These are the best and coolest Apple Watch faces

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All The Best Apple Watch Faces
There are so many options — and several good ones.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Out of the many dozens of options, which is the coolest Apple Watch face? Every time I see someone wearing an Apple Watch, I try to scope out which watch face they use. Nine times out of 10, they use either the Modular face or the Photo face (with a Sport band).

This is despite the Apple Watch offering dozens of watch faces, allowing for all kinds of customizability.

If you want to spice up and individualize your Apple Watch, here are the best and coolest faces. And in our latest video, I rank every watch face on a tier list.

How to use AirPods as hearing aids

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AirPods Pro and Transparency Mode make for fine hearing aids.
AirPods Pro and Transparency Mode make for fine hearing aids.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

AirPods can work surprisingly well as hearing aids. Thanks to Transparency mode, AirPods Pro will boost the sound of your environment around you. They can give you freaky Spiderman super-hearing if you boost input volume to the max. And Conversation Boost on the latest AirPods Pro 2 can intelligently raise the volume of people talking to you (while lowering the volume of your music or podcasts).

My prescription hearing aids were out of action recently due to a battery problem, so for a few weeks, I used my AirPods Pro as hearing aids.

For the most part, they’ve been pretty good. They work best when set up properly, which is a bit of a chore, but here’s how to do it.

How to pay with an Apple Cash card number

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Imaginary Card, Real Money
Create a virtual card for your Apple Cash.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

You can get a temporary debit card number to pay with Apple Cash online in case you want to pay with your balance on a site that doesn’t accept Apple Pay. If you have a lot of money sitting in your Apple Cash account, this can be a convenient way to pay without using your other cards. (It’s also handy if you don’t have any credit or debit cards from other banks.)

In case it’s unclear, Apple Cash is what you receive when someone sends you money via iMessage. It’s not to be confused with the other products with similar names. Apple Card is a highly rated credit card you can apply for. (It’s a physical card, made of titanium.) Apple Card Savings is a high-interest savings account for people with a physical Apple Card. And Apple Pay is a payment method (secured by Face ID, Touch ID or your device’s passcode) that lets you pay with credit/debit cards from other banks.

Previously, you could only pay with your Apple Cash via Apple Pay (or transfer it to your bank). Now, you can tie your Apple Cash to a virtual card number to pay using your Apple Cash balance online. Here’s how to set it up.

How to get the latest HomePod software update

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HomePod How To
Here’s how to be sure you have the latest HomePod software update. Or stop your smart speaker from updating.
Graphic: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Your HomePod is a lot more than a simple speaker — it’s a whole computer. And like any computer it has an operating system that needs occasional updates. Here’s how to make sure your Apple smart speaker has the software version released on Tuesday.

Version 17.4 makes it easier to play media by learning your preferred service. 

If you depend on automatic updates, it’s possible your smart speaker hasn’t yet installed the update. Here’s how to do so manually.

Are AirTags waterproof? [Key facts and best solutions]

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Are AirTags waterproof?
Don't be nervous: AirTags are probably waterproof enough for your needs.
Photo: Auguras Pipiras/Blaque X/Cult of Mac

Are AirTags waterproof? Keeping liquids out of our electronics isn’t always easy. Especially when it’s something we take with us everywhere, like our AirTags. Those with Apple’s handle little item tracker, or anyone thinking about getting one, might ask the questions:

  • Can AirTags be submerged in water?
  • Can AirTags go through the wash?
  • Can my dog swim with AirTag?

I’ve kept a tracking tag on my indoor/outdoor cat for years, so I fully understand wanting to be sure a bit of rain won’t cause problems. And I have tags on my keys and many other items, and I also don’t want a trip through the wash to ruin them.

Fortunately, I have lots of good news.

How to take solar eclipse photos with iPhone

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Person wearing sunglasses taking a picture on an iPhone on a tripod
Here’s how to take the best solar eclipse photo with an iPhone
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

There are lots of questions about how to take solar eclipse photos with your iPhone. Firstly, can a solar eclipse harm your iPhone’s camera or lenses? Won’t the sun’s rays damage the camera?

Not according to Apple. Cupertino says it’s safe to photograph a total solar eclipse with your iPhone; but be sure to protect your eyes.

However, photographing the solar eclipse is hard without the right tools. To get a good picture of the solar eclipse with your iPhone, you’re going to need a 12-18x telephoto lens attachment, a solar filter and a tripod. Make sure you have everything you need before the big day next month.

Here’s how you can get prepared. Watch our new video or keep reading below.

How to autofill passwords, email addresses and more on iPhone

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Instantly Autofill Anywhere
No more futzing around, looking up a password or email to copy and paste.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

AutoFill on iPhone is supposed to help you out when you’re entering a password or typing in your email. When it doesn’t work, it can be incredibly frustrating — especially if you don’t know some complicated password offhand. The phone’s supposed to remember it so you don’t have to!

Now, in iOS 17, AutoFill has been put on steroids. The new AutoFill is much more expansive than the old, and unlike previous versions, works anywhere you can input text, including third-party browsers. To autofill passwords, credit cards, contacts and more, you no longer have to dig through Settings > Passwords or through the Contacts app to pull out the information.

You can even autofill scanned text from documents, signs and more using the camera. Here’s how it’s done.

How to read auto-generated transcripts in Apple Podcasts

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Apple Podcasts transcripts
Every episode on Apple Podcasts now has a written transcript, ready for you to read.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

It just became a lot easier to read along with a podcast, or pull an interesting quote out of one. The Apple Podcasts app now automatically generates transcripts for series and episodes.

Here’s how to find and read these transcripts in the iPhone Podcasts app.

How to use the built-in Translate app on iPhone

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Don’t Leave Without This App
Apple’s Translate app is a great resource for those with wanderlust.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

The Translate app built into your iPhone is a hidden gem if you’re traveling abroad. It gives you the ability to download languages in advance, so you don’t have to worry about a dodgy cell connection.

The camera lets you translate text in-line of a restaurant menu or parking meter — it could help you out of a sticky situation. The Translate app’s conversation view makes it easy having a back-and-forth with someone who doesn’t speak your native tongue.

Here’s how to make the most out of the built-in Translate app.

6 cool things you can do with an old Mac

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6 Things To Do With An Old Mac
What can you use it for? Quite a lot, actually.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

There are lots of things you can do with an old Mac. No one will fault you for upgrading to Apple’s latest and greatest, but your old Mac can still find a job to do, too.

It used to be that when your old iMac kicked the can, you hollowed it out and made an aquarium or a desk lamp. These days, Macs have a much longer shelf life. The right model can give you years upon years of loyal service. (Not to mention, modern Macs are too thin to house a fish.)

Here are the six best things you can do with an old Mac. Watch our latest video or keep reading below.

How to turn off autocorrect on your iPhone

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how to turn off autocrorect
if you dont like being forced into capitalization, heres how to turn it off
image: d griffin jones/cult of mac

you can turn off autocorrect on your iphone if you want your texts to come across as casual and laid back. psychologically, lowercase writing that isnt punctuated with apostrophes or periods read as more informal and friendly

turning off autocorrect is super-easy. you can even turn off capitalization but leave on corrections for spelling and grammar. see how awesome it is? heres how to do it!!! :)

Screenshot a whole page (or an entire email) on iPhone

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Capture The Whole Page
Take a screenshot of the entire page. Any page. Like this one!
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

It’s easy to take a screenshot on your iPhone to keep a copy of something in your photo library for later. You can even screenshot a whole page on an iPhone at once using a somewhat hidden feature.

If you want to take a screenshot of something like an in-depth recipe, a lengthy email or anything else that doesn’t fit on your iPhone screen, you can take an extended screenshot. Instead of filling your library with five separate images, you can use your iPhone to screenshot the entire page (or a large section of it) without using an app to stitch them together after the fact.

Here’s how it’s done. (I’ll show you how to do this on a Mac, too.)

How to control volume with your Apple TV remote

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One Remote To Rule Them All
All hail the mighty Siri Remote.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

You can set up your Apple TV to control volume on a separate sound system, like a sound bar. It may not work out of the box, but poking around in Settings, you can use the convenient volume buttons built into the Siri Remote.

If you have a separate sound system or an older television, the volume buttons on your Apple TV remote may not work directly. You don’t have to keep two or three remotes sitting around — you can make it all work from just one. It just takes a little setup

How to set up the best Mac screensaver, Aerial

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Aerial screensaver on a Mac
Beautiful.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Screensavers fell out of fashion a long time ago, but Apple’s Aerial screensaver looks so beautiful, it just might make you reconsider. In fact, with its stunning visuals, it might just be the best Mac screensaver around.

The Aerials started on the Apple TV, showing gorgeous, sweeping helicopter photography of the world’s greatest natural landscapes, underwater sights and cityscapes — even shots from space. Now, if you have a desktop display set up somewhere prominently in your house, you can get the same beautiful vistas on your computer with the Aerial screensaver for Mac.

Here’s where to find this beautiful Mac screensaver, plus some setup tips that will really help it shine.

How to make a shared, collaborative Apple Music Playlist

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Playlists With Your Friends
Come together.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

A hot new feature in iOS 17.3 is Apple Music playlist collaboration. In advance of a party, road trip or any kind of themed event, you and others organizing the music can build a playlist together.

This isn’t to be confused with a similar feature, SharePlay, which lets people in the same room add songs to a live queue. SharePlay is more ephemeral; it lets others nearby play songs in the car or to a Bluetooth speaker without passing around your unlocked phone.

A shared Apple Music playlist is saved and can be replayed at any time. To find out everything you need to know about Apple Music playlist collaboration, keep reading or watch our quick how-to video

How to download, set up and use the new Apple Sports app for iPhone

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Follow the Score Live
Apple Sports is easy to use, and packed with detailed information on upcoming games and yesterday’s scores.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

The new Apple Sports app gives iPhone users a handy tool for tracking sports scores and stats. Previously buried inside Apple News, the constantly updated sports data becomes much more accessible when delivered via a dedicated iPhone sports app.

You can choose which teams and leagues you follow, get live updates on scores (and betting odds), and tap to open live coverage of the game in a streaming app.

The official Apple Sports app is available on the App Store now. Here’s how to use it.

Connect a Bluetooth keyboard, trackpad or controller to Vision Pro

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Vision Pro sitting on a pine table next to a Bluetooth keyboard
A Bluetooth keyboard can turn your Vision Pro into a real productivity machine.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

If you want to get work done on your Vision Pro, you’ll really want a Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad for precision input and pointing. And for gaming, you can connect a controller, too. The Vision Pro officially supports Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch controllers, with support for some other Bluetooth models as well.

Follow these instructions to pair a Bluetooth device with Vision Pro.

Customize Control Center on Vision Pro to be more useful and less irritating

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Vision Pro Control Center settings floating in a forest
Adjust Control Center settings from the comfort of a peaceful forest environment.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Control Center in Vision Pro works very differently than on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac. But as with Apple’s other platforms, you can customize the Vision Pro Control Center to make it far more useful.

The first few days after I got my Vision Pro, I found Control Center to be intensely irritating. It constantly appeared in my field of view, bugging me like a hair in my mouth or a piece of popcorn in my teeth.

Luckily, with just a few changes, you can make Control Center way less annoying.

How to charge the battery on your Vision Pro

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Vision Pro battery plugged in, sitting on a pine desk
It’s not a small battery.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

If you get a Vision Pro, you’ll soon need to learn how to charge up that battery. Apple only promises two hours of battery life on its revolutionary headset. Although real-world usage is pushing closer to three, if you want your spatial computing to be untethered, you’ll need to charge the Vision Pro battery often.

Here’s how to do it — along with some tips that will keep you (and your data) safe.

How to let other people see what you see in Vision Pro

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Apple TV showing a screen mirrored Vision Pro with the Explore Mars app
Let other people see what you’re seeing. (Featuring the Explore Mars app.)
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

It’s possible to share your screen in your Vision Pro so that other people can see what you’re seeing, too. This is especially helpful in Vision Pro Guest Mode, to help you guide newbies through the unfamiliar headset.

Vision Pro is an exciting new product, but it can be isolating. The incredible experiences it enables aren’t social. However, you can AirPlay your screen to a nearby Apple TV, iPad, Mac or iPhone.

Here’s how.

How to fix eye and hand tracking on Vision Pro

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Man sitting on a couch with a Vision Pro making a pinch gesture with his fingers
You won’t be smiling when your Vision Pro refuses to follow your eyes correctly.
Photo: Apple

You can easily fix Apple Vision Pro eye tracking and hand tracking if your headset starts to act up. You’ll want to follow the steps below if the device stops accurately tracking your gaze or your hand gestures.

As you probably know, hand tracking and eye tracking are essential to using Vision Pro. When they don’t work as well as possible, it’s incredibly frustrating. I know, because sometimes the headset’s sensors have a hard time tracking my eyes up and down. It’s like using an iPad stylus on a touchscreen that’s slightly uncalibrated.

The quick methods below can fix some Vision Pro eye- and hand-tracking problems for you.  You can approach trigger a reset three different ways — by pressing a button on the headset, going into Settings or asking Siri for help — all with the same ultimate result. (In my experience, this is one situation in which Siri excels.)

How to update Vision Pro software (and try visionOS betas if you dare)

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Vision Pro software update screen in a mountaintop environment
With Vision Pro, you can install software updates from a blissful mountaintop.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

Whether to add new features or squash bugs, Apple releases Vision Pro updates from time to time. (The latest one, visionOS 1.0.3, arrived Monday. It eliminates a major headache that plagued Vision Pro owners who forgot their devices’ passcodes.) Luckily, downloading and installing visionOS updates is easy once you know how.

In fact, installing Vision Pro software updates proves very similar to the process for updating an iPhone, iPad or Mac. We’ll show you how it’s done — and also how to get visionOS beta updates. If you want to take a chance on betas, you can test upcoming Vision Pro features before they officially arrive.

Best ways to watch 2024 Super Bowl on Apple TV, iPhone or Mac

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Best ways to watch 2024 Super Bowl on Apple TV, iPhone or Mac
The App Store also recommends Paramount+ for watching the 2024 Super Bowl.
Image: Apple/Paramount

The 2024 Super Bowl is Sunday, and football fans can watch via their favorite Apple device. Maybe it’s on an Apple TV connected to the big screen in your living room, or you might need to watch on your iPhone because you have to be at work tonight.

Whatever your setup is, here are the best ways to stream the big game.

How to FaceTime with Vision Pro

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FaceTime call on Vision Pro showing three people floating in windows in a hotel room
FaceTime on Vision Pro puts people around the room in your space.
Photo: Apple

Making a FaceTime call in Vision Pro is a bit more involved than on iPhone or Mac. After all, you have a computer strapped onto your face, which is not typical with other devices.

Step 0, of course, is setting up your Persona — the dynamic, digital version of yourself that Vision Pro uses for FaceTime calls. If you didn’t create a Persona during the Vision Pro setup process, or your Persona looks less fantastic than you’d like, we wrote a separate explainer for you:  How to create your Persona in Vision Pro (or make it better).

Once your Persona is set, here’s how to FaceTime in Vision Pro.