If you're getting rid of an old Apple Watch for any reason (Series 7!), you should factory reset it. Photo: Nomad
Unless you just emerged from a cave or a doomsday bunker, you probably know everyone expects Apple to announce new products releases next week — most likely including the Apple Watch 7.
If you’re considering selling, trading, giving away or returning your Apple Watch for that or any reason, we’ll show you how to factory reset it first.
Here’s what the iPhone 14 might look like. You can easily see it in more detail with the magic of augmented reality. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
iPhone 13 is still a week away but a major leak on Wednesday revealed many of the details of the iOS handset that’ll replace it in 2022. That includes renders of the iPhone 14 that you can check out in amazing augmented reality.
With AR, you can bring a virtual 3D version the device into your home or office and see it from every side. This might be the best way to see the coming end of the camera bump. And to wonder if Apple will really replace the screen notch with a “hole punch” camera.
The Apple September event invite has a beautiful but hidden augmented-reality feature. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Hidden in Tuesday’s invite to the Apple September event is an augmented reality Easter egg. It’s part of the company’s ongoing move to draw more attention to AR — and make its event invites cooler than anyone else’s.
The graphic for the event is the Apple logo floating over a lake in the evening. iPhone users can transfer that design to the real 3D world, and pass through it into a star-lit virtual space.
Travel is a main reason why a digital vaccine certificate on your iPhone could come in handy. Photo: VaxYes
Now that you’ve got the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer, Moderna or Johson & Johnson, how do you prove it?
Well, you can carry around your vaccination card just in case you need it to travel or gain entry to a gathering place, job or in-person event. Or you can take a few minutes and add a secure digital vaccine certificate, or passport, to Apple Wallet on your iPhone. We’ll show you how.
Switching to another password manager is simple. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
If you’re one of the many 1Password users who are unhappy with the app’s new version 8 update on Mac, you might be considering a switch to another password manager. Luckily for you, it’s easy to move all your data.
We’ll show you how to export all your usernames and passwords out of 1Password and into another service, such as Dashlane. We will also explain how you can save your documents, which can’t be exported automatically.
Here’s how to get a separation alert if you leave behind your Mac, iPhone or other Apple gear. Image: Cult of Mac
With iOS 15, your iPhone can warn you if you’ve left your Mac at the office. Or in a hotel room, restaurant, plane… wherever. Separation alerts are one of the better features of Apple’s operating system upgrade.
Get your hands on the Pegasus detector today. Photo: iMazing
Worried your iPhone may have been infected with Pegasus spyware that’s being used by governments to spy on people? You can now use the free Pegasus detector built into iMazing to find out if your handset is safe.
Don't let others see your incoming alerts. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Apple’s newest iOS and iPadOS 15 beta, rolled out to registered developers on Tuesday, gives you the ability to automatically disable notifications when screen sharing. The toggle ensures others cannot see your incoming alerts.
Here’s how to activate the block on iPhone and iPad.
Ask Alexa faster than ever before. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Amazon just rolled out a new update for its Alexa app that adds a much-anticipated Home screen widget for iPhone and iPad. You can use it to ask Alexa anything you like faster than ever before. Here’s how to set it up.
Keep your real email address a closely guarded secret. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
iCloud+ gives you the ability to hide your email address when completing online forms and signing up for newsletters in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey. Here’s how to activate and use the new Hide My Email feature.
Keep your Safari browsing habits a secret. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
iCloud Private Relay is a new privacy feature baked into iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey that’s designed to hide your browsing habits inside Safari. Here’s how you can enable or disable it on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Start a new note in an instant. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
macOS Monterey includes the same Quick Note feature that’s baked into iPadOS 15. Using it is incredibly simple, and it’s a great way to quickly jot down important information — such as phone numbers, email addresses, and appointments — that you don’t want to forgot.
We’ll show you how to use it, and how to customize the Quick Note feature on Mac to suit you.
Keep track of links you've received from friends. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
iOS and iPadOS 15 make it easier than ever to keep track of web links that are shared with you in Messages by putting them all in one place inside Safari.
Here’s where you can find them — and how to view them all on iPhone and iPad.
There are plenty of ways to tune in. Photo: The Olympics/Cult of Mac
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games officially kicks off on Friday, June 23, and you can enjoy it all on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac. We’ll guide you through who’s hosting the action, and which apps you’ll need to watch it.
Host casual conversations, share your screen and more. Image: Slack/Cult of Mac
Slack is rolling out its new Huddles feature in an effort to bring the office environment to wherever you might be working. The feature lets you hold “quick, informal discussions” with other members of your team.
You can also use it to share your desktop screen, which makes it great for demonstrations. We’ll show you how to use Huddles on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Grab Apple's first AirPods Pro beta today. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple this week seeded its first AirPods Pro beta firmware for registered developers. This version enables a number of new features, including Ambient Noise Reduction and spatial audio for FaceTime calls.
You'll need if you want Apple's support. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
If you run into any issues with your new MagSafe Battery Pack, you may need to provide Apple Support with its serial number. There are a couple of quick and easy ways to find that. We’ll show you how.
It's easier than you think. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
It’s easy to set alarms or timers on a HomePod smart speaker with Siri voice commands, but HomePod Software Version 14.7 adds the ability to make manual changes to of these with an iPhone or iPad. No Siri required.
It's easier than ever to wipe your Mac clean. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
macOS Monterey makes it easier than ever to remove all your precious data from your Mac when it’s time to sell it or make a fresh start. Its new Erase All Content & Settings feature wipes your machine without forcing to you to reinstall its operating system, just like on iPhone and iPad.
Google's new "quick delete" wipes your last 15 minutes of searches. Photo: Google
Google rolled out a couple of new search-related security tools Thursday for its main iOS app. With them, you can add security to saved search histories and quickly delete recent searches. We’ll show you how to use them, below.
Amp up your emoji game with Soundmojis in Facebook Messenger. Image: Facebook
Emoji just got a sonic boost in Facebook Messenger. The social network’s chat app added Soundmojis on Thursday, giving users the option of sending audio snippets with some key emoji.
At launch, you can send catchphrases from TV shows, bits of hit songs, and garden-variety stock sounds. If your conversation demands the world’s tiniest violin emoji, your chat partner can actually hear it!
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.
It's easy (albeit time-consuming) to switch back to iPadOS 14. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
So, you’ve already installed the iPadOS 15 beta beta on your iPad and now some of your favorite apps and features are broken. Don’t worry — it’s really easy (if a little time-consuming) to revert back to iPadOS 14.
Got iOS 15 public beta regret? It's not too late to go back. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
If you’ve already installed the iOS 15 beta on your iPhone and run into issues, you might want to downgrade to iOS 14 until more stable releases are available. Luckily, it’s really easy to do that if you have a Mac handy.
Learn how to launch and play the Google iOS app's hidden pinball game. Photo: Steve Snow
Intrepid explorers online on Reddit and YouTube have come across an especially fun Easter egg in Google’s iOS app — a secret pinball game that takes a little doing to find.