iOS 14
How To: Quickly Measure a Standing or Seated Person's Height Using Your iPhone 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max
Apple added a great new feature to its Measure app in iOS 14, but it only works on the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max models as of right now. If you have one of those models, you can now measure a person's height with accuracy within a few centimeters, whether they're standing or seated.
How To: Use Recovery Mode on Your iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max to Update or Restore iOS 14
While it's rare, there could be a day when your iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max isn't responding, where taps and swipes on the screen do nothing, and the Side button won't let you force a restart. The culprit could be any number of problems, from corrupted files to beta software or even manufacturing issues. But one thing is certain: recovery mode could help you get back up and running.
How To: Disable Lens Correction for the Ultra-Wide Camera on the iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro & 12 Pro Max
The new iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max are equipped with some great cameras, but not perfect cameras. The ultra-wide lens is known to cause distortion at the edges of the frame, so people and objects look slightly warped. To compensate for the skewed edges, Apple incorporated "Lens Correction," but that fix isn't perfect either.
How To: What Do All Those 5G Status Icons Mean on Your iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max?
If you upgrade to an iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max, you can take advantage of super-fast 5G speeds, but which 5G network are you actually getting and is it better than the others? Depending on your carrier, you may see 5G, 5G+, 5G UW, or 5G E in the status bar next to the signal strength, and there's a pretty big difference between them.
How To: Use DFU Mode on Your iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max to Restore iOS 14 Back to Working Condition
Making the jump from an older iPhone, or even an Android phone, to the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max can be a big one. It's not just the change of a new smartphone — it may have had a huge impact on your wallet too. So whenever the device goes berserk, is unresponsive, or won't turn on, it's understandable to be worried. But DFU mode can help whenever you're in a dire situation.
How To: Turn Off HDR Video Recording on Your iPhone 12 or 12 Pro to Reduce File Sizes & Increase Compatibility
There's a lot of talk these days about how the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max can shoot Hollywood-quality video with HDR and Dolby Vision. The video processing is really cool when it works, but as of right now, you might find its limitations outweigh its use to you. If that's the case, there's a way to turn it off.
How To: Force Restart the iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro & 12 Pro Max When It's Frozen or Buggy
Apple's latest offerings, the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max all feature the A14 Bionic system on a chip, the fastest chipset ever seen on a smartphone, running 50% faster than any other CPUs. But despite the advanced technology, even the iPhone 12 is privy to internal issues, which is why you should know how to force restart it if it ever freezes.
How To: Shut Down & Restart the iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max
Except for the second-generation iPhone SE, all new iPhone models omit the Home button. In its place, the Side button takes charge, taking care of tasks like pulling up Siri, activating AssistiveTouch, and opening Apple Pay. If you swap your older Home button model for an iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max, you'll need to relearn simple actions like shutting down and restarting the device.
How To: If You Want to Shoot 4K Video on Your iPhone, Don't Make This Mistake
The iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max are capable of shooting 4K video using HDR with Dolby Vision, producing content unthinkable in an Apple smartphone just years ago. That said, it's quite easy to miss the full potential of your iPhone's camera, iPhone 12 or not. If you want the best quality video possible on the iPhone XS and newer models, make sure you don't make this one mistake.
How To: Play YouTube Videos in the Background on Your iPhone — Even When the Display Turns Off
It's pretty clear with all of the annoying "Get YouTube Premium" pop-ups that litter the YouTube app that Google really wants you to pay for its Premium membership tier. That's why you'll see that "Get background play with YouTube Premium" ad after closing YouTube with a video playing — even in iOS 14 which supports Picture in Picture playback. But there are workarounds for background listening on iPhone.
News: Apple Releases iOS 14.2 'Release Candidate' for iPhone to Beta Testers, Includes Fix for 'New iOS Update' Bug
Apple released the "release candidate" for iOS 14.2 today, Friday, Oct. 30. The update is available for both developers and public beta testers, and notably fixes a pressing bug in beta 4 — users would encounter a message telling them to update from their iOS 14 beta, despite no update being available.
How To: Disable Scene Detection for More Control Over Photo Shoots on Your iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max
The iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max's new Scene Detection mode automatically adjusts Camera's settings to best suit your subject. That means it won't use the same shooting options for a close-up shot of your friend as it would a wide-angle landscape picture. If you don't want Apple to choose how your scene should look, there's a way to stop it to regain some control.
How To: Resize Widgets on Your iPhone's Home Screen on iOS 14 Through iOS 17
Home Screen widgets come in various sizes on iOS 14 and later, and which size you choose will depend on how much content or data you actually want to see. But what happens when you pick the wrong widget size? In a perfect world, you would just edit the current widget's settings, but Apple didn't make it that easy.
How To: Force-Close Running Apps on the iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max
Whether it's an iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max, know that these devices are the most powerful smartphones Apple has ever made. Still, bugs happen, and you might find yourself with an app that isn't performing quite as it should. When that happens, it's best to force-close (or force-quit) the problematic app instead of waiting for it to fix itself, which may never happen.
News: Apple Releases iOS 14.2 Public Beta 4 for iPhone, Introduces Eight New Wallpapers
Apple just released the fourth public beta for iOS 14.2 today, Wednesday, Oct. 21. The new update adds eight new dynamic wallpapers to iOS, including four real-life landscapes, and four digital landscapes. When counting each wallpaper's light and dark mode, there are 16 possible variations to use.
News: Apple Releases iOS 14.2 Developer Beta 4 for iPhone, Introduces Eight New Wallpapers
Apple just released the fourth developer beta for iOS 14.2 today, Tuesday, Oct. 20. The new update introduces eight new dynamic wallpapers, including four real-life landscapes, and four digital landscapes.
News: Apple Releases iOS 14.1 for iPhone, Adds Support for 10-Bit HDR Video Playback & Editing on iPhone 8 & Later
Apple just released iOS 14.1 for iPhone today, Tuesday, Oct. 20. This update first hit iPhones one week ago, but not for long — Apple pulled the release almost immediately, later seeding it to iOS developers only as a GM (golden master) release.
How To: Play Memory Movies for Any Album on Your iPhone in iOS 14
The Memories feature in Photos is meant to help you rediscover old or forgotten experiences by creating a short slideshow of photos and videos based on locations, dates, and events. It's a fun feature to relive exciting times, but it isn't always perfect because it's generated automatically. It might include incorrect content, but in iOS 14, you can now create your own Memory Movies.
How To: Set a Custom Charging Sound or Song for Your iPhone Whenever You Connect or Disconnect from Power
The sound your iPhone makes when you connect it to a power source has been the same for a long time. Unfortunately, it was never possible to change that chime to something different without jailbreaking first, which opens your iPhone up to malware and hackers. Thankfully, iOS 14 has changed that.
How To: The 10 Most Annoying Features in iOS 14 & How You Can Fix Them
Not everything about iOS 14 is great or even good. Some of its new features and settings are disappointing, inconvenient, bothersome, missing, or just don't belong. While you may think that you're forced to adapt, there might be a way to fix some of the biggest annoyances you're having on Apple's latest mobile operating system.