The iPhone setup process gets easier every year. So easy, in fact, that there are only a few things you need to do to move from your old iPhone to a new one. You can even directly transfer your data from an Android phone. Setting up a new iPhone from scratch isn’t much harder — you just have a few extra steps you need to go through.
There are still a few tricks that will help things run smoothly, though. Let’s see how to set up your new iPhone the right way.
Criminals around the world are surely celebrating news that Apple is being forced by the European Union to enable iPhone to install applications from outside the App Store. The move will allow hackers to release a fresh tidal wave of malware, hoping to slip it onto iOS handsets. iPhone users will be forced to fend off attempts to trick them into installing this malware virtually every day.
And well-known, unscrupulous companies will take advantage of the new security hole, too.
Looking for some sweet holiday gifts that won’t break the bank? The Cult of Mac Store has a massive collection of affordable stocking stuffers, sure to put a smile on the face of any Apple fan, for less than $20 each.
You’ll find cases, screen protectors, bands, stands and more from our most popular vendors. And every product has been used and approved by us, so you can be confident you’re spending your hard-earned cash on great products.
The European Parliament picked December 28, 2024 as date after which iPhone and all other handsets sold in the EU must have a USB-C port. That means the iPhone 17 in 2025 will definitely not include a Lightning port.
But unconfirmed reports say Apple will make the change earlier than that.
Apple Music Sing gives you the real-time lyrics you need to sing along to your favorite tracks. The upcoming feature will show the words to songs so you can easily join in. It will even adjust the volume of the original singer so you take the lead.
It’s coming in December to Apple Music subscribers worldwide. The feature will work with millions of songs in the streaming service’s catalog, Apple said Tuesday.
Following Black Friday, the Cult of Mac Store added massive discounts over the weekend for Cyber Monday. So not only can you get a whopping 40% off SwitchEasy iPhone 12 series cases and accessories, you can get 30% a whole lineup of other great SwitchEasy gear.
See below for more details on all the great deals on many brands you can still get in the Cult of Mac Store. But if you like what you see, don’t hesitate. This deal ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT on Friday, December 2.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The latest iPhone 15 rumors make it sound like we’re getting some major changes on the design front. And, while the switch from Lightning to USB-C sounds like a winner, Apple might pull one of its irritating tricks by making a handy feature exclusive to the iPhone Pro models next year.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
This is absolutely your last chance to get forgetful Eron’s ridiculous CultCloth deal! These are the only cleaning cloths you need!
Protests over unpaid bonuses, anti-COVID-19 controls and even food quality led police to clash with hundreds of workers at the world’s largest iPhone factory in China, reports indicated Wednesday.
Social media videos and witnesses in Zhengzhou, where Foxconn operates a giant factory nicknamed “iPhone City,” said police beat and detained protesters.
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There’s something especially convenient about having a multi-device charging station on your nightstand. Or you could place at the edge of your desk or on a table by the front door. It’s a place you can charge your iPhone, AirPods charging case and Apple Watch all at once if need be.
Ugreen sent me its version to test out, the 3-in-1 MagSafe Wireless Charging Station. It’s a good charger for most people — especially because it’s MFi-certified for MagSafe. That means you get a full 15 watts for MagSafe iPhones and 5W apiece for an AirPods charging case and Apple Watch.
But the device isn’t without minor drawbacks.
iPhone 14 models can now use Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite service. It allows users of the latest iOS handsets to exchange texts with emergency services while outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.
The new feature debuted Tuesday in the United States. Apple says the satellite SOS service will become available in France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom starting in December.
Apple is working on changing the “Hey Siri” hotword to just plain “Siri,” and the change could roll out as early as next year.
Introduced in 2015 with the iPhone 6s, the “Hey Siri” hotword remains unchanged to this day. You also can use the phrase to invoke Apple’s voice assistant on the Mac, iPad, HomePod and Apple Watch.
Apple is reportedly sticking with a two-year replacement cycle on its budget handset line. That means the iPhone SE 4 won’t be out until 2024, according to a reliable source.
The launch is apparently far enough away that Apple hasn’t settled on a final design.
An Apple executive confirmed that iPhone will drop the Lightning port in favor of USB-C. It’s a change being forced by the European Parliament, and Apple VP Greg Joswiak says the company won’t try to get around the new regulation.
Until now, it could only be assumed iPhone would give up Lightning.
Halloween is the time for kooky costumes, candy-induced belly aches and frighteningly good deals on Apple accessories in Cult of Mac‘s Super Sweet Deals sale. You can get anything made by Elago for 15% off this week.
Just head to the Cult of Mac Store to take 15% off all Elago accessories. That’s 162 products that go along with pretty much everything Apple. See some highlights below.
The wait for the first major update to iOS 16 is almost over. Apple revealed Thursday in a backwards sort of way that iOS 16.1 will reach iPhones everywhere on October 24.
The update will bring iCloud Shared Photo Library, Live Activities and other new features.
Apple Fitness+ will finally become available to iPhone users starting next week. The subscription service, which offers an array of recorded workouts for a wide range of health levels, previously focused on Apple Watch, showcasing users’ performance metrics in real time.
The expansion to iOS handsets is not the only move in the works to make Apple Fitness+ more mainstream. Music by Taylor Swift is also coming to Fitness+, with workouts focused on the artist’s new album, Midnight.
This post on unique MacBook, iPad and iPhone stands is brought to you by Momax.
It can pay to place your most important devices on stands, like your MacBook, iPad and iPhone. It usually makes them easier to view and use while also creating some extra space on the desktop for other items or uses, and out of the way of spills and other workstation calamities.
If you need a stand for a laptop, tablet or smartphone, Momax features a whole lineup. And better yet, as a Cult of Mac reader, you can get 10% off any purchase, plus an extra 5% off if you buy more than one item. See below.
Anyone who still has a 2007 iPhone in the back of a drawer is surely excited to hear one just sold at auction for $39,340. But this one is still factory sealed in the box, not beat up after years of use.
The company that handled the auction called this a record price for a first-edition iPhone.
Apple has reportedly given up its plan to use RAM chips made by Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. in the iPhone 14 series. It apparently ran into too much resistance from U.S. politicians, including suggestions the chips would somehow be used to surveil Americans.
To be clear, the chips would not have been used in iPhones sold outside of China.
You may not consider the humble desk mat a necessity in your computer setup. But what if you could charge your smartphone and earbuds charging case just by placing them on your desk? You can with the new Alti Wireless Charging Desk Mat. Accessories maker Journey unveiled it Thursday.
“This charging mat is our all-in-one solution to keeping your desk clutter-free while simultaneously charging your devices. We promise that it will soon become your favorite desk companion,” the company said.
Sending an email still works basically the same as it has since the ’90s. But these days, people want modern features — like scheduling emails and undo send. Apple Mail may not be the most radical email client, but it has a lot of smart features hidden around every corner.
You can quickly take back an email if you forget to include an attachment, or schedule an important email way in advance. You also can get smart reminders to read email later, and alerts to send a follow-up. If you catch a typo just as you hit send, you can take it back and make your edit before it’s too late.
Read to see how it all works.
Lockdown Mode is a new option in iOS 16 that limits system features for maximum security. Apple designed it to protect its products from sophisticated spyware, like NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, which has been used to target journalists, politicians, dissidents and activists around the world.
Spyware like Pegasus may seem like an unlikely threat. But for some, Lockdown Mode could be life or death. U.S. citizens need not worry at the moment, but it doesn’t take a wild imagination to picture how such spyware might be embraced by slightly more fascist administrations.
Right now, Lockdown Mode is meant for high-profile activists and journalists. And I mean real journalists — the kind who expose state secrets — not bloggers like me. Read on to find out how to enable Lockdown Mode and how it affects your device’s functionality.
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Is it worth buying a full-size camera these days? The reasons to do so grow smaller and smaller as smartphone cameras get better and better. It’s getting to the point where you have to spend a thousand dollars or more for a full-frame camera to take noticeably better pictures than your iPhone.
Even then, a dedicated camera still won’t automatically sync your pictures to iCloud and might not tag your pictures with location data. And then you have to buy lenses — and full-size camera lenses are expensive.
What if, instead of buying a different camera, you could add lenses and accessories for your iPhone that fill in the missing gaps? You could get the same versatility with the same convenience.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: iOS 16 makes our year-old iPhones feel fresh again. And the various “hidden” features flying under the radar make the iOS 16 experience even more impressive.
Also on The CultCast:
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
Get the only cleaning cloth you need: CultCloth!
iOS 16 brings a lot of exciting changes, but no one seems to like the new Search button on the Home Screen.
It can clutter your aesthetic theme, it’s easy to press accidentally, and it’s not any faster than using the swipe-down gesture for search. Luckily, it’s possible to turn it off — read on to see how.