How To: Apple Messages Finally Gives You Full Control Over Webpage Links to Switch Previews or Use Plain Text URLs
The updated Messages app for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS has creative new ways for you to format and send messages, from standard text formatting to fun text effects. But Apple also includes another way to make your messages appear precisely as you want: more control over how links appear for you and your recipients.
How To: iOS 17.6 Has 12 New Features and Changes for iPhone You Need to Know About
As the iOS 18 beta continues, Apple's still investing time into fixing up iOS 17. Compared to iOS 17.4 and iOS 17.5, which both had over 30 new features and changes, iOS 17.6 is a relatively small software update for iPhone. But there are still some important things to know about.
How To: Schedule Messages to Send Later Automatically Using iMessage
You could already schedule an email to send on a specific day and time in Apple's Mail app, but that functionality is now also available in the Messages app. What's even better is that scheduled messages sync across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, something you don't get in the Mail app.
How To: All the Must-Try New Features That Make Apple's iPhone Calculator a Force to Be Reckoned With
Apple has completely redesigned its Calculator app for iPhone, and it's now powerful and practical enough to replace any third-party calculator you've been using.
How To: 20 Surprisingly Practical Uses for Apple AirTags
Apple AirTags are super helpful for keeping track of your keys, backpack, and other frequently misplaced items, but there are some pretty clever things you can do with them beyond finding regularly used stuff.
How To: Get Creative with Dark and Tinted Home Screen Icons on Your iPhone or iPad
Some iOS and iPadOS apps offer alternative app icons you can switch between. Beyond that, you'd have to create aliases in the Shortcuts app to customize the look of the app icons on your Home Screen. But that would mean two icons for each app in the App Library. Now, in a new software update, Apple is giving us a middle ground for Home Screen icon customization.
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How To: Apple's Making Your iPhone's Reminders App Even Better with 10 New Features
Apple's improving its productivity tools for iPhone, and not just for apps like Calculator and Notes. The Reminders app is also getting a huge update.
How To: Tired of Tapping? Use an External Keyboard on Your iPhone and Unlock Tons of Keyboard Shortcuts
Your iPhone goes with you everywhere, and its touchscreen interface is all you need to navigate and use all your installed iOS apps. But an external keyboard can make your iPhone an even more efficient tool for productivity tasks such as drafting long emails, composing detailed notes, and writing reports in your favorite text editor.
How To: 15 Ways Apple Messages Makes Texting and iMessage Even Better on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15
Apple's Messages app already has a ton of great features, from audio message transcriptions to message editing and screen effect triggers. But there are some important new changes to go along with the newest software updates for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that make Messages even better.
How To: Apple's Tapback Reactions in Messages Got a Huge Makeover with More Options — Here's What's New
The updated Messages app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac has some really cool new features, but the one you may end up using the most is something you're already familiar with: Tapbacks. With iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15, Tapbacks are improved and contain even more reactions to choose from.
How To: Apple's Messages App Has Some Cool New Text Editing Features and Effects for iMessage — Here's How It Works
At first glance, Apple's Messages app has always seemed pretty basic when it comes to text formatting options. However, there were and still are hidden ways to format text in your messages. But Apple's latest software updates give us even more ways to dress up text in messages, including more text effects.
How To: Access All Your Mac's Files Right on Your iPhone or iPad — No Third-Party Software Needed
When you need a file on your Mac as soon as possible, you usually have to get your MacBook or hop on your iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, or Mac Studio. But that's too much work if you're in bed, lying on the couch, or outside in the fresh air. Why even bother when you can access that file directly on your iPhone or iPad — without moving an inch?
How To: iOS 18 Upgrades Your iPhone's Buttons with Eye-Catching Visual Effects
There are a lot of great features coming to your iPhone with iOS 18, but one of the coolest features is also one of the simplest and most satisfying— one that you'll notice every day you use your iPhone. And for now, it's an iPhone exclusive, so you won't get the same gratifying experience on an iPad with iPadOS 18.
How To: Your iPhone's Finally Getting RCS Messaging — Here's How It Works
Things are about to get a lot better in your iPhone's Messages app, and the most significant change will let you text Android users with iMessage-like features such as typing indicators, read receipts, large file sharing, high-quality photos and videos, and even emoji reactions. If you can't wait for its official release, there's a way you can try RCS on your iPhone right now.
How To: 10 Things Everyone Should Know About the iPhone's Keyboard for a Better Typing Experience
Seventeen years ago, Apple released iPhone, the first mainstream consumer phone with a touchscreen as its main typing input method. Apple has been perfecting its onscreen keyboard for almost two decades, and it's built with some fantastic features that make typing faster and easier. But it's easy to overlook some of these features, so here are some tips and tricks you need to be using if you aren't already.
How To: Add More Domain Extensions to Your iPhone's Keyboard Shortcut to Type Email Addresses or Website URLs Faster
When typing an email or website address in a compatible input field on an iPhone, most people will manually type in the domain extension. But there's a much faster way to enter domain suffixes for email addresses and website URLs that you should be using on your keyboard. Even better, there's a way to customize what domain extensions appear in the keyboard shortcut!
How To: Apple's Massive Calculator Update Lets You Convert Currency, Area, Length, Time, and Other Measurement Units with Ease
Apple's Calculator app is getting a massive redesign, one that will make it so much more than a simple calculator with built-in scientific functions. There's a new Math Notes feature that ties in with the Notes app, it can keep a history of your calculations, and you can even convert over 200 currency and measurement units.
How To: Get Instant Solutions to Mathematical Problems on Your iPhone or iPad with Apple's New Math Notes
There are many ways to calculate basic math problems and solve algebraic equations, geometric expressions, and trigonometric functions on your iPhone, but Apple just came out with one that will blow you away.
How To: Remove or Add 'Where from' Metadata in Files on macOS
When you download files from certain apps like Safari and Chrome on your Mac, those files are tagged with the "Where from" metadata attribute. Depending on where the file was downloaded from, this attribute may refer to the host's URL, a sender's email address, or another piece of identifying information. While not obvious, you can delete or even change this attribute.
How To: Download Apple's New iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 Wallpapers to Use on Any Device
Every year, Apple releases new wallpapers for its iPhone and iPad software updates, and that's exactly what's happening with its upcoming iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 releases, which are currently in beta testing. But you don't need iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 to enjoy Apple's new backgrounds — you can download and use them on any device, whether a smartphone, tablet, computer, or something else.
How To: AirPods Are Getting Even Better Thanks to iOS 18
If you're an AirPods user, things are going to get a lot better with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. If you're not, it may finally be time to grab yourself a set of AirPods, especially if you're into privacy and gaming.
How To: Download and Install iOS 17.6 Beta on Your iPhone — And Try New Features Before Everyone Else
Apple is still not finished with iOS 17. While the iOS 18 update, due in the fall of 2024, was already revealed, there are still things to be fine-tuned on your iPhone until then. This brings us to iOS 17.6 — now available to try on your iPhone.
How To: Download and Install iPadOS 17.6 Beta on Your iPhone to Explore New Features Before Everyone Else
Apple has already revealed iPadOS 18, but it won't be ready for a stable release until the fall of 2024. Before we get there, there's still work to be done on iPadOS 17. That brings us to iPadOS 17.6 — and you can test drive it on your iPad right now before the masses.
How To: Lock and Hide Apps on Your iPhone or iPad — The Official Way
You can lock practically any app on your iPhone or iPad behind biometric or passcode protection. And we're not talking about using any funky workarounds, either. There's now an official Apple way to protect sensitive apps and their data. It even safeguards your personal information, keeping it out of sight across the system. You can even hide apps, making it harder for others to know they're there.
How To: 10 New Home Screen Features Coming to iPhone with iOS 18
With the iOS 18 software update, your iPhone will have exciting new Home Screen customization options, including some we've been waiting for for years. Your iPad can also use all these Home Screen features with iPadOS 18.
How To: Your iPhone's Flashlight Has New Focus Beams and Greater Brightness Control on iOS 18
Apple is introducing a new flashlight feature on iOS 18 for iPhone models with Dynamic Island. This feature lets you adjust not only the brightness level but also the beam pattern, giving you control over how wide or narrow the light shines.
How To: Your iPhone's Clock App Is Getting a Big New Feature with iOS 18
When iOS 17 first came out, the iPhone's Clock app received a giant new feature, one that lets you set multiple timers and keep track of them on the Lock Screen, in the Notification Center, and in the Dynamic Island. The upcoming iOS 18 software update will give us something just as exciting for the stopwatch.
How To: iOS 18 Lets You Change Widget Sizes on Your iPhone's Home Screen Without Deleting Them First
Apple's making it easier to change a widget's size on your iPhone's Home Screen, so you'll no longer have to delete widgets and add different-sized versions of them. With iOS 18, you can adjust a widget's size straight from its current widget size on your Home Screen. The new method also works on iPad with iPadOS 18.
How To: With iOS 18, You Can Finally Hide App, Folder, and Widget Names on Your iPhone's Home Screen
I have always favored a neat and tidy Home Screen on my iPhone, and one of the best ways to achieve that is by removing all the app, folder, and widget names. With a few workarounds, you can do this on iOS 17, but Apple's finally giving us an official feature on iOS 18 to hide app, folder, and widget names on the Home Screen. And it also works for iPad on iPadOS 18.
How To: Download and Install iOS 18 Beta or iPadOS 18 Beta to Try New iPhone or iPad Features First
Apple announced its upcoming iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 software on June 10 during its keynote address at WWDC24. The updates are packed with new features like Apple Intelligence and big changes for Home Screen, Control Center, Messages, Siri, Mail, and much more. To try these new features before everyone else, you must install the beta on your iPhone or iPad.
How To: Program Your iPhone's Physical Buttons to Open Apps, Perform Actions, or Do Almost Anything Else
Your iPhone only has a few physical buttons, buttons with a set number of default actions assigned to them, like sleeping your display, controlling volume levels, and even taking pictures. But as much as these buttons can do for you, they can do more. You're not stuck with the out-of-the-box defaults. Every push button on your iPhone can be customized in one way or another.
How To: 12 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Text Replacements on Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
You probably know of Apple's Text Replacement feature for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, but you're probably not using it as much as you should. With it, you can create your own keyboard triggers for almost anything you can think of, whether it's an email address or an entire email. There are endless reasons to create custom text replacements — and we'll show you why.
How To: Set Up Contact Key Verification for the Highest Level of iMessage Security
Your iPhone is fairly secure by default, but Apple's Lockdown Mode takes it to Fort Knox levels of protection. If you're a high-value target for spyware, phishing attempts, and other sophisticated cyberattacks, it's an essential feature. But for almost everyone else, it's an extreme move. If you simply want to verify someone's identity when chatting, Contact Key Verification is a more practical option.
How To: Unlock the Apple Logo Emoji on Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
Thousands of emoji are available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and you can use these in many of the apps you have installed on your Apple devices. But there's one emoji you'll likely never see on any of Apple's official emoji keyboards, and its absence may surprise you at first, considering it's embedded in virtually every Apple product. That emoji is, of course, the Apple logo icon.
How To: Snooze Emails in Apple's Mail App So You Don't Forget to Check Them Out Later
Email accounts can quickly get out of control, and important emails can easily get lost if you don't have time to look at them right away. In Apple's Mail app, there's a simple way to be reminded of emails you want to read later, whether it's an email with tasks you need to complete, upcoming event details, or a message you need to reply to, and it works no matter the email account.
How To: The 14 Best Spotlight Search Features for iPhone You Didn't Know About
Apple's built-in search on iPhone is an incredibly valuable tool you shouldn't ignore or underutilize, and we're here to show you why. So, buckle in because this list covers hidden and lesser-known Spotlight features that will leave you wondering how you ever lived without Spotlight Search on iOS.
How To: Create a Two-Sided Dynamic Profile Picture on Instagram to Show Your Photo and an Animated Avatar
Breathe new life into your Instagram profile picture with another layer of self-expression. It's the perfect way to show another side of your personality without sacrificing your current IG profile photo.
How To: The Best MagSafe Wallets You Can Buy for Your iPhone in 2024
Phone in one pocket, wallet in the other? It's the classic combo guaranteed to give you more pocket bulge. But it's 2024. Half that stuff in your wallet is practically antique. It's time to finally ditch all the dead weight and get a MagSafe wallet for iPhone — and we've got the best picks to slim you down to the essentials.
How To: Get Follow-Up Reminders in Apple's Mail App to Get Answers to Important Questions You Forgot You Sent
Important emails can slip through the cracks in any email client, especially sent emails you were expecting responses to but never received — and ultimately forgot about. Apple has an easy solution for this problem, helping you get answers in Mail for all your pending questions.
How To: You're Using Lidar on Your iPhone and iPad — And You Don't Even Know It
Lidar, a technology first used by meteorologists and aerospace engineers and then adopted in self-driving vehicles, has slowly crept into consumer electronics over the last five years. If you have a Pro model iPhone or iPad, there's a good chance it has a lidar sensor, and you're likely using it whether you know it or not.