calendar

iPhone calendar bug scraps 2022 holidays in many countries

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iPhone Calendar bug scraps 2022 holidays
No days off in 2022? Blame Apple.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

iPhone’s built-in Calendar app has an ongoing bug that prevents 2022 holidays from appearing in a number of countries, including the United Kingdom.

The problem first cropped up in mid-2021, but iPhone owners assumed the holidays would appear as the new year drew closer. Almost a week into 2022, a large number of users remain unable to see them.

Fresh iOS 14 concept brings big changes to Calendar, iMessage, Music app and more

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iOS 14
Another iOS 14 concept to get you hyped for the real thing.
Photo: Jack Phillip

Some of the most anticipated iOS 14 features that allegedly leaked though an early beta build of the upcoming software are on full display in a fresh iOS 14 concept that’s full of stuff like widgets on the home screen, list view for apps, new call alert screen and more.

The new iOS 14 concept created by Jack Phillip imagines how Apple’s planned mentions feature for iMessage would work, while also tossing in some new ideas, like a list view in Calendar, a Habits app, an overhaul of the Music app’s UI and so much more.

These are our favorite features:

CarPlay is better than ever in iOS 13 — here’s what’s new

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CarPlay-dashboard-iOS-13
My cheap Kia came with CarPlay as standard.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

iOS 13 doesn’t just mean big improvements for your iPhone. Apple is making some pretty significant enhancements to CarPlay, too, including a brand-new dashboard and better apps.

Some of these great new CarPlay features are long overdue. Here’s everything you can expect from Apple’s in-car platform in iOS 13.

iPhone X Plus will get iPad-like landscape mode

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iphone x
The iPhone X Plus is set to launch this fall.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s new big-screen iPhone launching later this year will come with some UI perks other 2018 iPhones can’t match.

Based on info found in the latest iOS 12 beta, the extra screen real estate on the iPhone X Plus (or whatever Apple calls it) will allow users to operate it in landscape mode with extra information, like the one found on the iPad.

Add events to your iPhone calendar using natural language and Drafts

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Adding an calendar event with Drafts is as easy as writing it on paper.
Adding an calendar event with Drafts is as easy as writing it on paper.
Photo: Sludge G/Flickr CC

Do you hate adding new events to your iOS calendar? It’s a real pain, right? You have to click, and type, and turn one of these time and date dials, and type some more. On the Mac you can just hit ⌘-N to create a new event, and then type something like Dinner tomorrow at 19:00, and the Calendar app just works out what you mean, and adds the event.

On iOS, you have to do it manually, or try to coax Siri into doing it for you — neither of which is a pleasant experience. Why isn’t there a natural-language input for the iOS Calendar app? Well, if you’re using the awesome Drafts app, then there is.

How to schedule your meetings automatically

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WhenWorks Never negotiate meeting times again.
Never negotiate meeting times again.
Photo: WhenWorks

You know when somebody wants to meet up with you, and you end up spending so much time going back and forth trying to agree a time and date that you end up hating that person, and cancel the meeting? Maybe you just lost a multi-million dollar contract for your company, and it’s all the fault of scheduling annoyances1.

WhenWorks fixes that by letting folks book time with you online, using a form that is connected to the calendar on your iPhone.

Hate scheduling meetings? WhenWorks app makes it easy

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WhenWorks
Take the pain out of scheduling a meeting.
Photo: WhenWorks

Scheduling a meeting should be a simple task, but it never is. WhenWorks is a new app that takes away the pain by allowing clients and colleagues to book time with you only when you’re free.

All you have to do is decide when you want your meetings to take place.

Google brings new Tasks app to iPhone and iPad

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Google Tasks iOS
Google Tasks for iOS can help you get stuff done.
Photo: Google

Google has finally decided that Tasks deserves a dedicated app on mobile.

Available now on iPhone and iPad, Tasks boasts a clean and simple interface with all the features you’ll need to stay productive. It also works closely alongside Google Calendar and Gmail to make managing your most important projects as easy as possible.

HomePod version of Siri comes with big limitations

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HomePod
The HomePod version of Siri is a lot dumber than the iPhone version.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new HomePod speaker might be the dumbest smart-speaker on the market.

Based on early reviews and leaked info, it appears that Apple has seriously crippled Siri on the new HomePod speaker and removed some features, making it vastly different than the version of Siri that lives on your iPhone.

Streamline your calendar, charging, coding skills, and more [Week’s best deals]

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This week's best deals include tools for keeping all your passwords safe, all your devices charged, and lots more.
This week's best deals include tools for keeping all your passwords safe, all your devices charged, and lots more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

To celebrate the start of a new week, we do what we do every week: gather up some of the best deals on gear, gadgets, and more. This round, we’ve got a comprehensive course in iOS 11 coding, and a ‘Hiffecient’ USB charging hub. We’ve also got a tool for streamlining online form-filling, and an upgrade for your Mac’s calendar. Everything is discounted by more than 40 percent. Read on for more details:

Download the latest iOS 11 public beta now

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iPhone 7 iOS 11
A redesigned Control Center is one of many changes to look forward to in iOS 11.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Just one day after developers received the fifth beta build of iOS 11, Apple has released the same beta update to public testers, bringing a number of UI changes and bug fixes with it.

iOS 11 public beta 4 and macOS High Sierra public beta 4 are now available to download for all members of Apple’s public beta software testing program. You can also download the new software directly to your Mac, iPhone or iPad if you have the previous public beta installed.

Facebook’s new iOS app helps you find events

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Find stuff to do with Facebook Events.
Find stuff to do with Facebook Events.

Facebook is on a quest to cure your boredom with its newest standalone app that is focused solely on events.

Available only on iOS (for now), the new app dubbed Events from Facebook helps you find things to do in your area by giving you a filtered feed of what your friends are up to.

The best Black Friday deals to set your calendar for

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Hold on, hold on - these deals will remind you to buy them.
Hold on, hold on - these deals will remind you to buy them.
Photo: Bethesda

There are so many Black Friday deals out there it’s incredibly difficult to keep up with them all, even for someone who’s paid to do just that.

We’ve taken pity on you and have pulled the absolute best deals that we could find and added a special value-added service at the end: A single line of text that you can copy and paste into your Google Calendar Quick Add field or your Calendar Quick Event field (just click on that big Plus button at the top of your Calendar app).

That way, you’ll have reminders when these fantastic deals appear, whether you’re at home zoning out to Fallout 4 or out at a holiday party drinking good cheer.

Check out our evolving list below.

The sun sets on Sunrise as Microsoft combines app with Outlook

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the-sun-sets-on-sunrise-as-microsoft-combines-app-with-outlook-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2015102015-05-20-144020-jpg
Microsoft has a new outlook on its email and calendar app.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
outlook-mobile-app
Microsoft has a new outlook on its email and calendar app. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Microsoft is merging two of its most popular mobile apps into one: Outlook email and Sunrise calendar. Outlook has always been a favorite among email users while Sunrise rose to fame for being both free and feature-packed. Combined as one, Microsoft is hoping the move enables users to more seamlessly glide between emailing and calendar tasks.

The result isn’t really a huge departure from what Microsoft currently offers in Outlook, since Outlook already has your calendars built in. Instead, it’s more about refining navigation within the app while additionally bringing in some features from Sunrise.

The biggest change is that the sun is setting on Sunrise. After Microsoft bought the calendar app just this year, the company is already pulling the plug on it.

Fantastical 2.5 brings goodies for iOS 9 and iPhone 6s users

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fantastical-ipad-slide-over
Okay, don't spend too much time multitasking. You have Cult of Mac reading to catch up on.
Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac

Flexibits updated its popular Fantastical apps for iPhone and iPad this morning to take advantage of a number of new features in iOS 9 and on the iPhone 6s. Arguably the biggest improvement to productivity comes in the form of multitasking support for the iPad. Fantastical also threw in a dash of the new iPhone’s 3D Touch as well.

iOS 9’s Split View for iPad is everything you hoped it would be

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Split-View-iPad-Air-2

Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

 

When iOS 9 rolls out to the public this fall, it’ll be iPad users that appreciate it most, thanks to the many improvements Apple has made to multitasking. One of the biggest is Split View, a feature that’s exclusive to the iPad Air 2, which lets you run two apps side-by-side — just like you would on your Mac.

Split View lets you read articles in Safari while composing an email in Mail, enjoy a novel in iBooks while taking notes in the Notes app, and talk to friends via iMessage while organizing your schedule in Calendar.

But is Split View as game-changing as it looks at first glance? You bet it is.

Make iOS Calendar look the way you want

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Calendar
Press the button. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Oh, that pesky list view in your iOS Calendar app. It sure likes to go missing in various iOS updates, doesn’t it, like in iOS 7 when it just, sort of, disappeared.

It’s not totally gone now in iOS 8.3, but there is a new way to access it along with a new layout. There are also some funky ways to move around your Calendar app that may not be as intuitive as they should. These aren’t necessarily new to iOS 8.3, but it’s handy to know them, as well.

Here’s the recipe you’ll need to view your iOS Calendar the way you want on your iPhone and iPad.