iOS

Backups – some of us love them, many of us love to hate them, a good number of us don’t even bother. The fact is, most typical personal computer users (including those who use smartphones and tablets) are unclear about their own data backup status or consciously choose not to back up. Happily, with a…

The Maps app in iOS 7 will do its best to get you from place to place with its built-in navigation feature, and it can show you driving or walking directions. Maps assumes you're in your car, but what if you usually walk? No problem; just change the default from driving directions to walking. Read…

One of my favorite uses for my iPhone is turn-by-turn navigation. When Apple added the feature to Maps in iOS 6, I loved the extra integration it provided over all other GPS apps. However, one thing I really hated about it was the fact that I couldn't change the voice volume from within the app.…

We iOS Mail users have had a unified inbox for a good long time now, right? And it's pretty much the best thing since sliced bread. Well, now there's something that's just as awesome, and it's new in iOS 7—unified trash, sent, and drafts mailboxes. So you can see all of your sent messages, for…

In iOS 7, Safari's integrated URL and search field at the top shows only the primary part of the domain for a website. This tip shows you how to see the full URL. _________________________   For example, here's a TMO article in iOS 7 and Safari. Note how the URL field says simply “macobserver.com.” To…

Sometimes it's the simple things that make operating system updates so nice, like iOS 7's new way of performing system-wide searches. The problem is when the way you get at a feature like that changes and no one tells you where it went. If you're stymied trying to find iOS 7's system-wide search, rest easy.…

iOS 7 has several settings that allow those who are visually impaired to improve the readability of the display. This tip looks at zooming the display and increasing the contrast. ______________________________ In iOS, accessibility settings are found on this path: Settings > General > Accessibility. The ones discussed here are Zoom and Increase Contrast, circled…

Last week in this space I talked about apps to help you jazz up your photos. Now that you have some super cool pix you'll want to share them, right? What do you do? There are a boatload of options of course. This is iOS we're talking about. There's an app for almost anything. Facebook,…

If you're running iOS 7 (and if you've got a supported device, as noted in this TMO article), you'll get an icon to access new built-in filters when you're taking a picture. After you choose whichever fanciness you wanna apply and take your shot, though, what if you decide you hate the filter you picked?…

In iOS 7, Apple makes explicit to the user (or someone else) a log of frequent geographic locations visited. Called Frequent Locations, basically, the iPhone now remembers everywhere the user goes. This option is buried deeply in iOS 7 Settings, and it should be turned off by default. Here's why I believe that. __________________________ For…

In iOS 7, from time to time, a pale bue dot will appear in front of the app's name. What is that exactly? For example, if you look closely, you may see something like this on your iPad or iPhone. Those pale blue dots are not the Earth, as seen from 6 billion kilometers by…

___________________________ The first place to look is Apple's own iPad User Guide for iOS 7 which explains the new search method, both for the Internet and on the page being viewed. Here's an excerpt from page 46. IPad User Guide for iOS 7 (Credit: Apple) What happens in iOS 7, when you tap the integrated…

The iBag—It Just Works™ Apple has a motion sickness problem on its hand, and it's a problem the company should fix ASAP. Complaints have been mounting since the release of iOS on September 18th, and there's enough evidence to indicate it's a serious issue for a small number of users. The problem appears to be…

The slider toggle switches in iOS 7's settings don't include any words to indicate whether or not something is active — like On or Off — but they do turn green to show they're active. That's nice, but not all apps offer the green visual cue, and some people may have trouble with colors, too.…

iOS 7's Control Center feature is great because it gives you quick access to the system settings you're most likely to use. If you use any apps that also rely on the up-from-the-bottom-of-the-screen gesture, however, that can actually be a pain. Luckily Apple thought of that, and the fix is easy. Control Center gives you…

We tend to think of using FaceTime for a face-to-face video and audio call to a smiling face. But did you know that iOS 7 introduces the ability to make audio calls only? Here's how to do it. _______________________ First, it may be helpful to review how to make the initial FaceTime connection to another…

For some users, there's a new, odd looking bar at the top of the iOS 7 Lock Screen. What is that exactly? Here's what the bar looks like. It turns out that the bar is both a notification and a touch prompt that you can pull down from there and see notifications from the Lock…

Police in New York City are asking “Apple users” to upgrade to iOS 7, and they're going so far as to hand out flyers to encourage you to do so. The effort is part of the NYPD's Operation Identification Program, which is part of the city's larger effort to reduce iPhone-related crime. Michael Hoffman tweeted…

iOS 6 users who have upgraded (or will upgrade) to iOS 7 may lament the loss of their “swipe to delete” functionality. In iOS 6, swiping to the right brought up a 'Delete' button, whereas now in iOS 7 that to-the-right swipe causes a different type of navigation. Never fear: Apple hasn't left you in…

In several of iOS 7's built-in apps—such as Notes, Settings, Messages, Safari, the App Store, iTunes, the Music app, and Mail—you can swipe from left to right to go back to the previous screen. Swipe like this… …to go back. Of course, this is most useful in Safari, where swiping left to right will take…

The introduction of automatic app updates in iOS 7 is terrific. But there may be times when you don't want that to happen. Here's an explanation of when you might want to turn it off and how to do it. ________________________ In iOS 7: Tap on Settings. Tap on iTunes & App Store. Select “Updates”…

Messages in iOS 7 are very economical in their presentation. Not every message bubble is time stamped. Here's a quick tip on how to reveal the time of every bubble. ________________________ Let's say you're reviewing a message stream and you really need to see the exact time of each message. Or one in particular. The…

Now that iOS 7 is in the wild I'm getting some interesting questions, like one from a friend who discovered the parallax motion effect that moves the background behind the Home screen icons triggers their migraines. How do you fix that, they asked. Simple: enable Reduce Motion. Tilting your iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, or iPhone…

iOS 7 dramatically changes the look and feel compared to iOS 6. At first, we're not quite sure about our feelings. However, in time, important design elements surface in our consciousness. It's a fascinating journey. _______________________ When I look at iOS 7, it generates very strong, positive feelings. The strongest feeling I get is that…