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Pro Tips - page 4

Set color, gradients or images as document backgrounds in Pages [Pro tip]

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Pages-background-color
For designs that can't be missed.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Pro-tip-4Make posters and invitations with more eye-catching designs by setting color, gradients, or images as your document background in Pages. It’s a super-simple trick that can make a big difference. Find out how in this pro tip.

Enable fall detection on Apple Watch for automatic assistance [Pro tip]

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Keep your Apple Watch going all day long.
It's enabled automatically if you're over 55.
Photo: Alvaro Reyes/Unsplash

Pro-tip-4Fall detection on Apple Watch can be a real life-saver for those who are unsteady on their feet, but it isn’t enabled by default (unless you’re 55 or over). Here’s how to activate it on Apple Watch Series 4 or later.

Check MacBook battery health and prolong its lifespan in Catalina [Pro tip]

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abstract-MacBook
Help your MacBook's battery age gracefully.
Photo: Dmitry Chernyshov

Pro-tip-4Apple’s newest macOS update makes it easier than ever to check MacBook battery health, and to prolong its lifespan. In this pro tip, we’ll show you where to find the new battery health features, and how to check the status of yours.

Change this MacBook setting to fix external display color problems [Pro tip]

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MacBook-external-display-problem
No one wants this.
Photo: Apple

Pro-tip-4Have you noticed that your external display doesn’t look right when using it with a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro? Is it far too warm, like everything is coated in orange? It’s a common problem, but there’s an easy way to fix it.

Find out how in today’s pro tip.

Change your Apple Watch Move goal to stay fit during lockdown [Pro tip]

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Apple_Watch_Series_4_—_How_to_view_your_Activity_rings_—_Apple.gif
Increasing your Move goal can help you be even more active.
Photo: Apple

Pro-tip-4You might need to exercise a little more if you hope to stay fit while stuck at home for most of the day during a global pandemic. Give yourself a little push by increasing your Move goal on Apple Watch.

It’s easy to do, and if you’re one of the many Apple Watch owners who likes to complete their Move goal every day, it will help you burn a few additional calories to make up for spending most of the day on the couch.

Pro tip: Snap screenshots on Apple Watch with a simple settings change

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Apple-Watch-screenshots-
Show off your Apple Watch setup.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Pro-tip-4Did you know that it’s possible to capture Apple Watch screenshots after a simple settings change? Find out how in today’s pro tip and it’ll be easier than ever to share snaps of your favorite Apple Watch apps and watch face setups.

Pro tip: Turn iPhone’s keyboard into a trackpad for easy text editing

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iPhone-trackpad-GIF.gif
Ready to go whenever you need it.
GIF: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Pro-tip-4 Fixing typos and other errors while typing on iPhone can be frustrating if you’re still stabbing away at the screen with your fingertips. Instead, turn iPhone’s keyboard into a trackpad for more precise cursor placement.

Find out how in today’s pro tip.

Pro tip: Swipe to create nested lists in Notes on iOS

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nested-lists-hero-GIF
A swipe right isn't just good for Tinder.
GIF: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Pro-tip-4Using nested lists is a terrific way to organize your plans and thoughts inside the Notes app, and it’s super-simple to create them on iPhone and iPad using this quick pro tip. All you need is to get your swipe on.

Pro tip: Easily add an Escape key to iPad Pro’s Magic Keyboard

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iPad-Magic-Keyboard-escape.gif
Escape keys for everyone.
GIF: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

$299 won’t get you much in an Apple Store these days. It won’t even buy you an Escape key with your iPad Pro Magic Keyboard. But if you’re finding life a little difficult without one, there is a quick and easy way to add your own.

Today’s pro tip will show you how.

Pro tip: Skip Face ID for faster iPhone unlocks while wearing a mask

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how to skip FaceID unlocking
Here's how to quickly unlock your iPhone while wearing a mask.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

You shouldn’t have to deal with the frustration of unlocking your iPhone with Face ID when you’re wearing a mask. And you don’t have to. This simple pro tip shows you how to skip Face ID and quickly unlock with a passcode instead.

Pro tip: Adjust mouse and trackpad scroll speed in iPadOS

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iPad-scroll-speed-hero.gif
Make using a mouse with iPad even better.
GIF: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple’s default mouse and trackpad settings in iPadOS might work great with the company’s own accessories, but they can be less than ideal with third-party peripherals. Scroll speed, in particular, seems very temperamental.

Unfortunately, Apple decided it would be a good idea to hide away those scroll speed settings, so a lot of users have no idea they can be adjusted. Here’s where you can find them on iPad.

This one trick will make the Apple News app way better

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Scrolling Apple News on iPhone
Scrolling Apple News doesn't have to be about ignoring dozens of articles.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Ever since its launch, people have mostly been dismissive about Apple News on iPhone, iPad and Mac. One big reason is the way it interacts with links on the web, boxing users into the News app instead of letting them visit the open web.

For me, that’s actually a pretty desirable thing, because I really like the News app. It’s much cleaner-looking than many ad-bloated websites, and far less emotional and combative than getting your news on social media.

But making the News app show you the things you care about, with less clutter and noise, requires one simple trick.

Pro Tip: Your Apple USB-C headphone adapter works anywhere

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USB-C headphone adapter
The dongle works pretty much anywhere.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Pro Tip: This to-do list hack turns your tasks into questions If you own a 2018 iPad Pro, you probably also bought Apple’s USB-C-to-3.5mm headphone jack adapter, just so you can plug headphones into your $1,000-plus computer. But what if you want to do something totally crazy like, I don’t know, listen to music and charge the iPad at the same time? Or, given that this a pro machine, maybe you want to hook up a MIDI piano keyboard, or other gear, and use headphones at the same time?

Tough luck, right? No! If you have any old USB-C hub or dock, you can plug Apple’s cheap little dongle into the hub itself. Check it out.

Access your App Store updates from the iOS 13 Home screen [Pro Tip]

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iOS 13 app updates
The quickest way to see your app updates in iOS 13.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Pro Tip: This to-do list hack turns your tasks into questions iOS 13 did away with the old Updates tab in the App Store, and replaced it with Apple Arcade. That’s pretty bad news if you don’t want to use Apple Arcade. But on the plus side, you can access your app updates from the Home screen using 3D Touch. And the good news is that, in iOS 13, you can also use this trick on the iPad.

Roll your own USB-C-to-Lightning cable today [Pro Tip]

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You may already have all parts you need to make this cable.
You may already have all parts you need to make this cable.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Pro Tip: This to-do list hack turns your tasks into questions The USB-C iPad Pro can charge your iPhone, but you have to buy one of Apple’s expensive USB-C to Lightning cables. Or do you?

With a USB-C-to-microUSB cable, and the right little adapter, you can make your own, today.

Pro Tip: This to-do list hack turns your tasks into questions

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Question mark to list trick
Rephrase your tasks as questions.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Pro Tip: This to-do list hack turns your tasks into questions How many times have you stared at the same list of stale tasks on your to-do list? I have whole sections that have been there so long they’ve become invisible to me —- just like the sign in by bathroom telling guests to sit down to pee has become invisible to certain of my antisocial visitors.

Now, today’s tip isn’t going to help you to finish off those lingering tasks. You may as well just delete them, because you’re never, ever going to complete them. But it might help you rescue newly added tasks from the same stagnant fate. It’s called the “question mark to-do list trick”, and so far it’s working for me.

Pro Tip: How to reveal the Files sidebar in portrait view

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Files may be clunky, but it's better than this.
Files may be clunky, but it's better than this.
Photo: Phil Roeder/Flickr CC

Cult of Mac Pro Tip: How to reveal the Files sidebar in portrait view This is a simple tip, but until I worked it out it was driving me crazy. In landscape orientation, the iPad Files app’s sidebar is always present, making it easy to get to any favorite folder, location or label, pretty much instantly.

In portrait, though, the sidebar disappears. However, there are two easy ways to make it come back, neither of which involves tapping the back arrow until you arrive at the root level of iCloud Drive.

Yes, you can use the 2018 iPad Pro as a fridge magnet

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You can attach iPad Pro to a refrigerator thanks to magnets. But don't try this at home.
Don’t try this at home. Or at the office. Or anywhere, really.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The new 2018 iPad Pro has a lot of magnets inside. There are around 90 of them on the back of it alone, just to stick it to the Smart Keyboard Folio or the ridiculously priced new Smart Folio cover, according to tests done by Pocket Lint. But those magnets are also great for sticking the iPad Pro to a refrigerator door like a giant fridge magnet.