you’ll see a grayed-out “iPhone” button with a “Coming Soon” message on the Phone Link homepage. Microsoft plans to make this feature available to more Windows 11 users over time after feedback is received.
All in all, this new feature will make it easier for Apple and Windows users to stay connected, no matter what device they are using.
The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
Losing baggage while traveling can be a frustrating experience. Fortunately, Apple’s AirTag provides a solution that allows users to track their luggage easily. The Bluetooth-enabled devices connect to your Apple device to give real-time updates on the location of your bag.
A four-pack of AirTags is currently on sale at Amazon for $89.99. At $22.50 each, they’re a cost-effective solution if you want to secure your travel items and have more peace of mind on your journeys.
This bundle of four AirTags is designed to keep track of personal belongings effortlessly by attaching the small device to items you might easily lose, such as luggage, keys or a pet’s collar. AirTags use Bluetooth and ultra-wideband technology to connect with your Apple devices so you can locate your items if they go missing.
The AirTags are compatible with all iPhones that run iOS 14.5 or later, and you can quickly locate your belongings using the Find My app. With the four-pack, you can keep track of multiple items without buying each AirTag separately.
With more than 54,000 ratings and 4.8 stars overall, customers rate the AirTags highly for the ease of use and the peace of mind they offer.
“The airport lost my luggage over a holiday trip, and I was able to actually see where it was. It was really reassuring being able to have eyes on it,” wrote a reviewer named Nicole. “From now on, whenever I travel, I will always throw an AirTag in my luggage just in case.”
To keep even better track of your AirTags, this set of small silicone cases is designed to hold them. In addition, they protect AirTags from scratches, scuffs and other damage while also making it easier to attach the AirTag to your items.
The cases have a circular shape and a built-in keyring that can be easily attached to a variety of items. In addition, they come in a few different color choices to add a more personalized touch to your AirTags.
Android users, no need to feel left out — you, too, can follow your luggage with this powerful Bluetooth tracker set. It includes four individual Tiles, each designed to attach to personal items.
Using the Tile app, you can check its last known location on a map. With an impressive Bluetooth range of up to 400 feet, Tiles are beneficial when traveling or in larger spaces. The Tile Pro is also water-resistant and durable, protecting it from accidental spills, splashes or drops.
“I bought these for my luggage when traveling for work. So far I’m very pleased!” one reviewer wrote, adding, “When my luggage came up on the wrong carousel last week, I might have spent another half hour trying to locate it if these trackers hadn’t told me to turn around. It brings me peace of mind being able to check that my luggage made it to the correct airport and knowing I might have a chance to recover it if it is lost.”
The Tile Pro, which retails for $99.95 for a set of four, is compatible with both iOS and Android devices and works with all versions of the Tile app.
Finally, Samsung users have a unique option for tracking luggage and other objects. This Bluetooth-enabled smart home accessory is designed to attach to valuables, helping users locate misplaced items.
The SmartTag is small and lightweight, making it easy to attach to various items, reducing their risk of misplacement or theft. This tracker connects to Samsung devices and the SmartThings app, using Bluetooth LE technology to transmit location data, ensuring the item’s location can be tracked with a range of up to 130 yards. When misplaced, the Galaxy SmartTag will make a loud alert noise, helping users locate it quickly.
“My bag was lost,” a reviewer wrote, “… We landed in NC and the tracker showed our luggage was still in Vegas. No one could help find my luggage until we called the airlines in Vegas to tell them the location of the luggage. When the bag arrived the tracker showed us that the luggage arrived to NC hours before the Spirit airlines did.”
It’s probably happened to all of us. You’re on your iPhone typing a message to a friend and want to drop a certain swear word a few times to express excitement or frustration. But, when you hit send, all you see is a flock of “ducking” words flying around. What the heck is going on?
For those of us who like to add a little spice to our texts, Apple’s newest message technology will stop automatically censoring our expressive texts.
The software update announcement was made during Apple’s June 5 presentation for its World Wide Developers Conference in California. During the 2-hour video presentation, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, referenced the annoying glitch and how the company plans to fix it.
As part of the iOS 17 update scheduled to be released in September, the iMessage app will get upgrades to its autocorrect feature thanks to a bit of help from artificial intelligence. This new operating system takes a user’s input and learns about his or her writing habits. From there, the iMessage app can make word predictions and make grammatical corrections within sentences.
And yes, Federighi promised users they could finally start typing that particular word and not get it swapped out with a waterfowl.
“And in those moments when you just want to type a ducking word, well, the keyboard will learn it, too,” he said in the prerecorded presentation.
The new autocorrect improvement is one of many updates to Apple’s operating system for its iPhones, iPads and more. Other features discussed in the announcement include:
A new Journal app that allows users to create multimedia diary entries right on their device
Live Voicemail: a feature that provides a real-time transcription of voicemails from callers so the recipient can answer the call before the person hangs up
Improved experiences with AirDrop and NameDrop so users can easily share photos, files and contacts with other iPhone users.
Look at the complete list of updates coming to the new Apple iOS17 later this year on the official website and be ready to express yourself more freely and creatively than ever!
The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
If you’ve ever found yourself standing at a baggage carousel waiting for luggage that never arrives, you know how deflating the feeling of lost baggage can be. Air travel is hectic enough. Between bad weather causing delays and cancellations, to navigating through a sea of cranky flyers, getting from point A to B can feel like an uphill battle. While most bags make it to their final destination, some inevitably fall through the cracks.
AirTags act as tiny beacons of hope, tracking your luggage in case it goes off course, and giving you back some control. The product allows you to do something passengers have never before been able to — keep track of a suitcase throughout its journey, even if the airline loses sight of it.
AirTags came to the rescue for several people who were caught in the tangle of canceled flights and a major airline meltdown over the holidays. While airlines have systems in place to keep every piece of luggage wrangled, frustratingly, it doesn’t always turn out as planned. However, AirTags can locate your luggage even when the airline can’t.
Even simply knowing a bag has arrived at the airport can relieve anxiety by verifying it’s close by. You can rest assured that the detected location will be accurate unless it’s on a conveyor belt or inside a transportation vehicle. It helps to know if your luggage is still sitting at the airport you flew out of, made it to your final destination or has turned up in a new, unexpected place.
AirTags are not just limited to luggage. They’re small enough to be connected to keys, wallets and even the remote control.
In addition to AirTags, several other products can help you gain peace of mind, whether you’re traveling or simply trying to keep tabs on your keys.
While the Apple AirTag is not compatible with Android devices, it has been touted as the best Bluetooth tracker for iPhones. To get started, the AirTag utilizes a one-tap setup that immediately connects it with your device. Use the ‘Lost Mode’ feature to be automatically notified when your luggage is detected in the network. With an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars, the Apple AirTag comes highly rated. One reviewer said she uses them for her purse, laptop and car. You can get four for $89.99 at Amazon.
Track more than just your luggage with these Bluetooth trackers from Tile. Use its phone app to ring your Tile tracker when it’s within Bluetooth range. When it’s outside of the range, it will identify its most recent location on a map. Compatible with smart home devices like Amazon Alexa, Hey Google and Siri, these multi-sized devices are perfect for keeping tabs on your everyday items such as wallets and purses. You can even add your contact information so you can be reached if someone scans the QR code on your lost item’s tracker.
With an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars and more than 10,400 reviews, users found it to offer peace of mind. One woman who bought it for her son to use in his wallet called it a “lifesaver” because he’s already had to track it a couple of times. Find the four-pack on Amazon for $79.88.
Bluetooth trackers can make everyday life easier. I know I am ready for less stressful travel days. Who else is in?
The next iPhone system update will include new features designed to assist folks who have difficulty speaking — by replicating their own voices with artificial intelligence.
Personal Voice, which replicates voices, and Live Speech, which allows people to type words that can be spoken out loud, will be part of a suite of new accessibility features arriving with the operating system iOS 17 this fall.
“Accessibility is part of everything we do at Apple,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, in an Apple blog post. “These groundbreaking features were designed with feedback from members of disability communities every step of the way, to support a diverse set of users and help people connect in new ways.”
The Personal Voice feature requires users to complete a 15-minute audio sample, consisting of a randomized series of statements read aloud. The app then creates a simulation of the user’s voice with the speech data.
It works seamlessly with Live Speech, so people can use the voice re-creation to speak on phone and video calls by typing whatever they want to say. They can also use it for in-person communication.
The idea is that folks who already have, or may experience, difficulty speaking will now be able to communicate with their own voice, instead of Siri or another generic computer voice.
Of course, the “AI” shorthand conjures up some unsettling ideas — what if someone accesses and uses your simulated voice for nefarious purposes?
Apple insists that guardrails are in place. For instance, the internet is not used in the creation of voice simulations; it’s all done within the device itself. And Apple won’t have access to voice data, either, since it’ll remain un-linked to your Apple ID unless you opt in.
The new accessibility suite, dubbed Assistive Access, offers more customization in popular apps, allowing people with a variety of cognitive and physical disabilities to create an easier, more helpful user experience.
An updated Magnifier app will also help low-vision and blind users get a better view of everyday items. But Personal Voice and Live Speech are drawing the most attention, especially for folks who need help speaking.
“If you can tell [friends and family] you love them, in a voice that sounds like you, it makes all the difference in the world — and being able to create your synthetic voice on your iPhone in just 15 minutes is extraordinary,” said Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) advocate Philip Green in the Apple post.
Apple just announced its newest iPhone models, and fans of the popular smartphone have a lot of new features to geek out on!
According to Apple’s official product press release, customers can pre-order either the iPhone 15 or the iPhone 15 Plus beginning Friday, Sept. 15. In-person retail sales begin, with limited availability, Friday, Sept. 22.
For iPhone users who want new colors for their smartphones, Apple has something for everyone. Both phones will be available in black, blue, green, yellow and pink.
One of the few things that will remain the same on the iPhone 15 series is the display size: 6.1 inches for the iPhone 15 and 6.7 inches for the iPhone 15 Plus.
However, that’s where the similarities end with this enhanced smartphone.
The display may be the same size, but both new iPhone models feature a new advanced technology called Dynamic Island and a Super Retina XDR display. The screen brightness will be also able to be adjusted brighter for better photo and video quality.
What does this mean for the average consumer? Apple says the Dynamic Island technology makes the Maps experience better for following directions on the screen, as well as the touch controls for music and more. A higher-quality display means improved interactions in gaming, live messaging and streaming apps.
The Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have an upgraded camera featuring a 48-megapixel primary camera, which captures photos with more detail and has better autofocusing ability. The new 2x Telephoto option “gives users three optical-quality zoom levels—0.5x, 1x and 2x—for the first time on an iPhone dual-camera system,” the release states.
Lower light environments will be easier to capture thanks to the camera’s improved Night mode, which can automatically switch to Portrait mode when the user taps the screen. No more fumbling to change the settings to capture a special memory at a moment’s notice!
One of the most significant upgrades to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus is the addition of a USC-C connector. This universal connector replaces Apple’s proprietary lightning cable, which many users disliked because of its inability to be used with other devices. Now, iPhone 15 and 15 Plus users can use the same cord to charge their phone, Mac, iPad and new AirPods Pro (2nd Generation). The phone can also be charged wirelessly via MagSafe and Qi2 chargers.
The big question, of course, is how much the new iPhones cost.
Apple announced that the iPhone 15 base price will start at $799, or $33.29 monthly. The iPhone 15 Plus price begins at $899, or $37.45 monthly. Prices increase based on storage capability, including 128 GB, 256GB and 512 GB.
Every once in a while, your iPhone needs a reboot. Maybe you notice the smartphone’s performance is slower than usual. Or, perhaps an app refuses to open, or the screen gets frozen. Most of the time, a simple restart is all that’s needed to get your iPhone up and running smoothly.
Most people know the multi-step process to restart their iPhone. It’s a series of taps to get through multiple menus to reach the restart command. Not only can this be inconvenient, but if your iPhone screen is locked, this process may not even work.
Fortunately, there is another way to restart an iPhone that requires no menu navigation. And, if you have the “Hey, Siri” function turned on, you can restart your phone with just your voice.
The “Hey, Siri” shortcut allows iPhone users to ask the AI assistant to help with various tasks on the smartphone, from turning on the video camera to reading messages and emails. However, you can also use this function to restart your iPhone.
How to restart your iPhone with “Hey, Siri”
If you have your “Hey, Siri” feature already turned in, using this little-known trick is simple.
Just say, “Hey, Siri. Restart my iPhone.”
Siri will then respond to your request and confirm that you want to shut down your iPhone. You can confirm by voice or by tapping the restart button on your screen that Siri shows. Once confirmed, your iPhone will immediately restart.
If you don’t have “Hey, Siri” enabled, you can still have her restart your phone. Hold down the iPhone’s right button to manually activate Siri. Then, ask Siri to restart your phone and follow the same steps as above.
Here’s a quick video tutorial I shared on my Facebook page to walk you through the process.
If you want to turn on “Hey, Siri,” follow these steps:
First, you must ensure your iPhone has at least iOS 16. Check what software version your iPhone currently has under the Settings app.
Tap the General tab.
Tap the About menu to see which iOS version is on your phone.
Update your software if necessary. Note: Apple’s most recent software, as of publication, is iOS 17.0.3.
Once updated, tap the Siri & Search menu (under the Settings menu)
Make sure the feature is turned on under the “Listen For” menu. You can also toggle the Side button accessibility for Siri, as well under the Siri & Search Menu.
Having a hands-free option to restart your phone can be helpful in a variety of situations, including when you’re driving. It only takes a few seconds to set up the Siri feature and then you’ll be ready to go!
The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
Has anyone ever told you that you’d lose your head if it wasn’t attached? Then you might want to put an Apple AirTag on your Christmas wish list.
If you’re not familiar with the gadget, an Apple AirTag is a small device you attach to an item you’d like to track. AirTags are made to be compatible with products using Apple’s iOS operating system (iPhones, iPads, Apple watches, etc.).
Basically, when you lose an item with an AirTag attached to it, you can go into the Find My app on your Apple device and track down your missing item. On your Mac computer, you can go to icloud.com/find and follow the online directions from there. AirTags send out secure Bluetooth signals and use the extensive network of Apple devices nearby to triangulate its location and send it to you so you can view it on a map.
While most people use Apple AirTag to keep tabs on laptops and phones, there are tons of creative uses as well. If you want to make your life a bit simpler (and commonly lost items easier to find), here’s how to use an Apple AirTag.
People lose their luggage all the time while traveling between airports. In fact, you’ve probably lost your luggage at least once, right? That’s where an AirTag comes into play.
Slip an Airtag into one of the compartments or beneath the zippered lining of your suitcase. Then, if your bag goes missing between the time you dropped it off and your final destination, you’ll know right where it is (although you may need some airport personnel to help you access it).
Even if you’re not particularly worried about lost luggage, the AirTag still allows you to track your belongings as they travel through airport security, giving you additional peace of mind while you travel.
Arguably the most easily lost items in your home are your remote controls, whether they’re controlling a TV, a Roku device, DVD player, or audio system. Today’s remotes are small, and as such, they can be easily lost when you wander into the kitchen to keep track of dinner or when your kids go to the bathroom during a break. Then, hours later, you’re on the hunt for a remote that has mysteriously disappeared.
If you also tend to lose your remote, an Apple AirTag can help you find it. Now, if you’ve used an AirTag before, you already know it’s not a flat disk and it has no sticky surfaces. To attach it to a remote, you’ll probably need to purchase an adhesive of some kind, like these hook-and-loop Velcro-style dots. The good news, though, is that if you’ve got a streaming device, you can buy brand-specific remote cases that have spaces designed for AirTag placement.
The most commonly forgotten items left in the back of ride-share cars are phones, wallets and keys. If this does happen to you, you can save yourself the hassle of tracking them down. Simply swap out your keychain for one that will do double duty — carry your keys and help find them when lost.
There are lots of stylish options for key chains made specifically for Apple AirTags. The Eusty Air Tag Keychain is scratch-proof and sweat-proof, and you can also attach it to a child’s backpack or a dog leash.
4. Attach It to Your Drone
Drones are super cool. They’re also very expensive, and they travel far away from you by design. Unfortunately, you can easily lose your drone in bad weather or if you’re new to flying it. One way to make sure you’ll get it back (as long as it doesn’t fly out of Bluetooth range) is to have an AirTag on board.
You can buy an AirTag Holder Tracker Mount that’s designed with a rubber band to wrap around your drone and hold the AirTag in place. Don’t worry — it’s light enough that it won’t affect your drone’s performance in the air!
Do you have children who like to roam? Learning how to be independent is part of growing up, and you may love that they’re riding bikes around the neighborhood or walking to school on their own. But you’d feel even better if you knew you could find always find them.
Attaching an AirTag to their clothes or backpack can give you some peace of mind when they are outside of your supervision. As long as they are within Bluetooth distance, they’ll never be too far from the safety of their parents.
6. Find Missing Medication
Not being able to find your keys while you’re trying to get out of the house can be an inconvenience that makes you late. But misplacing your pill bottle while traveling — with medications that need to be taken regularly — can lead to a health emergency.
The Medications feature on Apple’s Health app can remind you when to take it, but an AirTag can help you get to it fast when you’re not sure what luggage pocket it’s in or where you set it in your hotel room. Simply use a Velcro-style dot to attach the AirTag to the pill container, and you won’t lose your meds while traveling.
Microchipping your pet is a great idea. But if your dog or cat does run away, you’ll have to wait for someone to bring them to a vet to scan the chip and track you down. Most of us would rather take a proactive approach to getting our fur babies home safe.
GPS collars for pets can cost hundreds of dollars, but attaching an AirTag to your pet’s collar is a more affordable solution. And you can buy an AirTag pet collar holder in a range of cute colors! Made of eco-friendly silicone, these holders from Swincho can be woven through any collar. They are scratch-resistant and washable.
8. Recover a Lost Phone Swiftly
With all the personal information you keep on your phone these days, misplacing that phone can feel like a code-red emergency. Suddenly, everything from your banking information to your medical records could be exposed to the next person who picks it up.
One way to avoid this scary situation is to attach an AirTag to your phone. Instead of waiting for someone to drop your phone into the lost and found or retracing your steps since the last time you remember using it, you can track it down yourself instantly.
Securing an AirTag to your car can help you find it if it gets stolen. It can also help with that less terrible (but much more common) situation: You’re standing in a vast lot, searching for where you parked your car.
If you’ve ever forgotten where you parked in a garage with several levels that all look the same, you don’t want to repeat the experience. Instead, attach an AirTag to your car and hone in on it quickly.
10. Incorporate It Into a Fun Family Game of Hide-and-Seek
If you’re looking for a high-tech family game that gets everyone off the couch, you might play AirTag hide and seek. Stash the AirTag somewhere in the house, and let the kids use your iPhone to try to find it. If you have an iPhone 11 or higher, directional arrows (Precision Finding) will show them the way.
This game doesn’t have to be limited to kids, either. You might have a scavenger hunt party and invite guests to find several AirTags that you’ve hidden around the house — with clues attached to each one.
Apple Air Tag Alternatives
Apple isn’t the only company making Bluetooth trackers. If you have a different brand of smartphone, you might want to buy one of these three alternatives instead:
It’s similarly priced to the Apple AirTag and works just as well. It comes in a larger variety of designs for different devices, several of which have a built-in key ring. (So, less stuff to buy.) There’s even a version for your cat.
If you have a Samsung phone, then the Samsung SmartGalaxy is the better option for you. Just keep in mind that it relies on Samsung phones for its network, and they’re less plentiful than iPhones. If someone with a non-Samsung Android phone wanders by, it won’t ping the phone, and you won’t be able to find the tracker.
Though it’s technically called a key finder, you can attach the Nutale device to anything you’d attach AirTags to. It works through Bluetooth, via the Findthing app. And if you buy a four-pack, it’s the most affordable tracker on the market at less than $10 each.
The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
Apple AirPods are among the best-selling products on Amazon. But they’re not cheap, even if you decide to go for an older version. Because they’re such an investment, you’ll understandably want to take good care of them!
Knowing how to clean your AirPods is key to keeping them in the best shape possible. Our guide will tell you (and show you) everything you need to know — including which products you’ll need to have handy — to keep them in tip-top shape.
First of all, make sure you know which AirPods you own. Depending on the generation and model of AirPods you have, you need to determine whether or not they are sweat- and water-resistant. These features vary by model. Use Apple’s guide as a reference so you know how to best treat and maintain your specific pair of AirPods.
The third-generation MagSafe Charging Case and Lightning Charging Case, along with the MagSafe Charging Case from the second generation, are also resistant to water. Other charging cases may not be.
If you have an earlier generation of any of these items, you’ll want to avoid getting any moisture (including sweat) in any of their openings. But no matter which generation you have, note that none are completely waterproof or sweat proof, so don’t plan on submerging any part of your AirPods or their case in water to clean them! And never use bleach or hydrogen peroxide.
How Often Should You Clean Your AirPods?
Over time, dirt, dust, oils, ear wax, bacteria and other debris can collect on your AirPods. This doesn’t just lead to unsightly AirPods; dermatologists have noted cases of contact dermatitis and ear infections as a result of using AirPods that haven’t been cleaned.
Apple doesn’t offer a recommended frequency for cleaning your AirPods, so you should determine their cleaning schedule based on how often you use them and whether they have accumulated any buildup. It’s a good idea to clean your AirPods at least every few days if you use them all day, every day. You may wish to clean them more often than that if you’re prone to setting them down on public surfaces or handling them right after you’ve touched oft-handled items such as grab bars on public transit.
What You’ll Need To Clean AirPods and Cases
Thankfully, the things you’ll need for cleaning AirPods are probably items you have around the house:
To clean AirPods of any generation, follow these steps.
1. Use a soft, lint-free cloth to wipe them down. You may use a little fresh water to your cloth if your AirPods have been exposed to solutions like soaps, shampoos, hair dyes, sunscreens, detergents or acidic foods. Just make sure no water gets in any of the AirPods’ openings.
2. To deep-clean your AirPods, use an alcohol-based disinfecting wipe on exterior surfaces. Do not use it on the speaker mesh.
3. Dry your AirPods with the cloth. Don’t use them or place them back into their case until they are completely dry.
4. Turn your attention to the speaker meshes and microphone. For this job, you’ll want to use a dry cotton swab (Q-tips to the rescue!) to get into nooks and crannies. Avoid using any sharp items or abrasive materials.
A note of warning: It’s especially important to make sure you don’t get any moisture into your AirPods if they’re second or first generation versions, since they aren’t as water-resistant as the third-generation AirPods.
1. As with AirPods, you want to use a lint-free cloth to wipe your AirPods Pro.
2. You can also give them a better clean with an alcohol-based cleaning wipe. Don’t use anything additional cleaning agents for getting rid of solvents or liquids that can stain them.
3. Use the soft cloth to dry them. Don’t use them or put them back into their case until they are completely dry.
4. You must next clean the ear tips. First, tap your AirPods Pro with the ear tips down to remove debris or moisture.
5. Then, you should pull them off completely and clean them with a cotton swab. You can also rinse them with water, but don’t use soap with cleaners.
6. If there’s earwax or stubborn dirt in the ear tips, you can use a small brush with a wax loop to clean out the interior of the ear tips.
7. Turn them with the opening facing downward on your dry cloth, then tap to get moisture out.
Are you tired of baking recipes that call for a list of countless ingredients? Sure, vanishing coconut oatmeal cookies are delicious, but who wants to spend the time and money loading up on things like cream of tartar that barely ever get used?
Enter the six-ingredient apple pie cake. Just six ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your pantry, such as flour, sugar and cinnamon. And, as for the star of the dish (apples), most of us have a bushel of those on hand as well, thanks to apple-picking season and can’t-miss apple sales at the grocery store.
This easy recipe from Martha Stewart proves that you can make miracles happen in the kitchen with just the basics. Gather up your flour, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, apples and lemon juice—and prepare yourself for a delicious treat in about an hour and a half! Get the recipe here.
The beauty of this recipe is that it only calls for six ingredients, but you can certainly ad-lib as you see fit. For example, you can make your apple pie cake extra-seasonal by using pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon. (Pumpkin pie spice is simply nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and cloves mixed together). You can also add vanilla to the crumb mixture to give it a richer taste. You could even add nuts to the top of the cake to give it added texture and depth, or raisins for an added twist.
Serve room temperature, with either a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or both. Heck, you earned it!
There’s been a new apple in town for awhile now and, as it turns out, all other apples are increasingly paling in comparison—and popularity. Meet the Honeycrisp apple, born in the 1990s in a University of Minnesota lab. This is a good apple, and people are willing to pay a premium for it.
The iconic apple you grew up with is the Red Delicious—and your memories of it are probably not good. That tough, bitter peel; that mealy, decidedly unsweet interior. Chances are the only time you ever eat it is when it’s all that’s left at your hotel’s continental breakfast or your office’s cafeteria. Despite the fact that it’s pretty terrible, it’s still the most commonly produced variety of apple in the United States since 1980 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“The Honeycrisp apple is as good as the Red Delicious is bad,” he writes.
So how did this amazing apple come to exist?
UMN apple breeder David Bedford tells The Splendid Table it took 30 years to develop the Honeycrisp. That’s a long time to wait for an apple (Vox says breeding any new apple can take 15 to 17 years).
Creating the Honeycrisp was an extended exercise in trial and error. For starters, breeding new apples entails pollinating the trees by hand, finding the best location to grow them and then coming up with a moneymaking name. Vox says Honeycrisp trees are a challenge to grow, as they’re susceptible to heat, mildew and black rot.
There does remain a little mystery behind what makes the Honeycrisp the Honeycrisp. No one knows exactly what the parent apples are, but those used to create it are responsible for one heck of a signature crunch. The texture is the big selling point, so it will come as no surprise that the name Honeycrisp was inspired by the combination of crunchiness and juiciness.
“When I tasted Honeycrisp, it reset my brain as to what was possible, and it was so good. I wasn’t even sure what it was. It was a totally unexpected experience,” Bedford says.
Consumers were finally able to get their hands on the Honeycrisp in 1992, but the buzz about the apple didn’t heat up until 2007. Now it’s the fifth most popular apple on the market following the Gala, Red Delicious, Fuji and Granny Smith. UMN had a patent on the apple until 2008, bringing in more than $6 million for the school and investors.
This chart from the U.S. Apple Association shows how quickly Honeycrisp apple sales have grown compared to Pink Lady apples.
All the added taste and texture does come at a price. Vox notes that Honeycrisps sold at a New York grocery store for about $3 more per pound than Red Delicious. Growing the apples also comes at a steep price. Growers will pay about $2,000 per acre in some cases. That money, in part, funds special clubs that make sure these apples are being grown to a certain standard.
That said, people are willing to pay. The Sun Journal says growers are having trouble keeping up with the high demand and stores are flooding ads with the Honeycrisp. (Click here to compare retail prices of the most popular apples on the market.)
Despite the added cost, apple breeding seems to be an ever-revolving door. More apples similar to the Honeycrisp are already on the market or in the works. Bedford tells The Splendid Table his team at UMN have released new varieties, including the Zestar and SnowSweet, since the Honeycrisp.
Bedford tells The Splendid Table that “what’s next” in the apple world is a Honeycrisp descendent called the SweeTango. Bedford says it’s smaller but not as tart. He says smaller, sweeter apples seem to be an emerging trend. And get ready for the First Kiss, which happens to be the first apple of the season (hence its name).
Like most apples, peak Honeycrisp season is mid-September through Thanksgiving. Here are two final tips: When attempting to select that perfect Honeycrisp, look at that greenish-blue that peeks through the red, and choose one that is shifting to yellow. And be sure to store your Honeycrisps in the fridge to keep them crispy and fresh!
Well, the future is now because Apple has just released new technology that will help you recreate that very same magic! With the Lifeprint Photo and Video Printer, you take a still-shot of a video clip (such as a picture of your daughter opening her Star Wars Legos on Christmas morning, or your boyfriend sledding down a snowy hill with your dog), and then you upload it to your computer. Then you print it.
Yes, the picture will start moving just like the photographs do in “Harry Potter.” Crazy, right!?
This awesome technology will help to make your pictures more dynamic and memorable, meaning that you will be able to preserve your precious memories for years to come. It also makes a clever holiday gift (though a bit of a pricey one at $129.95). Here’s the hitch: you need to order TODAY if you want it to arrive by Christmas.
There are so many amazing things you can do with the Lifeprint. Whether you want to record a holiday recital or Grandma baking cookies with the grandkids, with this innovative new tool you can ensure that your memories are as lifelike and touching as the real thing.
Now, if only someone could recreate other Harry Potter technology, I have a few things I’d like to take care of while under the cloak of invisibility…
Wasn’t it just the other day you were updating your iPhone’s iOS? Well, guess what? It’s time to update all of your Apple products again.
The new iOS 10.2.1 was recently released, and most of the fixes are for security reasons.
Top-level hackers working for Google’s Project Zero found these vulnerabilities and told Apple about them. Over a dozen security issues were brought up.
A couple of issues involved the use of malicious apps that could “execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges,” which is a fancy way of saying hackers could take complete control of your device.
“It can add files, delete files, or execute any actions,” JP Taggart, senior security researcher at Malwarebytes, told Wired. “Want to record conversations and forward them to someone else? It can do that. Want to install additional malicious software? It can do that. Want to uninstall programs on the affected phone? It can do that. Want to hide these actions, programs and files from the user? It can do that too.”
There were also instances where WebKit was vulnerable. This is the browser engine that supports Safari, the App Store and many iOS apps. The vulnerabilities with WebKit are more significant, since WebKit doesn’t have the same amount of filtered vetting that other programs do.
The good news is that these risks were found by top-level hackers working for Google, aka “the good guys.”
No security breaches have been reported yet; if there were, it would most likely involve nation-states targeting government officials or CEOs of large companies, according to Taggart.
Black, jet black, silver, gold, rose gold… and now bright, gorgeous red.
Apple’s latest addition to its iPhone 7 lineup is the loudest color yet, and it comes with another statement, too: that you support the fight against AIDS.
The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition will celebrate Apple’s decade-long partnership with (RED). Bono started the organization with Bobby Shriver (a Kennedy family member) in 2006, with the goal of making an AIDS-free generation a reality. Many companies sell red products to support the fight against AIDS, donating some of the proceeds from each sale.
Deborah Dugan, the CEO of (RED), said in a statement:
Combining the global reach of the world’s most loved smartphone with our efforts to provide access to life-saving ARV medication in sub-Saharan Africa, customers now have a remarkable opportunity to make a difference and contribute to the Global Fund through the purchase of this new beautiful (PRODUCT)RED iPhone.
All money raised by (RED), including more than $130 million from Apple alone, supports Global Fund HIV/AIDS grants. The grants support HIV testing, counseling and other programs “with a specific focus on eliminating the transmission of the virus from moms to their babies,” the organization says.
The red iPhones have all the advanced features of the existing iPhone 7, including advanced cameras, extended battery life, enhanced color quality and more, according to Apple.
Prices start at $749. The models will be available online and in stores in more than 40 countries and regions, from the U.S. to Spain to Brazil to New Zealand. But act fast if you’re interested! Sales start on Friday, March 24 and these special edition beauties will likely be snatched up quickly.
Apple’s other partner products that support (RED) include the Apple Watch and Beats Headphones. Of course, if you’d like to support the fight against AIDS in another way, (RED) offers a full list of products by participating companies. Current items include an ALEX AND ANI bangle, a pajama set and even a Vespa.
So then you frantically start deleting older photos, maybe even an unused app or two, but by the time you go through all of these steps, your little tyke or your dog or cat has moved on to something else. And the opportunity to take the cutest photo ever (or, even worse, a milestone video of your child’s first smiles or steps) has turned into a moment filled with frustration.
Thankfully, Apple heard our angst and rolled out a new feature in the latest iOS 10.3 software update. Replacing their outdated system used to store photos, files and other gigabyte-sucking things on your phone, the company introduced APFS, or Apple File System.
Now, as with any new software update, it’s recommended that you back up your phone prior to installing. We know that’s something that is typically recommended, but this time, it’s imperative. With the introduction of the new Apple File System, there have been reports that the new software could inadvertently delete some of your files.
So go ahead and just take that precautionary step of backing up your phone to either to your iCloud or to your computer before even thinking about tapping that “Install Now” button, or you might end up losing all of those adorable photos. And no one wants that to happen.
You know that feeling of finding cash in your pocket when you least expect it? Amazing, right? Well, you may have some unexpected money waiting for you on Amazon right now. But, you only have until Saturday, June 24 to claim your funds!
Why You Might Have Amazon Credits
Last year, Apple settled a class-action lawsuit for $400 million. Back in the early days of e-book sales, Apple tried to cut into Amazon’s Kindle market.
How? Apple tried to prevent five major book publishers from selling to competitors at a lower price. Apple would let the publisher set the cost and keep only 30 percent of the retail price. The stipulation was that the publishers couldn’t sell to Amazon or other rivals for less. This move caused publishers to raise their prices on Amazon.
Once you’re signed in and on the page, you should see any credits earned automatically appear in your account. You’ll find the credit applied in your order summary as a gift card during checkout. You can also find it in your account history.
Do you have more than one email account? If you opened an Amazon account with another account, make sure to check them all. You don’t want to miss out on money owed to you.
A writer from Inc. discovered more than $20 waiting for him on an old email account. So, dig out those email accounts and passwords to make sure you take advantage of possible unused credits.
The five publishers Apple formed a deal with are Hachette, HarperCollins, MacMillan, Penguin, and Simon & Schuster, so credits were issued for e-books purchased from those publishers on other platforms, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple’s iTunes.
The dates of purchase eligible for credits are April 2010 through May 2012.
Hyland’s Homeopathic Products recently settled a lawsuit claiming it made false or misleading statements about the effectiveness of certain products for babies and kids.
If you purchased the following Hyland’s Homeopathic Products between the dates of March 8, 2008, and March 30, 2017, you may be entitled to a refund. The products include: Cold ‘n Cough 4 Kids, Cough Syrup with 100% Natural Honey, Sniffles ‘n Sneezes 4 Kids, Complete Flu Care 4 Kids, Baby Teething Gel, Baby Cough Syrup, Baby Gas Drops, Baby Infant Earache Drops and Baby Nighttime Tiny Cold Syrup.
If you think you are eligible for a refund from this settlement, act fast! Claims must be filed by June 28, 2017.
2. Kenmore Grills
Sears recently settled a class-action lawsuit claiming that they sold certain Kenmore grills with defective firebox trays that were prone to rusting and failing prematurely.
If you purchased a Kenmore grill between the dates of Oct. 1, 2011, and Sept. 30, 2014, you may be eligible for a refund up to $300. To be sure, you’ll need to check the model number. The models eligible for money back in this suit include:
Claims must be filed by Jan. 26, 2018. The amount you’ll be eligible to receive depends on whether you still own the grill, have already replaced the firebox or have since purchased a new grill to replace the Kenmore model you had purchased.
Apple recently released a new software update for both iOS and MacOS and the company is urging people who use Apple products to install the update as soon as possible. The company says the patch is critical to avoid potential hacking of your devices, including iPhones, iPads and Mac computers.
The update is designed to fix the dangerous vulnerability called Broadpwn, which is said to allow hackers to “execute arbitrary code.” Nitay Artenstein, a security researcher at Exodus Intelligence, told Fortune that Broadpwn could allow hackers to take over your Apple device using Wi-Fi chips that are embedded within a device’s main processor.
What’s even more alarming is that Artenstein, who first revealed the flaw, says hackers are easily able to target your Apple devices as long as they are within range.
Broadpwn is being considered a serious threat and, according to the National Vulnerability Database, which is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, it’s ranking a high score of 9.8 out of 10 in severity.
Thankfully though, the problem was exposed and there is now a fix for it.
How To Get The Latest Update
If you use an iPhone or iPad, go to the “Settings” menu and tap “General.” This should bring you to a screen where there’s the option to select “Software Update,” where you’ll want to be sure you install iOS 10.3.3.
If you’re using a Mac computer, then you’ll want to select the “Updates” tab within the App Store to ensure you’re running the latest version, which is Sierra 10.12.6.
By downloading the latest versions of software for your Apple products, you should reduce the risk of potentially having your devices hacked.
And in case you have any Android devices in your home, a similar issue was detected, but thankfully Google was also able provide a patch with the newest version of its software.
So, what are you waiting for? Go update your phone!
Peer-To-Peer Payments Coming This Fall
Apple plans to release a new operating system this fall—iOS11—that will include the ability to send money to peers via iMessage, Apple’s texting platform.
When sending money to a friend via iMessage, all you’ll have to do is enter an amount and select what pre-saved credit or debit card you’d like to use to send the funds. If you’re worried about safety, you can also choose to authenticate each transaction with Touch ID.
When you receive money via iMessage, the funds will go directly into your virtual Apple Pay cash card. From there, you can make purchases online or in store, transfer your cash to a bank account, or send money to other Apple Pay users.
Apple Pay’s iMessage feature will likely make the app a direct competitor to several other peer-to-peer payment services, including Venmo, Square Cash and Quickly, although there’s one noticeable feature that separates Apple Pay from the pack: Apple has differentiated its new payment method by keeping it incredibly simple. Unlike Venmo and Square Cash, users won’t be able to include notes with their transactions, which could be good or bad, depending on the level of detail you like for your records.
Stay tuned for this feature to roll out with iOS11 in the fall.
(@boomitsesther) 
(@Ms_KayMarie23) 
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(@_patmurray) 
(@AnnOdong) 
This is literally the worst. I lost 800 pictures and all my paid presets (which are worth hundreds of dollars.) All they have to say is we apologize. 
