Apps

A lot of gadgets connect via the iPhone’s built-in Bluetooth these days. But what if you’re listening to music on your Bluetooth speaker when your phone rings and you don’t want the whole room to hear your conversation once you pick up the phone? Luckily, it’s easy to quickly switch the audio from a Bluetooth speaker to your iPhone’s internal speaker or to your AirPods or other Bluetooth headset. Here’s how to bypass a Bluetooth device when taking or making a call.

I hate running. This is something that has and always will be true. However, after deciding I need to take care of my physical and mental health, the one choice I kept circling back to was, "I need to start working out." My schedule doesn't always sync with my friends, so I typically go to the gym alone. And without anyone to spot me on weights or go with me to a class, the best solo workout for me is running around the indoor track. Zen Labs' C25K app guides users who are complete beginners with an eight-week course that can be used for running outdoors, indoors, or on a treadmill three times a week. In fact, the C25K stands for Couch To 5K, and the app aims to have its users reach a goal of being able to complete a 5K marathon at the end of the eight weeks. As someone who hates running, I really like using the C25K app. It's started a huge change for me. I've gone from just hating the thought of going on a run to hating it while I'm running.

Did you know you can zoom in and out using just your thumb in the Apple Maps app? Before iOS 11 you needed two fingers, which meant you generally also needed two hands—one to hold the phone and another to zoom. But now using Apple Maps is easier than ever before on your iPhone; you can hold your phone in one hand and use just one finger or your thumb to zoom in and out of maps in the Maps app. Here’s how.

Chess had always been one those games where I knew what it looked like but I didn't know how to play it. Pixar's short film Geri's Game made it seem fun, while every version of Sherlock Holmes made sure to have the hero brood over the board game at least once. Chess.com's Chess - Play & Learn, has been helping me to play chess and enjoy it. The app's resources, which include news and live tournament feeds, has also gotten me excited to know about the chess world at large. 

Apple's new operating system, iOS 12, has a set of Screen Time features that can be used to combat smartphone and device addiction by setting app limits. There are some apps, though, that you may want to have constantly available; luckily you can choose some apps that will always be allowed in your Screen Time settings. Let's get started learning how to set Always Allowed apps on iPhone and iPad. 

With the introduction of WatchOS 3 came Breathe, a feature on Apple Watch that’s similar to Stand in that it reminds you to breathe throughout the day. Obviously we don’t need to be reminded to breathe, but the feature is about putting your focus on your breath, stopping everything else you’re doing, and taking a minute (or more) to practice a little mindfulness using breath as the centering point. On days I’m stressed, I appreciate the reminders. But most of the time, I dismiss it. If you’d rather not receive reminders to breathe throughout your day, here’s how to turn off Breathe reminders on Apple Watch with WatchOS 3.

For me, the only thing better than having a good time with family and friends is knowing that I'm getting the most for the money I spend while we're out and about. That's why I've enjoyed using the Groupon app so far, and why the shopping and coupon app has earned a permanent place on my iPhone. Whether I'm looking for discounts at restaurants, money-saving deals on a hotel room or other travel expenses, or even experiences like couples massage or indoor playground tickets for the kids, the Groupon app always seems to have a coupon or rebate to help keep costs down. Best of all, the Groupon mobile app is free, and there are constantly new businesses and merchants offering some of the best coupons and discounts I've found anywhere online or in print. Let's get started learning about the Groupon app for iPhone and iPad, so you can start saving money, too! 

I absolutely love going on road trips, or travel of any kind, really. One of the most fun aspects of any trip for me is finding places to eat, as well as museums and shops that are off the beaten path, local favorites that become part of my mental "must visit" list for future adventures. One of the best tools I've found for trip research to destinations near and far is the Yelp app. Yelp is a free app that collects professional and business reviews from all over the world including restaurants, movers, home cleaning services, shopping, and even doctors and clinics! Yelp has collected over 135 million reviews so far, and the number keeps growing as more and more smartphone users discover this handy app. If you're the type of person that likes to plan ahead and get the most for your money and time, you'll want to learn more about Yelp, including how to set up your own free account and use it to read and write reviews.

One of the iOS 12 features I've been eagerly awaiting is Apple's new Shortcuts app. This new app allows you to instruct Siri to accomplish a task or series of tasks with native and third-party apps, all triggered by a phrase of your own choosing. In addition to creating your own Shortcut, Apple's latest help app also lets you choose from a Gallery of pre-designed shortcuts. Let's get started learning how to find the Shortcuts app on iPhone and iPad, and then use the Gallery to install a Shortcut we all need from time to time: finding directions home. Once you've installed the driving directions Shortcut, you can choose and configure as many other Gallery Shortcuts as you need. We'll go over how to create your own Shortcut in a future tip.