Leanne Hays

Author Details

Leanne Hays's picture

Author Details

Leanne Hays

Leanne Hays has over a dozen years of experience writing for online publications. As a Feature Writer for iPhone Life, she has authored hundreds of how-to, Apple news, and gear review articles, as well as a comprehensive Photos App guide. Leanne holds degrees in education and science and loves troubleshooting and repair. This combination makes her a perfect fit as manager of our Ask an Expert service, which helps iPhone Life Insiders with Apple hardware and software issues.
In off-work hours, Leanne is a mother of two, homesteader, audiobook fanatic, musician, and learning enthusiast.

I'll confess that when I first learned about the Apple TV, I thought that it was, well, a TV. I remember being surprised at the price; "Wow! $149 for an HDTV, that's so reasonable for an Apple product!" Clearly, I had no idea what an Apple TV is, let alone how to hook one up or use one. Things have changed, though (it was a steep learning curve), and now I actually know how an Apple TV works, what's needed to connect one, how to set up an Apple TV, and even how to pair the remote or use your iPhone as a remote. Let's get started setting up your Apple TV! 

We use the internet for just about everything; shopping, banking, communicating with friends and family, and storing music, photos, and videos. It's vital to safeguard all the personal data associated with these services with a different, strong password for each account. A password manager can help you generate and keep each password safe. There are lots of reputable, free password keepers to choose from, including 1Password, True Key, and LastPass. We'll go over the features of these apps so you can choose the best option for your needs. We'll also cover how to install a password app, and how to use it once you have. Let's get started.  

Everything you need to know about FaceTime

Through the years, FaceTime has evolved and improved to include more devices and capabilities. With Apple's iOS 15, we can finally place a FaceTime call to Android users via a link, not to mention all the cool features now available with SharePlay. In this guide, we'll cover how to make a call using the FaceTime app, how to FaceTime with Android users, how to share your screen, and more!  

iPhone level tool top image

The iPhone has a bunch of great native apps that can really help you get your work done. But one of the best, little-known apps that come on your iPhone is the Measure app and its hidden spirit level. The level on your iPhone, while sometimes imperfect, does a pretty decent job of gauging how straight your paintings are hanging. There are a few keys to getting it to work right, but this has helped me out in so many circumstances where I did not have access to a spirit level.

So you forgot your iPhone passcode; now what do you do? If you've entered the wrong password for your Lock Screen too many times, you already know your iPad or iPhone is disabled and are wondering how to restore your device. There are a few ways to reset the Apple password on your device and get into a locked iPhone or iPad, whether you have an older iPhone like an iPhone 6 or 7, all the way up to the newest iPhones. Let's get started learning how to reset a disabled iPhone or iPad with iTunes, iCloud or recovery mode.  

How to Share Screen on FaceTime

As someone who lives very far away from my closest friends and much of my family, FaceTime calls have become the lifeblood of many of my longest relationships. This also means that so much of our lives are separate, and I can’t simply lean over on the couch to show my friend or family member something cool on my phone. However, it can be that simple with Screen Sharing on a FaceTime call!

We all want our kids to avoid screen addiction and be safe online, but that can be hard to accomplish when children have open access to the internet via their iPhone or iPad. Fortunately, Apple's Screen Time parental controls are easy and free to use. In the past you might have had to pay for iPad or iPhone parental control apps to make sure inappropriate content wasn't getting through on your kids' devices, but not anymore. Learn how to set up Screen Time settings on your child's iPhone and iPad, and how to lock those settings so your curious kids can't access the content you've blocked.

Now that November is here I can officially start thinking about Christmas gift ideas, and lucky for me I was tasked with writing this roundup of top tech gifts under $100. I found so many cool things to buy for the 2018 holidays; gifts for women and men, and even a few things kids and teenagers will love. Let's get started with my 2018 Buyer's Guide for tech gadgets, including toasty warm winter texting gloves, a GPS tracker to help find lost items, a smart water bottle, and more. Your friends and loved ones are going to be really happy with their presents this year! 

I love using a thesaurus when I write, so the absence of this option from the iPhone's dictionary feature, Look Up, used to be a sore spot for me. Beginning with iOS 12, I no longer need a third-party thesaurus app, because a thesaurus is included in Look Up on iPhone and iPad for free! Let's get started learning how to add a thesaurus to Look Up, so you can find just the word you're looking for, be it a synonym or antonym. 

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