iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

How to Lock the Journal App

The Journal App, a fun new app that came with iOS 17.2, is a great way to keep a digital journal directly from your iPhone. The Journal app has a straightforward user interface that allows you to write, upload media, add links, and keep track of important memories. For this reason, it's important to be able to keep that information private. Here's how to lock the Journal app to protect your entries from prying eyes.

How to Organize Your Calendar in 2025

(Sponsored Post) By Amy Spitzfaden Both on Thu, 10/31/2024

Apple is pretty good about updating its products, but it seems to have forgotten about the Calendar app and its many downsides. The makers of Informant 5, on the other hand, do not forget to regularly improve their app based on user experience. The latest updates to this calendar and task-management app are a productivity game-changer.

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.

I have been covering (and using) cases from Urban Armor Gear for several years, and the cases always had a military-grade feel to them, with a rigid exoskeleton design. It looks like the company now wants to appeal to the masses, based on the Civilian Series iPhone Case ($49.95) it sent me to try. While the traditional models were thicker and had lots of flat surfaces, the Civilian is thinner, smoother, and rounder. But this protective iPhone case still has a rigid design that doesn't skimp around the ports, which some cases do.

Apple's HomeKit works wonderfully for smart home automation needs, as long as you stay within the Apple ecosystem.  However, if your smart home houses people with mixed technology preferences like mine, getting everyone to agree to a single operating system platform may be a futile exercise. Fortunately, the Philips Hue home automation lighting technology works on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and even with smart voice assistants like Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant as a consequence of the stand-alone base station that controls its smart home hardware. Because of this unique positioning and large market share, Philips has begun branching out beyond smart light bulbs into more elaborate lighting and even smart power outlets. This article reviews two recent additions to the Philips Hue product family.

I keep restocking portable battery packs because the kids borrow and don't return them. Then I'll clean around the house and find discharged battery packs strewn around the house. Now, the ChargeHub HomeBase Power Bank Docking Station ($59.99) that Limitless Innovations sent me may be my saviour. The portable battery charging dock is a compact base that has four slots for the included aluminum battery packs, each offering 4,000 mAh of power, which is impressive given how slim they are.

I have never reviewed cases from Caudabe until the company recently sent me the slim Synthesis iPhone Case ($24.95). Caudabe seems to have found a niche for slim, rugged iPhone cases that it calls "Minimalist Perfection," and I can't disagree. These ultra thin protective iPhone cases are slim enough that those who prefer naked iPhones shouldn't object. Yet they add grippability through a unique polymer, which should prevent drops. 

I have several MacBooks and even more monitors spread out across several offices, so I'm always looking for the best USB-C docks for MacBook, particularly multi-monitor ones. The folks at Choetech sent a review unit of their HUB-M11 HDMI VGA Hub with Wireless Charger ($46.79) to try. It comes close and at a great price given the functionality. 

The folks at iHome make a wide variety of iPhone accessories, particularly speakers... so many that I give them a hard time for resorting to cryptic naming schemes. The iBTW281 ($79.99) alarm clock phone charger that they sent me to try is just one example. Fortunately, I speak "iHome," so I can translate the "BT" to Bluetooth and the "W" to Wireless. That gives you a good idea of what this "Dual Alarm Clock Speaker System + Dual Charging" device (that's the long name) does!

How to Clear System Data on iPhone: 7 Ways to Free Up Space (2023)

What does System Data mean in iPhone storage? System Data is one of many categories in your iPhone storage. It contains important system files and any data that doesn't fall neatly into the other categories. Clearing the System Data on your iPhone can be a real space saver when your iPhone storage is full and you need to clear up space for an iOS update or to install a new app. We'll cover what System Data means and how to clear System Data on the iPhone or iPad to free up space.

How to Add Multiple Gmail Accounts to Your iPhone (iOS 17)

Adding all of your Gmail accounts to your iPhone is a convenient way to see all your emails in one place. There are two main ways to set up Gmail accounts on your iPhone, either using the Gmail app or the iOS Mail app. Let’s get started with a step-by-step guide on how to add multiple Gmail accounts to your iPhone so that you can keep all of your emails in one convenient place.

If you have an iPhone or iPad with Facial recognition and use Face ID to unlock your device, access apps, and pay for stuff, you’re part of an elite crowd of people who have embraced Face ID and jumped into modern technology feet first. But what should you do if your Face ID is not working or your Face ID is not available? Continue reading for fixes for when your Face ID is disabled that will make your iPhone recognize your face again. We'll also cover the reasons why your Face ID may not be working.

While kids may flock to PopSockets, the colorful collapsible stand that you may have seen on the back of people's iPhones, there's an alternative that may appeal to kids as well as older folks who need to keep a secure grip on their mobile devices. I had the opportunity to try the CLKR Phone Grip and Stand (starting at $14.99) as CLCKR sent me some versions to try. Like a PopSocket, they can attach to an iPhone or you can buy iPhone cases with the CLCKR built in. I tried both.

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