iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

How to Organize Your Calendar in 2025

(Sponsored Post) By Amy Spitzfaden Both on Thu, 02/13/2025

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.

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There's nothing quite like that moment when you open an Apple box and see your fresh new iPhone for the first time, but what comes next? We'll teach you how to set up a new iPhone with a new Apple ID or with an existing Apple ID and data from an older device. Whether you're a first-time user or upgrading your current iPhone to a new device, we've got you covered. Read on to learn how to transfer data to a new iPhone, restore your settings from iCloud, or create your very first Apple ID for your brand-new iPhone.

App Saturday: Google Chrome

By Hallei Halter

Considering options for a web browsing alternative to Safari on your iPhone or iPad? Google Chrome is a fast web browser app that can quickly load pages and has loads of features you can easily learn to take advantage of. With so much to offer, here's why Google Chrome is one of our top choices.

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FaceTime can be tricky, and you may have found yourself wondering, "why is my FaceTime camera flipped?" FaceTime video calls automatically use the front-view camera, but sometimes you may want to use the back camera. Sure, you can flip your iPhone around, but it's hard to tell where your camera is pointing when you do that. Here's how to flip the FaceTime camera during a call instead.

When your iPhone is locked, you can glance at your notifications previews to see if you need to respond to messages or open another app, but that means other people can read your text notifications, too. Fortunately, you don't have to hide alerts altogether to ensure your privacy. Instead, we'll show you how to hide notification previews, so they're only visible when your iPhone or iPad is unlocked. If you found this tip because you want to learn to hide text messages, that's not what this tip is about, but we have a different article about how to hide messages on your iPhone.

App Saturday: YouTube

By Hallei Halter

I used to only watch YouTube when I wanted to do something specific, like looking up a how-to video or watching from a link someone sent me. With so many videos and not so very strict categories, I found it hard to find something I liked right off the bat when just browsing the app. But after liking some videos and subscribing to a couple channels, I began to better navigate YouTube's sea of videos. Now I can browse YouTube and enjoy videos relevant to what I like or branch out to discover new interests. 

The new Apple Watch ECG app works with your Apple Watch Series 4 to read your heart's rhythm and detect any irregularities that might indicate atrial fibrillation (AFib), while letting you take note of any additional symptoms you want to record. To use the ECG app, your Apple Watch Series 4 with watchOS 5.1.2 or later needs to be paired with iPhone 5s or later with iOS 12.1.1 or later. Older Apple Watches do not have this feature.

This will sound strange coming from someone who works for a tech publication, but I’ve been so worried about buying my daughter a cellphone that I’ve put it off until she was literally the last kid in her grade without one. What have I been worried about? Everything from the more minor things like screen addiction and gigantic data overages, to larger, 60 Minutes-level fears of her getting cyberbullied or meeting an online predator. Now, though, she’s almost 14 and will be in high school next year. I’ve come to the realization that it’s part of my job as a parent to ease my teenager into the technology that’s an everyday part of all our lives, rather than keeping her from it so she has to acclimate herself all at once when she’s old enough to purchase her own smartphone.

I've reviewed a number of accessories from Nyrius before, so I was excited to see the company's latest item, ORION Home Wireless HD Video Transmitter & Receiver ($149.99), had arrived. I liked the previous model, but it used miniUSB and the newer model is microUSB-based, which is a step up. It's also easier to set up; indeed it is set up by default, out of the box. The Orion Home is two boxes that look alike, but one is a transmitter and the other a receiver. They are both similar in size to the Apple TV, but with a perforated top, which probably helps with reception.

I'll confess that when I first learned about the Apple TV, I thought that it was, well, a TV. I remember being surprised at the price; "Wow! $149 for an HDTV, that's so reasonable for an Apple product!" Clearly, I had no idea what an Apple TV is, let alone how to hook one up or use one. Things have changed, though (it was a steep learning curve), and now I actually know how an Apple TV works, what's needed to connect one, how to set up an Apple TV, and even how to pair the remote or use your iPhone as a remote. Let's get started setting up your Apple TV! 

We use the internet for just about everything; shopping, banking, communicating with friends and family, and storing music, photos, and videos. It's vital to safeguard all the personal data associated with these services with a different, strong password for each account. A password manager can help you generate and keep each password safe. There are lots of reputable, free password keepers to choose from, including 1Password, True Key, and LastPass. We'll go over the features of these apps so you can choose the best option for your needs. We'll also cover how to install a password app, and how to use it once you have. Let's get started.  

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