iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

How to Lock Your Photos on iPhone

If you want certain pictures to remain private, your first line of defense should be to make sure you have a passcode or FaceID set up so that you have to sign into your device. But if that's not enough protection, you have two options to lock photos on your iPhone: you can hide specific images in a locked Photos album, or you can lock the entire Photos app. Below, we'll cover how to place specific photos in a locked folder, as well as a couple of ways to lock your Photos app. 

People want to know how to change the default Apple Pay card quickly, without hassle. Having a default card can be useful, but sometimes you you'd rather put a big expense on a credit card instead of your bank card. This tip teaches you the most convenient method for swapping out your default Apple Pay card, right from inside your wallet! Let's dive in with how to change an Apple Pay card.

Apple showcases new software for its devices every June at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC), a mecca for developers and system engineers eager to learn about changes for the year ahead. The event traditionally commences with a keynote by Apple's CEO, Tim Cook. While not as captivating a showman as Steve Jobs, Cook's enthusiasm for his company and talented teams is infectious. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, WWDC will be an entirely virtual event, with both sessions and the June 22 keynote held online. In keeping with tradition, Apple should debut the next version of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS at WWDC. In anticipation of the new releases, I've collected the top rumors and leaks for this year's announcements, along with some wishful thinking and speculation. Let's open the rumor window to the future and see what Apple might share with the world this June.

If you haven't downloaded iOS 13.5, there's a feature that will make unlocking your iPhone while wearing a mask a little faster. Apple has rolled out a small but helpful improvement for the age of Covid-19, and if your iPhone has Face ID, it will save you time. Now, if your iPhone detects that you're wearing a face mask when you attempt to unlock your iPhone, it will immediately give you the option to go to the Passcode screen rather than rquiring you to wait while it tries to identify your face. We've already gone over how to add another person to your iPhone's Face ID and how to turn on iPhone Face ID for apps. Now, let's learn about the new Face ID update that makes it easier to unlock your iPhone while wearing a mask.

People are asking, “How do I remove Memoji keyboard stickers from my emoji keyboard?” You might have been annoyed to find that your Frequently Used emojis are preceded by a bunch of Memoji stickers that you never actually use. Luckily, there’s a hidden setting you can adjust to remove Memoji stickers from the emoji keyboard. Let’s dive in with how to get rid of Memoji stickers on the emoji keyboard so that you can once more find your favorite face-palm emoji.

Apple announced the first version of iOS, Apple's operating system for the iPhone, iPod Touch (and formerly the iPad), back in January 2007, and at iPhone Life magazine we've been covering everything iOS related for almost as long. Starting with iOS 5, Apple has announced a new version of iOS each year at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) and this year's virtual developers conference should be no exception when it comes to Apple's software announcements and our coverage of it. Don't want to wait until the big Apple keynote to find out what to expect from iOS 14? In this rumor roundup, we've got everything you should know about this year's new iOS, including expected release dates, compatibility, the possibility of 5G for the new iPhones, new apps, and improvements to classic, native apps. So read on.

Have you been curious about Apple Pay, and wondering if it's a service you'd like to use? If you've been asking, "what is Apple Pay," and "how does Apple Pay work," we'll fill you in. Apple Pay is a secure platform that allows users to make purchases and send, receive, and transfer money from the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac, no contact or cash required. Let's answer the questions of what is Apple Pay, how Apple Pay works, where it's accepted, and the security features that allow users to make and receive payments safely and with confidence. 

My family of four currently has three Apple Watches, and that could grow to four. It becomes increasingly important to be able to identify which watch belongs to whom. There are plenty of junky plastic Apple Watch cases out there, so I was skeptical when I saw the Apple Watch Cases (starting at $49) from SkyB at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. SkyB let me try a review unit with one of my Apple Watches and holding it made all the difference.

Sennheiser is a well-respected headphone and earbud maker, and I've used its wired headphones in the past. So I was happy for the opportunity to try the Momentum True Wireless 2 Earbuds ($299.95) when Sennheiser offered a review unit to test. The Momentum True Wireless earbuds deliver impressive sound thanks to the built-in equalizer and are still remarkably small. Despite the size, they still manage to offer 7 hours of use and 28 total with the charging case.

I am always on the lookout for the ideal docking station for my MacBook Pro. I just upgraded from the 15-inch to the 16-inch MacBook Pro and decided it would be a good time to go all out and have two 4K monitors as well. That might have required two different docking stations as it's rare to find one that supports two 4K screens at the same time, but the folks at iVANKY came through with their iVANKY Docking Station (starting at $119). It's on Kickstarter, so the price will go up, but it's still quite attractive and it is a real product, as iVANKY sent me a review unit to try.

The folks at Igloohome have been making smart door locks and lockboxes for a while, and they keep getting better. They sent me their latest, the Smart Keybox 3 ($189) to review and it improves over version 2 in multiple ways. This is not a door lock; it is a lockbox that hangs on a doorknob or gate. The circular keypad is used to unlock the lockbox using a PIN. You can also use the companion app to unlock the box via Bluetooth or generate more PIN codes for construction workers, cleaners, and other folks. It could also be helpful for Airbnb guests or keeping motorboat keys near the pier or a storage shed, etc.

The Apple Notes app is a convenient way to keep track of lists, ideas, and more. You can choose to start a new note from your Lock screen every time you need to jot something down, or to continue with the last note you were working on. We've already shown you how to write a note directly from your iPhone's Lock screen, and how to organize your notes by transferring them to a folder. Now, let's learn how to set whether to continue a previous note or start a new note when opening Notes from your Lock screen. 

When the folks at Michael Louis sent me a Personalized Embossed Leather Cases ($74) to review I thought I was getting special treatment. A leather case with my initials stamped in silver on the back? Pretty cool. Then I realized they offer free personalization to everyone, when ordering online! You can specify up to six characters and even choose emojis and the color. This is a nice touch and will certainly set your phone apart in a crowd.

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