By Todd Bernhard
The folks at Moshi sent me their new Otto Qi Wireless Charging Pad ($39.95) to review. I've used products from them in the past and they are always beautiful and make use of nice fabrics. This latest item is just as nice, but it also has added functionality I haven't seen in many competing offerings.
By Leanne Hays
The FaceTime app is the free Apple video chat app, and it's a fun way to connect with friends and family when hearing their voices just isn't enough. You can use filters on FaceTime just like you can with Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and more. There are a bunch of FaceTime filters for iPhone, including a FaceTime beauty filter, a few black and white choices, and much more. Let's get started learning how to put filters on FaceTime on your iPhone or iPad.
By Leanne Hays
So you've decided to purchase one of Apple's new iPhones, the iPhone XS, but the price tag is a bit high (starting at $999.) This may lead you to wonder if you can save a bit of money by using cases you purchased for your old iPhone X on your new iPhone XS; after all, they're the same size, right? Unfortunately, only some iPhone X cases will fit your new iPhone XS. Read on to find out when you can and can't use your iPhone X case for your new iPhone XS.
By Sarah Kingsbury
In the 94th episode of the iPhone Life Podcast, members of the team discuss the pros and cons of reading books on their iPhones, using a Kindle, listening to audiobooks, or buying old-fashioned paperbacks. Other topics include how to take advantage of iOS 12's location-based Do Not Disturb settings, tuning apps for musicians, and an iPhone game that has recently become Sarah’s guilty pleasure.
By Todd Bernhard
It's time to start thinking about the holidays! This year, instead of boring tree lights or holiday lights that just turn on or off, check out the Smart LED String Lights (starting at $103.96) from Twinkly. They work on your tree, or anywhere, and can display colorful lights and moving patterns thanks to an easy to use smartphone app.
By Leanne Hays
If you're worried that your child is spending too much time on their iPhone or iPad, and may even have a screen addiction, Apple's new operating system, iOS 12, is here to help. With iOS 12, parental restrictions are easy to put in place, and you can limit not only the total amount of time spent on a device but also set restrictions for individual apps, as well as content and privacy. Let's get started learning how to set up Screen Time restrictions for a child or teenager on iPhone or iPad.
By Leanne Hays
Want to see what apps are draining the battery on your iPhone? Your iPhone's battery usage is broken down app by app in the Battery Health section of your Settings app. The data lets you see the percentage of battery life used by each app, and also how long you spent on individual apps. You'll be able to save your battery life and save your phone by picking out the apps that use more battery than they should be.
By Leanne Hays
I absolutely love going on road trips, or travel of any kind, really. One of the most fun aspects of any trip for me is finding places to eat, as well as museums and shops that are off the beaten path, local favorites that become part of my mental "must visit" list for future adventures. One of the best tools I've found for trip research to destinations near and far is the Yelp app. Yelp is a free app that collects professional and business reviews from all over the world including restaurants, movers, home cleaning services, shopping, and even doctors and clinics! Yelp has collected over 135 million reviews so far, and the number keeps growing as more and more smartphone users discover this handy app. If you're the type of person that likes to plan ahead and get the most for your money and time, you'll want to learn more about Yelp, including how to set up your own free account and use it to read and write reviews.
By Leanne Hays
Did you know you can change Apple Maps to satellite view and see all the real-life details of the area you're viewing? This makes it easier to view local terrain and notable landmarks on the map as they would appear in real life. Here's how to turn on satellite view in Apple Maps.
Screen addiction is a real issue for many smartphone users, and Apple has a solution. There are several Screen Time features that can help iPhone and iPad users become aware of how much time they spend on their devices and cut back if needed. One of these settings is called Downtime, and we'll go over what it is and how to use it.
By Leanne Hays
Name any hobby, sport, interest, or diversion, and you'll find out more about it than you ever dreamed possible on the Pinterest app. Not so very long ago if you wanted to find guidance for your latest woodworking project, some fresh new garden ideas, inspiration for a unique vacation destination, or an exciting new craft idea, you'd have to pore over books and magazine articles or spend tons of time surfing the web to find all the most helpful links. Now, though, your search can be much more quick and rewarding; you can look to Pinterest as a clearinghouse for pictures, videos, and information about over 100 billion different topics ranging from wildly popular to extremely obscure, right on your iPhone or iPad. What's more, you can share your favorite Pinterest categories and findings with friends and family who are also using the site or app, and keep all your best pins (saved posts) for whenever you'd like to go back and refer to them. Let's get started learning about everything Pinterest now, so you can start pinning with the best of them!
By Leanne Hays
If you want to send a picture in the Messages app, you'll need to know where to find your photos. This process has changed a bit with recent iOS updates. Let's go over how to share photos on iPhone via text message.
Apple groups app notifications and email and message threads together in the Notification Center to help users see all their updates at a glance rather than sorting through them individually. But what if you don't like how your notifications are sorted and want to ungroup them? If you don't like receiving these notification bundles, it's easy to ungroup some or all of your notifications. Let's get started learning how to ungroup notifications in your iPhone's Notification Center.
By Sarah Kingsbury
In the 93rd episode of the iPhone Life podcast, Donna, David, and Sarah share the best and worst features of iOS 12. Listen in to discover which features they love and hate, and why.
If you're wondering, "how can I stop spending so much time on my phone," Screen Time settings can help you combat smartphone addiction. Apple offers Screen Time settings on your iPhone and iPad with a section called App Limits that tracks and limits how much time you spend on particular activities, sites, and apps. Read on to learn how to set restrictions on the iPhone and iPad and limit screen time for specific apps.
