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Smart Outdoor Living in 2025

By Sarah Kingsbury

Smart Outdoor Living in 2024

One of my favorite things since I moved to Las Vegas is starting my day by sipping coffee on my patio as the sun rises, surrounded by thriving flowers and herbs, while a small fountain burbles in the background, and hummingbirds whizz to and from the feeder so quickly they’re gone before I can even catch a good look. My second favorite thing is sitting on the patio enjoying the evening breeze sipping wine with my husband or friends with the perfect lighting and background music to set the mood. The only thing that could make it better is if it all happened with little to no effort from me. That’s why this spring, I decided to extend my smart home to the outdoors and turn my patio into a tech-powered haven for pollinators and people alike.

On June 10 at Apple's annual developer conference keynote, we learned what Apple has in store for the latest Mac operating system, Sequoia, and it's a big year for new features. Many of the updates are shared by iOS and iPadOS 18, but several are Mac specific. Let's get into some of the most exciting updates we'll see this year. They include iPhone Mirroring, desktop organization, more immersive gaming, and new video conference features; Presenter preview and background replacements.

How to Manage iCloud Storage & Which Apps to Back Up

What would you do if you lost all of your data? Scary thought. Our devices are more than just for communicating with friends and family. We use our iOS devices for work, to purchase items, and to plan travel. But as much as we love our apps, they take up large amounts of space. So if you have limited iCloud storage space, you might not be able to sync everything. Below, we'll explain your options to manage iCloud storage, as well as how to sync specific apps to iCloud and which apps you should prioritize backing up.

How to Cancel a Netflix Subscription

There are so many streaming platforms these days, and maintaining a subscription to all of them isn’t necessarily sustainable. Some apps make unsubscribing an unnecessarily difficult process, but the good news is that Netflix isn't one of them. You can unsubscribe from Netflix anytime after signing up, and can easily cancel in a few easy steps. Read on to learn how to cancel your Netflix subscription.

How to Tell Which Mac You Have by Model & Year

Whether you're interested in buying a new iMac, checking on your iMac’s compatibility with certain software, or chatting with Apple Support knowing how to find your Mac processor, serial number, and model is extremely useful. We’ll walk you through several quick ways to find out which iMac model you have. If you have a MacBook, you may want to read our article explaining how to identify your MacBook model and year instead.

Did you know that you can get a step-by-step list of directions in Apple Maps? For your trip, you might want to take a screenshot of Apple Maps directions to prevent battery drain, or you might want to view a list of directions on your iPhone to preview all the steps before you travel to your destination. Here’s how to view a list of directions on Apple Maps.

Using your iPhone as a mobile hotspot can be a convenient way to access the internet on your other devices. However, various issues can slow down the speed of your hotspot. The good news is that there are simple troubleshooting steps you can try to strengthen your mobile hotspot performance. Below, we've compiled a list of common solutions for how to make a hotspot faster on your iPhone.

6 Apps Standing for Ukraine

Since late Febraury, the world has been shocked and devastated by the violence committed by Russia in its war against Ukraine. At the beginning of March, Apple paused all digital and physical sales to Russia in response to the Russian invasion, including eliminating Russian access to the popular payment service Apple Pay. This dramatic move represents one of the largest responses by a big tech company, and not long after Apple's announcement other companies like Google, ExxonMobil, and Volkswagen followed suit. 

In the spirit of supporting Ukraine, a few apps have also really taken a stand. Some are creating easily accessible in-app donation buttons, others are committing large percentages of their profits to Ukrainian charities, and one has even reappropriated itself to combat Kremlin-controlled misinformation from the bomb shelters and bunkers under a war-torn Kyiv. Read on to find out how these apps are supporting Ukraine and how you can get involved too.

How to Troubleshoot Universal Control Not Working

Apple announced Universal Control back in June 2021. Users had expected to start using it once macOS Monterey was released later that year, but the feature was delayed. Finally, Apple released the official software updates for your iPad and Mac that let you use Universal Control. Like many new features, Universal Control doesn't always work properly. Here's how to troubleshoot Universal control.

How to Customize Universal Control & Add It to Mac Menu Bar

Universal Control is an excellent multitasking tool that lets you control other Macs and iPads from your Mac. With Universal Control, you can use one keyboard, mouse, and trackpad to control up to three devices via your Mac. What makes it even better is that you can customize it and add Universal Control settings to your Mac’s Menu Bar. You may also find our article on how to set up Universal Control helpful.

How to Turn Off Universal Control or Disconnect Mac or iPad

Since it was announced in June 2021, Mac users have been excited to try Universal Control. This feature, just released by Apple, lets you control other Mac and iPad devices from a central Mac and use its keyboard, mouse, and keypad across the connected devices. While this can be useful, it is also possible to accidentally type on the wrong device or lose your Mac cursor on other screens. I’ll teach you how to turn Universal Control off and temporarily disconnect other devices.

Apple announced Universal Control, a feature that lets you control other Macs or iPad with your Mac, back in June 2021. Users had expected to start using it once macOS Monterey was released later that year, but the feature was delayed. However, Apple finally just released the official software updates for your iPad and Mac that let you use Universal Control. I will tell you how to enable it, explain how it works, and cover practical ways to use it!

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You know that green dot on your Instagram profile picture? It lets other users see whether you're active and online. If you don't want people to know every time you're online, this can be annoying or even an invasion of privacy. Fortunately, there’s a way to hide your Instagram active status. Here’s how to hide your online status on Instagram.

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During the March 8 Apple event, Apple announced a new iPhone SE, new colors for the iPhone 13, a 5th-generation iPad Air, and a new Mac model called the Mac Studio that's powered by a new silicon chip Apple calls the M1 Ultra. Whether you're eager to upgrade to the newest model iPad Air or the Mac Studio, we'll tell how and when you can pre-order and go over the key technical specs for each product announced.

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