iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

Last September, Apple launched Apple Arcade, an innovative new service that gives you access to a growing selection of high-quality iOS games for a fixed monthly fee of $4.99 per month. It now includes over a hundred games with the subscription. I don’t consider myself much of a gamer, but I was a passenger on a long car ride with lots of time to kill and decided to check it out. I’ve since used it extensively and will share the good and the bad of Apple Arcade with you here.

Taking an iPad screenshot using the iPad’s physical buttons can be a pain. The iPad’s buttons are far apart, plus it’s easy to get the combination wrong and accidentally lock the iPad. But, if you have an Apple Pencil, then you can use a simple sliding gesture to quickly capture an iPad screenshot without having to fumble for the right buttons. Here’s how to take a screenshot on an iPad using either generation of the Apple Pencil.

Siri is great, but there are some things Siri can't do, like take screenshots. Plus, if you have low cell coverage and no Wi-Fi access, then Siri turns off entirely. Turning on voice commands is a great way to navigate your iPhone, open apps, browse the web, and send texts, all without relying on Siri. You can enable your iPhone's Voice Control in the Accessibility menu of your Settings app. Let's dive in with how to turn on Voice Control for the iPhone.

If you've invested in a new Apple smartphone like the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max, it's a good idea to purchase a cell phone case to keep your investment safe. There is a huge variety of covers to buy, offered by companies including Lifeproof, Otterbox, Speck, UAG, and more. Whether you're looking for a protective phone case to safeguard your iPhone against drops and falls, a waterproof case to keep moisture out of your device, a wallet phone case, or just some cute or cool iPhone 11 covers to add some flair to your device, we've rounded up the best iPhone cases on the market for you to choose from.

In the 128th episode, members of the iPhone Life team answer your questions about 5G—What is it? When and where will it be available? Do we need a special phone in order to access it? Is it safe to use? Joining the show is Michael Schill, CEO of internet service provider Natel Broadband (and Donna's dad!), to explain how 5G technology works, explore the possibilities it opens up, and to address health concerns regarding the safety of 5G. 

Whether your iPhone is on Lock Screen, one of your Home screens, or you have an app open, you'll see your iPhone battery icon in the upper-right corner of your screen. You may be wondering, though, "Why is my iPhone battery yellow?" Don't worry; nothing is wrong with your phone. The yellow battery icon just means that your iPhone is in Low Power Mode, a power-saving feature that kicks in when your battery needs to be charged. Let's learn about Low Power Mode, including when it's set to turn on and off automatically, and how to turn it off and on manually.

Solved: iPhone Call Failed Repeatedly

It can be frustrating when you attempt to make a call on your iPhone, and you’re given the error message “Call Failed.” You find yourself wondering, "Why do my calls keep failing?" After rebooting your iPhone, updating your iOS software, and moving to various locations, here are several simple steps to solve the iPhone call failed error before contacting your carrier.

How to Dictate & Edit Texts without Siri

Being able to make hands-free calls and send texts can come in handy when you're trying to multitask. Siri is a common method for dictating texts, but not everyone wants to enable Siri. Luckily, you don't need Siri to dictate texts in Messages. You can even use this method to edit out mistakes. Let's dive in with how to use voice-to-text on iPhone to dictate and edit texts without Siri.

Did you know that most radio stations have an online counterpart that duplicates the live radio stream? Tuning in to your favorite radio station online provides a reliable way to listen to your favorite programs without any fussy dials. iOS 13 uses three services, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Radio.com, to bring over 100,00 stations to the iPhone. You can use Hey Siri to tune in to most larger public radio stations and even a few local stations. Here's how to listen to live radio with Hey Siri.

Every year, iPhone Life's team of editors searches the halls of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for the best new technology for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users. We saw all kinds of amazing tech (driverless cars! Smart fridges!) and sometimes puzzling products (a robot that brings you toilet paper? A hands-free carry-on that tries but sometimes fails to follow you through the airport?). The following Best of CES 2020 Awards go to the most forward-thinking and useful iOS gear we found that's coming to market this year.

You can keep your navigation history a secret in Google Maps on your iPhone by using the new Incognito mode feature. This new way to hide your location history in Google Maps on your iPhone is similar to Incognito mode in Google Chrome, which offers a private browsing window and deletes browsing history when it's closed. This tip will show you how to keep your Google Maps location searches, maps, and navigation history private by using Incognito mode in the iPhone Google Maps app. And what information doesn't get hidden by Google Maps Incognito mode.

Gaming on the iPhone and iPad has certainly evolved over the last few years. What was expected straightforward pricing in the early days has become a multi-faceted marketplace of everything from freemium, in-app purchases, and an exclusive premium subscription via Apple Arcade to premium pricing matching that of traditional PC gaming costs. Dire Wolf Digital's latest digital conversion of a well-known board game (at least among board gaming enthusiasts) has opted for the higher-end premium pricing model. Reiner Knizia's Yellow & Yangtze ($9.99) is charging a penny short of ten dollars for the game on either the Android or iOS platform (with the PC version asking for a $14.99 payment for the privilege to play on that platform). Does the price justify the amount of entertainment packed into this board game conversion? Read on to find out.

Your iOS keyboard is capable of amazing feats—you can now drag your finger around it to type, the emoji selection is unmatched, and you can add French accent marks (and others) easily. Keep in mind that these tips will work whether you are sending an iMessage, writing an email, or creating any other text on your phone. We’re going to show you how to type é on an iPhone and add other accent marks using a text message as an example.

If you prefer a leather folio case for your iPhone that has slots for credit cards, but also prefer a more compact case, the folks at Hex have a 4-in-1 iPhone Case ($99.99) they'd like you to try. They sent me one and it's got a lot going for it. It has three (or four in the case of the iPhone 11 Pro Max) slots on the back for credit cards, plus an internal slot for cash or more cards. And when you want to go it alone, the protective polymer phone case is easily detached from the wallet folio thanks to the metal plate and magnets built-in.

The Activity app tracks and records all your Apple Watch workouts, including steps taken and time standing, but it does much more than that. Beginning with iOS 13 and now improved with iOS 14, it also offers a big-picture view of your health with Trends and Highlights. It learns your activity habits and offers tailored suggestions just for you. Let’s take a look at how to use Trends to keep track of your health, set goals, and get motivated to go the extra mile.

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