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How-To - page 84

5 Netflix keyboard shortcuts that put you in charge

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Netflix on a MacBook
You now have to pay more for the best Netflix package.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

When you’re binge-watching a show like Walking Dead or Person of Interest on Netflix, you may at times need to get up for a snack or bathroom break (or both).

Fumbling around for the mouse to bring up the playback overlay is fine, but using the keyboard to pause your streaming media is much faster. Here are five hidden keyboard shortcuts that will put you in charge of your Netflix experience.

Netflix’s hidden streaming menu will solve your buffering woes

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Netflix
Expect Netflix to stay in the no. 1 spot for the foreseeable future.
Photo: Global X / Flickr CC

It’s happened to all of us: We get to the thrilling conclusion of the latest Daredevil or Jessica Jones episode, and suddenly Netflix’s “buffering” logo appears, bringing our TV binge to an abrupt and unwelcome end.

Luckily, you can use Netflix’s hidden streaming menu to set your streaming speed to a lower tier, which should bypass the buffering foolishness. Here’s how to find it.

5 tips to keep your iPhone on lockdown

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iphone_disabled
Secure your iPhone with these handy tips.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone security has dominated the news for the past couple of weeks, so it’s understandable if you’re worrying about your own iPhone.

Have no fear, though: here are some handy tips to help keep your iPhone secure, from both hackers and the FBI.

Today’s video will walk you through 5 easy-to-do tips that will make your iPhone more secure.

Stay distracted: Keep Netflix video running in the foreground on your Mac

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Watch your favorites while getting work done, too.
Watch your favorites while getting work done, too.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Sometimes, work is boring. You might need a distraction from whatever routine task you’re doing on your Mac, like entering data into a spreadsheet or replying to email. Netflix is a great idea, but you have to portion your screen or move windows around in order to both watch a show on Netflix as well as get your work done.

Not anymore, though, as NEnhancer lets you use the magical power of Chrome to get a Netflix movie or TV show in a small window that will float on top of any other apps you’re running, making sure your Netflix video running in the foreground on your Mac.

Just be sure to actually get your work finished, too.

How to make grocery lists with Fantastical 2 and Apple Watch

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If you have an Apple Watch, Fantastical 2 makes managing grocery lists super simple!
If you have an Apple Watch, Fantastical 2 makes managing grocery lists super simple!
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnail

Grocery shopping isn’t anyone’s favorite activity — and while using a list can make it a bit more manageable, constantly pulling out your iPhone to check items off can be inconvenient. However, creating an iOS grocery list in the Reminders app and syncing it with your Apple Watch can streamline the process significantly.

While walking through a local grocery store, I found myself pulling out my iPhone, launching Fantastical 2 and systematically checking things off as normal. I then remembered that my Apple Watch also had Fantastical 2 built right in, so I figured I would give that a go this time.

After a little experimenting, I figured out the perfect way to interact with checklists in Fantastical 2 on my Apple Watch.

10 iOS Safari tips you need to know (but don’t)

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Safari iOS 11
Get up to speed with these awesome Safari tips
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The mobile web browser of choice for most iPhone and iPad users is still Safari. As the stock browser for iOS, it has been a staple of the iPhone since its release in 2007, but Safari has a few subtle features you’ve probably never heard of.

With Safari going through so many changes with each new iOS version, some tricks may have sneaked past your attention. In today’s video, we’ll show you 10 killer Safari tricks every iPhone and iPad users needs to know.

How many of these Safari tips have you seen?

How to eliminate the adware that’s plaguing your Mac

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Mac malware
Don't get caught like this.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

In addition to various viruses that can harm your Mac, there’s a different kind of annoyance you might have stumbled upon: adware.

This might manifest itself as a web page that tells you you’ve been infected, with an accompanying phone number to call or malicious website to visit, or it might even show up as an ostensibly helpful Mac app you don’t remember installing.

If you’re experiencing the pain of malicious adware, we’re here to help. Here’s how to eliminate the adware that’s plaguing your Mac.

Forgot your Apple ID password? Here’s how to reset it

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Reset your password with these simple steps.
Reset your password with these simple steps.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

With Apple’s new two-step authentication procedures in place, resetting your password is a little trickier than it used to be. That’s a good thing, because if it’s tough for you, it’s even tougher for scammers to get into your iPhone, even if it’s stolen.

Here’s how to reset your Apple ID password with Apple’s current security system.

How to sign, scan and send PDFs with an iPhone or iPad

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Want to go completely paperless? Here's how to better manage PDF documents on iPhone and iPad!
Want to go completely paperless? Here's how to better manage PDF documents on iPhone and iPad!
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnail PDF handling on the iPhone and iPad has vastly improved over the last year or so. Not only can you scan documents as PDFs using the camera, you can sign documents and send them off to the recipient, and even request the signature of others electronically. If you need a reliable iPhone PDF converter, you can find everything you need in this guide.

How to find Instagram photos of beautiful, nearby locations

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Check out other beautiful photos taken near you.
Check out other beautiful photos taken near you.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Instagram’s location data can be a privacy nightmare but it also allows you to check out what other folks are taking photos of nearby.

If you’re on vacation and want to see some stunning photography in the same place as you, it’s just a click away.

Here’s how to find Instagram photos of nearby beautiful locations, to inspire you on your own journey.

How to take better HDR photos with Hydra for iPhone

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Ever take a photo where the foreground is took dark or the background is way too bright? Hydra solves that problem for you.
Ever take a photo where the foreground is took dark or the background is way too bright? Hydra solves that problem for you.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailThe iPhone has a great built-in camera. Unfortunately, the Camera app itself sometimes falls short. If you’ve ever taken a photo outside only to find the sky way too bright while everything else is way too dark, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Hydra for iPhone does a great job balancing tricky lighting situations. Here’s how it works and why I love it so much…

How to save offline maps with Google Maps for iPhone

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Need offline maps for times when they're no cellular or Wi-Fi data available? Google Maps gives them to you for free.
Need offline maps for times when they're no cellular or Wi-Fi data available? Google Maps gives them to you for free.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailOne of my favorite features of the Google Maps app is its ability to save offline maps on iPhone. Whether you want map access regardless of cell reception or you’re traveling abroad and won’t have a data connection, Google Maps is king. Even better, it costs you absolutely nothing.

How to keep stalkers from tracking you on Instagram

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Who's tracking your Instagram movements?
Who's tracking your Instagram movements?
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Anyone can tap your profile in Instagram and see where you were when you took your snapshots. Creeped out, yet?

Every time you take a picture for Instagram, the photo-sharing app keeps track of where you are by default. Here’s how to remove the location data automatically added to your snaps and keep stalkers from tracking you on Instagram.

How to get Apple’s latest software before everyone else

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Get the public betas for iOS and Mac before your friends do.
Get the public betas for iOS and Mac before your friends do.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Want to get your hands on the latest, greatest iOS and OS X features for your iPhone, iPad, and Mac before anyone else does? Do you love checking out all the new stuff in iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan so you can be the first to comment on them?

All you need to do is sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program, and you’ll be able to access the public betas of these flagship operating systems before they’re available to the rank and file.

Here’s how to sign up for (and install) Apple’s latest public betas.

The ultimate guide to iPhone and iPad password managers

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Using the same password over and over, or keeping track of passwords in the Notes app is bad practice. Here's how to manage all your passwords safely and conveniently!
You owe it to yourself to take control of your passwords. And it's easier than you might think.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailAs we store more and more of our information digitally, it becomes more important than ever to make sure our data is safeguarded. To ensure security, you should always use strong and unique passwords.

Password manager apps aren’t hard to use, and once you get started, they actually offer you more convenience than any other way of maintaining and storing passwords. Not convinced? Let me help you understand….

How to use Facebook’s new Reactions emojis the right way

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Wonder how Facebook users will react to this new software.
Wonder how Facebook users will react to this new software.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Trying to express your empathy for a friend’s grief, or your outrage at a recent political post, has been a Facebook conundrum since day one. No one wants to Like things they don’t actually, well, like. It’s just too limiting.

That’s why Mark Zuckerberg and Co. just rolled out Facebook’s new Reactions, five new emotional icons that we all get to use in place of the familiar thumbs-up Like button (which is still there, thank goodness).

The new Facebook Reactions system has rolled out to the web and your iOS devices today (via the Facebook app). Here’s how to respond to Facebook posts with a bit more color.

How to quickly rid your inbox of junk mail with a single iPhone app

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Tired of junk subscriptions cluttering your inbox? Let Unroll.me help you triage them in a matter of minutes!
Tired of junk subscriptions cluttering your inbox? Let Unroll.me help you triage them in a matter of minutes!
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailIf you’re looking for a better way to manage email subscriptions and junk mail, your life is about to get a whole lot better. Unroll.me is an iPhone app that lets you quickly triage and manage all your subscriptions in one place.

How to keep embarrassing Instagram pics off your profile

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Some photos are meant to be hidden.
Some photos are meant to be hidden.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

There’s a big difference between photos you put up on Instagram and those that your buddies upload and then tag you in.

Chances are, the ones you’re tagged in aren’t as flattering as the ones you put up yourself.

If you want to keep embarrassing Instagram pics off your profile, here’s what you can do.

This simple command will keep your Mac apps bleeding-edge

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You're a Terminal command away from keeping your Mac updated more frequently.
You're a Terminal command away from keeping your Mac updated more frequently.
Photo: Lifehacker

Here’s a surprising fact: By default, OS X only checks for software updates once a week. That’s shockingly infrequent, considering the fact that iOS and Windows both check for critical updates every day.

If you’d like your Mac to keep more on top of things, there’s an easy way to tell it to check for software updates more frequently.

How to track App Store sales and iTunes price drops

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CheapCharts allows you to monitor price changes not only for App Store sales, but iTunes content as well.
CheapCharts allows you to monitor price changes not only for App Store sales, but iTunes content as well.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailWhile I don’t ever mind paying for amazing apps by great developers, who doesn’t like App Store sales — or even better, sales on iTunes movies and music? A few months ago I stumbled on an app called CheapCharts and I’ve been using it ever since to monitor App Store sales on apps I want to keep an eye on.

Streamline your Instagram filters to work smarter, not harder

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Work smarter, not harder, with Instagram.
Work smarter, not harder, with Instagram.
Photo: Redd Angelo/Unsplash

Instagram power users are all about the filters, typically choosing a few favorites that they use more often than others.

Instead of swiping back and forth along the filters row, why not reorder them to put the ones you use most often up front? Better yet, how about deleting the ones you don’t use ever to streamline your entire filter experience?

Here’s how.

How to clear your pervy Instagram searches

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Get rid of any incriminating evidence.
Get rid of any incriminating evidence.
Photo: Jaelynn Castillo/Unsplash

We’re not saying that you search for inappropriate stuff on Instagram or anything, but if for some reason you’d like to clear your search history in the photo sharing app, you can.

You can’t view your search history directly, but it does inform your new searches, making it “easier for you to find your favorite people and hashtags again quickly,” according to Instagram.

So, if you don’t want certain (ahem) searches to show up when you’re looking for new things, here’s how to clear your Instagram searches.

Follow friends’ hearts to fuel your Instagram feed

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Some folks are amazing Instagrammers.
Some folks are amazing Instagrammers.
Photo: Hoil Ryu/Unslash

Instagram is a veritable playground of fascinating photography. The trick is to find accounts to follow that won’t waste your time with snaps of low-quality food or wacky pets. Unless you’re into that kind of thing.

So how do you find folks worth following? By checking out what the people you follow on Instagram are looking at, of course. You can also check out the photos you’ve liked, and add them to your feed if you haven’t already.

Here’s how to follow your friends’ hearts to fuel your Instagram addiction.