Apps

Monday, Apple held its WWDC keynote event on the first day of the convention. We saw previews of all the latest software coming out this Fall, including the larger-than-expected iOS 10 update. And within that update is the revamped, redesigned Apple Music. But is Apple doing enough to keep its now 15 million paid subscribers? Or should we abandon the comfort of the Apple ecosystem for the features of Spotify?  We can’t know for sure until iOS 10 is installed on our iPhones, but let’s look at what Apple did share about the new and improved Apple Music. Does it measure up?

If you’re listening to an audio book or podcast while getting directions to a location from Apple Maps, you probably want the audio to pause so that you can clearly hear the next turn you need to make or exit you need to take without missing anything important in the book or podcast. If your Maps’ voice volume is Normal or Loud, you can turn on Pause Spoken Audio so your navigation prompts are heard and you don’t miss any part of your podcast. Here’s how to pause spoken audio during navigation prompts.

Styluses are not much in style anymore, the Apple Pencil still being a somewhat enigmatic and premium exception. That doesn't mean you can't buy good ones for an affordable price. Those of us addicted to scribbling, old-fashioned note-taking, doodling, or sketching know the good ones. A good stylus pen, like a fine pen, has a certain weighted balance and comfortable feel that makes it practically seem to disappear in your hand. The Lynktec Apex Fusion Stylus pen ($59.99) is one such fine electronic handwriting implement.

A little known trick of the Apple Watch is that you can use it as your shutter remote for taking pictures with your iPhone. When you open the Camera app on your Apple Watch, you’ll see whatever the iPhone’s camera can see. This is perfect for taking family photos since you can station the iPhone on a tripod, join the group, and tap the button or activate the three-second timer right from your Apple Watch. Here’s how to take iPhone photos using your Apple Watch.

Whether you want to use this feature to take travel journaling notes about your adventures or to remember a particular place you went that you liked, saving a Map location in Notes is easy to do on your iPhone. You could add the location to your Map Favorites as well, but placing the location in Notes gives you a chance to add extra information. Here’s how to save a map location in notes.

Before there was Apple Music, there was Spotify—a $10 per month streaming service that continues to be quite popular, with over 30 million paid subscribers worldwide and millions of songs available. A free, ad-supported version offers favorite artists and albums, but to get ad-free music and features such as offline listening and on-demand songs, as well as higher quality streaming, you’ll need to go with the premium version. I couldn't immediately find a way to upgrade to premium from within the app, but it's long been cheaper to sign up via your desktop computer anyway ($10 as opposed to $13 from within the app). In this post we’ll give you 15 tips for getting the most out of Spotify.

Need iPad and iPhone help? Sign up for iPhone Life Insider and I’ll help you with all of your iPhone troubleshooting and iOS-related issues. Here’s a question from an Insider who occasionally wants to forward an email to a friend or 20 without having to add each email address individually:

By default, when you create a new note in the Notes app, you’re immediately creating the body of the note. This is so you can jump straight into the thought you were having and get it on “paper” in the Notes app. However, it’s easier to keep notes organized and know what is what if each note has its own headline. Here’s how to automatically start each note with a headline.

Apple Music offers lots of radio options by genre or curator. But you can also create your own radio stations by starting with a song you enjoy. Apple Music will then offer songs it feels matches the mood, tempo, and genre of what you chose to play. If you really like the radio station you create, you can take it step further and share it with your friends. Here’s how to share a station you created in Apple Music.