Facebook Messenger is more and more becoming my default chat tool as it’s the one app most of my buddies have, either on their laptop or mobile device, regardless of platform.
Thing is, Messenger filters a bunch of messages you’ve received, and I’m willing to bet you didn’t even know they were there.
If you want to find all those hidden Facebook messages, here’s how.
Apple has extended service on the Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro to address "functional issues." Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor
Back in November, I purchased a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a Smart Keyboard to go with it. I was so used to my Belkin keyboard paired with my iPad Air 2 that I quickly became frustrated with the Smart Keyboard’s lack of a shortcut row. Before long, I returned the Smart Keyboard (and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro).
This awesome feature lets you enjoy your favorite PS4 games while you’re in another room, or even away from home — and it’s super simple to setup. Here’s what you need to do.
You'll be the envy of all your Instagram buddies with AfterLight's amazing set of tools. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Instagram has a fair amount of filters, but boy everyone uses them all the time. You know a photo’s come from the photo-sharing social network when you can call out the filters on it: X-Pro, Hefe, Clarendon!
If you’re looking to stand out from the crowd, check out AfterLight, a sweetly-priced iOS app for iPad (and iPhone) with over 74 amazing filters and effects (and that’s just the free ones) to make your photos the envy of all the other basic Instagram users out there.
Here’s how to make best use of AfterLight’s massive toolset.
Tired of dealing with login passwords on your Mac? Skip them altogether with MacID! Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor
There aren’t a lot of apps I use regularly on my Apple Watch. The ones that I do use regularly consist of utilities that make my life easier, or apps that help me track things, like water intake or how many tasks I have left for the day. One of my favorite utilities is MacID, which offers even faster access to my Mac with my Apple Watch (or my iPhone).
VSCO on iPad is a fantastic, free option for photo editing. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
VSCO is a fantastic photo app for iPhone and iPad, and it lets you shoot some killer photos as well as edit them directly in the same app once you’ve taken your masterpiece.
The app is universal, which means it works well on iPhone and iPad, natively. The extra screen real estate, however, makes VCSO on iPad a fantastic choice just for editing any photos you like, whether you took them with your iPad, iPhone, or any other camera you might have.
If you’re running out of local or iCloud storage space on your iPhone (or iPad), it may be time to check how much space the Messages app is taking up. By default, your iPhone or iPad is set to save any messages you send and receive forever. This can result in iPhone “out of storage” messages, slow performance, and slow-loading performance when scrolling through threads.
Unless you really need to save every single message, there’s a quick way to potentially save gigs of space in just a few taps. Here’s how!
Disabling LTE on your iPhone can be useful at times. Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac
Why would you want to disable the fast mobile network speeds of LTE? Sometimes you’ll hit an area with spotty LTE coverage and your iPhone will bounce between 3G, LTE or even EDGE. That can kill your battery and you’ll want to disable LTE to avoid that.
Or maybe you just want to turn off your data to avoid any overages, or because you feel better when not constantly connected while on the go. Whatever your personal reason, here’s how to disable LTE on your iPhone.
So much potential here. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Whether you need to make something to show of your science project, make the sale, or help museum patrons understand a work of art, chances are you’ll need to make a slideshow that incorporates images, text and other media. Sometimes, you might even need to make one on the fly.
FlowVella is a free slideshow creation app that works on your Mac, iPad, and now iPhone for making killer presentations both at home and on the go. Here’s how.
If you're tired of the Facebook app draining your iPhone's battery, try these easy tips. Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor
Every day I hear at least one complaint about the Facebook app wreaking havoc on iPhone battery life. Unfortunately, this isn’t breaking news — it seems to re-surface, with a new level of severity, every couple of months. Not only does Facebook use tons of battery when left unchecked, it can also take up insane amounts of storage space on your iPhone.
This is exactly why I never let Facebook have permission to access … well, almost anything on my iPhone. Here are some tips that will help you stop the notorious Facebook iPhone battery drain.
Cut a few steps out of project planning by letting IFTTT do the heavy lifting between Todoist and Trello! Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor
As you may have noticed over the last month or so, I’ve had a little bit of a fascination with workflow automation and iOS. While some of it is the aftermath of trying to go iPad-only, most of it is simply because I love using iOS to make managing tasks easier whenever possible.
Grab the latest tvOS 11 update now. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
What’s new on your Apple TV? Quite a bit, if you’ve got the latest fourth-generation device and have updated it to tvOS 9.2.
There’s a new folders system for total organization, new support for Bluetooth keyboards, a podcasts app, a multitasking visual upgrade and a new default video-scrubbing behavior.
Check out all of the awesome new tricks you can do with the latest Apple TV update.
If you use the default iOS Mail app on a regular basis, you definitely need to learn these tips and tricks. Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor
No matter how many email apps I try, I just keep coming back to the stock iOS Mail app. While some of the things I’ve come to love about the iPhone’s built-in Mail app are obvious, some are not — such as shortcuts or gestures that make using it even more intuitive. Here are a few favorite iOS Mail tips I think everyone should know.
tvOS changes the default scrubbing behavior of your Siri Remote, and we couldn't be more glad. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
There’s a new Apple TV update in town, and it adds a few obvious features, like Bluetooth keyboard support and Siri Dictation in search and user name/password fields.
tvOS 9.2 also has some less-obvious improvements, though. For instance, it’s easy to locate the exact spot you want to find in any video. Here’s how to scrub through video on Apple TV with your Siri Remote in tvOS 9.2.
Looking for a hassle free way to monitor your credit? Here's how to do just that, for free! Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor
There are lots of finance apps available for iPhone these days. Some of them make tasks that used to be painfully irritating easier than ever — like monitoring your credit report and viewing your credit scores. Even better, if you have the right combination of finance apps, you can regularly monitor all three of your credit scores for free, right from your iPhone. Here’s how!
With tvOS, your newer Apple TV can work with Bluetooth keyboards. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
With this week’s release of tvOS 9.2 for Apple TV, the fourth-generation set-top box now works with Bluetooth keyboards. While the splash screen specifically calls out Apple wireless keyboards, the truth is that you might be able pair pretty much any Bluetooth external keyboard with your new Apple TV.
New options for all of us. Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac
The iPhone line just got more expansive, with the new, smaller-yet-powerful iPhone SE dropping into the fray to compliment the bigger and still powerful iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus handsets.
So how do you choose the best iPhone? That depends on your own needs, of course, but we’re here to help you figure it all out with our iPhone buyer’s guide.
Which iPad model is best for you? Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
With the iPad lineup now verging on unwieldy, it’s harder than ever to decide which Apple tablet to buy. Which iPad is best for you? That’s going to depend on your needs, desires and budget — but your iPad buyer’s guide can help!
Do you go for the massive appeal of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro or opt for the smaller-but-newer (and slightly gimped) 9.7-inch iPad Pro? Will a tiny iPad mini suit you, or should you opt for an iPad Air 2, which is still a very capable, thin tablet?
All good questions! We’re here to help you answer them with this handy iPad comparison, just in time for when the new iPad Pro goes on sale Thursday, March 24 (most likely at 12:01 a.m. Pacific, according to Apple Support).
Want faster access to home audio? Here's how with the help of Launch Center Pro and 3D Touch! Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor
While some apps haven’t quite figured out best use cases for 3D Touch yet, a handful of apps have gotten it right. One of those apps is Launch Center Pro, which lets you choose what apps you get access to through 3D Touch actions.
I’ve chosen to take advantage of this by using Launch Center Pro to launch my most-used media apps: Rdio (RIP, now replaced), Sonos, Music.app and Pandora. By doing this, I’ve freed up four additional spaces on my first Home screen for other apps.
Get your iOS device up to date fast and easy. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
iOS 9.3 is perhaps the biggest “dot” upgrade Apple has created for its mobile platform. Apple usually doesn’t show off incremental iOS upgrades at its carefully staged keynotes, but iOS 9.3 clocked some time at Monday’s iPhone SE event, and you should update right now.
If nothing else, you’ll get some great new features like Night Shift to make your mobile digital life just a bit better. Here’s how to get iOS 9.3 on your iPhone or iPad.
iOS 9.3 is out now for everyone, and the upgrade delivers some great new features that make Apple’s mobile platform better than ever.
With sweet additions like password-protected Notes, sleep-saving Night Shift and data-friendly Wi-Fi Assist, iOS 9.3 might be Apple’s biggest “dot” release yet.
Here’s a quick rundown of all the coolest things you can do once you’ve downloaded the iOS 9.3 update, which Apple released Monday.
Tired of screenshots cluttering your Mac's desktop? Here's how to change where they're saved! Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor
I take a lot of screenshots on my Mac. This typically results in my desktop being cluttered with files I don’t really need to be there once I’m done with them.
That’s why I decided to change the location where my Mac screenshots are stored. My desktop is now clean and I still have quick access via a folder on my desktop. Here’s how you can do the same.
Here's how to turn the lights down and settle in for the Night Shift. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Yesterday, the launch of iOS 9.3 added Night Shift to Apple’s mobile devices. It’s a really cool feature that might help make you healthier. Jailbreakers have enjoyed an app with the same functionality for years, but now it’s legitimate and poses less of a risk of completely jacking up your iPhone or iPad.
Night Shift gives you the option of warming up the light your display emits so that you get less harsh, blue rays before bed. The idea is that your screen’s usual output tricks your body into thinking that it’s still daytime, and that can make it harder to fall and stay asleep. So if you’re used to checking some e-mails or reading some news before you conk out, it might help you rest easier.
Here’s how to activate Night Shift’s soothing beams.