You'll need a compatible Mac and around 12GB of free storage space. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Anyone can put the macOS Monterey beta on their Mac — it’s no longer reserved for developers. Apple added the pre-release version to its public beta program on Thursday.
Installing it is free, and not too difficult. Here’s how begin playing with macOS Monterey yourself.
You don't have to spend $49 on a band to get the face. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Apple introduced new International Collection bands for Apple Watch on Tuesday, priced at $49 each. There are 22 available and each comes with an accompanying Stripes face you can download from Apple’s website.
But you don’t need to buy a band to get your hands on the new faces. We’ll show you how to download them right now to show support for your country at this year’s Summer Olympics.
Now it's easy to share tweets in Instagram Stories. Photo: Instagram
Twitter rolled out an update to its iOS app earlier this week that lets users quickly and easily share tweets to their Instagram Stories. It’s now nearly a one-click operation, but not quite.
Naturally, users have always been able to take a screenshot of a tweets and manually upload it to an Instagram Story. But the new interface takes some of the manual labor out of the process, making it simple and fast. And the results look good!
Get a month of Paramount+ free through Apple TV. Photo: ViacomCBS
Apple TV users can get a free month of Paramount+, the streaming service formerly known as CBS All Access, Apple said Monday in a tweet.
The trial offer, running now through June 30, is available to new Paramount+ subscribers in the United States when they sign up through the Apple TV app. As not all free trial offers on Apple TV last a full month, this is a good one. Here’s how to jump on it and watch Paramount+ originals like Star Trek: Picard and Jordan Peele’s reboot of The Twilight Zone. The streaming service also offers movies from the Mission: Impossible and Star Trek franchises.
You can continue using Apple TV+ until your trial ends. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
The one-year free trial of Apple TV+ comes to an end later this month, which means you will be charged soon to keep your subscription going. If you don’t want to use Apple TV+ going forward, you need to cancel it.
You'll need a spare Apple Watch and an iPhone running iOS 15. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
watchOS 8 isn’t the most significant update Apple Watch has seen over the years, but it’s certainly no snoozefest. Improvements to a number of key apps and a new face will be welcomed by Watch wearers this fall.
And you don’t have to wait until this fall to get yours hands on it. If you have a spare Apple Watch and an Apple Developer account, you can download and install watchOS 8 today. We’ll show you how.
You'll need a compatible Mac and around 12GB of free storage space. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Ready to start testing macOS Monterey? You can already get your hands on the developer beta — so long as you have a compatible Mac. We’ll show you how to download and install it today.
Any old headphones will do. Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
You’ll need some special equipment to enjoy high-resolution lossless audio tracks inside Apple Music. But spatial audio with Dolby Atmos is available to everyone who has a set of decent headphones.
Here’s how to enable it on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.
... if you have a spare iPhone or iPad. Photo: Apple
Itching to get your hands on iOS and iPadOS 15 as soon as possible? The first developer betas are out now, and although we definitely don’t recommend installing them just yet, we’ll still tell you how to do it.
All you need is an Apple Developer account and an iPhone or iPad.
Amazon plans to combine every Echo speaker and Ring security camera in the United States into a shared “mesh network” to ensure devices stay online even when disconnected from their owners’ home Wi-Fi connection.
The system, called Amazon Sidewalk, faced scrutiny over the lack of transparency with regard to its rollout. Many people also express concerns about the potential privacy issues it could raise.
Not interested in taking part? Here’s how to opt out of Amazon Sidewalk before it goes live on June 8.
Not interested in likes? Get rid of them. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Facebook and Instagram have added the ability to hide likes and view counts — a feature that’s been in the works for a while. You can block counts on your own posts and well as on those from others.
We’ll show you how to enable the setting inside Facebook and Instagram for iPhone and iPad.
The safe and easy way to share HomeKit control. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
If you’re going away this summer and leaving your home in the hands of someone else, you might want to give them control of your HomeKit devices. And it’s really easy to do that inside the Home app.
Here’s how to invite anyone with an iPhone, iPad or Mac to control your smart home gadgets as a guest.
Some low-light photos look better without Night mode. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Want to capture a low-light photo without using the Night mode feature on newer iPhone models? It’s real easy to turn off right inside the built-in Camera app. We’ll show you how.
Make texting quicker and easier. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Make replying to messages on iPad even quicker by activating its hidden floating keyboard with Slide-to-Type support. It’s baked right into iPadOS, so no third-party apps or hacks are required.
With just 8GB of storage, some Apple Watch 3 models are struggling to keep up. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Many Apple Watch Series 3 owners are unable to update to the latest watchOS release because their device doesn’t have enough storage space. But Apple says there is a way to get around this issue.
The solution is to reset your Apple Watch, wiping all data and settings, before updating. We’ll show you how.
Who doesn't want to play Metroid Prime on Mac? Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
You can now enjoy classic GameCube and Wii games on an M1 Mac. The excellent Dolphin emulator now runs on Apple’s latest machines, and its creators say it is “powerful and excels” under Apple Silicon.
Here’s how to install Dolphin and play GameCube and Wii games on your own M1 iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.
Give others the ability to use your Apple Card. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple Card now gives users the ability to add a co-owner from their Family Sharing group. Co-owners share the same credit line and have the ability to add the card to Apple Pay, view their own spending activity, and more.
It’s also possible to share Apple Card with other members of your family (aged 13 years or older) and give them their own spending limit. Here’s how to start sharing yours on iPhone and iPad.
Applying for verification is easier than ever. Image: Twitter/Cult of Mac
Twitter is making it easier than ever for users to get their hands on an elusive blue badge. You can start applying for account verification from within the Twitter app for iPhone and iPad. We’ll show you how.
Don't lose your Touch Bar when your MacBook Pro is closed. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
If you’ve grown to love your MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar and all the tools and shortcuts it provides, you likely miss it when you have your machine hooked up to an external display. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Here’s how to bring the Touch Bar to any screen so that you can continue to use it even when your MacBook Pro is closed.
Restart your Touch Bar in an instant. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Whatever your opinion may be on the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar, there’s no denying it comes in handy from time to time. Except when it freezes — which can be a common occurrence — and then it’s no use at all.
You might reboot your MacBook Pro to get its Touch Bar working again when this happens. But there is a quicker, much less disruptive fix. Here’s how to restart your Touch Bar without rebooting your Mac.
Reachability makes even the largest iPhone models easy to use one-handed. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
Reachability remains alive and well in iOS 14 — even if you have an iPhone without a Home button. The feature, which makes even the largest iPhone models easier to operate with one hand, is super-simple to use with just a quick flick of the thumb.
However, Reachability is disabled by default, so you’ll need to turn it on. Here’s how to enable and use Reachability in the latest iPhone firmware.
Enjoy Apple Music anywhere. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
If you are unable to play Apple Music tracks when you’re driving or out and about, it’s probably because you need to enable streaming over a cellular connection. We’ll show you how.
Start testing Opera GX today. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Gaming-focused web browser Opera GX is on its way to iPhone and iPad, almost two years after its initial debut. It comes with a customizable interface, the ability to sync with Opera GX on desktop, and ad blocking.
The browser also offers a number of unique features aimed at gamers, like GX Corner, which highlights gaming news and deals. Anyone can download and try out the Opera GX beta today. We’ll show you how.
Putting an AirTag into Lost Mode means others know how to contact you if they find it. Image: Apple/Cult of Mac
AirTag’s diminutive size and lack of ability to attach to anything out of the box means that it’s ironically easy to lose. Locating one that goes missing shouldn’t be too difficult, but if yours is proving hard to find, you might want to put it into Lost Mode.
If your AirTag is found by someone else, it will be possible for them to contact you and return your device — and anything it might be attached to — if it’s in Lost Mode. We’ll show you how to use it.