iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

iPhones can be bought unlocked from legitimate vendors (including Apple), but you should know how to tell if an iPhone is unlocked before you make your purchase. Whether you want to make sure your phone is unlocked so it'll be worth more or you're just thinking of switching carriers, we'll show you how to check if an iPhone is unlocked or not.

We all know that sharing is caring, and that’s why sharing the Wi-Fi password is very much an act of kindness. Maybe you just showed up to a hotel and you know all the kids will soon be asking what the Wi-Fi information is. Maybe you just sat down at a restaurant after a long hike and you want everyone to post their pictures on Facebook. Let's go over how to share the Wi-Fi password.

When you swipe right from either your Lock screen or Home screen on the iPhone, you open the Widgets view. We’ve covered this screen in some how-tos, but overall it’s a place where you can glance at information you need to know and jump directly into apps you want to use. You can add widgets for Maps, Music, Weather, other stock apps, and lots of third-party apps. But the widget I have always, always wanted is a simple week-ahead look at my calendar. Perhaps calendar apps think it would be too crowded or think we don’t need to see that many days ahead, but there something very soothing to me about knowing my upcoming schedule without opening up the Calendar app. So when I found the Eventail (free) app, I nearly squealed. This app allows you to use the calendar app you know and love; the app simply helps you set up the perfect calendar widget. Learn more about what the app does and why we love it below.

Have you ever found yourself wondering, "How do I use the pound symbol on my phone?" Britain's Pound Sterling is the fourth most traded currency in the world at the moment, and 3.2 million people traveled to Great Britain last year for vacations or business—that's a lot of people needing to change their money to pounds! Let's get started learning how to type the pound symbol on your iPhone's keypad so that you can communicate easily and effectively about Britain's currency wherever you are in the world.

I reviewed the earlier version of Nomad's USB Hub, and I liked it then, but since then, Apple introduced phones with Qi-based wireless charging, so I had to use a third-party charging pad next to my Nomad hub. RECENTLY, I was able to try the USB Hub - Wireless ($79.95) from Nomad, which was announced at CES and will become available to the public soon.

There are certain keyboard symbols that are just not readily apparent when you search for them on your iPhone. One example is the copyright symbol; just where is it on the iPhone's keyboard, anyway? Don't worry, there is a simple way to type the copyright symbol on your iPhone so that you can easily let people know that they need to ask for permission to reproduce, distribute, or perform the work in question. Let's learn how to include the copyright symbol in messages from your iPhone! 

Charging our phones is part of everyone's daily routine at this point; so when the process goes awry, there's such a feeling of confusion. You've done everything the way you usually do, used the same outlet, cable, power adapter, or wireless charging pad. So why won't your iPhone charge, or why is the charge stopping at a certain point? Before you conclude that there's something wrong with your battery and contact Apple Support, let's go through a troubleshooting exercise to find out why your iPhone isn't charging. We'll go over a variety of possible explanations as to why your device won't charge, and discuss methods to get your iPhone charging once again.