iOS tips - page 6

How to back up your iPhone or iPad to an external drive

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Use an external hard drive to free up space on your Mac.
Use an external hard drive to free up space on your Mac.
Photo: Ste Smith/ Cult of Mac

If you’ve got a tiny hard drive on your Mac and a large-capacity iPhone or iPad (or both!), you might worry that you’re about to run out of space due to all the stuff you want to back up from your iOS device to your OS X one.

You won’t have to worry any longer. This trick makes your Mac back up your iPhone or iPad to an external drive, which will ensure you never run out of space to keep your data backed up.

Here’s how.

Make your home screen pop with round iOS folders

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iOS round folders
Man, that looks weird.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

Usually, if you want to change the shape of your iOS folders, you need to jailbreak your device or squint really hard or something. But one person has found a way to make your app holders cool-looking and round, and all you have to do is change your device’s wallpaper.

You can see the cool circles in action in the video below.

When Wi-Fi is out, use Ethernet to get online with your iPad

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When the Wi-fi goes down, you can always use Ethernet.
When the Wi-fi goes down, you can always use Ethernet.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

iPads are made to go online with Wi-Fi, but what happens when the wireless goes down and all you have is an Ethernet connection to the internet?

With a couple of Apple dongles and a powered USB hub, you can easily use Ethernet to get online with your iPad, no Wi-Fi required.

Here’s how.

8 killer Instagram tips and tricks

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InstagramCloseiPhone
Become an Insta-master with these killer Instagram tips and tricks.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Make the most of your Instagram feed with these eight killer Instagram tips and tricks that will make you an Insta-master.

Learn how to put together video in the Instagram app itself, keep stalkers off your Instagram feed, find amazing photos near your current location, and much more.

How to use Apple Watch to find your iPhone (even in the dark)

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Use your Apple Watch to find your iPhone, regardless of ambient illumination.
Use your Apple Watch to find your iPhone, regardless of ambient illumination.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

I’m willing to bet that you’ve misplaced your iPhone around the house before. I know I have; almost once a week I’m wondering where I set down that magical device. Is it in the bedroom? The kitchen? The (gasp) bathroom?

If you’ve got an Apple Watch, though, you can use its ping feature to find your iPhone with an audible sound, and even a flashing LED if you need it.

Here’s how.

Use free Snapseed on iPad to tune your photos to best effect

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Snapseed lets you tune up your photos with ease.
Snapseed lets you tune up your photos with ease.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Snapseed is a free image editing app from Google that has some fantastic editing tools to make any photo even better.

The killer feature here is the set of Tune Image tools that let you take a good photo and turn it into a great photo, right on your iPad, with very little effort.

Here’s a quick intro to these fantastic tools and how to make them tune your photos to best effect.

Use Pixelmator to add more of a good thing to your photos

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You can make a dreamy landscape like this in no time at all with Pixelmator.
You can make a dreamy landscape like this in no time at all with Pixelmator.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Imagine a photo of a young child, blowing bubbles into a gentle breeze. Wouldn’t it be an even better photo if there were more than one bubble in it? Because man, that kid is cute, but she sure can’t blow bubbles very well.

With Pixelmator, a fantastic photo editor on iOS and Mac, you can do just that with the clone tool.

Using it, though, as in any complex photo editing program, can be a little unintuitive. Here’s how to add more of a good thing to your photos with Pixelmator on the iPad.

How to make a jaw-dropping collage on your iPad with Pixlr

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Make your own fun collage with Pixlr right on your iPad.
Make your own fun collage with Pixlr right on your iPad.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Don’t let the backlash against scrapbooking get you down — photo collages are fun. You can go to the store and buy a multi-framed monstrosity to put your hardcopy photos in and mount it on your wall, or you can use an app on your Mac or iPad to take some of the work out of it.

If you’re looking to make your own collage on your iPad, Pixlr is a fantastic choice, as it makes putting various photos together and adding fun effects incredibly simple and fun.

Here’s how.

How to make your own hilarious memes with Aviary

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We hope your memes are even funnier.
Photo-editing app Aviary is a meme-making machine.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Have you ever wanted to make your own memes? You know, the funny pictures with the bold text on the top and bottom that all the kids are going crazy for these days?

With Photo Editor by Aviary, you can do just that, plus add stickers, frames, and even do some pretty great photo editing right in the same app.

Here’s how to make your own hilarious memes with Aviary (though we don’t guarantee your memes will actually be funny — that’s up to you).

How to dig up all your hidden Facebook messages

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Facebook

Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

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.

How to create stunning double exposures with Enlight

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Make stunning images with Enlight right on your iPad.
Make stunning images with Enlight right on your iPad.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

If you want to create amazing images like the one above, Enlight is a fantastic way to do so on the iPad (or iPhone).

Most of us don’t want to take a huge amount of time, either, learning how to create these images in-camera or with a big application like Photoshop.

Enlight makes it so easy, even a photo newbie like myself can create amazing double exposures with Enlight in just a few minutes.

 

6 must-know shortcuts for every Smart Keyboard owner

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Apple has extended service on the Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro to address "functional issues."
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnail 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).

Leave Instagram behind with AfterLight’s massive toolset

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You'll be the envy of all your Instagram buddies with AfterLight's amazing set of tools.
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.

How to unlock your Mac with an iPhone or Apple Watch

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Tired of dealing with login passwords on your Mac? Skip them altogether with MacID!
Tired of dealing with login passwords on your Mac? Skip them altogether with MacID!
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnail 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).

How to make your photos pop with VSCO on iPad

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VSCO on iPad is a fantastic, free option for photo editing.
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.

Here’s how.

How to save iPhone storage by limiting the Messages app

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Messages is getting really good with iOS 10.
Messages is getting really good with iOS 10.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnail 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!

How (and why) to disable LTE on your iPhone

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iPhone will never be 100 percent hacker-proof.
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.

Simple iPhone trick frees up storage space you didn’t know you had

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If you've got a smaller iPhone SE, this might really help.
If you've got a smaller iPhone SE, this might really help.
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

Quick — go check and see if you have enough free space on your iPhone.

I’m guessing you’re like the rest of us, and can use a little more — especially if you’ve got a smaller iPhone in the 16 GB range.

If you’re looking to free up some storage space on any size iPhone, here’s a bizarre little trick that just might astound you.

6 ways to stop Facebook app from draining your iPhone battery

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If you're tired of the Facebook app draining your iPhone's battery, try these 6 easy tips!
If you're tired of the Facebook app draining your iPhone's battery, try these easy tips.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnail 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.

7 hidden tips and tricks every iOS Mail user should know

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If you use the default iOS Mail app on a regular basis, here are 7 tips and tricks you definitely need to know!
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

app-factor-logo-thumbnail 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.

How to control your home media with 3D Touch and Launch Center Pro

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Want faster access to home audio? Here's how with the help of Launch Center Pro and 3D Touch!
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

app-factor-logo-thumbnailWhile 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.

How to update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 9.3

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Get your iOS device up to date fast and easy.
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.

Cool new things you can do after your iOS 9.3 update

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iOS 9.3 Beta 4

Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

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.

How to record your iPhone or iPad screen with QuickTime

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iPhone Screen Capture
Start capturing your iOS gaming with this handy trick!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

There are many reasons you may want to record your iPhone screen: demonstrations, tutorials, gaming and much more.

Sure, there are apps out there that can do this for you, but the only downside is that they use up valuable storage space on your iPhone or iPad. In this week’s Quick Tips video, I’m going to show you how to record your iOS device to your Mac in under a minute.