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How-To - page 77

How to use Siri to multitask more efficiently in macOS Sierra

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macOS Siri Multitasking
Siri on macOS takes multitasking to the next level.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Through innovations like “Hey Siri” on iOS, and the ability to pin Siri search results to your Mac’s Notification Center, Apple has been working to make its virtual assistant more useful than ever. One more such application is the ability to use Siri to multitask on macOS Sierra.

Here’s how to take advantage of this feature when running the latest Mac operating system, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

How to use iCloud Drive to share your Desktop & Documents folder in macOS Sierra

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iCloud
Sharing is caring. And easier than ever.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iCloud Drive previously worked a bit like Dropbox, asking users to drag and drop files into a special folder in order to access them across multiple devices. That changes in macOS Sierra, which allows you to enjoy the benefits of iCloud with the added bonus that your files can stay exactly where they are.

Here’s how to use this useful new feature in Apple’s new Mac operating system, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

How to launch a Mac app and succeed

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MacPaw DevMate
You need a game plan if you want to successfully launch your Mac app.
Image: MacPaw

Our new App Business section is brought to you by MacPaw, maker of proven Mac apps.

So you’re going to launch an app for Mac. Congrats! Now you’ve got to figure out an app marketing strategy that will get it to the widest audience possible.

There are many ways to approach the birth of a new product, but even in a field as fast-growing and dynamic as the world of apps, experience has yielded accepted wisdom about the best ways to start and maintain a successful campaign. Here are great rules of thumb for maximizing impact and customers for your app.

Keep Siri results where you can find them in macOS Sierra

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macOS Siri search pin
Siri just got more useful!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Siri’s arrival on macOS Sierra opens up some great new features and possibilities. One of our favorites? The ability to “pin” Siri results inside Notification Center — making it easier to keep track of whatever game times, trending topics or important documents Apple’s virtual assistant helps you to find.

Here’s how to use the feature when running Apple’s next-gen macOS, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

How to use your iPhone keyboard as a trackpad

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iPhone trackpad
Edit text easier by transforming your keyboard into a trackpad.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iOS has come a long way over the years, but trying to place your cursor accurately when writing and editing text is still a little awkward because you’re covering the text with your finger while trying to swipe across with the magnifying glass.

Well, thanks to 3D Touch, there’s a hidden trick within iOS that makes this easier. Check out this week’s Quick Tips video below to see it in action.

How to customize and swap Apple Watch faces

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cult of mac
Switching to a new watch face is almost too easy.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is making it a lot easier and faster to switch up the look of your Apple Watch thanks to some new features in watchOS 3.

 Starting this fall, Apple is adding a bunch of new faces that can be customized like never before. All the faces can be added via the Watch app for iPhone, and there are so many great options you’ll be swapping all the time. If you’re an Ultra user, check out the best Apple Watch Ultra 2 faces to maximize your experience.

Here’s how to do it:

How to use Universal Clipboard to copy on one device, paste on another

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macOS
Your iPhone and Mac now talk to each other even more closely.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The ability to seamlessly hand off web pages or emails from your Mac to your iPhone (or vice versa) has been around for a couple of years now. However, in macOS Sierra and iOS 10 it’s taken to the next level — courtesy of a Universal Clipboard feature which lets you easily copy and paste content between your Mac and iOS devices.

Here’s how to use the feature when running Apple’s next-gen iOS and macOS, which are currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

How to use Siri to search, drag and drop images on macOS Sierra

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siri
Siri on Mac makes finding images a whole lot quicker.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The Mac debut of Siri on macOS Sierra opens up a ton of intriguing new use-cases in terms of functionality. One of the most useful? The ability to use Apple’s virtual assistant to search for photos either on the web or your own computer — and then drag them into directly into apps.

Here’s how to use the feature when running Apple’s next-gen macOS, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

How to add, delete and rearrange apps in the new Apple Watch dock

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apple watch
The new Dock is one of watchOS 3's best features.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch is getting a UI makeover with watchOS 3 which completely changes how you interact with apps, making them faster and easier to access thanks to the all new Dock feature.

Now when wearers press the side button on Apple Watch, instead of bringing up your favorite contacts, the watch brings up the dock providing a quick view of your favorite apps that are now updated immediately, so you spend less time staring at the spinning wheel.

Here’s how to make the most of the new Apple Watch dock:

How to set up multilingual typing in iOS 10

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QuickType
Apple's QuickType keyboard is even better in iOS 10.
Photo: Apple

Apple has made a bunch of improvements to its QuickType keyboard for iOS 10, and one of those is support for multilingual typing. This lets you type in multiple languages simultaneously, and it’s super simple to set up. Here’s how.

How to use Apple Watch to unlock your Mac in macOS Sierra

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cult of mac
Hey, presto! No more typing in passwords.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The devices in Apple’s ecosystem always work really well together, and macOS Sierra doesn’t buck that trend. In fact, the upcoming desktop operating system lets Apple Watch owners automatically unlock their Macs using the wearable device — no lengthy password needed.

It’s a small, but incredibly useful, new feature that rewards Mac owners who have taken the dive and invested in an Apple Watch. Here’s how to use it when running macOS Sierra, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

How to search your photos by objects and scenery in macOS Sierra

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Cult of Mac
Searching your photos just got easier!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is giving its Photos app a massive overhaul for macOS Sierra, adding cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to make searching for individual pictures far, far smarter than it’s ever been before.

The Photos app can now search upward of 4,432 scenes and objects, letting you pull just the pictures shot in your backyard, for instance, or only those that include your car. Although the feature’s not working in Apple’s beta releases just yet, the finished version of macOS Sierra also promises to recognize seven different facial expressions — including greediness, disgust, smiles, neutral, surprise, screaming and suspicious.

Here’s how to use Apple’s smart photo search when running the new operating system, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

How to send stickers in Messages in iOS 10

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Messages iOS 10
Messages is getting stickers in iOS 10.
Photo: Apple

Messages is getting much more creative in iOS 10, and for the first time, users will be able to download and send all kinds of awesome stickers. Apple is already offering four sticker packs, and many more iMessage stickers will become available from third parties later.

Here’s how to download and send iMessage stickers to your friends.

How to use Apple Music inside iTunes with macOS Sierra

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Cult of Mac
Get the most out of your music with macOS Sierra.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Music has had a nice clean refresh in macOS Sierra — making it far easier to search for and discover the best Apple’s streaming music service has to offer.

Here’s what tune-lovers need to know when running the new operating system, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

How to get macOS Sierra to display your photos on a world map

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Sierra Maps
A new way to scan through your photos!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

One of the neatest new additions to macOS Sierra is the increased focus on photos. Using the in-built Photos app, it’s now easier than ever to relive your most cherished memories with nifty features like the ability to display all your photos on a world map — presenting a different way to access your pics.

Here’s how to do it using the new operating system, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

How to watch the Olympics on Apple TV

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x
Get ready to binge on the Summer Olympic games.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio are set to be the most streamed event in sporting history thanks to NBC’s plan to live-stream all 34 sports. Apple TV users can get in on the 4,500 hours of coverage that starts on August 5th even if you don’t have a cable subscription.

Here’s how to watch all the action using Apple TV:

How to swap words for emoji in iOS 10

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iOS-10-QuickType-keyboard
iOS 10's improved QuickType keyboard is big on emoji.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

We hope you like emoji, because you’re going to be seeing a whole lot more of them when iOS 10 makes its public debut this fall.

Apple is introducing a new feature for its built-in QuickType keyboard that makes it easy to swap words for relevant emoji characters as you type. Here’s how to use it.

How to use Tabs in macOS Sierra to get your docs in a row

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macos_sierra_tabs
Tabs will help keep your desktop clutter free!
Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Imagine if every time you opened a new tab in your web browser it instead opened an entirely new window on your desktop. It would basically mean living like an animal, right?

However, while we have long since gotten used to being able to easily switch between tabs while browsing the internet, things aren’t always so straightforward if you’re using other apps — be it Maps, Keynote, Pages, or some other third-party app.

Fortunately that’s all changing thanks to the new tabs feature on macOS Sierra. Here’s what you need to know if you’re running the new operating system, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

How to use Messages to play videos and preview links in macOS Sierra

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iMessage Messages on Mac
Sharing videos and webpages just got a bit easier.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

macOS Sierra has a ton of neat features that’ll change the way you work using your Mac. The ability to play videos inside Messages probably isn’t one of them, but it’s certainly a nice touch that makes chatting to your friends and sharing content that much better.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re running the new operating system, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

How to share, compare and compete with watchOS 3’s Activity rings

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Get set to test yourself to the limit with your Apple Watch.
Get set to test yourself to the limit with your Apple Watch.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch is getting a ton of new features this fall for fitness freaks, giving wearers the ability to not only track their own fitness better than ever, but also go head-to-head with other Apple Watch-loving friends.

With iOS 10 and watchOS 3, Apple Watch owners can share their Activity rings to view each other’s progress and compete to be fittest person in the clique. Here’s how to get started: