I use reading glasses for some things, a concession to middle age, but fortunately I don't ever need them when I'm using my iPad. That's because I've adjusted the settings so that the text is larger and bolded, making it much easier to see. These settings apply to all of Apple's apps and to third-party apps that support Apple's Dynamic Type. Ever since iOS 8 was introduced, Apple has gathered text size, bold, view, and brightness into a single panel in Settings.
These days, hands-free iPhone operations are easier than ever. Siri commands can take care of almost all your iPhone dictation needs. But if you want to mostly dictate text instead of using a keyboard, you can also enable dictation on your iOS device. We'll show you how to send texts and emails via Siri, how to enable dictation, and more.
Related: How to Search Message Conversations on iPhone: iMessage, Facebook & Whatsapp
Talk-to-text on your iPhone is incredibly helpful when sending a text message. To send a text through Siri:
You can also try using Siri to add events to the Calendar app, create reminders in the Reminders app, and even dictate a brief email.
If you want to use your voice-to-text on iPhone to do more than send a quick text or add an item to a list, you'll want to enable iPhone dictation. This will allow you to more easily use voice typing to compose longer messages, create entire lists in Notes or Reminders, edit events in the Calendar app, and more. You can use dictation in most apps that have a keyboard. For more great iPhone talk-to-text tricks, check out our free Tip of the Day!
Here's how to enable dictation, also known as voice-to-text, on your iPhone:
Now you're ready to dictate your response by using the voice-to-text iPhone commands. Frustratingly, there is no voice command to delete mistakes. If you want to delete something you'll either have to start a whole new note or text or tap the screen to select the text you want to replace and then tap the microphone to dictate the corrections.
Here's a short list of voice commands we've found useful with both Siri and dictation:
These commands will help you go hands-free with your texts, notes, and more. Give these tips a shot and with practice, you'll have Siri or dictation doing the work for you in no time! Next, learn what to do if iOS 16 Dictation isn't working.
If you receive an iTunes gift card or app code, you’re going to want to use it. You can redeem music in the iTunes app and other codes in the App Store. Doing so is easy and who doesn’t love free music and apps?
Open iTunes. Scroll to the bottom and tap Redeem. You’ll be prompted to enter your Apple ID password. If you have a gift card, select Use Camera to easily scan the code. If you just have a code, tap ‘You can also enter your code manually.’ Either scan or enter your code and select Redeem.
Likewise, you can open the App Store and scroll to the bottom of the Featured tab page. Tap Redeem. Enter your Apple ID password. Choose to either scan your card or enter your code and tap Redeem.
Top Image Credit: urbanbuzz / Shutterstock.com
By Conner Carey
Want to keep your subscriptions private? Many people want to know how to hide subscriptions on their iPhone or iPad, but it's not completely possible at this time. We can show you how to hide subscriptions from your Family Sharing group, though! Of course, keeping your iPhone locked goes a long way toward keeping your subscriptions and subscription history private; we'll show you how.
By Conner Carey
It's very simple to forward calls from your iPhone. Call forwarding on iPhone automatically directs incoming calls to a different number. Let's walk through how to forward calls to another number on your iPhone.
By Conner Carey
When you type in popular app names into the Safari search url bar, Apple will try to match that with apps you either have or may want from the App store. It’s a suggestion feature turned on by default. Here’s how to turn it off.
By Conner Carey
If you regularly take a bus or subway, or are planning a trip where you intend to use public transit, this article is for you. In certain cities, states, and countries, you can view turn-by-turn directions for buses, subways, and other modes of public transit.
By Conner Carey
Reviewing the iPad Pro, I can’t help but feel like it was made for artists. The best apps I’ve seen optimized for the device are sketching apps. One such app is part of Adobe’s creative cloud, Adobe Photoshop Sketch (free). It’s still too early to find art solely made on the iPad Pro, but I decided to scour Behance for art specifically created with Adobe Photoshop Sketch on the iPad. Here’s my favorites.
By Todd Bernhard
I've always admired the RUNNUR bandolier-style messenger bags when I've seen them at various tradeshows. At the recent New York City Comicon, I saw RUNNUR's exhibit and noticed an iPad-specific offering, which I was fortunate enough to try. The Shoulder Sling Case ($60) is a nylon case for an iPad or iPad mini, with the screen exposed for easy access. There are four different D-ring metal loops to connect the included padded strap. There's a handy hand grip that also doubles as a stand.
