The Files app has some new tricks. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 let users reformat external drives as well as keep a copy of a file on iCloud permanently stored locally.
Both features were found by developers tinkering with the first betas of these operating systems, and should make the Files app on iPhone and iPad more useful.
Are you protecting your Mac yet? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Contrary to popular belief, Macs are not immune to trojans and viruses. In the last couple of years, there’s been a significant uptick in the number, variety and sophistication of malware targeting Mac users. And some of it is so sneaky, you might not even know about it until a Mac virus scan shows your machine’s been infected.
While Mac attacks are still a fraction of those on Windows (or even Linux), Mac malware has become a lot harder to detect and remove. Plus, Mac users tend to be targeted individually, rather than en masse, often with malware that’s freely available online and disguised as harmless apps. That means the attacker doesn’t need to be a computer genius — a disgruntled ex could probably figure it out.
Protecting your Mac from trojans and viruses is crucial to ensure that your personal data, privacy and overall system integrity remain intact. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the essential steps to safeguard your Mac and introduce Intego, a top-tier solution for robust protection.
The Reply button in Apple Mail on iPhone does way, way more than you might expect. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The Reply button in the iPhone version of Apple Mail does a whole lot more than let you reply to messages. For some reason, Apple packed it with unrelated options.
Here’s everything lying hidden behind that simple button.
Zzzzzz. The Apple Watch's nightstand mode even has snooze. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Have you heard of the Apple Watch’s nightstand mode? I knew about it from digging through the settings in the Watch app on my iPhone, but I never tried it out. I wear my watch while sleeping, mostly so I get a nice haptic alarm in the morning instead of an audible iPhone alarm. But if you charge your watch overnight, you should almost certainly be using nightstand mode, formerly known as bedside mode.
Find your way around the store faster by converting your Reminders list into a grocery list. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
In iOS 17, you can use Apple’s Reminders app as a grocery list app on your iPhone. It automatically sorts items you add into common sections, which proves incredibly helpful when you go shopping. Just open the Reminders app, and you can easily see if you’ve got everything you need as you’re making your way through the store.
I’ll show you how to use it, including how to share your Reminders app grocery list with someone else so you can both add items and check them off the same list.
Fix your mistakes before it's too laet. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Knowing how to unsend an iMessage can help you out of a pickle if you accidentally shoot off a text to the wrong person. You also can edit a message after it’s sent to fix a grave typo you didn’t catch. Like if you accidentally text your mom “Finally got laid today!” when you meant to type “paid.”
Keep reading to see how to unsend or edit an iMessage on your iPhone, or watch our quick video tutorial.
A modern solution to an age-old problem. Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Whether it’s wedged between the cushions or kicked far under the couch, a handy-dandy feature in iOS 17 and tvOS 17 lets you find your lost Apple TV remote using your iPhone.
The mind races when one imagines how many hours of human life might have been saved if everyone had this feature 30 years ago. Let me show you how to find your AWOL Apple TV remote with your iPhone.
Top 3 tips to speed up a few things on your iPhone. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
There are a few hidden gestures on your iPhone that you absolutely need to know. You’re typing out a long text on your iPhone and you need to go back to fix a typo. Tapping on the screen to move the cursor feels like a shot in the dark — but there’s a secret gesture to move around and select text.
Here are three top iPhone tips. Also in this article: how to select and delete a bunch of emails, text messages, anything in a list at once; and the secret gestures that undo and redo. Like, for example, if you accidentally delete a bunch of emails.
There are good reasons to use an external webcam with your iPad. Here's why and how. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
A trick you might have missed with the release of iPadOS 17 is support for external USB-C webcams. As good as the tablet’s front-facing camera is, it’s now possible to use a webcam with an iPad.
Here’s why you might be interested, and how to connect a webcam to your iPad with a USB-C port.
Virtual fireworks are fun. But on some video calls, they prove wildly inappropriate. Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
How do you turn off the webcam video reactions on your Mac in macOS Sonoma? This feature, which puts full-screen animated effects on your video calls, made a good demo when it was introduced. But after it launched, it confused many people who trigger it accidentally in serious situations.
It works in FaceTime video calls and various other videoconferencing software. However, the Off button isn’t where you might expect. It’s not hiding in Zoom, Skype or Google Meet at all — it’s in the Mac’s menu bar.
Let me show you what’s going on and how you can turn off video reactions on Mac.
Apple won't buy back your old Apple Pencil, but we will. Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac
With Apple’s release of new iPads, an updated Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro and the brand-new Apple Pencil Pro, many people are looking to upgrade all three. (Because of course all your old iPad accessories won’t work with the new tablets.) However, apart from going the DIY route on eBay or Facebook Marketplace, it can be difficult to find a trade-in site where you can sell an old Apple Pencil or Magic Keyboard.
Even Apple’s own trade-in program won’t buy back these iPad accessories. However, there are several other options for selling a used Apple Pencil or Magic Keyboard — and we’re here to help!
Keep your Apple Watch from dinging in the library. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If your group chat or work messages start blowing up in the middle of a meeting, you’ll want to know how to silence your Apple Watch quickly. You have a few options: Silent mode controls whether a notification makes a sound. Do Not Disturb controls whether you receive notifications. Theater mode turns off the display.
You can also use a quick shortcut to turn on silent mode in a pinch.
Make your own stickers from your own photos. Image: Watty62/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
You can make custom stickers from photos on your iPhone and send them in iMessage, Snapchat and WhatsApp. Stickers made from your own pictures are a lot of fun to send in group chats. They’re great for sending highly personal reactions using photos of people or pets that everyone knows. You can even add fun sticker effects.
Making these custom stickers from photos stems from an iOS 16 featured that brought the ability to copy and paste the subject from a picture. Now, in iOS 17, it’s easy to collect your personalized cutouts int a set of digital stickers you can use anywhere. I’ll show you how it all works.
No more mad swiping at the screen — learn the details of how your iPad works. Image: Leander Kahney/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Gestures are a great way to become an iPad power user. They help you easily navigate through apps, switch between pages, access controls, and reduce multiple taps to a single swipe. iPad gestures prove especially useful for Stage Manager, the iPad’s alternative multitasking environment.
Apple designed these iPad gestures to mimic natural, real-world movements, making them intuitive to use and learn. Swiping, pinching, tapping and other moves feel familiar. You should find them easy to master.
If you use your iPad a lot, these gestures are well worth learning. Your fingers will thank you!
You don't need an internet connection to use Apple Maps with iOS 17. Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
iOS 17 allows Apple Maps users to download maps for offline use and generate turn-by-turn directions with them. This can be a lifesaver when traveling in remote areas without a cellular connection.
It’s not complicated, but there are several steps to go through if you want to download Apple Maps of certain cities or regions. Here’s how to do it.
Use your phone in one hand without fumbling around. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
The iPhone has a one-handed mode for the keyboard and a feature called Reachability for tapping buttons on the top of the screen. Learning how to use both these features can help you shoot out a text or use apps on your phone in one hand while you’re doing something else or walking around with a cup of coffee.
As iPhones continue to get bigger and bigger, these features become ever more important. Here’s how to activate the iPhone’s one-handed keyboard and use Reachability. Keep reading or watch the video.
Change the name so you can tell them apart. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
You can change the name of your Apple devices, whether you have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, AirPods or Apple TV. By default, it’s just “[your name]’s iPhone.” But you can give your iPhone its own unique name, like Kit-Kat or Magic Rectangle.
Also by default, when you set up a new iPhone, the name is transferred. This can get confusing if you keep old phones around because you’ll see “John’s iPhone,” “John’s iPhone (2),” maybe even “John’s iPhone (3)” and more. The same is true for Apple Watch, Mac, iPad and AirPods.
The name of your device shows up among a bunch of Apple features like AirDrop, Find My, Personal Hotspot, AirPlay and more. If you use these features often, giving it a unique name will make it easier to identify.
Here’s how to fix this mess on all your Apple devices. Keep reading or watch our video.
Make a ringtone out of anything! Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If you don’t have your phone on silent, you may as well have a fun, custom iPhone ringtone. After all, custom Home Screens and Lock Screens are all the rage — you can create a ringtone that matches your aesthetic.
Between wearing an Apple Watch and leaving my phone muted, I almost never hear my ringtone, but needs and preferences vary. If you don’t wear an Apple Watch and you carry your phone in a bag or purse, a ringtone is the only way you’ll hear a call coming in.
It’s not super straightforward, but here’s how you can make a custom iPhone ringtone out of an MP3 using just your phone. Keep reading below or watch our video.
A dream years in the making has come true: you can play Pokémon and Mario and all the classics on your iPhone. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If you want a game emulator on iPhone, the Delta app is now available on the App Store to play games for Nintendo DS, GameBoy, GameBoy Advance, NES, SNES and N64.
That means you can play classic Nintendo games like Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Zelda, Castlevania, and many, many more.
Download it for free on the App Store or from AltStore PAL in the EU. Playing classic Nintendo games on iPhone has never been easier. You don’t need to jailbreak, sideload through a computer or compile the emulator from source code anymore. And it’s legal-ish.
Are you seeing the spinning beachball a lot? Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If your Mac is running slow, there are a few things you can do to speed it up and better understand what’s slowing it down.
It’s not just that your Mac is old — although that is an important factor. It could be that you don’t have enough memory, especially if you like to use Google Chrome. You may have a bunch of apps running in the background. There also might be dust in the vents, keeping your Mac from running nice and cool.
The Apple Support video Move from Android to iPhone helps users switch. Graphic: Apple
Apple wants the process of moving from Android to iPhone to go as smoothly as possible, of course. To make the switch simpler, it created a Move to iOS application.
A recent video from Apple Support explains how to use the Android app.
Change these settings on your Mac now Photo/Graphics: Apple/Rajesh
Setting up a new Mac is an experience in itself. But once you finish your initial setup, you should change these Mac system settings for a better experience. These five easy tweaks to default Mac system preferences will speed up your workflow and save you time.
Irrespective of whether you are a new or long-time Mac user, below are five settings to change on your Mac. Keep reading or watch our latest video.
Here’s how to take the best solar eclipse photos with an iPhone. Photo: Good Free Photos/Unsplash License/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 event on Monday.
It's easy to customize your iPhone's look by adding widgets and removing app icons you don’t want to see. Image: Kristin Hardwick/Wikimedia Commons/D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Your iPhone doesn’t need to look like it came from 2012. You can easily swap out wallpapers and/or customize iPhone Home Screen layouts by adding widgets and folders (and by hiding unwanted apps from your view).
This guide will help set up your iPhone screen so it looks exactly how you want it to.
Your iPhone has a text-to-speech feature built-in. You don’t need to download an app. Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
In iOS 17, the iPhone got a built-in text-to-speech feature called Live Speech. You can even use Live Speech with a digital version of your own voice called Personal Voice.
Apple devised Personal Voice for users “at risk of losing their ability to speak — such as those with a recent diagnosis of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or other conditions that can progressively impact speaking ability.” It was the subject of a touching and heartfelt video Apple made called “The Lost Voice.”