How do you set up a new Apple Watch? Whether you got the Series 9 with its brighter screen and advanced sensors or leapt for the rugged and improved Apple Watch Ultra 2 model, you might be wondering how to get started After all, the Watch is unlike any other Apple device, both in its dependence on an iPhone and in the way it works.
The good thing is, Apple has made it really, really easy to get things up and running. Let’s take a look.
We can get your new iPhone set up easily — no need to phone it in. Image: Apple
How do you set up your new iPhone the fastest way possible? The iPhone setup process gets easier every year. So easy, in fact, that there are only a few things you need to do to move from your old iPhone to a new one. You can even directly transfer your data from an Android phone. Setting up a new iPhone from scratch isn’t much harder — you just have a few extra steps you need to go through.
There are still a few tricks that will help things run smoothly, though. Let’s see how to set up your new iPhone the right way.
Cleaning your AirPods is easy, and you probably have the tools to do it already. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Today we’re going to see how to clean AirPods, AirPods Pro or any other earbuds, using tools you probably already have. It’s essential to keep your AirPods clean to keep them working properly. Plus, it’s easy for them to get gross.
For instance, the other day on the metro, I pulled out my AirPods and dropped one on the floor. The earbud bounced over dried and dirty beer stains, and who knows what other filth and bacteria that had been traipsed in on a million passengers’ shoes (and the odd hippies’ bare feet). I gave up on listening to anything on the trip home, and slipped the rescued AirPod back into its case.
It’s not only hippie toe jam that we have to worry about, either. Because we’re always pushing AirPods deep into moist holes in our heads, they crust up with earwax and whatever bacteria we have living in our earholes. Happily, cleaning and disinfecting AirPods is not only easy. It’s just about as satisfying as digging a deep-seated booger out of your nose, or picking an almost-healed scab.
It’s World Backup Day, a good opportunity to take a close look at the backups your iPhone makes to iCloud. Are you running out of iCloud storage space? Living with a slow internet connection? Worried about privacy? In any of these cases, you might want to exclude some apps from your iCloud backups. Doing so will save iCloud storage space and conserve bandwidth.
The good news is that it’s easy to exclude pretty much anything you like from your iCloud backups in iOS. Here’s how.
Rip that iPhone out of the box right now! Photo: Apple
The iPhone setup process gets easier every year. So easy, in fact, that there are only a few things you need to do to move from your old iPhone to a new one. You can even directly transfer your data from an Android phone. Setting up a new iPhone from scratch isn’t much harder — you just have a few extra steps you need to go through.
There are still a few tricks that will help things run smoothly, though. Let’s see how to set up your new iPhone the right way.
The iPhone Upgrade Program gets you a new model every year. Graphic: Cult of Mac
The iPhone Upgrade Program is Apple’s equivalent of a carrier’s monthly contract. You can upgrade your iPhone every year, and pay a monthly fee instead of buying the handset outright. The upgrade path is simple — there’s a new iPhone every year, and you can upgrade every year.
Here’s how to get ready so you can be ready for iPhone 13 preorders this Friday. Don’t wait until the last minute.
A strong passcode is the next-best thing to keeping your iPhone in a safe. Photo: Rob Pongsajapan/FlickrCC
It’s time to stop using that useless six-digit passcode on your iPhone. Now that cops around the United States are going crazy for the GrayKey, a little box that can crack your iPhone’s passcode in hours, it has become clear that the iPhone’s regular six-digit numerical code is no longer secure.
Plus, now that GrayKey is available, it won’t be long before they’re in the hands of the bad guys, too, if they’re not already. In fact, instructions on how GrayKey works surfaced online last month.
The good news is, it’s super-easy to change your iPhone passcode to something a lot better. The bad news? There actually isn’t any, unless you already have the cops trying to break into your iPhone — in which case you’ve got plenty of bad news already.
Changing Siri's accent is easy. Photo: Cult of Mac
Most folks refer to Siri as “she,” but that’s not always true. The original British English Siri, for example, was male-only up until iOS 7.1 added a female version. And in the latest iOS 14.5 beta, a female Siri is not the default option.
No matter what, you don’t have to stick with your local version of Apple’s comically bad voice assistant. U.S. English speakers, for example, can currently choose from American, Australian, British, Indian, Irish and South African accents for Siri, and also pick male or female versions — with more voices coming soon.
So, if you’re a U.S. native who views the U.K. Standard English accent as quaint, cute, respectful, sexy or reproachful, it’s easy to set your iPhone or iPad to sound like a Brit or whatever you want. And your choice of Siri accent will follow you on all Apple devices logged into with your Apple ID. (In addition to iPhone and iPad, Siri works with just about everything now: Mac, AirPods, iPod, Apple Watch, CarPlay, HomePod and Apple TV.)
Your new Mac deserves these amazing apps. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
If you were lucky enough to bag a new Mac for the holidays, you’re probably on the hunt for some awesome new apps to use on it. We’ve rounded up five of the best that we think every Mac owner should be using.
These apps will let you play any video, keep a close eye on precious storage space, extract important data from your iPhone and iPad backups, and more!
Apps! On your wrist! Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Got your new Apple Watch up and running? It’s time to start exploring all the amazing watchOS apps available to you. We’ve rounded up five of our favorites that we think every Apple Watch owner should be using.