You can use Siri to control Apple TV settings on your 4th generation Apple TV, and this is especially useful if you want to reduce a movie's background sounds. This feature of Apple TV not only makes the dialog more audible, but also reduces the chances that you'll disturb your neighbors.
By Sarah Kingsbury
Our Apple ID account contains sensitive personal and financial information. If someone were to guess your password and security question answers, they could possibly access and change your Apple ID information and make iTunes and App Store purchases as you. If you want to keep that information extra secure, consider enabling Two-Step Verification This will prevent anyone from using your Apple account even if they know your password. Here's how:
By Conner Carey
Wi-Fi Assist was introduced with iOS 9. When enabled, Wi-Fi Assist will automatically switch over to your data plan if your Wi-Fi connection becomes too slow. When the feature was released, a lot of people were upset by the surprise charges they received from their data bills. With iOS 9.3, however, Apple added the ability to see how much data Wi-Fi Assist is using. Here’s how to check.
By Conner Carey
A lot of people tell me that they are never the early adopters of new iOS updates, “I always wait at least three months.” I felt the same way before I started working for iPhone Life, but being immersed in all things iPhone has changed my perspective. If there were ever an update to download, iOS 9.3 is it. With new features like Night Shift Mode and Touch ID or passcode protection for the Notes app, there’s a lot to appreciate. Here’s the best five features iOS 9.3 provides and how to use them.
By Conner Carey
When your iPhone is in Night Shift mode, the display emits light from the warmer end of the spectrum rather than the default blue light, which can interfere with sleep and strain the eyes. You can manually enable Night Shift mode or set a daily schedule for the feature. Here’s how to use Night Shift:
By Conner Carey
With 3D Touch, you can quickly preview information, web pages, access Quick Actions, and more functions for apps are being added all the time. One such function is the ability to get information about a location and select actions pertaining to the address in the Maps app. You can use 3D Touch when pressing a pin or an address in Maps and it’s a super convenient way to jump into getting directions. Here’s how to get information about a location by pressing a pin in Maps.
By Sarah Kingsbury
If you've ever searched your inbox for an email you're certain you did not delete, but couldn't see it on the list, consider your email-flagging habits. If you know you're going to want to return to an email later, you can make it easier to find when searching your inbox by flagging it. Here’s how to make emails easier to find again later.
By Jim Karpen
Apple’s iOS has tons of features, so many that no one could ever use them all. And many aren’t obvious. We’ve rounded up 11 useful and novel features that are either buried deep or hidden in iOS. Some of these also work on an iPad.
There comes a time in every parent’s life when they’re waiting for their teenager to get home. Sure, you could sit on the couch worrying, trying to keep your eyes open long enough to know they’ve safely returned. Or you can use Find My Friends on your iPhone to have your phone alert you when they get home. That way, you can go to bed, relax, and as soon as they pull up, your phone will let you know they’ve arrived. Here’s how.
By Conner Carey
In the Calendar app, it’s helpful to have multiple calendars for different areas of life. You might have a personal reminders calendar, one for work, one for home, one for family, etc. Each calendar is also color coded to make telling them apart easier; you can also view individual calendars. What happens, though, when you accidentally place an event in the wrong calendar? Easy, simply follow these steps to move it to a different one.
By Conner Carey
The iPhone has a camera app for taking pictures, but the iPad also has a Photobooth app similar to the one most Apple computers have. Unlike the camera app on your phone, the Photobooth app has filters and effects to alter the image you’re capturing before you even take the picture. Personally, the Kaleidoscope effect is my favorite—everything looks cool. Here’s how to add and change effects in Photobooth on your iPad.
By Conner Carey
If you use Google Chrome on your computer, you’re probably familiar with a browser's ability to save your password for login websites. But did you know that Safari on iOS has the ability to suggest passwords for you? And Safari will then store the secure password for later use. This is an awesome feature, because not only does Safari create a far more secure password than your dog’s name plus your birthday, but it stores the password so you don’t need to remember it too. Here’s how to get a Safari password suggestion.
By Sarah Kingsbury
If you find yourself checking your phone every time any phone in your vicinity vibrates, it may be time to create a custom vibration pattern to set your iPhone's ringtone apart from the pack. It’s super easy to do and you can tap along to a favorite song of yours for a fun, unique vibration rhythm. Here’s how create customized vibration patterns.
By Conner Carey
You can now set temporary Profile Pictures on Facebook to commemorate events or show support for causes. The Profile Photo expires after a set amount of time, automatically switching back to the original photo it replaced. This is an awesome way to promote a show you’re in, a holiday or event photo that’s fun, or to show support for a cause such as when Facebook allowed users to overlay the rainbow flag on their pictures. Here’s how to set a temporary Profile Picture on Facebook.
By Conner Carey
Awhile back, Facebook began rolling out the ability to upload a seven second video in place of your Facebook profile picture. The short video plays in place of the usual still photo and doesn’t include sound unless someone clicks on the video specifically. It’s yet another addition to the social network that allows you to customize your profile and generally have fun with it. Without further ado, here’s how to set a video as your Facebook profile pic.
By Conner Carey
Apple’s Health app is a great way to see your overall health, but long-term health is about daily habits. The Calendar view in the Health app allows you to see all the information your health app has gathered for any particular day. The more apps or devices you have synced with the Health app, the broader and more accurate the overall picture of your health the app can provide. Here’s how to view and utilize the Health App Calendar view.
By Conner Carey
Music Memos is one of the most recent Apple apps the company has introduced. You’re used to Voice Memos, but Music Memos is made specifically for iPhone music creation. What’s really cool about the app is the ability to add Bass and Drums to a recording instantly. You can even adjust the added instruments such as choosing a Modern Kit or Vintage Kit for Drums. It’s not always perfect but the technology is amazing. Here’s how to record a music memo.
By Conner Carey
3D Touch, introduced with the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, is still a relatively new feature and as such, more Quick Actions and Peek & Pops are being added to third-party and Apple apps all the time. Every instance where I can use 3D Touch is a welcome shortcut, and previewing a city’s weather is one of those instances. You already know that you can have multiple cities listed in your Apple Weather app, but did you know you can use Peek & Pop to preview each one? Here’s how.
By Conner Carey
App developers are consistently releasing updates and upgrades to improve in-app experiences and to fix bugs. To make this process easy, your iPhone will automatically download available updates over Wi-Fi. Apps, books, and music you purchase on other devices are also automatically downloaded. If you prefer to updte your apps manually, here’s how to turn the option off.
By Conner Carey
When you need to redial a number or call the person you previously talked to, there’s a really fast shortcut you can make from the Phone app. Instead of going to your Recents or searching through your contacts, if you’re calling the previous person you spoke to, you can do it with two quick taps.
