| Cult of Mac

How to control what your iPhone backs up to iCloud

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icloud backup
Keep things safe with iCloud backup.
Photo: Gabriel Wasylko/Unsplash

It’s World Backup Day, a good opportunity to take a close look at the backups your iPhone makes to iCloud. Are you running out of iCloud storage space? Living with a slow internet connection? Worried about privacy? In any of these cases, you might want to exclude some apps from your iCloud backups. Doing so will save iCloud storage space and conserve bandwidth.

The good news is that it’s easy to exclude pretty much anything you like from your iCloud backups in iOS. Here’s how.

Casetify Mirror case for iPhone helps you look good on the go

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Casetify Mirror case for iPhone
An effective mirror that's always with you.
Photo: Casetify

When you want to look good but need to travel light, ditch the compact mirror and slap Casetify’s Mirror case on your iPhone.

Its reflective back will keep you from rushing to the bathroom to ensure your hair is in check, while its shockproof shell protects your iPhone from bumps and scratches. Bag yours today from the Cult of Mac Store.

How to watch It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown on Apple TV+

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How to watch ‘It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown’ on Apple TV+
Apple TV+ subscribers can now watch It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. It’s easy.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Nothing says springtime is here like a visit from the Easter Beagle. Snoopy and his friends are back in It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, showing now on Apple TV+. It’s one of many holiday specials appearing on Apple’s streaming video service, the home of all things Peanuts.

Here’s what you need to watch it.

Think vertical? Keep your Mac mini safely out of the way. [Setups]

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You can stand your Mac mini vertically or mount it behind the monitor or under the desk.
You can stand your Mac mini vertically or mount it behind the monitor or under the desk.
Photo: msnl0826@Reddit.com

Redditor mnsl0826 decided to save some space by standing up his M1 Mac mini vertically at the base of his monitor, rather than laying it flat. It worked for him, but posting about it on Reddit generated heaps of concern about whether you’re supposed to do that.

A year of effort goes into a clean and balanced look [Setups]

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Chris Reed's dual-monitor M1 MacBook Pro setup was a long time in the making.
Chris Reed's dual-monitor M1 MacBook Pro setup was a long time in the making.
Photo: Chris Reed

Working student Chris Reed told Cult of Mac he put a year of work into his “slow build” home office and computer setup. In that year he strove to achieve a clean and balanced look, and, judging by his pics and comments, it seems he got there.

Reed said he wanted to go with dual monitors rather than a wide screen display to save some money. He’s pleased with his choice of 32-inch Samsung 1080p curved monitors, run along with his 2020 MacBook Pro and his iPad Pro.

How to get the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 public betas today

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How to get the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 public betas today
You can try out iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 today. Here’s how to install the public betas.
Photo: Cult of Mac

iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are now available to public beta testers ahead of a wider release. Each of these brings a whole bunch of notable changes and improvements. iPhone gets FaceTime enhancements, new controls over notifications, upgrades for Apple Maps, and many more changes. And iPad gets a revamped version of Safari, improvements to Home screen widgets, easier side-by-side multitasking, and more.

Want to try them out for yourself? We’ll show you how.

MagSafe in iPhone 12 makes PopGrips so much better [Review]

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PopSockets PopGrip for MagSafe review
Magnets in the iPhone 12 series means PopSockets PopGrip for MagSafe doesn’t have to use sticky adhesives.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

PopSockets PopGrips are already wildly popular, and the new MagSafe system in the iPhone 12 series improved on the design. Instead of having to attach with adhesive, the pop-up phone handles cling tightly to magnets built into Apple’s handsets.

I tried the standard PopGrip and the wallet version with an iPhone 12, and they stood up brilliantly to real-world use.

Get ready for lossless Apple Music with Belkin Soundform Connect [Review]

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Belkin Soundform Connect review: AirPlay 2 adapter for legacy speakers
The Belkin Soundform Connect brings the high-quality audio of AirPlay 2 to legacy speakers or soundbars.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Belkin Soundform Connect could be just what you need to connect your speakers to Apple Music’s upcoming high-quality lossless audio. The wireless adapter allows iPhone and Mac users communicate with any speaker over AirPlay 2 using Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth.

I ran some tests, and I’m impressed with the usefulness of this tiny accessory.