• February 20, 2024

    You Can Now Have Zoom Meetings on an Apple TV

    When Apple introduced tvOS 17 last September, an eagerly awaited feature was its support for FaceTime calls, using Continuity Camera on an iPhone or iPad to equip an Apple TV with the necessary camera and microphone. FaceTime on the Apple TV requires a second-generation Apple TV 4K or ... Read more
  • February 15, 2024

    Use iOS 17.3’s Stolen Device Protection to Reduce Harm from iPhone Passcode Thefts

    Last year, a series of articles by Wall Street Journal reporters Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen highlighted a troubling form of crime targeting iPhone users. A thief would discover the victim’s iPhone passcode, swipe the iPhone, and run. With just the passcode, the thief could quickly change the victim’s Apple ID password, lock them out of their iCloud account, and use apps and data on the iPho... Read more
  • February 13, 2024

    Annoyed by Inline Predictive Text Suggestions? Here’s How to Turn Them Off

    In a slight nod to the hype surrounding generative AI, Apple added inline text prediction capabilities to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. They can be helpful, particularly on the iPhone and iPad, where it’s often much easier to tap the Space bar than to finish typing a word or sentence. But that’s less true on the Mac, where a fast typist can be slowed down or derailed by the suggestions, and some p... Read more
  • February 6, 2024

    How to Avoid Head-Tracked Spatial Audio for FaceTime Audio Calls

    If you listen to a FaceTime Audio call using AirPods and hear the other person’s voice moving annoyingly from side to side as you turn your head, the problem is likely head-tracked spatial audio. In general, spatial audio attempts to make sounds seem to come from all around you, and its dynamic head-tracking opt... Read more
  • January 30, 2024

    Use StandBy to Make Your iPhone into a Clock, Photo Frame, and More

    iOS 17 brings a new mode for the iPhone: StandBy. All you have to do is connect your iPhone to a charger wirelessly or with a cable, position it on its side in landscape orientation, and press the side button to lock the screen. Standby works best with a MagSafe charging stand. Swipe left ... Read more
  • December 26, 2023

    Lift Objects from Photos on the iPhone

    Have you ever wanted to extract an object from a photo for use in another context? Starting with iOS 16 on a relatively recent iPhone, you can do that with many photos. In the Photos app, touch and hold the object, and if Photos can extract it, you’ll see a highlight run around its edges. Raise your finger, and a popover lets you copy the object, look up information about it, turn it into a sti... Read more
  • December 19, 2023

    Locate a Featured Lock Screen Image in Photos

    iOS’s Photo Shuffle wallpaper does a great job of identifying attractive photos for your Lock Screen. However, if you’re like us, you’ll sometimes wonder when or where you took a Lock Screen photo. Here’s how to figure that out. Touch and hold the Lock Screen when it’s displaying the photo in question, tap Customize, tap the Lock Screen wallpaper, tap the ••• button in the lower-right corner, a... Read more
  • December 7, 2023

    No, NameDrop in iOS 17 Isn’t a Privacy Concern. Here’s How to Use It

    One of the prominent new features in iOS 17.1 and watchOS 10.1 is NameDrop, which makes it easy to exchange contact information with someone merely by putting your iPhone or Apple Watch next to theirs. When you do that, you can share your contact card and receive theirs, or just receive theirs—nothing happens unless you initiate an action. Unfortunately, some police departments have posted w... Read more
  • November 23, 2023

    Use iOS 17’s Check In Feature to Reduce Worry

    We’ve all had a friend or family member say, “Text me when you get home,” because they want the peace of mind from knowing you arrived safely. But what if something goes wrong—or you forget—so they never receive that text? They’ll be worried and won’t know where you are, if you’re OK, and so on. In iOS 17, Apple has introduced the Check In feature to provide peace of mind—or in the worst cas... Read more
  • November 16, 2023

    Nine Tips for Switching from an iPhone with Touch ID to One with Face ID

    In 2013, Apple added Touch ID to the Home button of the iPhone 5S. Taking advantage of the uniqueness of fingerprints, Touch ID combines the Home button press to wake up the iPhone with a fingerprint scan to authenticate the user. But in 2017, Apple introduced the iPhone X with Read more