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How-To - page 20

How to watch Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+ for free

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How to watch Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+ for free
You can watch Friday Night Baseball on any Apple computer, or use a Roku, PC or smart TV. Here’s how.
Photo: Cult of Mac

When it premieres today, Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+ won‘t require a subscription. And it’ll stay that way for a while. The show presents two marquee games a week, along with live pre- and postgame coverage.

Here’s how to watch baseball games on Apple’s streaming service for free — without needing an Apple device or an Apple TV+ subscription.

How to make your own GIFs with Twitter app

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How to record a GIF with the Twitter iPhone app
Making a Gif with Twitter’s iPhone app is a snap.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Twitter made creating a GIF as easy as posting an image. Using the iPhone camera, users can capture a short video in the social-networking service’s app that is automatically converted into a GIF.

Here’s how to make your own GIFs with the Twitter app. It’s easy and fun.

How to connect an external keyboard to your iPad

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Satechi’s new aluminum iPad stand is ready for work or play
Add a keyboard and your iPad become a very capable desktop. Or a laptop, if you’d prefer.
Photo: Satechi

Your iPad is a powerful computer, and becomes even more so if you attach a keyboard to it. Fortunately, it’s easy. The only complication is there are a bunch of different options.

Let’s go through the possibilities so you can pick the one that’s best for you.

How to start a collection of classic Macs

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Collecting vintage Macs: My Macintosh Classic with matching ADB keyboard and mouse.
My Macintosh Classic with matching ADB keyboard and mouse.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

What makes people start collecting vintage Macs? There are many reasons. Some folks want to play abandoned games or use old software on original hardware. Some simply don’t know how to transfer files, and thus keep their old machines as a giant backup, just in case.

I collect old Macs because I care deeply about history. I want to have an informed perspective on the past so I can better understand trends of user-interface design and the evolution of technology.

My first vintage computer was a Macintosh Classic I bought on eBay for about $80. After lifting it out of its shipping box, I reached around the back to flip on the power switch and watch it boot. I loved hearing the whir of the hard drive, the fans humming and the delightful blip!-blip!-blip! noise the disk drive made when reading a floppy.

Apple computers are highly collectible. They span the entire history of personal computing. The company’s unwavering design philosophy, always pushing ease of use, means even the oldest and weirdest Apple computers are never hard to figure out. The historical lineup spans all different kinds of form factors and designs. Not to mention, they look rad.

So, you want to collect old Apple computers, too? Where do you start, and what do you want? Here’s a quick guide to buying classic Macs. These tips should get you started and help you avoid common pitfalls. (If you want to go even deeper, we also provide some links to further reading on the subject.)

How to get the new gender-neutral Siri voice in iOS 15.4

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Apple’s AI-driven voice-controlled digital assistant Siri
Siri doesn’t have to sound female.
Image: Apple

One of the new features in iOS 15.4, released earlier this week, is a new, gender-neutral voice for Siri.

Apple developed the gender-neutral voice in response to criticism for using female voices as the default for the virtual assistant. If you want Siri to use a voice that is not explicitly female or male — maybe if you don’t identify that way yourself, or if you just want a nongendered voice assistant — now you have the option.

Here’s how to switch to the new voice on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

How to set up Face ID with a mask (and glasses) in iOS 15.4

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iPhone setting up Face ID with a mask
You will be prompted to set up Face ID with a mask after installing iOS 15.4.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

New in iOS 15.4, released today, Apple is extending Face ID to authenticate your face while wearing a mask. In my testing, it has increased the reliability and the number of situations in which Face ID works.

This feature is arriving late into the pandemic — it would have been great to have this for the past couple of years — but as new COVID variants surge, we may still need it for the foreseeable future. Plus, in some countries, wearing a mask when you’re sick has been standard for many years.

Here’s how to set up Face ID with a mask on your iPhone.

How to donate to help Ukraine

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Donate to help Ukraine
Do what you can to help.
Photo: Benjamin Marder/Unsplash

As Ukraine valiantly fights off a terrifying and unjustified Russian invasion, some 1.5 million of its citizens have been forced to flee in search of safety. More than 38.5 million have stayed behind — many of them to fight for their country — and a growing number are now without water, power and food.

Some are working in their bath tubs — the safest place in their homes — while others are sheltering underground as the cities around them are bombarded by Russian missiles and turned into ruble. It is a crisis, the likes of which Europe didn’t think it would have to endure again after World War II.

Ukrainians need all the help they can get. If you want to do your bit, you can donate to one of many charities that are now working to support citizens by providing food and water, blankets and clothes, and other essential supplies. Here’s how to get started.

How to watch Apple’s big ‘Peek Performance’ event

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Watch Apple's Peek Performance event
Don't miss Apple's newest announcements.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

We’re just a day away from Apple’s big “Peek Performance” event, which is expected to bring upgraded iPhone, iPad and Mac models. Cupertino could also have other sweet surprises up its sleeve — like a new desktop display.

Whatever the case may be, you won’t want to miss it if you’re an Apple fan. And you don’t have to! Here’s how to stream the enter March 8 event live.

How to see the AR Easter egg hidden in Apple’s spring event invite

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How to see the AR Easter egg hidden in Apple’s spring event invite
Have some augmented-reality fun with the invitation to the Apple spring event.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Concealed in Wednesday’s invite to the Apple spring event is an augmented reality Easter egg. It’s a bonus to make the invite seem cool, and perhaps get Mac fans excited about what’s coming.

The graphic for the March 8 event has an Apple floating in space. And it looks even better in AR.

Pro tip: Turn your Wi-Fi password into a QR code for easy sharing

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How to turn your Wi-Fi password into a QR code
Forget entering lengthy Wi-Fi passwords.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Pro-tip-4

Don’t you just hate having to give visitors your long and complicated Wi-Fi password? Instead, make connecting to your network quick and easy by turning your password into a QR code that can be scanned in an instant. But if you prefer a built-in iOS method, you should also know how to share WiFi on iPhone, which allows quick and secure sharing without the need for QR codes. Learn more here.

We’ll show you how.

How to use Safari Tab Groups to take control of your browser tabs

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How to get organized with Safari Tab Groups
Use Safari Tab Groups to arrange all those browser tabs you have open..
Photo: Cult of Mac

Keeping large numbers of browser tabs open is such a common habit that Apple created a system to organize them. Safari Tab Groups let you put open tabs into logical collections so you can more easily work with them. And the same groups are available across all your Apple devices.

The system gets a little complicated. But here’s how to get started with Safari Tab Groups.

How to save battery life when using 5G on iPhone

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save battery life when using 5G on iPhone 12
Are you using the right data mode?
Photo: Apple

If you’re using one of Apple’s newest iPhone models, you should be enjoying spectacular battery life — the best you can get from a modern smartphone. But if you’re not, the likely culprit is its super-speedy 5G connectivity.

5G consumes significantly more power than 4G, but there are some things you can do to minimize its impact on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. We’ll show you how.

How to use Apple Watch blood oxygen sensor, and what it’s good for

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The Blood Oxygen app is not for medical use. So what exactly is it for?
Is your life safe in Siri's hands?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

The blood oxygen sensor featured in Apple Watch Series 6 and 7 is “not intended for medical use,” Apple says. That seems odd, considering that low blood oxygen is a serious medical condition. If the watch’s monitor is not for medical use, then what exactly is it for?

In this post, we’ll look at what blood oxygen is, how Apple Watch measures it, how the device compares to medical-grade alternatives, and what you can actually use it for.

How to quickly and easily fix common Apple Pencil problems

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Apple-Pencil-close-up
There's almost always an easy fix.
Photo: Daniel Korpai/Unsplash

Just like any other electronic gadget, Apple Pencil can sometimes experience issues that prevent it from working as intended. The good news is that it’s quick and easy to fix almost any Apple Pencil problem.

Try these simple tricks to eliminate connectivity problems, stuttering and more when your Apple Pencil starts acting up.

How to enable Conversation Boost on AirPods Pro

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Enable Conversation Boost on AirPods Pro
Make others much easier to hear.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

AirPods Pro aren’t your average wireless headphones. Apple packed in a whole bunch of brilliant features that allow you to enjoy clearer FaceTime calls, quieter flights, and more. One of those is the brilliant Conversation Boost.

Designed for those who are hard of hearing and introduced last August, Conversation Boost allows AirPods Pro to function a little like hearing aids. When it’s active, it amplifies the voice of the person you’re speaking to.

Here’s how to use it.

How to schedule messages to send later in Slack for iPhone, iPad and Mac

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How to schedule messages in Slack
Avoid sending important messages at inconvenient times.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Not a good time to send that important message to a colleague in Slack? The widely used communication platform lets you schedule messages to send later on desktop and mobile. You simply choose the date and time, and Slack takes care of the rest.

The feature comes in particularly handy if you work with colleagues in other time zones and don’t want to bother them after hours. Here’s how to send Slack messages later on iPhone, iPad and Mac so they arrive at appropriate times.

Take the pain out of saving Nintendo Switch screenshots on iPhone

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Save Nintendo Switch screenshots to iPhone and iPad
Nintendo's own method is way too slow.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you’ve ever tried saving Nintendo Switch screenshots to your iPhone or iPad, you’ll know it’s a less than seamless experience. It seems Nintendo didn’t put a great deal of thought into designing its rather primitive transfer tool.

Fortunately, someone else did. Developer Filip Němeček has built an app called SwitchBuddy that makes fetching your Switch screenshots on iPhone and iPad faster, easier, and much more enjoyable. Here’s how to use it.

How to play unlimited Wordle and other useful hacks

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Useful Wordle hacks
Enable color blind mode, the dark theme, and play offline.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Can’t get enough of Wordle? There is a way to keep playing after you’ve completed the daily puzzle if you’re thirsting for more. And there are a bunch of other hidden Wordle hacks that every fan should know about.

Want to turn Wordle into an app on iPhone and iPad? How about enabling its hard mode for a tougher challenge? We’ll show you how to do all this and more.

How to fix macOS 12.2’s Bluetooth battery drain bug with one simple app

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FluTooth app for macOS Bluetooth bug
FluTooth is effective and affordable.
Image: Jordi Bruin

Is your MacBook slowly dying in its sleep? It could be because of a frustrating Bluetooth bug in macOS 12.2 that’s causing severe battery drain for some users. But there’s no need to wait for Apple to fix it.

With the help of a simple (and incredibly affordable) app, you can automatically disable your MacBook’s Bluetooth connection when you close its lid — then enable it again when it’s reopened. We’ll show you how.

How to download Wordle to your device so it stays free forever

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How to download Wordle
If you download it, it can't be ruined.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Wordle, the simple yet fun daily word game that became a craze in recent months, was acquired this week by The New York Times. Naturally, this led fans to worry that the game might change — or that we might have to pay for it.

But there is one way you can ensure that never happens. It’s actually surprisingly easy to download Wordle — the entire game — and save it to your iPhone, iPad or Mac so you can continue playing it in its current form.

We’ll show you how.

How to enable wide spectrum audio for FaceTime calls in iOS 15

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Enable wide spectrum audio for FaceTime calls
Make sure everyone gets heard on a conference call.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

iOS and iPadOS 15 bring a number of nice improvements to FaceTime, including some new audio modes that may come in handy in certain situations.

The new wide spectrum audio is one you might want to use during conference calls. Here’s what it does — and how to enable it on iPhone and iPad.

How to enable background blur for FaceTime video calls in iOS 15

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How to enable background blur for FaceTime video calls in iOS 15
Use Portrait mode to bring background blur to FaceTime on iPhone and iPad.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

iOS and iPadOS 15 bring a number of big improvements to FaceTime — including voice isolation and the ability to blur your background during video calls like you can on Zoom and other video calling platforms.

We’ll show you how to enable the background blur feature using Portrait mode on iPhone and iPad.