iPhone Life - Best Apps, Top Tips, Great Gear

Don’t ask me how, but I stumbled upon YouTuber TechRax’s video in which he tests the iPhone's durability by spinning it in a paint shaker. You remember those machines at hardware stores that chug paint around really fast to mix the colors? Yeah, that. Naturally, I found myself yelling at the screen, “Nooo!” and wanted to bring you the same discomfort.

iPad picture in picture top image

Picture in Picture (PiP mode) allows you to watch videos and movies or chat on FaceTime while working in other apps. Originally only available for the iPad, you can now use your iPhone for Picture in Picture, and capabilities have expanded to include YouTube Picture in Picture mode, with some caveats. Let's go over how to multitask on an iPad and iPhone using Picture in Picture.

In Apple Music settings, you have the ability to adjust the way the music sounds, like how loud the bass is and more. You can also customize your Apple Music settings based on whether you're listening to pop, rock, or jazz. This feature is called the equalizer, or "EQ." The EQ can be adjusted to provide the best sound regardless of your surrounding environment. 

In iOS 9, you can view specifics on which apps are using your iPhone’s battery. If you find your battery is draining quickly, viewing detailed battery info is a great way to figure out why. You can see which apps use chunks of your battery life, how long the app was active, and how long the app was running in the background. This is also a great way to see how much time you're spending on a particular app; in case you're still in denial about your Facebook habit.

Your iPhone contains precious memories and sensitive information that can be protected with a password. Apple has default six-digit passcodes on newer iPads and iPhones for better iPhone security, but not everyone wants to enter a longer iPhone passcode, while others want to add an even stronger passcode. I will teach you how to ​​change your iPhone passcode in a few simple steps!

If you’re enrolled in Apple’s Public Beta Program, transferring data from your old iPhone to a new one isn’t quite so simple. Any iTunes or iCloud backup made from your current iPhone running the iOS 9 public beta is not compatible with the shipping version of iOS 9 running on your new iPhone. The only way to unenroll from the beta program is to restore your iPhone with the iOS 8 backup you made before signing up. However, if like me you've acquired a lot of data since then; restoring to the old back up could be a deal breaker. Here's how to easily transfer your data from an old iPhone currently enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program to your new iPhone.

Beginning with iOS 9 the Mail app included Markup, a photo editor that lets you write, draw on, and add shapes and signatures to your images. Now there's no need for a separate app to sketch and add text to pictures; iPhone and iPad users can insert images into the body of emails, then mark them up right there without ever leaving the Mail app. Let's get started learning how to use Markup on your email images.

Cloud-based storage is now an everyday thing, and I have reviewed several services at iPhone Life over the years. However, newer options are always becoming available, and if you are looking to back up, sync, or share your important data, then you might want to check out this review. Mainly I will focus on a lunchbox-sized storage gadget from Western Digital called the MyCloud Mirror ($309.99), but I'll also share some other options that I have tested.

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