iOS 12 Tips & News « iOS & iPhone

How To: Fix the 'Software Update Is Required to Connect to Your iPhone' Warning on Your Mac

If you're currently running macOS 10.11 or higher on your Mac and connect your iPhone to sync with iTunes, you may get an alert saying that "a software update is required to connect to your iPhone." Here's everything you need to know about what that means, how to update your system, and what to do if updating doesn't work.

How To: Disable the 'Unlock iPhone to Use Accessories' Notification in iOS 11.4.1 & Higher

If you're on iOS 11.4.1 or iOS 12 and go more than an hour without unlocking your iPhone, an "Unlock iPhone to Use Accessories" message will appear whenever you connect your iPhone to a computer or other device that tries to use the Lightning cable's data lines. This is to protect you, but it can be annoying if you have no reason to believe that law enforcement or criminals will have access to your iPhone.

Caution: Here's All the Apps That Are Buggy or Broken on iOS 12 Beta for iPhone

The iOS 12 beta has already earned admiration for its superior performance to last year's controversially buggy iOS 11. That doesn't mean it's free from problems, however. The latest from Apple has plenty of bugs and glitches of its own to contend with, many of which, unfortunately, affect the apps we use every day.

News: 55 Cool New iOS 12 Features You Didn't Know About

The next big iOS version for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch was revealed by Apple at WWDC 2018. While they showed off a few new features iOS 12 has to offer, there is much more lurking beneath the surface, some of which is hidden from plain sight. We've rounded up all the big picture items and secrets features and changes we could find so you know exactly what to expect when iOS 12 hits the masses.

News: Top 6 New Safari Features in iOS 12 for iPhone

If there's one strength of Apple's that iOS and Android fans can agree on, it's the company's dedication to user privacy. With each new iteration of iOS, Apple builds upon these foundations, enhancing and increasing each iPhone's ability to protect its user's data. In iOS 12, Apple is adding six cool new features to Safari, each with its own unique way of keeping you safe online.

How To: Download iOS 12 Beta on Your iPhone Right Now

Apple revealed the first glimpse of iOS 12 at WWDC 2018 on June 4, and if you want to try out all of its new features before everyone else gets the stable release in September, you can install one of the betas on your iPhone right now.

How To: Unlock the Hidden Weather Lock Screen Widget in iOS 12 on Your iPhone

There are a lot of things that make iOS great, but lock screen widgets are not among them. If you want more information on your lock screen other than the date, time, and notifications without having to swipe to a sidebar of widgets, you'd normally look toward Android. However, iOS 12 aims to shake that up a bit with a secret Weather widget for the lock screen — not for the Today view.

How To: Use FaceTime's Group Chat on Your iPhone to Talk to More Than One Person at a Time

FaceTime has been pretty much the same ever since Apple added support for cellular networks back in iOS 6 (FaceTime itself was released in iOS 4), though they did add "official" support for audio-only calls in iOS 7. But the one feature everyone has been wanting ever since then, group video calls, has evaded us — until now.

News: iOS 12 Public Beta 6 Released to Apple Software Testers

Crisis averted — Apple released iOS 12 public beta 6 — not public beta 7 — to software testers Wednesday, August 15. The update comes hours after the release of dev beta 8, which replaced the short-lived seventh developer beta. Apple released dev beta 7 Monday, August 13, but quickly pulled the update due to instability and poor performance.

News: The Top 10 New Features in iOS 12's Messages App for iPhone

Sometimes incorrectly referred to as "iMessage," the Messages app is where iPhone owners go to chat with iOS users across the world. Apple has made some significant improvements to the messaging app with its forthcoming iOS 12 update. If you're interested to see how your Messages experience is about to change come September, check out the features below.

News: iOS 12 Developer Beta 7 Released, Then Quickly Pulled After Reports of Bugs

We're nearly there — Apple released the seventh iOS 12 beta to developers Monday, August 13. While not totally unexpected, beta testers understand the struggle of predicting the next update, as Apple has switched haphazardly between two-week, one-week, and irregular release schedules for both the developer and public betas.

News: 24 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Install iOS 12 Beta on Your iPhone

This year's big iPhone update, iOS 12, aims to solve many of the issues that arose during iOS 11's controversial, buggy tenure. With that in mind, it may be tempting to jump on board the new software immediately and leave iOS 11 in the dust for good. Here are some reasons why you might want to reconsider joining the iOS 12 beta.

News: iOS 12 Beta 8 Released to Apple Developers

Apple developers, check your iPhones — Apple released the eighth developer beta for iOS 12 Wednesday, August 15. This update arrives just two days after the release of dev beta 7, which Apple quickly pulled after complaints of unusual performance and stability issues.

How To: Get iOS 12's New Wallpaper on Any Device

Apple announced iOS 12 during WWDC 2018. While it will be some months before the official version releases to the public, you can still enjoy some of the new additions now. For example, you can get the new wallpaper introduced with the update, whether you're using an older iPhone or an Android device.

How To: Keep Data-Thieving USB Accessories from Connecting to Your iPhone in iOS 11.4.1 & Higher

While privacy and security are cornerstones of Apple's ecosystem, your iPhone isn't bulletproof. Creating a strong passcode will protect you from most threats, but there exist tools that can break through even the toughest passcodes via the Lightning port. Luckily, Apple has implemented a new security feature to disable your Lightning port and keep your data safe and secure.

How To: Use the Shortcuts App on Your iPhone in iOS 12 for Custom Siri Actions & More

One of the most exciting additions to iOS 12 for iPhones is called Shortcuts, a tool integrated with Siri to help you get things done faster. While there are a few recommended shortcuts available to you in Siri's settings in iOS 12, the Shortcuts app brings the functionality of Workflow to Siri so you can build your own custom actions or select from the gallery of available shortcuts.

How To: Downgrade iOS 12 Back to 11.4 on Your iPhone

Apple's goal with iOS 12 is to smooth out the problems with its famously flawed predecessor. Of course, change isn't for everyone, and by iOS 11.4, Apple had a pretty stable thing going. If you're not digging all the bugs and new features included in the iOS 12 beta, here's how to downgrade your iPhone back to iOS 11.4.

News: Apple Just Broke Its Update Cycle Record with iOS 12 on the iPhone 5S

With each year that we anxiously await Apple's next big version of iOS, there comes the sad reality that the eldest iPhones will not continue to receive support. That's not the case with iOS 12, however, as the software will be compatible with all iPhones currently running iOS 11, going back as far as the iPhone 5S.

News: 27 iOS 12 Privacy & Security Settings You Should Check Right Now

With all of the personal information it contains, Apple added plenty of security measures to your iPhone protect you and your device from unwanted access. iOS 12 has several changes to help keep your device even more secure and private, and it built on previous improvements to ensure your data stays safe.

How To: Make Your iPhone Automatically Download & Install New iOS Updates

You've been able to install app updates automatically for some time now, but there was no way to install new system updates on your iPhone automatically. To get a new iOS version on your device, you'd go into the settings, then download the update. It would then either install right away or give you the option to install at nighttime. This whole process is easier in iOS 12.