Hot iOS & iPhone How-Tos
How To: Will Apple's $29 Battery Replacement Actually Speed Up Your iPhone? Check Here
Apple has been in hot water ever since the news that the company slows down iPhones with older batteries. The iPhone maker is now in damage control, offering customers a large, $50 discount on battery replacements. The question for you, though, is does your iPhone need a battery replacement in the first place?
Apple Pay Cash 101: How to Request Money from Friends & Family via iMessage
You might be proficient at sending your family and friends money using Apple Pay Cash on your iPhone, but what about when you need some digital currency in your wallet to buy in-app purchases or to get back the money you spent on someone's lunch? Requesting some Apple Pay Cash can be done a few different ways, none of which are hard.
Apple Pay Cash 101: How to Verify Your Identity with Apple
With iOS 11.2's introduction of Apple Pay Cash, you can send and receive money to others directly through iMessage, using the convenience and security Apple Pay is known for. However, if you want to make sure your efforts go uninterrupted, you'll want to make sure you verify your identity with Apple.
Apple Pay Cash 101: How to Quickly Access Your Card on the Lock Screen
With Apple Pay Cash in iOS 11.2, your iPhone potentially becomes the only form of payment you need. Whether you're sending money to a friend via iMessage or paying for your groceries, you can use Apple Pay Cash to complete those transactions. It makes sense, then, that Apple would allow you to add your Apple Pay Cash card to the lock screen, for quick access wherever you are.
Apple Maps 101: How to Avoid Toll Routes During Driving Directions
If you're trying to get somewhere fast, taking a toll road or two can definitely help you do that, but at a cost. When you're not in any rush, that would-be toll money will work much better in your gas tank, especially if it's only minutes that are being shaved from your trip. With this in mind, Apple Maps has a simple way of avoiding tolls to save you money while navigating on your iPhone.
How To: Really Protect Your Encrypted iPhone Backups in iOS 11 from Thieves & Hackers
When it comes to security, Apple is usually at the top of the pack when it comes to your personal data, minus a few embarrassing flaws here and there. However, a new iOS security concern has been discovered that protects your data less than it did before — and Apple designed it like that.
How To: Activate Wireless Fast-Charging with the iPhone X, 8, or 8 Plus
It was a long overdue announcement when wireless charging was revealed as a feature in Apple's 2017 iPhone lineup. While certainly a welcome addition, wireless charging would only work with up to 5 watts of power, which meant no fast-charge capabilities. That's not the case anymore — here's how to fast-charge wirelessly with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or iPhone X.
How To: Set Up Grandma's First iPhone (A Guide for Newbie iOS Users)
So, your grandmother finally wants to ditch her flip phone for a shiny new smartphone? Congratulations. But helping her get used to her new device, even when it's an iPhone, is no small task. Grandma mastered checking her email in late-2012 and just recently learned there's a thing called "Facebook." But we love grandma, and thanks to this guide, we can definitely make this happen for her.
How To: View the Battery Percentage Indicator on Your iPhone X, XS, XS Max, or XR
On all other iPhone models, you go to "Battery" in the Settings app and toggle on "Battery Percentage" in order to see the exact amount of power left in the status bar. On the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, and XR, however, that option no longer exists since there's not enough room up there to show the percentage indicator because of the notch for the TrueDepth camera system. But that doesn't mean it's gone entirely.
How To: Fix the Broken iOS 11 Calculator on Your iPhone
If you've running iOS 11.1 through iOS 11.1.2, whether you have an iPhone X or an iPhone 5S, you'll notice that Apple's Calculator app can't keep up with your calculations. That's a because a bug has seriously slowed it down so that operation buttons won't always trigger when you press them. Luckily, there's something you can do about it.
How To: Fix the 'A [?]' Autocorrect Bug in iOS 11 When Typing 'i' Out on Your iPhone
There's an annoying bug in Apple's latest operating system for iPhone, iOS 11, that autocorrects the lowercase letter "i" by itself (which usually turns into a capital "I" pronoun) into a capital "A" followed by a strange question mark in a box "[?]" symbol. There is now an official patch for this bug, as well as a workaround fix if you don't want to update yet.
How To: Add a Virtual Home Button to iPhone X with AssistiveTouch
The new and improved Side button, as well as a plethora of new swipe gestures, are responsible for picking up the slack left by the missing Home button on the iPhone X. If you're really missing that Home button, however, Apple's built-in AssistiveTouch tool can help you out by adding a virtual Home button on your iPhone X's screen.
How To: All the Swipes You Need to Know to Get Around Your New iPhone X
The iPhone X is Apple at its most classic — they take away a key feature that seems odd at first, but usually, the change pans out in the end. So is the case for the long-lived Home button, whose last appearance may be on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. That begs the question — how do you use an iPhone without a Home button?
Cydia 101: How to Purchase Apps & Tweaks on Your Jailbroken iPhone
While widely known for its massive collection of free apps and tweaks that let you fully personalize your jailbroken iPhone, Cydia also comes laden with packages that can be purchased to take customization to a whole 'nother level. Similar in function to the iOS App Store, buying an app in Cydia is simple and relatively safe.
How To: Disable HDR Video Downloads on Your iPhone 8 or 8 Plus
HDR, or high-dynamic range, is currently the best way to view movies and TV shows on your iPhone 8 or 8 Plus. With a wider color gamut and a broad luminance range, there's no beating HDR video for the ultimate viewing experience. Unless, of course, you don't have the storage to hold those giant Dolby Vision or HDR10 files.
Cydia 101: How to Re-Enable a Semi-Tethered Jailbreak
Unlike fully untethered jailbreaks such as Yalu's iOS 10.2 method, semi-tethered jailbreaks require users to re-enable the mod each time their device is turned off. Fortunately, the process of kickstarting a jailbreak is easy to do, since it's already embedded in your iPhone's OS and doesn't require reinstallation.
Safari 101: How to Block Cross-Site Tracking on Your iPhone
While it's easy enough to ask websites not to track your browsing activity in Safari, they do not have to honor your request. Plus, some of the third-party content providers that websites use can actually invasively track you across other websites. Thankfully, iOS 11 includes a way to minimize companies from tracking you across the web on your iPhone.
How To: Use Portrait Lighting Mode on the iPhone X & iPhone 8 Plus
Apple introduced Portrait Mode with the iPhone 7 Plus, a feature which utilized the iPhone's dual cameras to create a shallow depth of field around a subject. This effect replicates the look of DSLR cameras, making your photos look more professional. Apple, of course, carries Portrait Mode to the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus in iOS 11, however, with it comes a twist — Portrait Lighting.
How To: iOS 11.1 Is Showing a Home Bar on Some Non-iPhone X Models — Here's the Best Fix
Did you want an iPhone X, but opted for the iPhone 8 instead? Or, maybe you aren't ready to upgrade from your 7, 6S, 5S, or what-have-you. Did you know iOS 11.1 lets you experience what it would be like if you had upgraded to the iPhone X? Well, in a way.
How To: Enable or Disable Two-Factor Authentication on Your iPhone
Two-factor authentication has been around since iOS 10. It's a handy option that adds an extra layer of security to your iPhone and makes its almost impenetrable security even stronger. This feature has remained intact in iOS 11 and iOS 12, and thanks to the straightforward nature of iOS, is relatively easy to enable.
How To: Get Back the Camera's Missing HDR Button on Your iPhone 8 or 8 Plus
Out of the box, when you shoot a photo on your iPhone using the stock Camera app, it will either shoot a normal or HDR photo. That's because Apple's high-dynamic-range setting is set to automatic by default. However, there's a button in the app so you can turn HDR on or off manually. While this HDR toggle persists in iOS 11 on the iPhone 7 models and older, it's not visible on the iPhone 8 or 8 Plus.
How To: Cannot Connect to the App Store in iOS 11? Here's How to Fix It on Your iPhone
As with any new releases, full updates that completely revamp the look and feel of your iPhone's operating system will have teething problems that eventually get ironed out with incremental updates. iOS 11, with its issue of not being able to connect to the App Store on some iPhones and iPads, is no exception.
How To: Add Additional Emails to FaceTime & Messages in iOS 11
Using either iMessages or FaceTime on the iPhone is a great alternative for coworkers to stay in touch in the event that messaging services like Slack go down. They're also a handy means of communicating between buyers and sellers, as it provides a more intimate way of either checking out or showcasing a product. But you're not always going to want to give out your real number to everyone.
How To: Force Restart Your iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus When It's Acting Up
If your iPhone is acting up, frozen on a screen, and/or won't respond to you, force-restarting it is a surefire way to whip it back into shape. And the process is easy on older devices ... just hold down a two-button combo until the Apple logo appears. That's no longer the case with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which require a more extensive procedure that's harder to remember.
How To: Set Up Face ID on Your iPhone for Enhanced Security
The cutting-edge iPhone X, XS, XS Max, and XR have one-upped their Android competitors when it comes to facial recognition. Apple packed these flagships with an array of front-facing sensors to complement its selfie camera, which allows the new device to more accurately analyze faces, which you need for Face ID, Touch ID's replacement.
How To: iOS 11 Breaks AirDrop on Some iPad Models — Here's How to Fix It
After installing the new iOS 11 update on one of our iPads, we noticed something peculiar — AirDrop simply stopped working. The button was still there in the revamped Control Center, but it was almost imperceptibly grayed out. Tapping it did nothing, nor did long-pressing or 3D Touching. Even more perplexing, AirDrop was just working flawlessly before the update.
How To: Access Your AirDrop Settings in iOS 11's New Control Center
AirDrop is an underrated feature that lets you to quickly transfer files like songs and photos via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi from your iPhone to Macs and other iOS devices. It's been a staple in the Control Center ever since iOS 7, prominently displayed for easy access. However, with iOS 11, that quick access to AirDrop has seemingly disappeared.
How To: Missing the 3D Touch Multitasking Gesture in iOS 11? Try This
Now that iOS 11 is officially rolling out to millions of iPhones, many users are upset with the fact that Apple has removed the 3D Touch multitasking gesture that we enjoyed in older iOS versions. Though not as fluid as this gesture, there is still a hidden way to quickly get into the app switcher without having to double-click the home button.
How To: Open the iPhone's New HEIF Photos on Your Windows PC
Apple's iOS 11 release promises many improvements and fresh ideas. One of those new ideas is an image codec called HEIF (similar to HEVC for videos), designed to reduce the space photos take up on your iPhone. But it's so new that it's already causing issues with compatibility.
How To: The 9 Most Annoying Changes in iOS 11 & How to Fix Them
Now that iOS 11 is official, everyone can enjoy all of the great new features available, but there are certainly a few bad seeds in there that you'll probably find annoying. Luckily, a lot of these disagreeable quirks can be changed for the better.
How To: Download & Install iOS 11 on Your iPhone
The final developer version of iOS 11 was leaked a few days ago, but Apple quickly stopped signing it so nobody else could install it. With Apple's Sept. 12 event now over, the Golden Master (GM) version of iOS 11, the same version that will be released to everyone around Sept. 19, is available to install again — and anyone can get it.
How To: Add Email Accounts to Mail in iOS 11 on Your iPhone
Using the Mail app to log in and sync to email services such as Gmail and Outlook is incredibly easy to accomplish on the iPhone thanks to the intuitive nature of its operating system. This is still evident with iOS 11, and though the process differs slightly from its predecessors, it can still be accomplished with relative ease.
How To: 5 Mail Features You Need to Know About in iOS 11 for iPhone
While the Mail app didn't get as much love from Apple in the iOS 11 update as Maps, Photos, Safari, Siri, Camera, Messages, Notes, and the App Store did, there are still a few new features you need to know about when emailing on your iPhone.
How To: Fast Charge Your iPhone X, iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus
When Apple announced the iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus, they had a laundry list of new features to talk about. They discussed the improved camera, the new screen, wireless charging, and many other things, but they curiously failed to mention that they just matched one of biggest features Android has touted over Apple for years — fast charging.
How To: Take Screenshots on the iPhone X, XS, XS Max & XR
The fact that the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, and XR don't have Home buttons means that you'll need to learn a few new gestures. There's the home gesture, the multitasking gesture, and even a new way to access Apple Pay, among others. But one less-common action that has issues due to the lack of a Home button is taking a screenshot.
How To: Force Restart the iPhone X When It's Acting Up
Every now and then, an iPhone will freeze up and become unresponsive due to a software glitch. It can be a buggy app that somehow interferes with iOS or a software update that somehow didn't install properly. Whatever the cause, it's safe to say that no iPhone is immune to this problem, not even the new iPhone X.
How To: Use Apple Pay with Face ID on Your iPhone X, XS, XS Max, or XR
For Apple Pay users, the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, or XR will be an adjustment. Gone are the days where you could rest your finger on the Home button and hold your device within range of a contactless reader. Without Touch ID on the iPhone X, this isn't possible. But have no fear, Face ID is here.
How To: Redownload Previously Purchased Apps from iOS 11's App Store on Your iPhone
Apple removed the App Store from iTunes in the new 12.7 update, which means you can't download iOS apps from iTunes or view your app library anymore in macOS. Everything is done on your iPhone now, but the process for viewing and re-downloading apps you've previously purchased has changed slightly in iOS 11 compared to iOS 10.
How To: Quickly Disable Touch ID on Your iPhone for Extra Security in a Pinch
In the US, law enforcement officials can make you unlock your smartphone with a fingerprint, but they can't force you to input a password or PIN, which would violate your Fifth Amendment rights. To help you from ever being in a scenario where you're forced to put your finger on the Touch ID sensor, Apple has a built-in way for you to disable biometrics on your locked or unlocked iPhone in mere seconds.
How To: Watch Apple's iPhone 8 Event on Apple TV, iPhone, Android, Mac, or PC
The iPhone 8 is just about here. If you're anything like me, you can hardly contain your excitement. Apple has been keeping its 10th-anniversary device — whether you call it the iPhone X, iPhone Edition, or iPhone 8 — as secret as possible, but this past year we've seen a waterfall of leaks. Now that all of the rumors are out of the way, we're finally going to see what's actually in store for Apple's newest iPhone.