iPhone

When you swipe right from either your Lock screen or Home screen on the iPhone, you open the Widgets view. We’ve covered this screen in some how-tos, but overall it’s a place where you can glance at information you need to know and jump directly into apps you want to use. You can add widgets for Maps, Music, Weather, other stock apps, and lots of third-party apps. But the widget I have always, always wanted is a simple week-ahead look at my calendar. Perhaps calendar apps think it would be too crowded or think we don’t need to see that many days ahead, but there something very soothing to me about knowing my upcoming schedule without opening up the Calendar app. So when I found the Eventail (free) app, I nearly squealed. This app allows you to use the calendar app you know and love; the app simply helps you set up the perfect calendar widget. Learn more about what the app does and why we love it below.

Way back in 2013 Instagram introduced direct messaging, called Instagram Direct, to the popular photo-sharing platform. In that iteration, direct messaging, or DMing, had to include a picture taken and edited in the Instagram app. Due to popular demand, Instagram now offers text-only direct messaging, which is really convenient for individuals who not only use the app to create, share, and explore photography, but also as an easy way to stay in touch with friends without switching to another platform or messaging app. Did you know that not only can you direct message friends on Instagram, you can also dm groups of friends? Let's get started learning how to create group conversations with or without pictures in Instagram on your iPhone. 

One of the best ways to protect your iPhone 8 or 8 Plus (or your iPhone 7 or 7 Plus) is to get a screen protector. Tempered glass screen protectors in particular offer great drop protection for the glass screen beneath. Of course, we recommend using a rugged case for your iPhone 7 or for your glass-bodied iPhone 8 as well, but covering your iPhone screen is priority number one. If you prefer not to use cases (you really shouldn't go without a case on the newest glass-bodied iPhones!), screen protectors become even more important. There are tons of companies out there with iPhone screen protectors, which means there's a lot to choose from in a wide range of prices. We’re going to cover our picks for the five best screen protectors for iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Any of these tempered glass screen protectors will also work with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

In the 75th episode of the iPhone Life Podcast, the team shares how to preorder the HomePod, which arrives February 9. Other topics include the latest rumor that Apple will discontinue the iPhone X and a review of Google’s Arts & Culture app. As promised, David and Sarah have shared their best and worst selfie/museum portrait matches. Send yours and we'll add them to the post!

How to Remove U2 Album on iPhone:

  1. Visit: https://itunes.com/soi-remove.
  2. Click Remove Album.
  3. Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
  4. A confirmation page will let you know that you’ve removed the U2 album from your library.
  5. You may still see the album in your iTunes library. The confirmation page suggests signing out of iTunes and back in. You can also select the songs, right click, and select Delete from Library.

This will remove the U2 album from your iTunes library; the next part will show you how to delete the U2 album off your phone as well. 

Looking for a glimpse into the future? That's why 180,000 people gathered in Las Vegas this year for CES, an annual event where tech companies from all over the world debut their most innovative new products. A dedicated team of iPhone Life writers combed the far reaches of every hall to find the coolest new tech for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Our Best of CES 2018 Awards went to the most forward-thinking, creative, and useful iOS-related gear and more coming to market this year.

Tagging someone on Instagram is pretty straightforward. If you’re viewing an Instagram photo you really like that you want to share with a friend, you can simply tag them in the comments and they'll receive a notification. But did you know you can also send an Instagram picture as a dm, or direct message? If you choose this option, it's more private because you don't have to mention them in the public comments. Let's learn how to direct message a picture on Instagram, or how to just tag someone on an Instagram photo without sending them a dm.

Email inboxes fill up quickly, and it's easy to get overwhelmed by the ever-increasing pile of unopened messages in your inbox. That's why it's so helpful to be able to check your email on your iPhone; even a few minutes of deleting emails here and there can make a big difference.  If you've connected your Gmail account to the iOS mail app on your iPhone you may have noticed that the option to delete isn't offered by the iOS mail app. Instead, you're given three choices: Mark, Move, or Archive. Where do archived emails go? Choosing archive means the email will be moved out of your inbox and sent to an archive folder, but it's still available if you want to open or re-read it later. So many emails don't even need to be read a first time, though, much less archived! It's time to learn how to delete google emails on iPhone, rather than archiving them. Inbox zero, here we come! 

PayPal is a service that allows users to enter their credit or debit card information, then use the PayPal platform to quickly receive and make payments and send money in an encrypted, secure fashion. A top platforms for secure online payments since 1998, PayPal's convenience and security currently serves over 218 million active accounts. PayPal has never suffered a major data breach, and innovates continually to stay ahead of hackers and identity thieves. It makes sense then, that Apple customers would want a PayPal app for their devices. While PayPal rolled out an iPhone app years ago, iPad users are still wondering when a PayPal app for iPad is coming. After all, the larger screen size of an iPad would be much better for reviewing transactions and updating information than squinting at a small iPhone screen. Let's learn how to get the PayPal app for iPad!

Do you feel like you're in a musical rut and wishing for a way to discover new songs, artists, and playlists? With iOS 11, Apple Music is finally getting social, and it's the perfect way to find new music and broaden your auditory horizons. It works like this, if you have friends who also use Apple Music, you can now follow each other. Once you find and connect with friends on Apple Music you can explore what they're listening to and make your playlists public on your profile so they can do the same. Let the cross-pollination begin! Apple Music will use also your iPhone’s contacts to find other friends who are using Apple Music and recommend that you follow them. You can connect your Apple Music profile to Facebook and Instagram as well, so that it can offer more recommendations from your social media friends. Let's get started using Apple Music to find new friends, new music, new music friends, you get the idea. Here’s how to find and follow friends on Apple Music with iOS 11 on iPhone.

More than 160 million people use Snapchat every day, and developers keep rolling out new, versatile features to keep Snap fresh. Whether you want to use Snapchat to send a photo, video, or message to one friend or to a whole group of followers, live video chat, or discover short-form content from publishers and celebrities, there's a lot to keep you connected and engaged. Beyond that, Snapchat allows users to send and receive money through Snapcash, create avatars, augment content with filters and AR lenses, stickers, and a drawing feature, and share locations for still shots and live chat. Formerly a non-archival platform, Snapchat now allows users to save photos and videos, called snaps, with their Memories feature. A frustration many Snapchat users share is the inability to download Snap for iPad. Snapchat for iPhone is super convenient, but when you have the ability to use an iPad, it sure would be great to have a larger drawing surface so you can add more detail to your still shots and filters, and have more screen space to explore Stories. Although Snapchat for iPad is not officially available, there's an easy trick to install Snapchat on iPad. Let's get started learning how to get Snapchat on iPad! 

Signal is a privacy app that uses end-to-end encryption for individual and group texts, videos, documents, voice, and picture messaging. Open Whisper, Signal's parent company, produced Signal using grants and donations, utilizing Open Source software, with the aim of providing a free and secure platform for worldwide communication, without SMS or MMS fees—this even includes free long-distance calls to anyone, anywhere in the world who also has the Signal app! No one at Signal or anywhere else can read or view communications on the platform, they can only be viewed by the individual user, who can also choose when each message will disappear. Since the whole point of an encrypted communication app is to ensure privacy, Signal is free of tracking, affiliate marketers, and ads. Signal uses your existing address book and phone number, and will only allow you to register one mobile device, so you'll need to choose if you want to use your iPhone or iPad. Getting Signal on your iPhone is free and easy, it pops right up in the App Store, but Signal for iPad is a bit more complicated. Read on to learn how to get Signal on your iPad!

All of us have had to plow through at least one difficult day of school or work after a less-than-optimal night of sleep, or even an all nighter. But what happens when a rough night becomes the norm? The Centers for Disease Control collects data about the sleep habits of Americans, and reports that one in three of us are getting fewer than the recommended seven hours of sleep per night. Whether you can't fall asleep, can't stay asleep, or both, insomnia is not only miserable, but bad for your health. I'm one of those insomniacs that can't stay asleep; waking up more nights than not after only about four hours of shut-eye, and not being able to drift off again for at least an hour or two. If you're like me, and have spent many wakeful hours wishing you could just relax and sleep, it's time to find some help. While relaxing bedtime routines, meditation for sleep, natural insomnia remedies, calming teas, and even sleeping pills can help, there's one more thing I think you should try: a sleep app for your iPhone! I tried Sleep Genius for two weeks, and am still using it every night. Sleep Genius is a sleep app that combines soothing sleep music, a gentle alarm, a relaxation program for anxiety at any time, and even a power nap feature! Read on to learn more about Sleep Genius, and why I think you should give this sleep app a home on your iPhone.

Qi wireless chargers are about to become all the rage with owners of the new iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. If you weren't already on the Qi wireless charging bandwagon, you're about to find yourself much more inclined to be, now that Apple is offering Qi wireless charging as a native feature of its new iPhone X and iPhone 8 series. With Qi wireless charging, you simply place your Qi enabled device upon the Qi charging base and that's it, your device begins charging. Easy as can be. Fortunately Qi wireless charging is already an established charging platform, so there are plenty of great Qi wireless charging pads to choose from, with more on the way including Apple’s own AirPower charging plate. Let's learn more about some of the best wireless iPhone charging stations currently available.

Count me among the many who's feelings right now range from irritated to outraged as a result of Apple’s admission that it has been throttling my older model iPhone’s performance. This tactic, supposedly to help my iPhone perform better, has been carried out without my knowledge and without Apple making any public attempts to educate or inform me of its intent to do so. Had Apple been more transparent about the hows and why of its decision to throttle iPhone performance, and done a better job explaining why it felt this an important step to take, it likely would not have been met with the same level of public vitriol or the class-action lawsuits that it currently faces.

Where is AirDrop in iOS 11?

By Conner Carey

Before iOS 11 changed the layout of Control Center, the AirDrop options were clearly visible within Control Center. With iOS 11, AirDrop is still there but hidden. If you’re wondering what happened to AirDrop, we’ll help you locate it. AirDrop in Control Center is where you choose who can find you and send you things via AirDrop. Of course, even if anyone can find you, you still have the option to decline. But it’s good to know where AirDrop has disappeared to in Control Center with iOS 11. Here’s how to find AirDrop in iOS 11 on iPhone.

I’ve heard it said over and over again that the best camera is the one you have with you. Honestly, I couldn’t agree more. I have an amazing DSLR and yet I find that the majority of my pictures are taken with my iPhone. Unfortunately, our iPhones still struggle in a lot of ways that more advanced cameras don’t. One of those ways is the iPhone’s intolerance for low-light situations. If you’re sick of blurry, unclear images, then here are a few tips and tricks that have really helped me out. Here’s how to shoot clearer, better photos on your iPhone.

Qi charging, wireless charging, inductive charging... whatever you call it, it's fast becoming a must-have feature in the smart phone world. Apple's latest three iPhone offerings, the 8, 8 Plus, and X, are all Qi enabled and can charge their batteries at the wireless charging stations that are popping up everywhere from airports to coffee shops. There's even a free app, Aircharge Qi, that lets iPhone users know where their nearest Qi charging station is! The versatility and convenience offered by electromagnetic charging isn't just for the latest iPhones, though. If you have an older iPhone and want to get on the wireless charging bandwagon, there's more than one way to Qi-enable your pre-iPhone 8 device. Choices include wireless charging cases, and a variety of wireless charging receiver cards, stickers, and patches; and remember, if you're going to buy a Qi-enabling accessory for your device, you'll also need a Qi charging pad. Let's get started going over your options to get wireless charging on your older iPhone.

We've heard that the iPhone X is Apple's fastest charging iPhone ever, but it's still a bit of a mystery how to achieve the quickest charge time. How long does it take to charge the iPhone X? What kind of accessories will improve your iPhone's charging time? Above all—how much will these add-ons cost? If you've already purchased Apple's iPhone X, or even the iPhone 8 or 8 Plus, chances are you're interested in utilizing every feature of your cutting-edge device to its fullest potential, and that includes giving that iPhone battery a good workout. So let's discuss how long standard iPhone X charging time is, how quick charging your iPhone X works, and which USB adapters and Lightning cables you'll need to charge your iPhone X, 8, or 8 Plus better, faster, and more efficiently than ever before.

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