iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

The Apple Watch Series 6 is on the way, with the fall Apple event confirmed for September 15, with insiders and fans speculating its announcement at Apple’s September event. Rumors are circulating online of improvements expected and hoped for in the Series 6, like blood oxygen level monitoring, yoga improvements, and a better wireless antenna. Read on for our roundup of rumors, ordered from most to least likely.

The iOS 14 Sleep tool in the Apple Health app is one of the many features Apple is offering to improve your health. You can set a bedtime, complete with a Wind Down Mode and Do Not Disturb, so your phone isn't buzzing or pinging with notifications while you try to sleep. And if you have an Apple Watch you can track your sleep. While this is a very helpful feature to those trying to get more serious about catching Z's, not every wants to go to bed at the exact same time every night of the week. A weekend or a regular early morning might lead you to need the option for different routines depending on the day of the week, so here is how to set up multiple bedtimes in the Sleep section of the Health app.

The annual fall Apple event is on the way, and we're looking forward to the announcement of a new iPad or two, maybe even three or four! This year leaves us with more questions than an Apple announcement would usually generate, since there's Covid-19 to consider. We've gotten used to Apple announcing its new iPhone and iPad lineup in the second week of September, and they're sticking to this trend; this year's announcement is scheduled for September 15, and will be live, but most likely another all-virtual event. Now, let's get to the hardware. It's a given that Apple will release at least one new iPad, but we've heard that it could be an iPad, an iPad Pro, an iPad Air, an iPad mini, or even all four! Let's go over the iPad rumors we've collected about the upcoming Apple announcement, and what we can expect from the iPad(s) that will make their debut. Also, be sure to catch our fall announcement coverage, we'll be commenting live in our Facebook group, and record a special podcast episode right afterward!

Adding to the list of firsts we've experienced in 2020, while Apple announced the 2020 Apple Watches and iPads at its September 16 event, the 2020 iPhones were nowhere to be found. There's been hardly a peep from Apple about what to expect from the 2020 iPhones and when we might see them; but we've been following all the iPhone 12 leaks and rumors out there, and have put together a picture of when Apple will announce the new iPhones and what the specs might be. The first thing to know is we're expecting four versions: a 5.7-inch iPhone (dubbed the iPhone Mini), two 6.1-inch iPhones (believed to be called the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro), and one 6.7-inch iPhone (or iPhone Pro Max). We'll see the first year of 5G support, as well as rumors of all OLED displays, a triple-lens 3D camera, a brand-new physical design.

The folks at iOttie have been on the forefront of using colorful fabrics to accessorize their accessories. They provided me with a review unit of their iON Wireless Go Power Bank ($49.95) to try, and sure enough, it is as stylish as it is useful. It is a portable battery pack for iPhones that is just smaller than an iPhone SE or iPhone 8 but twice as thick.  The first thing you notice is the attractive woven fabric (red or grey) that covers the surface. It looks nice on your coffee table and the cloth won't scratch your naked iPhone, although there is a rubber pad where the integrated Qi charging coil is.

Sometimes you need just a little more power, but carrying around a heavy 10,000 mAh power pack is overkill. For those times, the IonGo 5K Duo Portable Battery ($74.95) from Moshi might be the perfect companion. Moshi sent me a review unit and it is compact and comfortable to the touch and stylish, thanks to the hand-stitched vegan leather exterior and aluminum accents, common with many of Moshi's accessories.

We all know the frustration of that notification that pops up telling us our phone storage is low. When looking to see what's taking up space on an iPhone, one of the first things to check are podcasts and TV shows. Removing even just a couple of these larger files can free up storage quickly, but not all of them take up the same amount of space. Here's how to see how much storage podcasts and TV shows are taking up so you can make efficient decisions about what to remove and get back to enjoying your content. For more great Apple product tutorials be sure to check out our free Tip of the Day.

Ever since Apple dropped the HDMI port from the MacBook Pro, I've had to carry an adapter around, and leave some at home and work. Not only is it expensive, it's also a hassle. Moshi has an answer. The company sent me a USB-C to HDMI Adapter ($44.95) to try. This adapter is small, about the size of a box of matches, and it plugs in directly to your device's USB-C port, essentially becoming an extension of your MacBook, iPad Pro, or other USB-C device. It makes it easier for the adapter to come with you and your device, so you don't need to leave adapters in multiple places. Or if you do need to bring it separately, it's compact and easy to carry.

While the several iPhone Home screen pages offer fun options like widgets and app sorting, some people would rather not have to scroll through several Home screen pages to find the app or widget they're looking for. Fortunately, you can remove unwanted iPhone home pages, and cut it down to the perfect amount for you. It's easy to learn, easy to do, and easy to reverse. Learn how to remove Home screen pages on your iPhone.

This article will show you how to hide alerts for a group chat, so you only get notifications for group messages in which you are mentioned. Group chats in the Messages app are handy if you have information to relay to several people at once, but the sheer number of text notifications from a group message can get really annoying. Fortunately, you don't need to leave a group message to stop the barrage of notifications. There is a new iOS 14 feature that lets people tag you within a group text so that you are notified when they mention you in the chat. You can use this feature to cut down on the number of group text notifications you get without missing any important messages. Here's how.

How to Tag Contacts in a Group Chat on Your iPhone

Sometimes, you want to make sure a particular person or people within a group chat sees your message to the group. Apple has the ability to tag contacts in a group text, so you can make sure someone gets notified whenever you mention them in the chat. Let's get started learning how to tag a contact in a group chat, including a few important details to keep in mind.

I previously reviewed the SecureDrive from SecureData and found it to offer impressive security and high-speed SSD storage, but I also felt it was expensive. The folks at SecureData sent me their lower-cost USB flash drive model which starts at a much more affordable price. The SecureUSB BT (starting at $119) comes with less capacity, 16 GB, but the company offers 32 and 64 GB options. Sure, they are more expensive than traditional thumb drives but they have some serious security built-in.

Voice Memos is Apple's voice and audio memos app that enables you to keep voice recordings for later. While manually naming these memos is the most reliable way to know the content, this isn't always convenient or even possible when you are on the go. Automatically naming voice memos by location is an easy way to take you back to where you were when you had the thought — whether it was at work, home, or on vacation, you'll remember where you were and be able to search by where you were. And you can always rename the voice memo later when it's more convenient.

Pages