iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

Apple Watch Hidden Gems

By Rhett Intriago

Apple Watch Hidden Gems

Apple has packed a lot of power into a small case with the Apple Watch. As a result, many users miss some of the best functions that Apple doesn’t highlight. I’ve compiled this handy list of the coolest features that you might not have heard of to help you get the most out of your wearable.

Apple is again offering a free music festival this year featuring top performing artists. Those in London can attend the Apple Music Festival in person, and the rest of us can stream for free, both live and on-demand. Slated for September 19–28, the festival will feature Pharrell Williams, One Direction, Florence + The Machine, and Disclosure. You'll be able to stream the event via the Music app, as well as via the iTunes software and Apple TV. Plus, you can follow the festival on Beats 1, as well as get a "virtual backstage pass" by following the festival in Apple Music's Connect and in iTunes — bringing you exclusive videos, photos, and behind-the-scenes access to your favorite artists.

What Is AE/AF Lock & How to Use It

When you capture an image with your iPhone, the camera's autofocus (AF) and auto exposure (AE) features will automatically determine the best focus position for you and the best exposure for that area of focus. However, you can manually adjust these settings and lock them so that you don't have to reset them between shots. Now, let's find out how to use AE/AF Lock!

Siri is an awesome time saver. Want to view your most recent calls, text someone, get directions, or post to Facebook? Just ask Siri. You can even do all this from your lock screen. The problem is, so can anyone else. If your settings allow for it, anyone can access your call history, send a tweet, or get directions to a contact's home from your lock screen just by bringing up Siri and asking.

Some of your Facebook friends like games. A lot. Some of your Facebook friends want you to like games a lot too. And you know this because they've sent you so many Facebook game requests that you are considering unfriending them just to make the onslaught stop. 

We at iPhone Life don't want to tell you who to be friends with, but you don't actually have to unfriend the Facebook gamers you know in order to make the game requests stop. Here's what you can do instead:

There are a variety of reasons why you might want to transfer your photos from your iPhone to your computer. Maybe you’re running low on storage space and need to clear out some room in your Photos app; or maybe you just like the extra bit of security that comes with having your photos on multiple devices. Here’s how to use AirDrop to transfer photos between devices.

 

How to Use Google Maps Offline

By Sarah Kingsbury

Have you ever asked, "Can I save a Google Map offline?" The answer is yes! If you are traveling to a place where you won't have reliable or affordable access to data or Wi-Fi, you can actually download maps in Google Maps, which allows you to save the maps you need ahead of time, and you will be able to access them offline.  

 

Panoramic photos are great for capturing an expanded view of a beautiful landscape. Typically, this is done by moving your iPhone from left to right or right to left as you take the photo in Pano mode. But what about when you want to capture a shot of something really tall, like a tree, for example, or even the Eiffel Tower? Well, you'll be excited to hear that you can take vertically oriented panoramic photos with your iPhone too!

Do you have an idea for an app but lack the programming knowledge to begin building it? In this weekly blog series, I will take you, the non-programmer, step by step through the process of creating apps for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Join me each week on this adventure, and you will experience how much fun turning your ideas into reality can be! This is Part 21 of the series. If you are just getting started, check out the beginning of the series here.

Pages