We're less than a week away from Glowtime, people! That's right, we're ready to see an iPhone 16 reveal event in just a few days, and that's not all - expect a first look at new Apple Watch models, too, and potentially even new Apple Intelligence features.

With the event kicking off on September 9, here's everything we know so far - including how you can tune in and enjoy it, even if you didn't get one of Apple's slick invites.

How to watch Apple’s iPhone 16 event “Glowtime”

The easiest way to watch the iPhone 16 keynote on Monday is through YouTube, with the stream likely to go live 15 minutes before kick-off time.

You'll find the stream below here, and if you log in you can opt to be reminded when it goes live, too.

If you already have an Apple device, you can watch the Glowtime event on your iPhone, Mac, or iPad through Apple's website, and it'll be streaming on tvOS' Watch Now section, too.

iPhone 16 — Into the unknown

There's plenty to look forward to this year with the iPhone lineup. Between the arrival of AI features under the Apple Intelligence banner, to the usual camera and chip improvements and the potential for a new Capture button, it could be another solid iPhone year.

As for the Apple Watch, the long-anticipated Apple Watch X could offer a drastic change, while we're also expecting an Apple Watch Ultra 3, too!

We're covering all the Apple iPhone 16 event announcements live as they happen. Don't miss all our iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple Watch X, Apple Watch Ultra 3, iOS 18 and watchOS 11 coverage so far.

With the latest beta releases of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 on August 29, Apple Intelligence can now be enabled with just one toggle in the Settings app.

Apple Intelligence was first introduced at WWDC in June, Apple's yearly developer conference. This is the company's endeavor to enhance its software suite with AI-powered features, such as a redesigned Siri that can also summon OpenAI's ChatGPT assistant for help, as well as tools like 'Clean Up' that can erase objects in photos.

When the betas for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia were made available to test in early July, Apple Intelligence was notably absent. It wasn't until the betas for iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 were rolled out at the end of July that Apple Intelligence was made available for users to try out. However, these AI features could only be enabled by switching the language and region to the United States. With the latest betas, this has now been reduced to a single toggle.

Apple says iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 will arrive later this year. Apple Intelligence will come as part of these updates for U.S. users to start with.

How to enable Apple Intelligence

As long as you're running iOS 18.1 beta 3, iPadOS 18.1 beta 3, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta 3, you can switch on Apple Intelligence with one simple change — here's how:

• Go to Settings app > Apple Intelligence & Siri
• Press 'Language', then change this to English (United States)
• Go back, then select 'Join Waitlist' towards the top for Apple Intelligence
• You should receive a notification soon after that you can now use Apple Intelligence

And just like that, you can now use Apple Intelligence on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Apple is regularly rolling out new AI features throughout the beta process — for example, 'Clean Up' is a way of removing objects in a photo, which was made available in this very beta release.

If you're participating in the beta, give Apple Intelligence a try and let us know your thoughts in the iMore Forums.

More from iMore

• iOS 18.1 beta 3 arrives with long-awaited 'Clean Up' AI feature in Photos — here's how to use it
• iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro: Every rumored upgrade coming later this year
• iPhone 16 Pro leak at last reveals what the bronze color will look like

iOS 18.1 beta 3 launched on August 29, including a new 'Clean Up' tool in Apple's Photos app, powered by Apple Intelligence.

First showcased at WWDC in June, Apple's yearly developer conference, Apple Intelligence is the company's initiative to enhance its software suite with AI-powered features. The 'Clean Up' tool allows users to remove objects from a photo's background by simply drawing a circle around the area they want to change.

This tool works on any photo stored in the Photos app, so if you want to remove something from a photo taken in 2015, you can do it. It's worth noting that you can also use 'Clean Up' in iPadOS 18.1 beta 3 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta 3.

Another feature in this latest beta release is the expansion of Notification Summaries to other apps beyond Mail and Messages. This means Apple Intelligence will now group up new notifications from any app, including third-party ones, summarise each one, and display it on your iPhone's lock screen.

Apple says iOS 18.1 will arrive later this year for compatible iPhones, with Apple Intelligence coming as part of iOS 18.1 for U.S. users to begin with.

How to use Clean Up in Photos

As long as you're running iOS 18.1 beta 3, iPadOS 18.1 beta 3, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 beta 3, you can use the 'Clean Up' feature in Apple's Photos app — here's how:

• Go to any photo in the Photos app, then press Edit.
• A notification will pop up, explaining that it needs to 'download the models' for the feature.
• Once it's finished, simply use your finger, or Apple Pencil when using iPadOS 18.1 to draw a circle over an object you want to remove.
• After a few seconds, the object you've highlighted will be gone!

Bang, and the object is gone! 'Clean Up' could easily become the standout feature of Apple Intelligence once it's made available to U.S. users later this year. The tool's appeal lies in its simplicity of drawing a circle around an object in a photo, and it's removed in seconds.

If you're on the beta, give it a try with a bunch of photos and share your results in the iMore Forums.

More from iMore

• Apple event to launch iPhone 16 will take place on September 9 – called "It's Glowtime"
• iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro: Every rumored upgrade coming later this year
• iPhone 16 Pro leak at last reveals what the bronze color will look like

Have you ever wanted to be part of Team Rocket in Pokémon GO? Turns out the game can almost make it possible!

Team Rocket has been the main antagonist of the Pokémon series since its inception in 1996. If you used to watch the original cartoon series, you'd be familiar with Jessie, James, and the Pokémon Meowth with its human vocabulary. In the games, including Pokémon GO, and Team Rocket are usually up to no good, and you need to stop them. But what if you want to pay homage to them by wearing their uniform?

With this in mind, we've created the guide below to help you choose between the outfits available, and how much each one costs.

Rock that Team Rocket look

A bunch of Team Rocket costumes have been available in the style shop in Pokémon GO for several years. There are currently four outfits you can buy:

• Team Rocket Cliff-Style Outfit - 300 coins
• Team Rocket Cliff-Style Outfit (Short Sleeve) - 300 coins
• Team Rocket Arlo-Style Outfit - 200 coins
• Team Rocket Arlo-Style Outfit (Black) - 200 coins

These costumes are almost on the high-end in the store when you see a bunch of tops and trousers that can be bought for 200 coins. If you find yourself low on coins, we recommend visiting some Gyms to build up your wallet.

However, if you do have enough coins, read on.

How to buy and equip a Team Rocket costume

Buying and equipping a Team Rocket costume is a simple affair:

1. Tap on your Avatar in the lower left-hand corner of the main screen
2. Tap on the Style option in your Avatar menu

3. Locate the Team Rocket costume pieces in the Style menu
4. Tap Exchange to pay for one of the costumes

Congratulations — you're now (unofficially) part of Team Rocket in Pokémon GO! Niantic, Pokémon GO's developer, usually updates the shop with new styles of tops, trousers and costumes.

Make sure to check every few weeks to see if they drop a new Team Rocket costume for your avatar to wear on your adventures!

Evolving Feebas and Wurmple in Pokémon Go requires a lot of patience, but the reward is well worth it.

These Pokémon come from Generation III of the series, first introduced in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, all originally released on the Game Boy Advance in 2003. If you remember playing these games, you may have some nostalgia for, not only catching Feebas and Wurmple but to evolve them for your collection.

It's not as simple as training them up to certain levels, standing back, and seeing them transform into a new form — these Pokémon have some unique requirements in order to start the process.

With this in mind, we've created the guide below to help lay out the steps needed to evolve Feebas and Wurmple.

How to evolve Feebas into Milotic in Pokémon Go

Milotic is a Water-type Pokémon. It evolves from Feebas, which is reminiscent of Magikarp. Unlike Gyarados and Magikarp candy, though, It doesn't take 400 Feebas candy to evolve Milotic. It only takes 100. But, it also takes Friendship.

Friendship is a mechanic we saw introduced in Pokémon Go Gen 2 where, in order to evolve an Eevee into Espeon or Umbreon, you had to make it your Buddy Pokémon and walk it for 10 KM.

Feebas is similar. But in order to evolve it into Miltoic, you need to walk it 20 KM.

Important: You can't just walk any Feebas for 20 KM in order to evolve one into Milotic. You need to walk the specific Feebas you want to evolve for 20 KM. That means, if you want a good (high iV) Milotic, you first need to find a good (high IV) Feebas. If you find a better Feebas you'd rather evolve, you'll have to start over.

1. Tap on your Avatar.
2. Tap on your Buddy.
3. Tap on the Switch button, bottom right.
4. Tap on Yes to confirm you want to switch buddies.
5. Choose the Feebas you want to walk.
6. Walk with your Feebas Buddy for 20 KM.
7. Collect 100 Feebas candy as you go (if you haven't already).
8. Tap on your Feebas Buddy.
9. Tap Evolve.

Once you're done, you'll have your Milotic. If you didn't get Waterfall and Surf as the Fast and Charge moves, you'll want to TM them at your soonest opportunity.

How to evolve Wurmple into Dustox and Beautifly

Wurmple is like the Caterpie of Gen 3. It's a little bug that only requires 12 candies to evolve into its second stage. Unlike Caterpie, Wurmple has a split second-stage evolution: It can evolve into either Cascoon or Silcoon.

Split evolutions are something we've seen since Gen 1, also with Eevee. Evolve an Eevee and you could get Flareon, Jolteon, or Vaporeon. Picture that, but with only two second-stage possibilities — and with each of those possibilities having a third stage evolution.

Important: Unlike Eevee in Gen 1, there's no trainer name trick you can use to guarantee control of at least one of each evolution. Unlike Eevee in Gen 2, there's also no Friendship mechanic and day vs. night trick to guarantee control over all evolutions. With Wurmple, second-stage evolutions seem to be totally and completely random.

1. Choose the Wurmple you want to evolve.
2. Tap Evolve.
3. Repeat as often as is necessary to get both Cascoon and Silcoon.
4. Evolve Cascoon into Dustox and Silcoon into Beautifly whenever you have the candy and the opportunity.

Did you know that there are regional exclusive Pokémon in Pokémon Go that can only be found in certain locations around the world? Having these Pokémon in your collection can earn you some serious bragging rights. But are they really worth the challenge to track down and catch?

Around the world, there are up to nine unique Pokémon that can only be found in certain regions. Kangaskhan, for example, can only be found in Australia. Keep in mind though, that Niantic, Pokémon Go's developer, has hosted special events in the past that can save you from traveling in different countries just to find certain exclusive Pokémon.

To help you on your quest, we've put together a guide below to highlight which Pokémon are exclusive to certain countries.

What are Regional Exclusive Pokémon in Pokémon Go?

Pokémon Go makes some Pokémon only available in certain regions of the world. Sometimes it's a country or island, a subcontinent or continent or part thereof, or in one case, coastlines around the equator. Whatever the region is, you have to go there to find its exclusive Pokémon.

What are the Regional Exclusive Pokémon in Pokémon Go?

There are over 40 regional exclusive Pokémon that can only be caught or hatched in specific parts of the world. While these Pokémon each have designated regions where they can be caught or hatched, there is the occasional overlap, as well as parts of regions that fall outside of the spawn areas. For example, the southern tip of Florida and Texas won't see the North American Regional Exclusive Tauros. Some Regional Exclusive Pokémon also swap regions periodically or during events.

Americas

• Bouffalant
• Carnivine
• Corsola (Tropical regions)
• Heracross
• Pachirisu
• Sigilyph (Southeastern USA)
• Tauros

Central and South America, Caribbean

• Corsola
• Heracross

Europe, Middle East, Africa

• Klefki (France)
• Mr. Mime
• Pansear
• Sigilyph (Greece, Egypt)
• Tropius
• Volbeat
• Zangoose

Asia

• Farfetch’d
• Kangaskhan
• Mime Jr.
• Pansage
• Relicanth
• Throh (Asia)
• Torkoal

Oceania

• Corsola (Tropical regions)
• Kangaskhan
• Relicanth
• Volbeat
• Zangoose

Do Pokémon Go Regional Exclusives ever change region?

They do! There are currently a few pairs that have swapped regions since their introduction, such as Zangoose and Seviper. Likewise, there is a trio of Legendary Pokémon, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, who swapped regions, giving Trainers a few weeks to attempt to catch each of them.

Have any Pokémon ever stopped being Regional and gone worldwide?

Plusle and Minun started off separately, like Zangoose and Seviper, but now both spawn globally. Rumor has it; that the Pokémon Company told Niantic the two best buddies shouldn't be separated.

Do Regionals sometimes appear in other regions, like during events?

Yes. Sometimes Regional Exclusive Pokémon will be included in events. It's almost always at real-world events like Go Fest Chicago, and sometimes during in-game events.

How do you catch Regionals in Pokémon Go?

You catch Regionals just like you catch any Pokémon in Pokémon Go but, if you have limited time or limited spawns, you're going to want to maximize your chances.

1. ABC. Always be curving. Once you can nail Curve Ball every time, you'll get a 1.7x bonus every time.
2. Max out your medals. Some are easier to get than others, but they consume no resources like Great or Ultra Balls or Razz Berries, so once you get them, that 1.1x to 1.3x is automatically applied each time.
3. Consistency counts. Aim for the smallest target you can nail every time. If that's Nice, it's nice. If that's Great or Excellent, even better. But the better the bonus you get the one you miss, and that extra 1.3 to 2x also doesn't consume resources and can make a difference.
4. Razz for real. Use Razz Berries when you need to. Unlike Great or Ultra Balls, you can't miss a Razz Berry, and its 1.5x bonus will last until you hit. For Golden Razz Berries, it's 2.5x!
5. Bump them Balls. Use Great and Ultra Balls to maximize your odds. You get an extra 1.5x for a Great Ball and 2x for an Ultra Ball, so use them to get those super rare or hard-to-catch Pokémon.

Trading for Regionals in Pokémon Go

If you just cannot afford to travel the globe in search of regionals, it is possible to trade with a friend who has. Well, for a price. If the Regional Pokémon is new to your Pokédex, it'll be considered a Special trade and cost both you and the person you're trading with a non-trivial amount of stardust. Here are the numbers:

• Friend: No Special Trades
• Good Friend: 20,000 Stardust
• Great Friend: 16,000 Stardust
• Ultra Friend: 1,600 Stardust
• Best Friend: 800 Stardust

There are restrictions on Trades based on Friendship level and location. This is, in part, to discourage people from selling Pokémon. While you can meet other players through Facebook, Discord, and Reddit, most players willing to trade Regional Exclusive Pokémon aren't going to ask for money or anything offline in return. If they do, it's probably a scam.

Want to use Apple Intelligence but live in the EU? Well, now you can with this simple workaround.

iOS 18.1 beta 2 was released last night adding new English localization for Apple Intelligence for Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Singapore. The new additions have seemingly opened up access to Apple Intelligence for English speakers residing in the EU, something that wasn’t possible in the previous iteration of the beta.

Apple Intelligence adds new AI-fuelled features to the best iPhones and other Apple products with the ability to summarize, rewrite, and proofread anything you type on your device. While the beta is fairly limited, more features will be added by the time Apple Intelligence launches later this year. These include image generation via Image Playground and the ability to create custom emojis with Genmoji. Next year, Siri 2.0 will launch with the ability to interpret what’s on your screen and use personal context to become the virtual assistant we always wanted.

Apple Intelligence is compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, all M-series Macs, and all M-series iPads including the M4 iPad Pro. iOS 18.1 is still in development and we advise users not to install this update on their primary device. The official release is slated for October, just a month after the launch of iOS 18 and the iPhone 16.

How to get Apple Intelligence in the EU

It's worth mentioning that this isn't official by any means. It seems Apple doesn't want those outside the US using Apple Intelligence for the time being. So, this workaround may be blocked in the next update. But for the time being, it'll give you a chance to try out the new AI features.

Here's how to get Apple Intelligence working in the EU:

1. Head into Settings, and head to General
2. Scroll down to Language & Region
3. Change your Region to United States, and make sure your language is set to English (United States)
4. You can add your original language as a secondary option, but it might be trickier to use if you don't speak English
5. Wait for your device to reload
6. Head back to the main Settings menu, and go to Apple Intelligence & Siri
7. You might see the Apple Intelligence waitlist option available
8. If not, set Siri's language to English (United States) as well, and you should be good to go

Once you're on the waitlist, you should be approved pretty quickly. But this may take longer as more people sign up. When the features are ready, you'll get a notification and will be able to start using Apple Intelligence features.

More from iMore

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Apple Intelligence is finally here (well, at least the first beta is), and you can try it out today. Some of Apple’s new AI features have been included in the iOS 18.1 developer beta so you can give features like proofreading, summarization, and rewriting a try. 

In this guide, we’ll show you how to install the Apple Intelligence beta on your iPhone so you can test out the new features before the official release later this year.

From installing the developer beta to joining the Apple Intelligence waitlist we’ve got you covered. So grab your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and let’s get started.

Apple Intelligence compatibility

To use Apple Intelligence early you’ll need to own a compatible device. Apple’s AI features are currently available on the best iPhones, best iPads, and best Macs. So if you own one of the following you’re in luck:

• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPad Air (M1 and later)
• iPad Pro (M1 and later)
• MacBook Air (M1 and later)
• MacBook Pro (M1 and later)
• iMac (M1 and later)
• Mac mini (M1 and later)
• Mac Studio (M1 Max and later)
• Mac Pro (M2 Ultra)

Spot your device on the list? Keep reading. If not, you’ll need to upgrade to a newer device now or wait until the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro releases in the Fall.

How to install the Apple Intelligence developer beta

To access Apple Intelligence beta today you’ll need to install the iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, or macOS Sequoia 15.1 developer beta on your compatible device. We highly advise you not to do this on your daily drivers as developer betas are buggy and can cause performance and battery issues.

How to install iOS 18.1 developer beta

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General, then Software Update
3. Enable Beta Updates
4. Select iOS 18.1 developer beta 1

How to install iPadOS 18.1 developer beta

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General, then Software Update
3. Enable Beta Updates
4. Select iPadOS 18.1 developer beta 1

How to install macOS Sequoia 15.1 developer beta

1. Open Settings
2. Click General, then Software Update
3. Enable Beta Updates
4. Select macOS Sequoia 15.1 developer beta 1

Now that you’ve installed the latest developer beta, read on to find out how to join the Apple Intelligence waitlist and use the new AI tools.

How to join the Apple Intelligence waitlist

To access the Apple Intelligence beta you’ll need to join the waitlist. Luckily, it’s really easy to do and shouldn’t take too long for you to gain access (I only had to wait a couple of minutes). You’ll need to live in the United States of America to use the new features but if you’re not there’s a way to access Apple Intelligence from outside the US.

1. Open Settings
2. Choose Apple Intelligence & Siri
3. Select Join Waitlist

You’ll get a notification when you’ve been accepted into the Apple Intelligence beta, from there toggle on Apple Intelligence in the same Settings tab from above. You’ll now have access to the first Apple Intelligence beta as well as Siri’s new redesign.

Apple Intelligence is here

The Apple Intelligence beta is pretty limited at launch but you can expect more features to be added as we grow closer to the release in October. You’ll now have access to proofreading tools like Grammarly, rewriting tools, better quick replies in Mail and Messages, the ability to summarize any text from articles or emails, and you can even record phone calls to a note.

Generative AI capabilities like Genmoji or Image Playground are not available as of yet and neither is the next-generation Siri which is set to launch in 2025. That said, Apple Intelligence is finally here and it’s an incredibly exciting time to be an Apple fan.

The iOS 18 public beta is available to download right now, so you can use Apple’s next generation of iPhone software early.

While it doesn’t have Apple Intelligence features yet there is plenty to get your teeth stuck into including new customization features and small quality-of-life improvements.

In this article, I’m going to list the five best things to do in iOS 18 public beta right now so you can take advantage of the new operating system before its official release later this year.

Customize your Home Screen

iOS 18 adds a whole new level of customization to the best iPhones by allowing you to change the color tint of your app icons and position them anywhere on the grid. Gone are the days of downloading third-party apps to add blank space to your Home Screen (yes, you can literally download blank widgets to fill out your Home Screen on the App Store).

These new customization features also allow you to remove app label icons altogether with a new large option that looks gorgeous on the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s large 6.7-inch display. Darker colors work better with the tinting option as it stands, so why not opt for a monochrome look that pops out on the OLED display of the iPhone 15 Pro?

Switch the quick toggles

You know the Lock Screen quick toggles? The ones you’ve annoyingly been unable to change since their first introduction? Yeah, those. Well, now you can change them and it’s awesome. 

Want to open a specific app from your Lock Screen or remove the flashlight because you accidentally activate it from your pocket? Well, now you can. This is a very simple change that allows you to essentially put any of the quick toggles you’ve used with the Action button on your Lock Screen. Simple, but effective.

Relive special moments in Photos

The Photos app has had a complete overhaul and the best way to try out the new design is by browsing collections which allow you to see different moments in time with different themes.

The new Photos app will take a little getting used to but it’s very well designed and adds a new dynamic feel to the application. You can also pin specific collections so your favorites are easily accessible whenever you want to see them.

Hide and lock an app with Face ID

iOS 18 has new privacy tools that allow you to easily hide and lock apps. While this won’t be for everyone it’s good to familiarize yourself with the new feature just in case there comes a time where it needs to be used.

Once the app is hidden it goes into a specific Hidden folder in the App Library out of sight from any peeping Toms. Any new privacy feature is welcome and this is something that a lot of people have been asking for for a long time. You might use it, you might not but make sure to try it out just so you know if and when you need to.

Get comfortable with Passwords

Passwords have a new home in iOS 18 and it’s a fantastic new addition to help stay in control of your passwords. The app is very simple to use and automatically imports all of your passwords that you’ve used over the years with Keychain. 

Passwords also has a setting that automatically upgrades passwords to Passkeys for added security on compatible websites. This is a really nice feature that should hopefully lead to far more secure digital security once more websites use the technology.

More to come

There are plenty more features in iOS 18 and even more to come when Apple Intelligence launches later this year alongside the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Once Apple’s AI features arrive we’ll see far more in iOS 18 such as Genmoji, the ability to create emojis from prompts, proofreading, new email features, and massive upgrades to Siri that make the smart assistant actually smart.

Apple Maps has caught up with Google Maps by offering a web version, allowing users to access Apple’s mapping service through a web browser.

In a Newsroom post, Apple revealed that a web version of Apple Maps can now be used as a public beta for web browser users of Safari and Google Chrome on Mac and iPad. Maps on the web can also be used with Chrome and Microsoft Edge on Windows PCs. Apple noted that “Support for additional languages, browsers, and platforms will be expanded over time.”

In our short time with it, the web version of Apple Maps works just as well as its app counterpart, which has been available on the best iPhones, iPads, and Macs since its debut in 2012. Users can explore specific landmarks, get directions, pick from a bunch of Guides to help give some useful insight into certain locations, change the map view, and more. The Newsroom post also mentioned that features like Look Around, which offers a 3D street view similar to Google Street View, will be available in the coming months.

The release of this web version is great timing too, as Apple Maps has recently been updated with some useful features for visitors to the Paris Olympics from July 26 to August 11. For example, Apple Maps will display pop-up locations such as temporary venues, souvenir shops, and public gathering sites throughout the games, making it easy for visitors to find all the important places during the summer games.

Using the web version for these updated features will surely help those visiting Paris, especially those bringing their Windows and Mac laptops. Already, Apple Maps on the web is a fantastic alternative to using Google Maps on a web browser.

How to use Apple Maps for web

Accessing Apple Maps on your web browser is a simple affair. First, make sure you’re using one of the supported web browsers: Safari on Mac and iPad, or Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge on Windows. Follow this link, and you’ll be taken to the beta version of Apple Maps for the web!

The layout is very simple to follow. On the left, you’ll see three features: Search, Guides, and Directions. These work just as they do in the Apple Maps you’ve likely used on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

That’s all there is to it! Nevertheless, keep in mind that this is still a beta version of Apple Maps for the web, so you may encounter some bugs.

More from iMore

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• Here's why a third-party CarPlay monitor was top of my shopping list during Prime Day
• Google Maps adds hazard reports to its CarPlay app

Ever wanted to quickly remove the background of an image on your iPhone without downloading expensive third-party applications? There’s a hidden editing tool built into one of your iPhone’s applications that can do just that.

Nestled in the Files app, you’ll find a hidden editing tool that magically removes the background from any image you select. From there you can then import the edited image into any application you want.

Here’s how to quickly remove the background from images on iPhone.

Remove backgrounds in seconds

Hidden in the Files app is a fantastic feature that makes photo editing that little bit easier. Found under the Quick Actions tab, the ability to remove backgrounds from images simply plucks the subject from a photo and saves it as an additional file:

1. Select an image from within Files
2. Long press on the image
3. Tap Quick Actions
4. Select Remove Background

It’s that easy and all from within a file management app that many don’t even use. This trick not only works on the best iPhones like the iPhone 15 Pro Max but also on all devices able to run iOS 17.

In iOS 18, Apple Intelligence will allow you to remove elements from the background of images so you may not need to remove the whole background altogether, but until then this quick trick will get the job done.

If you’d like to try iOS 18 and all it has to offer early, you can download the iOS 18 beta right now and it’s really easy to install. Be warned, however, we don’t advise using beta software on your primary device as it can impact the performance and battery life. 

iOS 18 is set to launch later this year alongside the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

iOS 18 will be released later this year alongside the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The new software is set to usher in the arrival of Apple Intelligence, Apple’s AI-powered features that will transform the way you use your iPhone.

Aside from the standout features like Apple Intelligence, iOS 18 grants users the ability to take control of their smartphones like never before and one new feature that makes that possible is the ability to lock apps with Face ID and hide apps altogether. 

Here’s how to hide apps and lock apps on iOS 18 so you can take control of your privacy.

How to hide and lock apps in iOS 18

iOS 18 is currently in development but you can download the iOS 18 beta right now. While we advise readers to wait until the official release in the Fall, the public beta and subsequent versions should be reliable. That said, never install a beta version of iOS on your primary device as you never know how it may impact your usage.

With iOS 18 you can simply hide apps from your Home Screen altogether and place them in a secret area of your App Library. To do so:

1. Long press on the app you want to hide
2. Tap Require Face ID
3. Select Hide and Require Face ID
4. Tap Hide App

The app you’ve selected will now appear in the Hidden folder at the bottom of the App Library. If you would rather just lock the app, select Require Face ID in step 3 instead of Hide and Require Face ID.

If you’d like to show the app again follow these steps:

1. Open the Hidden folder
2. Long press on the app 
3. Select No longer require Face ID

It’s that simple, you can quickly lock and hide apps and make them reappear again based on your preferences. It might not be a feature you use regularly but for those that need extra privacy on their iPhones, iOS 18 is sure to add a much-needed extra level of security.

When iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia combine you get a magical new feature called iPhone Mirroring that unlocks new possibilities in the way you use your smartphone at your desk.

iPhone Mirroring allows you to control the best iPhones with your mouse and keyboard on your Mac all without unlocking the physical device itself. 

It’s a revolutionary new way to use your iPhone when working on a Mac and merges perfectly with Standby mode introduced in iOS 17. You’re able to use your iPhone as a widget hub or clock and at the same time interact with the device via your Mac — it’s truly impressive. 

iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia release later this year but you can try iPhone Mirroring today by downloading the public beta software available right now. Whether you’ve got access to these new operating systems now or are waiting for the official release, here’s how to use iPhone Mirroring on macOS Sequoia.

What you'll need

How to use iPhone Mirroring

iPhone Mirroring works similarly to Continuity and Universal Clipboard, to get it working you’ll need an iPhone with iOS 18 and a Mac with macOS Sequoia. Once you’ve downloaded and installed the updates to your iPhone and Mac follow these steps to enable iPhone Mirroring:

1. On iPhone, open Settings
2. Tap General, then AirPlay & Continuity
3. Select iPhone Mirroring and make sure your Mac is listed

Ensure both devices are on the same WiFi and nearby, then open the iPhone Mirroring application on Mac. You’ll need to make sure that your iPhone display is locked and then your Mac will magically start casting your iPhone’s Home Screen.

That’s all there is to it! iPhone Mirroring is one of the biggest changes to macOS and iOS coming later this year. While Apple Intelligence has everyone excited, iPhone Mirroring could completely change the way you use your iPhone and Mac in tandem.

iOS 18 is set to launch alongside the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro in the Fall. Apple Intelligence will also arrive at the same time, albeit, in beta. Stay tuned to iMore for all your iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia news.

Password management terrifies me. I have thousands of passwords and constantly feel overwhelmed by needing to de-weed my online security garden. Does this sound familiar? If so, a new addition to iOS 18 could change your online security for good.

The Passwords app in iOS 18 finally brings all of your Keychain passwords into a dedicated app rather than hiding them inside the Settings app on older operating systems like iOS 17. You can quickly access your passwords without going through menu after menu to find their location — it’s a much-appreciated change. 

While it’s great to have a dedicated app for Passwords across iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, one setting could be the standout new addition and you should make sure you’ve got it enabled.

Here’s how to enable Passkey upgrades in iOS 18

Apple says Passkeys are “a more secure alternative to passwords for signing in to online accounts.” They are digital keys that use powerful cryptography so “unlike passwords, malicious websites cannot trick you into giving away your passkeys.” While Passkeys aren’t available for all sites, there’s hope that in the future all accounts will convert to allow Passkeys so you can use Face ID or Touch ID to login to websites.

In Settings, go to Apps, followed by Passwords, you’ll find a toggle to Allow Automatic Passkey Upgrades which means your iPhone running iOS 18 will do all the work for you and upgrade accounts to use Passkey if and when they become available. Using this setting means your garden of Passwords should de-weed itself over time — think of it as the password equivalent of a robot vacuum. 

iOS 18 is currently in beta and you can download the public beta right now. While the operating system is relatively stable we advise waiting until the full release of iOS 18 alongside the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro later this year before installing on your main device. If you’re impatient, however, we’ve got a full guide to show you how to download the iOS 18 beta.

The Action button was the feature I was most looking forward to on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. But almost a year since I first got my hands on the best iPhone, I can’t remember the last time I stretched my hand to activate the shortcut tool.

In iOS 18, however, Lock Screen customization tools allow you to use most of the Action button’s functionality from the bottom of your screen and it has fundamentally changed the way I use my device. You see I spend far too much time on Reddit and checking sports scores and now I can do both from my Lock Screen. In iOS 18 I get to quickly access those applications without stretching for the Action button or unlocking my device. 

When iOS 18’s first beta launched I wrote about the benefits of removing the Flashlight from the Lock Screen so you no longer embarrassingly activate the bright light by mistake — at the time some functionality like launching any app was not working. A few months later, Lock Screen customization works properly on the iOS 18 public beta, allowing you to set any app you want to launch with the press of a button. Here’s how to do it.

Launch any app from your Lock Screen in iOS 18

To launch any app from your iPhone’s Lock Screen you first need to download iOS 18 beta. The latest software will officially launch in September alongside the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro but if you’re itching to test it out like myself the current build is fairly stable. I don’t advise using beta software on your primary advice, however, so proceed with caution.

1. Long press on your Lock Screen to bring up customization options
2. Tap the - next to one of the two Lock Screen launchers in the bottom left or right
3. Tap + then select Open App
4. Choose the app you want to launch from your Lock Screen 
5. Tap Done

Now whenever you long press on the icon on your Lock Screen it’ll launch your selected app. There are definitely more productive ways to use this new feature than launching the Apollo app like I have, but I have an unhealthy obsession with Reddit, ok?

Considering I haven’t used the Action button in months because of its awkward placement, this new Lock Screen customization option looks like it’ll quickly replace my 15 Pro Max’s extra button altogether. Hopefully in the new iPhones releasing later this year Apple chooses to make the Action button easier to reach. 

When Apple first revealed Math Notes for iPadOS 18, I thought to myself: “That’s pretty cool, but when would I ever use it?” Now, after downloading the iOS 18 public beta and trying Math Notes on an iPhone, I’m fully convinced that these new capabilities to do calculations are going to be incredibly useful.

You see, in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, Math Notes isn’t confined to the Calculator app. If you head to Notes you can type equations and do quick arithmetic all without using a calculator. If you think that sounds impressive, wait until I show you how I’ve been using these new powers to completely overhaul my budget planning.

Does this sound interesting? Here’s how you can use Math Notes in iOS 18 to quickly calculate whatever you need.

Math Notes = Win

I don’t want to go too in-depth into Math Notes right now as I’ve already written about it plenty and think it deserves a dedicated how-to guide. Instead, I want to focus this article on how Math Notes can change simple tasks that you do daily without the need for an Apple Pencil or opening the Calculator app.

I’ve been using iOS 18’s calculator capabilities to simply tally up costs of my monthly expenses and then Math Notes does all the work to tell me exactly how much everything costs. This is ideal for trying to work out a vacation budget, for example. I used Math Notes in a shared note with my girlfriend earlier this week on vacation in France and it was a brilliant way to keep on top of things without constantly opening my banking apps. 

To use Math Notes in Notes simply:

1. Open Notes
2. Type a word like “Rent” followed by = and a price
3. Add as many items and prices to your list
4. Type for example “Rent + Food =” 
5. Watch as iOS 18 calculates the total

For adults out there who don’t use handwriting to do equations, this variation of Math Notes is probably going to be the way you use the new feature. It’s quick, accurate, and really easy to use.

The iOS 18 public beta doesn’t have access to Apple Intelligence but I presume Apple’s AI features will improve the power of Math Notes by allowing you to combine the calculations you do with other elements of iOS like Siri or your Mail app. iOS 18 is set to officially launch later this year alongside the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro and being able to calculate a quick budget in Notes might just be one of its most useful new additions.

One of the biggest changes coming to iOS 18 is the ability to customize the Home Screen on your iPhone. After years of waiting, we can now finally move app icons anywhere in the grid and there are also color customization options for the first time on iOS, too.

You can install the iOS 18 public beta today if you want to try these Home Screen customization features early, but remember it's not a stable release.

In this how-to guide, we’ll take you through all the steps needed to give your app icons a color tint as well as show you how to place them anywhere on the grid. Here’s how to customize your Home Screen on iOS 18.

How to rearrange icons anywhere on the grid

How to rearrange icons anywhere on the grid

Now that iOS 18 lets you place icons anywhere on the grid, you can have unique designs for your Home Screen that can also be far more functional (easier-to-reach icons without using widgets, anyone?).

Here’s how to rearrange your icons anywhere on the grid in iOS 18:

1. Long press on the Home Screen to make your screen jiggle
2. Move apps to wherever you want them, you no longer need to place them side by side
3. Tap done

Just like that, you’ve customized the location of app icons on your Home Screen without the shackles that we’ve been so used to for years. In the past, I’ve used widgets that mimic blank space to achieve this style of Home Screen, so it’s awesome that you can do this without installing extra applications.

How to enable Dark Mode icons in iOS 18

Another new customization feature in iOS 18 is the ability to enable Dark Mode icons and they look gorgeous. Right now, in the iOS 18 beta, it’s only first-party Apple apps that get the new look but developers will be able to make Dark Mode icons for their apps so expect to see more in the future. Here’s how to enable Dark Mode icons:

1. Long press on the Home Screen
2. Tap Edit, then Customize
3. Select Dark list

You also have the option to slightly dim your wallpaper to make it match the Dark Mode icons, it’s a subtle tint but works really well if you’ve been using Dark Mode on the best iPhones with OLED display panels over the last few years.

How to change the color of icons in iOS 18

My favorite new Home Screen customization feature in iOS 18 is the new color tinting option. This allows you to tint your app icons in any color, perfect for matching your wallpaper. I’ve found the best colors are darker shades like grey but you can pick any color you want from bright pink to dark brown (yuck!). Here’s how to tint app icons:

1. Long press on the Home Screen
2. Tap Edit, then Customize
3. Select Tinted and then choose a color from the slider

Getting the perfect tint will take some trial and error but once you land on the perfect color to match your wallpaper it’s insanely satisfying.

The world of iOS 18 is your oyster

iOS 18 implements simple but effective Home Screen customization tools that help personalize your iPhone more than ever before. If you want a pink device with navy icons, you can do it. If you want larger app icons with no app names, you can do that too. Heck if you want three app icons one above the other in dark blue, go for it. With iOS 18, Apple has unleashed the shackles of the Home Screen and it’s refreshing, to say the least. 

You can download the iOS 18 public beta now, but we advise waiting for a more stable version before giving it a try. In the meantime, start thinking about your favorite Home Screen variations and what color tints you want to try — iOS 18 arrives later this fall but expect the public beta later this month.

Notifications are key to the way you use your iPhone, alerting you of important information throughout your day. They can, however, bombard your life and cause anxiety by continuously spamming pop-ups that you don’t necessarily need to see all the time. One way of getting rid of notifications for a set amount of time is by using your iPhone in Silent mode or in a Focus mode like Do Not Disturb. But what if you still want to receive calls and text messages from the most important people in your life while on your notification detox? Well, you’re in luck and I’m going to show you how.

Emergency Bypass is a must

There are a couple of ways to receive calls from contacts when using Focus modes like Do Not Disturb or even just iOS’s Silent mode. That said, this iPhone trick is specifically for those who just want to use their iPhone with no distractions but don’t want the faff of using the Focus mode feature.

By turning on Emergency Bypass for a contact you’ll get vibrations and ringtones for a contact even when your device is set to silent or a Focus mode is on. This is perfect for people who like to use Silent Mode but still want to hear ringtones from their loved ones or for important work calls. Here’s how:

1. Open Contacts
2. Select a contact
3. Tap Edit, then Ringtone
4. Toggle on Emergency Bypass

Now whenever the chosen contact phones or texts you’ll receive an alert despite your iPhone’s notification state. It’s a really great way to switch off from the world without worrying about missing those important people in your life.

While you can’t tweak and alter settings as much as you can by using Focus mode, this simple trick is easy enough for anyone to use and makes a huge difference to the way you use your iPhone.

AppleCare+ is Apple’s insurance offering for all of its hero products that protects your devices from accidental damage and extends the limited warranty. Throughout my time working at the Genius Bar I was often faced with customers asking if AppleCare+ is worth it or if they should save their cash for an accessory or something else entirely instead.

So I’m here to answer the age-old question: Is AppleCare+ worth it? And should you add the insurance policy to your basket next time you purchase an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro, AirPods, or HomePod?

General AppleCare+ benefits

Before I get into whether or not AppleCare+ is worth it for each individual Apple hero product, we’re going to look at the general benefits of AppleCare+.

AppleCare+ extends your limited warranty beyond the 12 months you get with an Apple purchase. This means that depending on the product you’ll either get two or three years of warranty coverage instead of the regular one-year coverage. If you opt to pay monthly for AppleCare+ you can continuously extend the warranty of your products, fantastic for people who keep their devices for a few years.

AppleCare+ also gives you free battery replacements on products should the battery capacity drop under 80% while still covered by the plan. This is brilliant for iPhones, especially considering that devices are lasting far longer than ever before.

Is AppleCare+ worth it for my iPhone?

After years of seeing broken iPhones at the Genius Bar, I think most people should purchase AppleCare+ for their iPhones. Especially on the best iPhones like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, repair costs are astronomical so one mistake without AppleCare+ and you’d wish you had purchased it to begin with. For example, a display repair on a 15 Pro Max costs $379 without AppleCare+ versus $29 with AppleCare+ — a no-brainer for peace of mind as one small mistake and your iPhone repair is nearly half the price of your smartphone.

Nowadays you can pay for AppleCare+ monthly, this is fantastic as the subscription allows you to pay past the 2-year mark extending the warranty of your device indefinitely until you decide to upgrade to a new iPhone like the iPhone 16 when it comes out later this year.

The Theft and Loss AppleCare+ option is slightly more expensive and while it may seem like something worth having to protect your iPhone from being misplaced or stolen there are lots of safety features that should help should this scenario occur. For instance, Find My is required in order for this version of AppleCare+ to remain valid so why pay the extra fee when your iPhone’s last location will be shown regardless? If you’re deeply concerned about theft then paying roughly $70 extra over two years may be worth it for you, but I think this addition devalues the overall value proposition of the program. Additionally, some bank accounts or insurance policies already offer protection against theft and loss, so it might be worth checking with your provider before paying extra for the most premium AppleCare+ tier.

Is AppleCare+ worth it for my iPad?

Of all the products Apple sells I can’t think of one more in need of AppleCare+. If you buy an iPad, especially one of the best iPads like the iPad Pro M4 then please add AppleCare+ at checkout. You have 60 days to add the insurance if you opted out at first but the reason I’m so forceful with AppleCare+ for iPad is that iPad repair costs are quite frankly wild.

If you crack the screen of an iPad or damage the chassis, Apple will offer to replace the full unit at costs close to the original price of the device. If you’ve got AppleCare+ however the repair cost varies depending on the model between $29 and $99, saving your bank balance and bringing a source of relief if anything bad was ever to happen to your tablet. In my opinion, AppleCare+ for iPad is a must for all models, especially for parents who purchase one for their kids — trust me I’ve seen children breaking iPads many times and without AppleCare+ it isn’t pretty.

Is AppleCare+ worth it for my Apple Watch?

Ranging from $49 to $99 if you buy two years outright or under $5 a month if you opt for the monthly AppleCare+ subscription, the insurance plan for the best Apple Watch models is definitely worth your consideration. Just like the iPad, Apple Watch models are sent away to the depot for repairs from the Apple Store, and most issues are resolved with a full unit replacement. This means that a broken display on an Apple Watch Ultra 2, for example, ends up costing $499 instead of just $79 with AppleCare+. In other words, break your Watch once with AppleCare+ and the insurance policy has already paid itself off.

Considering your Apple Watch is on your wrist and prone to bashes, especially if used for sport, an AppleCare+ plan feels like a must-buy when picking up your next smartwatch.

Is AppleCare+ worth it for my Mac?

I never buy AppleCare+ for my Mac and I’m not too sure why. When I was in college I broke the display of my MacBook Pro twice and wished I had AppleCare+ when the huge repair fees were revealed. I think more than the other AppleCare+ plans we’ve discussed this plan really depends on the type of Mac user you are. If you travel a lot and keep your MacBook in a backpack then AppleCare+ will give you peace of mind should something happen on your travels. If you stay at home and only work from your desk then it’s harder to justify the cost of AppleCare+.

AppleCare+ for Mac can be paid annually or three years up front and you get unlimited accidental damage claims throughout that period. Mac repairs can be incredibly expensive so if you’re worried about dropping your Mac or are prone to accidents like spilling your coffee over the keyboard, then an insurance policy like AppleCare+ is well worth the cost. 

With Mac, the extended general warranty really plays a part here too as most people keep their Macs far longer than other Apple products. Not only does your AppleCare+ cover your Mac but it also covers accessories like your power brick, which can be very expensive to replace — a 96W power adapter costs $79 at the Apple Store.

Is AppleCare+ worth it for my AirPods?

You’ll notice a recurring theme here with my AppleCare+ advice: If it’s a product that is used outdoors then I highly recommend picking up the insurance policy. For AirPods and Beats, you’ll spend $29 for two years coverage and if you own the AirPods Max the price is slightly more expensive at $59. That said, none of these plans cover loss and that seems to be the most common problem with the small wireless earbuds.

I always add AppleCare+ to my new AirPods purchases but I have yet to use the services. If you’re the kind of person to lose sleep at night because you paid $29 to cover your AirPods Pro 2 and never used the extra coverage then I’d probably say skip, but otherwise, AppleCare+ for AirPods is well worth the small upfront fee.

Is AppleCare+ worth it for my Vision Pro?

Yes. If you’ve spent over $3,500 with tax for a spatial computing headset then you should spend $24.99 a month or $499 for two years of AppleCare+ coverage. Why am I so sure about this? Well, the repair costs for accidental damage on Apple Vision Pro are astronomical ($799 for the front glass or $2,399 for any other physical damage), yes the price of AppleCare+ is expensive and the excess is $299 but if you’ve got the cash to burn on Apple’s first generation spatial computer then why not pay that little bit more to protect it?

When I tested the Apple Vision Pro in the Apple Store I thought about the times I’d maybe move instinctively or trip on something that could cause the headset to break and I think everyone who’s investing in this new Apple product should cover their backs just in case disaster strikes. You’ve spent thousands already, what’s a few hundred dollars more?

Is AppleCare+ worth it for my Apple TV?

AppleCare+ for Apple TV is only $29 for three years but I honestly don’t think I would ever buy it for myself or for a loved one. Yes, you’ll get all the benefits of AppleCare+ and coverage on the remote as well, but considering the small black box is usually very reliable and won’t be moving around your home regularly I don’t see the need for paying extra.

In my time working at the Genius Bar, I never saw accidental damage on an Apple TV, there were often software faults that required resets but I also never saw any hardware issues. Obviously your mileage will differ depending on your usage but I think you’re best saving $29 unless you’re worried about the longevity of the product or you have young kids that might want to snatch it from under the TV.

Is AppleCare+ worth it for my HomePod?

Just like the Apple TV, I don’t see the need for AppleCare+ for HomePod. The main benefit is the extension of the limited warranty as all HomePod hardware repairs need to be sent to Apple’s depot from the Apple Store.

If you’re concerned about the longevity of your HomePod then the low upfront cost for AppleCare+ may be worth it, but you can’t extend past the two-year warranty so it may just be wasted cash. I would hope most people’s HomePods last longer than two years and considering they are in a static position in your household, you’d be very unlucky to need to use an accidental damage claim. You’ll need to weigh up if the extra $15 for HomePod mini or $39 for HomePod 2 is worth another year’s coverage but for me, I think I’d pass and replace when the speaker stops working altogether.

Navigating iOS can be complicated at times, especially considering a lot of neat tricks are sometimes hidden in plain sight. One of those tricks is the ability to drag and drop files and photos between applications making your iPhone far more efficient for getting work tasks done on the go.

Most of us opt for the built-in menus in apps to insert attachments or add media, but that quickly becomes frustrating when you need to scroll back through months and months of photos to find exactly what you’re looking for. Instead, this iPhone trick lets you take the file or photo from wherever you found it in the first place and simply drag it across applications.

Drag and drop

To drag and drop between applications simply find the photo or file that you want to insert into another app and hold down on it until you can move it around with your finger. From there swipe up to close the app, select the destination app all while still holding down with your original finger, and then drag the file or photo into the destination app. It can feel a little convoluted to start but once you’ve got the hang of it dragging and dropping becomes a powerful tool in your repertoire.

If the written steps are hard to understand, I’ve embedded a great YouTube video from Beardfm which not only shows you how to drag and drop iPhone but also what works and what doesn’t.

The power of drag and drop really comes to life on the bigger screen of the iPad, allowing you to get serious work done. I can’t imagine not using drag and drop on either my iPhone 15 Pro Max or my 11-inch iPad Pro as it makes the devices far more intuitive to navigate.

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 launch later this year and with the added functionality of Apple Intelligence these platforms are going to become even more powerful. Combine that new AI power with simple navigation tricks like drag and drop and you’ll be getting more work done than ever on your favorite Apple devices — “What’s a computer?”, Right?

When it comes to mastering typing on iPhone there are a few gestures that make sending a message or drafting a note far more efficient. If you often make typos and need to remove text, this gesture will change the way you type removing the need for you to stretch for the backspace.

We’ve covered iPhone tricks like the hidden trackpad feature in the past, and that hidden feature works fantastic with this gesture, turning you into the iOS keyboard ninja you’ve always dreamed of.  

Here’s how to use an iPhone gesture to undo mistakes quickly.

Three-finger swipe

The three-finger swipe is an incredibly useful gesture that will change the way you type on your iPhone once you manage to incorporate it into your daily usage patterns. The gesture works by, as you’d expect, swiping with three fingers. If you swipe left you undo the entered text and if you swipe right you redo the text input, so it’s very efficient and a fantastic tool to have in your repertoire. 

This gesture might take some getting used to as it can feel awkward to remove one hand from your iPhone to swipe. I found it quite hard to adjust to this gesture on larger iPhones like the iPhone 15 Pro Max but once it clicks you’ll find yourself using it daily.

Combined with other iPhone tricks like the aforementioned trackpad or tapping the top of your display to scroll back to the start of a page, you’ll be navigating iOS 17 and the upcoming iOS 18 like a real pro.

iOS 18 launches later this year for all the best iPhones but you can download the iOS 18 beta today and give the new software a try. We don’t recommend installing any beta on your primary device, and all these iPhone tricks will work with the new software so why not get in the practice now before Fall comes around? Need a new iPhone to get the most from iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence? Check out the iPhone 15 Pro:

Have you ever needed to quickly send your current location to a friend or family member via iMessage? Chances are you probably have or maybe you don’t even know the name of the street you’re on but want to send the details of the bar you’re in. Luckily iMessage has a neat trick built-in that lets you easily send your location with just two simple words.

Here’s how to quickly send your location over iMessage without checking Maps to know where you’re at. 

Just two simple words

I was in New York City last month and I wish I had known about this iPhone trick rather than jumping between apps to tell my friends my location. If you simply type I’m at in the text field of the Messages app you’ll see an option to add your current location to the message. This means you can quickly send your whereabouts to friends and family without typing it all out or looking at Maps to get a street name. To get this trick to work you’ll need Location Services enabled for Messages. To do this head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > set Messages to While Using.

This is a really handy trick, especially if you travel often and don’t know exactly where you are as it takes away any stress of making sure you type an address correctly. In iOS 18, Apple Intelligence will make tricks like this even better by using personal context to know when to offer you reply prompts and other useful tidbits of information.

You can download iOS 18 beta just now but it won’t have access to Apple Intelligence until later this year when Apple’s AI launches in beta. If you want to make the most of all of Apple’s AI features such as image generation, proofreading, and a smarter Siri for situations like the one above you may need to upgrade to a new iPhone like the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro or an iPhone 15 Pro:

If you use voice messages on your iPhone regularly you’ll have come across awkward moments where you forget your train of thought or don’t know what to say. This trick for the Messages app on iPhone helps alleviate that by allowing you to pause mid-voice messages before continuing to speak. 

As someone who uses voice messages frequently, I often find myself sending multiple recordings one after the other because I either stop recording because I’ve forgotten what to say or the awkward silence as I think what to say next is too cringe to endure. But with this trick, you never have to worry about the silence again, just simply pause and restart when you’re ready to keep chatting.

How to pause and start a voice recording in Messages on iOS

As a European, I mostly use WhatsApp (I know U.S. readers it seems a bit odd) which doesn’t have this cool feature I’m about to share with you. Knowing that I can now pause and start a voice recording from within the Messages app might make me use iMessage far more than WhatsApp moving forward. Here’s how to do it:

1. In Messages start an Audio recording by tapping + then Audio
2. Record your first section of audio then tap the square stop recording button
3. Now instead of tapping send, tap the small plus sign beside the recording length
4. You will start to record again, record what you want to say, and then tap stop
5. You can do this endlessly, removing any awkward pauses whenever you want

The ability to pause and start recording again is massive, and I wish other applications like WhatsApp allowed you to do the same because I’m fed up with rerecording voice messages when I forget what I was trying to say. 

Apple Intelligence could drastically improve the future of voice messages as we could see a world where Apple’s AI removes all the awkward silence automatically allowing you to record and send without any worry. We’ll need to wait for iOS 18 later this year to test the AI improvements across the iPhone’s operating system but considering how clever it appears to be I wouldn’t be surprised to see some major improvements to the way we record audio in Messages.

An app for scanning QR codes is making nearly $1 million in net revenue a month from the App Store according to a new report.

The report from appfigures shows the Scan QR Code app earns hundreds of thousands of dollars a month and has been downloaded 3.5 million times, despite the iPhone having the feature built in.

Following on from this discovery, the report found that 49 QR code scanner apps on the App Store make over $1,000 a month, that's crazy considering you can use one for absolutely no cost at all. Combined with 14 apps on the Google Play Store, the report states that in the last 30 days "these 63 apps generated more than $4m in net revenue."

Don't be one of those people paying to use software that is available for free on iOS. Here's how to access the secret QR code scanner app on iPhone:

How to access the free QR code scanner app on iPhone

Code Scanner is available on all the best iPhones and best of all it's free so you don't need to pay for it like the QR code scanning apps mentioned above. Here's how to access the totally free QR code scanner app on your iPhone:

1. Swipe down from the middle of your screen to access Spotlight
2. Type Code Scanner
3. Open the app and aim at a QR code

It's really easy to access and works very well, ideal for anyone who scans QR codes on a regular basis. If you own the iPhone 15 Pro or the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you can even add the QR code scanner to the Action button:

1. Open Shortcuts
2. Tap the +
3. Select Open App
4. Tap App then choose Code Scanner
5. Now enable this shortcut in the Action button settings

If you don't have an Action button, you can also access the Code Scanner app via Control Center. Simply head into Settings, select Control Center, and add Code Scanner. Now whenever you want to access the secret app swipe down from the top left of your screen and press the QR code icon.

Did you know about this free app? Are you one of the millions of people paying for a QR code scanning app on iPhone? If so let us know why you prefer the premium options over the free app available on all iPhones via the iMore forums. Want to use the QR code scanner with the Action button, buy a 15 Pro here:

Is one AirPod not charging? This issue can plague the best of us, but don’t fret iMore is here to help. AirPods are one of Apple’s most impressive products but when they don’t work it can be seriously irritating.

We have a guide on how to fix AirPods if they aren't charging, but if you’re only hearing sound out of one earbud then you’ve come to the right place. Sometimes, your AirPods desync with each other or the charging case, leaving you feeling frustrated and confused as to why the wireless earbuds that are just meant to work, don’t.

How to fix one AirPod not charging

If you’re experiencing one Airpod not charging or losing connection intermittently then there are a couple of things you can try to get them back to working in glorious stereo.

1. With your AirPods connected, open Settings
2. Select your AirPods
3. Tap Forget This Device

Now your AirPods are no longer connected with your iPhone you can reset them completely before connecting them again. This allows both AirPods to sync with the charging case again.

4. Put both AirPods in their case and open the charging case lid
5. Hold down the button located on the back of the case for roughly 15 seconds
6. Keep holding until the light on your AirPods starts to flash white
7. Once the light flashes white continuously, close the case’s lid
8. Open the case again and sync your AirPods with your iPhone as normal

Your AirPods should now be fully synced with each other and your iPhone. If one AirPod is still not charging then it could be a hardware issue that is causing the lack of power. We advise you to check out your local Apple Store for Genius Bar support to rule out any hardware faults should the above steps not fix the issue.

Want a new pair of AirPods instead? Opt for the AirPods Pro 2:

Is your iPhone’s Home Screen a bit of a cluttered mess? Do you have loads of apps and numerous pages that make swiping left fill you with a sense of dread? Well, there’s a neat iPhone trick that will help declutter your Home Screen and it’s hidden in plain sight.

With the right know-how, you can essentially remove pages of apps from your Home Screen, housing them in your App Library without the faff of manually removing one at a time. Here’s how to become an App Library expert by removing full pages of apps from your Home Screen — one of my favorite quick tips yet!

Declutter your Home Screen with this neat iPhone trick

I like to keep a clean iPhone Home Screen with just my most used apps and a couple of widgets. For most of my navigation, I use Spotlight to search for specific apps, meaning I don’t need to scroll through hundreds of icons to find the one I want. That said, I’m really bad at letting my Home Screen get disheveled, and in just a few weeks I can go from one page to seven pages of apps. This iPhone trick fixes that, here’s how to do it:

1. Enter jiggle mode by holding down on any app icon
2. Tap the dots above your iPhone’s dock
3. Select which pages you want to hide or show
4. Tap Done

In the space of 10 seconds, I just went from seven pages back to one and now my Home Screen feels far more intuitive and easy to use. I can either access my apps by swiping left and looking through the App Library or by using Spotlight by swiping down from the middle of my screen. So if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by your ever-growing list of app icons and want a way to take back control, give this iPhone trick a try and declutter your Home Screen.

Once iOS 18 arrives later this year, you’ll be able to combine this trick with new Home Screen customization tools that let you tint the color of your app icons and position them anywhere on the grid.

Are your loved ones not very tech-savvy? Or maybe you use your iPhone primarily for making phone calls? Well, this simple shortcut creates a speed dial button on your iPhone’s Home Screen — perfect for people who want no faff and just want to make a phone call.

The iPhone doesn’t have a speed dial option as such, but with this easy iPhone trick, you’ll be able to call anyone in your phone book with just one tap.

Here’s how to set up speed dial on iPhone

I used this speed dial iPhone trick on my elderly mother’s iPhone SE recently and it has changed her life. Simply adding important contacts to the Home Screen so she can phone people without opening the app has made her more confident using her smartphone. I think this trick is so great that I’ve added some contacts to my Home Screen myself. Unlike the Contacts widget which opens the Contacts app and then requires another tap to make a call, this is one tap and done. Here’s how to add speed dial to your Home Screen:

1. Open Shortcuts
2. Tap +
3. Type Call, then tap Contact in the box that appears
4. Select the Contact you want on speed dial
5. Tap ⌄ next to the Shortcut name at the top
6. Now rename the shortcut and tap Add to Home Screen
7. Choose a photo by clicking the shortcut’s icon, then tap Add

You should now have speed dial on your Home Screen, allowing you to make calls by simply tapping the icon. For most, opening the Phone app and calling a contact is second nature but for anyone who just wants to make a call as simple as possible then this trick is for you. I recommend adding a few different contacts all with their image to the Home Screen alongside their names in order to make the most of this handy shortcut. 

With iOS 18 releasing this fall, bringing Apple Intelligence to the iPhone, we may not need speed dial shortcuts much longer. But for now, this is the easiest and quickest way to get in touch with your loved ones.

When Apple bought Dark Sky, one of the best iPhone weather apps on the planet, back in 2020 many users of the beloved application were left wondering how Apple would incorporate all of its features into the stock Weather app.

One of those features was Dark Sky’s incredible ability to tell you that it was about to rain just before the first drizzle hit your forehead. Last year Apple added Next-Hour Precipitation to the Weather app but it’s off by default, so many users have been missing out.

Here’s how to enable Next-Hour Precipitation in the Weather app on your iPhone so you never get stuck in the rain again.

Rain rain go away

I live in beautiful rainy Scotland and hadn’t received a rain notification from the Weather app in over a year. I had presumed the setting was turned on by default and that it couldn’t keep up with Scotland’s intermittent rain starting and stopping every two minutes. Either that or the feature itself was just useless across the globe. Turns out you might think it’s on but it could be disabled. Here’s how to turn it on:

1. Open Weather
2. Tap the menu button in the bottom right corner 
3. Tap the three dots in the top right corner
4. Select Notifications
5. Toggle on Next-Hour Precipitation for Current Location

Underneath these settings, you can also enable Next-Hour Precipitation for any of your saved locations. Additionally, there’s a Severe Weather warning alert option that will make sure to notify you if a storm is brewing.

I loved Dark Sky and had thought Apple had just messed up one of the app’s best features. Instead, it turns out that you need to make sure it’s enabled correctly to get the benefit of knowing when rain is coming, even when you’ve yet to feel a drop of water. For somewhere like Scotland this feature is a life-saver considering you can leave the house in sunglasses and a t-shirt in the summer heat only to be hit with torrential rain before you get to the end of your street.

Have you ever been watching a brilliant TikTok only to accidentally refresh your feed and lose it for good? Well, there’s a handy iPhone trick that helps you find your recently watched TikTok clips and it’s a lifesaver.

Whether you’re watching a TikTok of the best Air Fryer chicken tenders you’ve ever seen or the perfect outfit for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, this quick hack will get you back to the content you want to see in just a few simple steps.

Here’s how to find TikToks that you accidentally lost by refreshing your feed.

How to access your watch history on TikTok

Originally found by TikTok user @kaansanity, this iPhone hack will get you back to the TikTok video you lost via your watch history, here’s how to do it:

1. Tap the search icon
2. Enter a “.” and tap search
3. Tap view your watch history

It’s as simple as that, you’ll now have access to all of your recently viewed TikToks perfect for when you lose a video you’ve been watching. This iPhone hack might be the most useful new addition to your content consumption, allowing you never to lose track of what you’re watching ever again on all the best iPhones. 

While TikTok’s watch history is fairly hidden, this is the kind of hack that once you know about you’ll be telling all your friends. As someone who loses access to videos on YouTube all the time, the watch history has become second nature to me when I’m trying to find a clip I’ve already seen.

TikTok is one of the world’s most used social media sites and while it’s incredibly addictive some of the app’s design choices leave users scratching their heads. None more so than this hidden watch history which should be visible for all to see without the need to search for it.

Did you know one of the best sleep features on iPhone is built into the Clock app and has been for years? If not, I don’t blame you. It’s a fairly hidden setting that you’d easily miss if you didn’t know it existed.

So what is this feature? Embedded into the iPhone’s Clock app is the ability to turn off media playback at a certain time, ideal for listening to music or watching a TV show before bed. My partner goes to sleep every night watching Gilmore Girls and this feature has proven to be a godsend, making sure I’m not woken up at 4 AM to switch off the cast of Stars Hollow.

If you’re someone who likes to fall asleep to sounds, this hidden iPhone feature could become one of the most used tricks on your smartphone, and here’s how to use it.

The iPhone’s built-in sleep timer

Sometimes you just can’t switch off your brain when a room is too silent but this built-in sleep timer found in the Clock app can help. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Open Clock
2. Select the Timers tab
3. Tap When Timer Ends
4. Scroll down to the very bottom and tap Stop Playing, then Set
5. Now select a duration like you would a regular timer
6. Tap Start

Your iPhone will now stop playing whatever media is on in the background once the timer ends, allowing you to fall asleep without the worry of endless interruptions. I’ve been using this feature for years but considering how hard it can be to find I’m not surprised to hear some of my colleagues have never heard of it.

Combine this with the sleep sounds available on iPhone and you’ve got yourself the perfect sleep timer without the need for a third-party app.

In iOS 14 Apple ripped up the rule book and changed the way incoming calls look on the iPhone for the first time. Then, in iOS 17,  new Contact Posters made Lock Screen calls look better than ever before and when using your device discrete notification-style pop-ups appear for calls rather than the full-screen interrupters they once were.

After three years, the small notifications still don't feel quite right and I often miss phone calls because I'm so used to the full-screen alerts that used to be the bane of every iPhone user's existence. But what if I was to tell you that you can have the glory days back? That you could have full-screen incoming call alerts to annoy you and interrupt your life when you least expect them? Well, you can and this quick tip is going to show you how.

How to turn on full-screen incoming call alerts on iOS 17

For most people, the smaller incoming call notification banner when using your device is the best non-intrusive solution that Apple could offer. It's sleek, small, and easy to dismiss. But for others, that big annoying full-screen alert is the only way they remember to pick up a call, and without it using their iPhone as a phone can be difficult. If you're one of the latter types of people, here's how to turn on the full-screen call alerts:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Phone
3. Select Incoming Calls
4. Choose Full Screen

That's all there is to it, you'll now get a full-screen call alert even when using your iPhone, perfect for bringing every single call to your attention. If you find the full-screen calls too disrupting you can always change back to banners by following the steps above.

iOS 18 is fast approaching and with new Apple Intelligence features coming to the best iPhones like the ability to transcribe calls, the phone part of the iPhone is about to get even better.

For over a year, I've been incredibly frustrated with a lack of Slack notifications often berating the application to my colleagues as I missed important work information.

At first, I tried to find the solution, scratching my head and checking forum posts to see if anyone else had the same issue but despite changing all notification settings in the app nothing seemed to work. So I gave up, moved on with my life, and accepted I needed to have one eye on Slack at all times to ensure I didn't miss important work communications.

Fast forward a year and with the upcoming launch of macOS Sequoia making me want to give my M2 Mac Mini a spring clean, I decided enough was enough. I needed to get to the bottom of why Slack notifications never work on my Mac and unfortunately, the solution has been hiding in plain sight all this time.

I had accepted macOS notification suck

This morning while chatting with my colleagues I had an epiphany, not only do I miss Slack notifications but my Mac never notifies me at all. For over a year, I had presumed I was using my Mac with notifications either turned off or in Do Not Disturb, and as I like minimal distractions when working I was absolutely fine with that. It was only when I realized that I had never edited any settings that my brain started to piece two and two together to get to the bottom of my incompetence.

At iMore we review a lot of monitors, some of the best monitors for Mac to be exact, and when using multiple displays via a dock most require an application called DisplayLink. From a macOS perspective, DisplayLink is sharing your Mac display, in order to preserve your privacy, notifications are turned off by default. This ensures that if you use your Mac to screen share on a video call notifications won't pop up for all your colleagues to see. This also means, using DisplayLink 24/7 automatically prevents notifications from appearing on your Mac.

As soon as I realized, I went straight to Settings to change things up and get my Slack notifications back. Here's how:

1. Open Settings
2. Choose Notifications
3. Toggle on "Allow notifications when mirroring or sharing the display"

As soon as I enabled this setting notifications started popping up left, right, and center — I was no longer living an unintentionally distraction-free computer experience. For many who use DisplayLink to enable multiple display support through a dock, this could be a revelation or I may just be absolutely scatterbrained and everyone knows this setting needs to be enabled. 

Either way, I now have Slack notifications again but considering how annoying the constant pop-ups are I might end up turning them off, again unless I put the effort in to streamline my work notification workflow — considering this has taken me a year to work out due to pure laziness and acceptance, I doubt I'll be bothered.

Every year when I purchase the newest iPhone, there's one setting that I change immediately to make my typing experience as good as can be. I exclusively use my iPhone on silent with no typing sounds and this setting makes the keyboard on all the best iPhones feel far more responsive — I can't imagine my life without it.

When an iPhone is on silent, you tap the glass with no typing feedback. For years, I hated using my device without sound on as I found the lack of tactility really offputting. Since iOS 16, Apple has made it possible to turn on specific Haptics to mimic the feeling of typing on a real keyboard, and turning it on is a must. 

Here's how to turn on haptic keyboard feedback on iPhone.

This setting will change the way you type on iPhone

Using haptic keyboard feedback on iPhone will make typing on your favorite smartphone so much easier, thanks to the tactility that makes it feel like typing on an actual keyboard. Using the setting will take a little getting used to if you've never used haptics on a keyboard before but once you do it will change the way you type forever. Just follow these simple steps to turn it on:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Sound & Haptics
3. Select Keyboard Feedback
4. Toggle on Haptic

Now that haptic feedback is enabled every time you type a key whether in silent mode or with sound on you'll get a subtle vibration through your hands. I've been using this feature for nearly two years now and it has made me a significantly better typer on my touchscreen Apple devices. This feature can also be enabled on all the best iPads and works equally as good on the larger screens.

Haptic typing feedback is a must for any iPhone user, trust me, and try it!

Did you know your iPhone can help with your laundry? Using Visual Look Up on iOS 17 can help you get on top of that massive clothes pile in your laundry basket thanks to its ability to read labels.

You know the ones, the complex labels found on clothing with icons that nobody really understands? Yeah, those ones. Your iPhone can take away all that head-scratching and tell you exactly what they mean in a split second.

Here’s how to use your iPhone to read your laundry labels in just a few simple steps.

How to read laundry labels with iPhone

1. Take a photo of a laundry label on a piece of clothing
2. Open Photos and select that photo
3. Swipe up and Tap Look Up Washing Care
4. Your iPhone will explain every symbol on the label

That’s all there is to it, simple and efficient. You can use this same Visual Look Up tool to look up species of plants, bugs, and even give you information about the food you’re eating in a restaurant — it’s seriously impressive.

iOS 18 is fast approaching and you can already download the beta now. Later this year, when it officially launches, the new software update will add huge AI improvements thanks to Apple Intelligence. One of those improvements will be the ability to ask Siri for information on photos you see on your smartphone’s screen which will allow for even more in-depth photo identification thanks to services like ChatGPT.

For those who don’t have access to the best iPhones, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, which are the only iPhones compatible with Apple Intelligence, luckily you don’t need anything fancy to use Visual Look Up. So whether you own an iPhone 12 mini or an iPhone 15, you can read laundry labels on iOS 17 as well as take advantage of Visual Look Up’s other awesome capabilities.

Have you just installed the new iOS 18 beta and are having regrets? If you chose to install the developer beta on your iPhone and the bugs and stability issues are too much for you to keep going, it’s easy to downgrade iOS 18 to iOS 17.

Unfortunately, you’ll lose any data that wasn’t backed up or anything that you’ve done since updating to iOS 18 but if your iPhone is having issues then downgrading back to a stable release is the fix.

Here’s how to downgrade iOS 18 to iOS 17.

Downgrade iOS 18 to iOS 17

The first step to downgrading from iOS 18 to iOS 17 is putting your device in recovery mode. Once complete, plug the phone into your computer and Finder on your Mac or iTunes on your Windows PC should launch automatically; if it doesn't, launch the software manually. iTunes will detect your device in recovery mode and ask you what you want to do.

1. Click Restore on the Finder popup
2. Click Restore and Update to confirm
   
   
   

3. Click Next on the iOS 17 Software Updater
4. Click Agree to accept the Terms and Conditions and start downloading iOS 17

If your device reboots to iOS 18 before the download is complete, simply repeat the steps above and put it back into Recovery Mode. Once the download is complete, your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch will be restored to the older version of iOS.

Once the restore is complete you'll be back on a stable release of iOS 17 without all the bells and whistles of the latest software coming to iPhone later this year. You're not missing out, however, most of the big features coming in iOS 18 are thanks to Apple Intelligence and that won't be available for a while anyway.

In the meantime, you can access features like the ability to Type to Siri on iOS 17 without the need for iOS 18. Yes, it's not quite as swanky as the new update but it gets the job done and is incredibly useful.

It's also worth noting that as long as you backup before updating to betas, you shouldn't ever have an issue going back to older software. However, Apple will stop signing off older software at some point and then you're stuck on the latest software for good.

At WWDC 2024 Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence, the brand new AI features included in iOS 18 for iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and presumably the upcoming iPhone 16 models when they launch later this year.

Alongside huge improvements to Siri, one of the awesome new additions is the ability to Type to Siri rather than use your voice — perfect for circumstances where speaking to your smartphone might be a bit awkward. Pretty cool right? What if I were to tell you that you can access Type to Siri not only on iPhones that aren’t compatible with Apple Intelligence but also on iPhones running iOS 17 right now? 

Here’s how to use Type to Siri on iOS 17.

How to Type to Siri in iOS 17

Type to Siri has been possible for years, nestled in your iPhone’s accessibility settings. I’m Scottish and it’s fair to say that Apple’s voice assistant doesn’t like my accent very much, so I’ve been using Type to Siri for years. It was to my surprise when Apple showcased the “new” feature at WWDC, completely ignoring the fact that anyone who wants to can Type to Siri already. The difference will be the ability to switch between speaking and typing, unlike this accessibility feature. Here’s how:

• Open Settings
• Tap Accessibility, then Siri
• Toggle on Type to Siri

Now whenever you activate Siri by holding the side button you’ll be prompted to type a query to the voice assistant. Siri will reply via text, allowing you to use it whenever you want, even while your iPhone is on silent.

You can download the iOS 18 beta right now, but we advise waiting for the official release later this year. The beta doesn’t have Apple Intelligence capabilities right now so if you want to access Type to Siri early just activate it on iOS 17 and save yourself the bother of dealing with beta woes.

Follow WWDC 2024 as it happened. Check out our roundups for all the latest on the newly announced iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, visionOS 2, and Apple Intelligence.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is now available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and Apple’s M1 iPads or better. However, some users are having trouble getting the game to run. But fret not, if you’ve just downloaded the free Mirage demo or bought the game at its 50%-off introductory price and have encountered the “Low Disk Space” error, there’s an easy fix.

• iPhone deals: Verizon | AT&T | Mint Mobile

How to fix the Low Disk Space error on Assassin’s Creed Mirage for iPhone 15 Pro

Have you loaded up Assassin’s Creed Mirage on iOS 17 for the first time and unfortunately can’t get past a pop-up that claims you have “Low Disk Space” despite loads of storage on your device because you paid over $1,000 for one of the best iPhones? I was in the same boat, excited to play Mirage but hit with an annoying pop-up that made me worry I had been taking too many photos of my dog. 

Well, the fix is simple. Just restart your iPhone and when it turns back on you should be able to play AC Mirage with no bother at all. That’s all there is to it, you’ll need to log in to Game Center and Ubisoft Connect, but once you’ve got through the bloatware you’ll be able to explore 9th-century Baghdad on your iPhone for the first time.

On the fence? There’s a free demo!

Are you intrigued by the idea of playing a console game on your iPhone but don’t want to fork out the $24.99 price tag? Assassin’s Creed Mirage has a 90-minute free trial so you can see what the game looks and performs like on iPhone before taking the plunge. You’ll need to be quick though, that $25 price is only for a limited time before the game goes up to $49.99, more expensive than you’ll find PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions if you look hard enough.

More from iMore

• Apple AI: Everything you need to know
• These are the five ChatGPT improvements Apple is planning to bring to Siri with iOS 18
• ChatGPT - where can it go on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS?

Did you know you can customize icons on iOS 17? However, this is not done natively but through the Shortcuts app. The Shortcuts app can be used for many things, such as automations and other valuable tools to make your life easier. But one of the most popular use cases for it is definitely customizing your iPhone's aesthetic. It may not be on the level of Android, but it's one step closer.

If you want to personalize the best iPhones or iPad to suit your tastes, then you'll want to customize those app icons with the Shortcuts app. The process is a little tedious, but the results can be well worth it, depending on how badly you want to customize. Here's how to do it in iOS 17.

Don't forget to check out our guide on getting started with Shortcuts for even more possibilities.

How to download an icon pack to your iOS device

The first step to customizing your iOS app icons for a "pleasing aesthetic" Home Screen is, well, downloading an icon pack onto your device. If you want some ideas, I highly recommend the Depths icon pack, which is the one that I'm currently using. You can also find plenty of other themes and icon packs that others use on r/iOSsetups if you want inspiration. However, keep in mind that some icon packs may be available for free, but others need to be purchased first before you get access.

1. Find a download link for the icon pack you want to purchase or download.
2. Click the download button.
3. In Safari, tap on the Downloads icon to check the progress.

4. By default, any downloads from Safari will be found in the Downloads folder in the Files app (under iCloud Drive).

5. Locate the folder with your icons in the Files app to view your icons. I recommend taking a look first so you know what icons are available to you.

How to customize an app icon in Shortcuts

Once you have your favorite icon pack downloaded, it's time to start customizing your iOS Home Screen pages however you'd like. Here is the basic process for changing one icon (repeat these steps for however many app icons you want to customize).

1. Launch the Shortcuts app on your iPhone or iPad (if you don't have it installed, make sure to download it first).
2. Tap the New Shortcut button (+) in the top right.

3. If you see Open App appear under Next Action Suggestions, tap it to skip to step 7.
4. Tap Add Action.

5. Under Categories, tap Scripting.
6. Under Apps, tap Open App.
7. Tap App and select the app you want the shortcut to open.

8. Tap the More button at the top (it's blue with three sliders).
9. Under Details, tap Add to Home Screen.

10. Tap the text field to give your Home Screen shortcut a name.
11. Tap the icon to bring up a menu.
12. Tap Choose File.
13. Locate and select the custom app icon that you want to use.

14. Tap Add.
15. Your custom app icon will now appear on the Home Screen, but you're not done quite yet.
16. Back in the Shortcuts app, tap Done to close out the Details/More menu.
17. Make sure to give your shortcut a name in the Create Shortcut screen.
18. Tap the X button in the top right corner to save.

19. Repeat steps 2-18 for as many icons as you need.

When you have all of your necessary app icons changed, you can now rearrange them as you see fit. For even more personalization, you can check out the best home screen customization apps for widgets and take it a step further.

Just be warned, once you open your apps with these custom shortcuts, you will see a banner at the top for a brief moment indicating that you essentially launched a shortcut. This is just how it is right now, unfortunately, but at least it goes away by itself after about three seconds, or you can now swipe it away immediately if you prefer. However, it's still a big step up from the previous version, which launched the Shortcuts app first before taking you to your actual app.

Create your own aesthetic Home screen

As you can see, customizing your app icons in iOS is not too hard, but it can be tedious depending on the number of icons you want to change up. Still, it's a relatively straightforward process, and I'm glad that Apple is starting to open up a little about customization. Hopefully, we can find a way to change app icons natively in future versions of iOS like iOS 18.

We all take a lot of photos of things that happen in our daily lives. Those moments can be precious memories with friends and family, or they could be photographic or video evidence of things happening in the world. While having location data can help us organize our photos and videos, sometimes you don't want that information out there.

Regardless of your reasoning, Apple made it easy to remove location data from your photos on the best iPhone with iOS 17. Location data can be removed before you share it with others, or you can prevent attaching location data going forward with any images or video taken with the camera.

Here's how to remove a location from photos and videos on your favorite iPhone.

How to remove location when sharing a photo or video

1. Open Photos on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Find the photo you want to share.
3. Tap Select.

4. Tap any photos that you want to share.
5. Tap the share button.
6. Tap Options.

7. Tap the switch next to Location to the gray "off" position.
8. Tap Done.
9. Share your photos as normal.

How to turn off location for photos and videos

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Privacy.
3. Tap Location Services.

4. Tap Camera.
5. Tap Never.

With this setting, your location will no longer be added to photos or videos.

Respect privacy

While plenty of people may not mind location data on their photos, some don't want that data for others to access, and that's fine. Regardless of how you feel about the matter, Apple has made it easy to remove that sensitive information from your pictures and video whenever the need arises.

Controlling your HomeKit accessories via the Home app or with your voice with Siri is truly magical. However, that magic can quickly turn to frustration if your accessory suddenly comes down with a case of the dreaded No Response error. The No Response status not only means that you lose the ability to control your accessories but also impacts automation and scenes, which can disrupt a home.

Since HomeKit relies on various factors and involves multiple devices, tracking down an exact fix for the No Response issue can be tricky. Sometimes it's a spotty wireless connection; the next day, it could be an issue with the Home app requiring a reboot. Don't worry; with a little patience, you can bring your accessory back to life — just follow the steps below to get started.

First things first

Before we dive into the deep stuff, there are a few simple settings that you should check on your iOS device. These include ensuring that your device is connected to your Wi-Fi network at home and checking to see if Bluetooth is on. Check out our guide: How to turn off WiFi or Bluetooth on iPhone and iPad if you need help locating these settings.

Next, make sure that your iPhone is signed into your iCloud account. You can do this by simply going into the Settings app and checking to see if your name is at the top. If it isn't, our guide: How to set up and customize iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac will steer you in the right direction.

Finally, ensure that you are running the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS, as well as tvOS on your HomeKit hub. HomeKit hubs include the Apple TV, Apple TV 4K, HomePod, and HomePod mini.

On iPhone and iPad, updating is just a few taps away in the Settings app. For a step-by-step walkthrough, the guide: How to update your iPhone and iPad will get you up to date in no time.

For the Mac, you can check out the process by looking at How to download and install macOS on your Mac. We also have the guides: How to download and install tvOS on your Apple TV and How to install software updates for your HomePod.

Narrow it down

Sometimes, a HomeKit accessory may show the No Response message even though it is connected to your home network. To narrow it down to either an accessory issue or a Home app issue, you can check the device-specific app for your accessory to see if you can control it from there. If you can, then you can turn your attention to troubleshooting HomeKit.

Suppose your accessory is available in another HomeKit app. In that case, you can check for firmware updates that may address the problem or refer to HomeKit-specific steps provided by the manufacturer.

Home or away

If your HomeKit accessory only shows No Response when you are not home, you may need a HomeKit hub. HomeKit hubs bridge the gap between the accessory and the internet, allowing you to access your gear while out and about while also letting you create scenes and automation.

There are currently three HomeKit hubs available: the Apple TV (4th generation or later), HomePod, and HomePod mini. HomeKit hubs, even on standby, will handle all of the connections in the background automatically when you sign into your iCloud account during the setup process for the device.

If you already have one of these devices in your home, you can check their HomeKit status in the Home app on iOS. An active HomeKit hub will be displayed as Connected in the Home app, and if you have other hubs in the home, they will show as Standby. 

If your hub isn't showing Connected or displayed at all, you will have to enable it on that specific device. As you might have guessed, we have a guide for that, too: How to make your Apple TV or HomePod a HomeKit hub.

Reboot all the things

As with most problems, sometimes a simple reboot is all it takes to get things back up and running. For HomeKit troubleshooting, rebooting your HomeKit hub, iOS device, and even the accessory itself is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make an unresponsive accessory available again.

We suggest starting with your iPhone and iPad. Follow the steps outlined in the guide How to reboot or reset your iPhone and iPad if you need help.

Rebooting a HomeKit accessory usually requires unplugging it from the wall or removing its batteries. You can also use the associated app if it is connected to your home network and if the app can see it.

Rebooting an Apple TV requires unplugging it, using the on-device menus, or using a combination of buttons on the Siri remote. Here's How to restart or put your Apple TV to sleep with the Siri Remote.

For the HomePod, you can simply unplug it or use the Home app. Restarting it via the Home app can be a little dangerous, though, as you will be presented with options to restart or reset the HomePod, so make sure that you pay attention to the steps outlined in the guide How to restart or reset your HomePod or HomePod mini.

Go the distance

Most HomeKit accessories on the market use wireless radios to communicate with your home network. Common wireless types are Wi-Fi, Thread Bluetooth, ZigBee, and RF, all of which are limited in their maximum range. If you have just a single accessory that comes and goes, it may be a victim of a spotty signal.

Fixing the issue can be as simple as moving the accessory to a different location or relocating your HomeKit hub. There are a few other tools that you can use to help diagnose an accessory's connection, most of which you may already have.

For Wi-Fi connections, check the app or web portal you use to manage your router. Most modern routers will display signal strength as an easy-to-read icon or as a description like Excellent. Some routers will show strength in numerical forms, such as -50 dBm, and the lower the number, the better your signal is. If your signal is at or above -70 dBm, you may experience connectivity issues.

Consider looking into the best Mesh Wi-Fi router kits if your signal isn't strong and you cannot move your accessories, hub, or router. These routers have multiple access points spread throughout the home to extend range, and some also support HomeKit Secure Router features.

For Bluetooth and Thread accessories, you will likely need a third-party HomeKit app to check signal strength. We recommend the HomeScan for HomeKit app for Bluetooth devices, as it is tailored for HomeKit, and comes with a handy companion Apple Watch app that makes diagnosing a connection even more straightforward.

The HomeScan app will display strength in numerical form, and just like with Wi-Fi connections, a signal around -70 dBm or above can cause inconsistent performance. If you have a HomeKit hub, you will need to ensure that you measure strength in relation to where your HomeKit hub is. You can do this by setting your iPhone on or near your Apple TV, or HomePod, then using the Apple Watch while standing near your HomeKit accessory.

Currently, Thread accessory status is limited to basic information only in apps like Eve for HomeKit. In the Eve for HomeKit app, you can see the Transport status (whether or not it is connected via Thread or Bluetooth) and you can see signal strength indicated in terms such as Excellent.

ZigBee and RF accessories communicate to a dedicated hub, and as such, signal strength, if available, will be reported through the accompanying app. The most popular brand that uses ZigBee is Philips Hue, which uses it for its line of light bulbs and lamps, and for RF, Lutron's Caseta line is one of the most well-known.

In most cases, these types of accessories utilize a form of mesh networking that extends coverage in the home by allowing accessories to connect to one another. However, these radios are generally low power, meaning they have a shorter range and are affected by walls and materials within the home. 

If you cannot move your accessories or the dedicated hub, adding a brand-specific range extender or another accessory in between may help. You can also try changing the hub's channel that it operates on if the manufacturer's app supports it.

The nuclear option

If all else fails, resetting your HomeKit accessory or HomeKit home may be the only solution. When resetting an accessory, it will revert to the original settings, removing it from HomeKit and your home network. This process varies, but typical methods include holding a button on the device for a few seconds or removing it from the manufacturer's app. Once reset, you will need to add it to your network by following our guide on How to set up your HomeKit accessories.

Resetting your HomeKit home should be the last step you attempt, as it will remove the problematic accessory and all of your accessories, scenes, and automation. Since there is no backup and restore process provided by the Home app, this option means that you will need to set up everything again, starting from scratch, which is the most time-consuming. Some third-party apps, like Controller for HomeKit, can back up your automation and scenes but will not restore your accessories. If you want to go to this extreme, see our guide on How to remove a home from the Home app.

No more No Response

As you can see, there are quite a few options that you can take to combat the No Response message in the Home app — so don't give up hope! Whether it is rebooting your HomeKit hub, adjusting the distance between devices, or a simple reset, you can solve your frustrations — if you have the patience. Once you solve the issue, you will be back to living that sweet, smart home life with all of the best HomeKit accessories.

Eevee is one of the most popular Pokémon throughout the series, and there's always a bit of mystery surrounding how to acquire its many different evolutions. There are eight different Eeveelutions in Pokémon Sword and Shield that can be caught or evolved differently. Here is how to catch Eevee, followed by how to evolve Eevee in Pokémon Sword and Shield, which is one of the best Nintendo Switch games available, to fill out your collection.

What you'll need

Is there a new Eeveelution in Sword and Shield?

Unfortunately, there aren't any new Eeveelutions in Gen 8. However, you can catch Eevee and all eight of its pre-existing Eeveelutions in Sword and Shield.

While there are 18 different Pokémon types, only half of them have received an affiliating Eevee-related evolution. Of the ones that we haven't seen, I'd especially love to see a Dragon-type, Ghost-type, and Flying-type Eeveelution. Maybe we'll see one of these in the next core Pokémon game.

Where to find Eevee in Pokémon Sword and Shield

Eevee can be found in the grass on Route 4 at any time during the day or night. You'll arrive at Route 4 after taking the train from Wedgehurst.

Eevee is very elusive, so it's going to take a while for it to appear. Keep wandering around in the tall yellow grass and keep an eye out for those adorable tell-tale ears sticking out.

How to catch Eevee in Pokémon Sword and Shield

1. Enter into a Pokémon battle with Eevee.
2. Weaken it with one of your Pokémon until its HP is in the 'red' zone.
3. Throw a Poké Ball and hope for the best!

How to evolve Eevee in Pokémon Sword and Shield

The pursuit of collecting and evolving every Pokémon is one of the reasons why this is one of the best Nintendo Switch games out there. Eevee has eight Eeveelutions, but each one has a different way of evolving:

Where to find stones in Pokémon Sword and Shield

An easy place to find these stones is on the narrow strip of land on the other side of the Lake of Outrage. However, you'll need to be far enough in the game to be able to ride your bike over the water. On this strip of land, you'll find a tall ring of stones. Each one has an element stone next to it.

How to check and quickly increase friendship in Pokémon Sword and Shield

A great way to increase your Pokémon's friendliness in a hurry is by having it hold the Soothe Bell. This is a special item that you get from a blonde-haired woman inside a house in Hammerlocke. The house is immediately on the right once you enter the city. Additionally, another person in the same home can tell you your Pokémon's current friendship level.

Catching Eeveelutions in Pokémon Sword and Shield

You'll find one of Eevee's evolutions if you go to the Lake of Outrage section of the Wild Area and head across the water to the ring of stones surrounding a den. A new Eeveelution appears each day, and the one you'll see depends on the weather.

Weather conditions for specific Eeveelutions

Evolve them all

Now you know all there is to know about how to catch and evolve Eevee in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Good luck on your journey to becoming the very best trainer. I hope you can capture all of the Pokémon you set your mind to in Sword and Shield. And be sure to check out some of the other best Pokémon games available on Switch — there are too many to count!

It's easy to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone, you just need to know how to do it. Just like riding a bike, once you've transferred data between iPhones, you know exactly how to do it every time you purchase a new smartphone.

Whether you've just purchased the best iPhone at the moment, the iPhone 15, or you're waiting for the new iPhone 16 later this year, it's important to know how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone.

With iOS 18 right around the corner, there's a lot to look forward to for iPhone users, especially with the expected reveal of Apple AI.

Here is everything you need to know if you want to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone. 

• Want to transfer data from iPad to iPad? Here's how to do it. 

Using Automatic Setup to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone

1. Select your language on your new iPhone with your new and current devices nearby
2. Tap Continue on your iPhone on the popup that appears asking you to set up your new iPhone with your Apple ID

3. Use your current iPhone to scan the image that appears on your new iPhone
4. Enter your current iPhone or iPad's passcode on your new iPhone
5. Set up Touch ID or Face ID on your new iPhone

6. Choose whether or not to restore your new iPhone from your most recent compatible backup — if that option presents itself (this will  transfer data from iPhone to iPhone with the latest backup)
7. Choose to restore your new device from an iCloud or iTunes backup, set it up as a new iPhone, or transfer data from an Android device

8. Agree to the terms and conditions
9. Tap Continue under Express Settings to use the settings for Siri, Find My iPhone, Location, and usage analytics that were transferred over from your current iPhone
10. Complete the setup process for your new iPhone as you normally would. Your new iPhone should look identical to your old as apps start to download in the background

How to restore from an iCloud backup to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone

1. Open Settings on your old iPhone
2. Tap the Apple ID banner
3. Tap iCloud
4. Tap iCloud Backup
5. Tap Back Up Now
6. Turn your old iPhone off once the backup is finished
7. Remove the SIM card from your old iPhone if you're going to move it to your new one, and your model has one.

Wait for the backup to complete before proceeding. You can now set aside your old iPhone.

NOTE: Make sure that your new iPhone is off when you start these next steps.

How to restore from an iCloud backup on a new iPhone

1. Insert your old SIM card (if there is one) into your new iPhone if you want to move it between devices 
2. Turn on your new iPhone
3. Slide up or press the Home button depending on which device you're setting up
4. Follow the directions to choose your language and set up your Wi-Fi network
5. Tap Restore from iCloud backup
6. Sign in to your iCloud account (this is also your Apple ID)
7. Tap Next
8. Tap Agree
9. Tap Agree again
10. Choose the backup you just made

How to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone on macOS Catalina and newer

In MacOS Catalina, Apple discontinued iTunes in exchange for a more seamless way of backing up and restoring your iPhone directly from the Finder application. The same holds true of the current macOS Sonoma.

1. Plug your old iPhone into your Mac running macOS Catalina or newer
2. Click on the Finder icon in the Dock to open a new Finder window
3. Click on your iPhone under Locations

4. Click Trust if you're asked to trust your iPhone
5. Click the checkbox for Encrypt Local Backup
6. Create a password if this is your first time setting up encrypted backups
7. Click on Back Up Now

8. Skip Backup Apps, if asked. (They'll likely re-download anyway)
9. Unplug your old iPhone when done
10. Turn off your old iPhone
11. Take your SIM card out of your old iPhone. (If you have one and plan to re-use it)

Wait for the backup to complete before proceeding with these next steps.

1. Put your SIM card into your new iPhone (if your new model has one)
2. Turn on your new iPhone
3. Plug your new iPhone into your Mac
4. Slide to set up on your new iPhone
5. Follow the directions to choose your language and set up your Wi-Fi network
6. Select Restore from Mac or PC
7. Click your new iPhone under Locations in the Finder window
8. In Finder on your Mac, click the button next to Restore from this backup

9. Choose your recent backup from the drop-down list
10. Click Continue

11. Enter your password and click Restore if your backup was encrypted

How to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone using macOS Mojave and older

1. Make sure you're running the most recent version of iTunes
2. Plug your old iPhone into your Mac or Windows PC
3. Launch iTunes
4. Click on the iPhone icon in the menu bar when it appears
5. Click on Encrypt Backup; you'll be asked to add a password if this is your first time encrypting a backup

6. Click on Back Up Now

7. Skip Backup Apps, if asked. (They'll likely re-download anyway)
8. Unplug your old iPhone when done
9. Turn off your old iPhone
10. Take your SIM card out of your old iPhone (If you don't have a new or separate SIM card for your new phone, or a newer model that doesn't have one)

Wait for the backup to complete before proceeding with these next steps.

1. Put your SIM card (if there is one) into your new iPhone
2. Turn on your new iPhone
3. Plug your new iPhone into your Mac or Windows PC
4. Slide to set up on your new iPhone
5. Follow the directions to choose your language and set up your Wi-Fi network
6. Select Restore from iTunes backup
7. On iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC, select Restore from this backup
8. Choose your recent backup from the list

9. Click Continue
10. Enter your password if your backup was encrypted

Keep your iPhone plugged into iTunes until the transfer is complete and on Wi-Fi until all re-downloads are complete. Depending on how much data you have to re-download, including music and apps, it might take a while.

What if you don't have a physical SIM card?

Purchased an iPhone 14 or newer? You'll notice your new iPhone doesn't have a physical SIM card at all (if you're in the US) and instead you need to set your device up with an eSIM. This makes things so much easier but if you don't know what you're doing lear more with our how to use an eSIM on iPhone guide.

Is a backup right for you?

Personally, I opt to set all my Apple devices up as new every time I upgrade to a newer device. The reason I choose to do this is because by the end of my iPhone's lifespan, the device is usually cluttered with more applications than I could ever need. By opting to set up as new, with my iCloud settings backed up and iCloud Photos enabled, I have a nice spring clean and a fresh new device with all my settings and photos. This also helps remove the possibility of bugs causing issues like the overheating problems in the iPhone 15 Pro Max reported by some users.

For many, restoring from a backup isn't the way to go, and if you're somewhat like me, then I highly advise thinking about this option, particularly if your iPhone is cluttered. If you know what you store on iCloud, then you can have a new iPhone that feels like a new device rather than an exact copy of your old one. This option isn't for everyone, but it's something to think about if you value clean and fresh over all your "stuff." For many though you want to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone.

One More Thing... Important data and old tech

Our iPhones are time capsules, holding beautiful memories and critical data right in the palm of our hands. If you've never transferred data from iPhone to iPhone before, this can feel daunting, and the prospect of losing precious information always lingers. Personally, I use iCloud Photo Library and Files on iCloud to make sure all my data is safe without relying on a backup. As I have everything important backed up on iCloud, I always opt to set up devices as new. While that process isn't for everyone, you have many options to choose from in how you decide to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone.

If you opt for a wired transfer, you'll want to make sure that you have the right cable for the job, especially with the iPhone 15's move to USB-C. Though Apple doesn't give you an iPhone charger anymore, it still provides a basic USB-C to Lightning cable in the box for older devices and a braided USB-C cable for brand-new iPhones.

Once you've moved your data from one iPhone to the other, you may be wondering what you should do with your old tech. This depends on the model of your old device and the value it holds on the resell market. If you've got a very old device, you can look into recycling by taking your device to an Apple Store. However, if you own a device that still holds some value, definitely look into Apple Trade In.

Ultimately, if you have already bought your new iPhone, it may be worth hanging onto your old one as a backup. With iPhones launching every September, if you happen to break yours in August or July, you may be thankful for that old bit of tech to save you from having to wait months for your next upgrade. 

Leveling up is an important trope when it comes to Role Playing Games (RPG) like Pokémon Go. It's crucial to understand how to do this by getting as many experience points (XP) as possible.

Luckily, earning XP in Pokémon Go is a simple affair — you only need to play the game. Yet as you progress through the levels that the game offers, getting XP can be a difficult challenge, especially as you reach the higher levels. With this in mind, we've laid out a few tips to help you get there.

What you'll need

What's XP in Pokémon Go, and why would you want it?

XP stands for Experience Points, and it's what you need to collect to increase your level while playing on your iPhone. As you level up, you get access to more Gyms as well as items like Max Revives, Pinap, Nanab Berries, Ultra Balls, and more.

Earning XP also lets you hatch and catch higher-level Pokémon from eggs and in the wild. It can also power up your Pokémon's Combat Power (CP) and Health Points (HP), so they survive longer and do more damage when in battles.

The amount of XP you need to level up varies for different levels. For example, it takes 1,000 XP to go from level 1 to level 2. But it takes 25,000 XP to go from 19 to 20, and a whopping 5,000,000 XP to go from 39 to 40. Getting to level 50 takes a combined 176,000,000 XP!

How much XP do you need for each level in Pokémon Go?

As you level up in Pokémon GO, the amount of XP increases in order to progress. We've created a table below to help you aim for a certain level in the game.

Can you just buy XP in Pokémon Go?

In a way. You can't buy XP directly, but you can buy Lucky Eggs, which temporarily double the XP you get while playing the game. The effect lasts for 30 minutes, and you can buy them in different quantities from the Shop:

• One Lucky Egg for 80 PokéCoins.
• Eight Lucky Eggs for 500 PokéCoins.

Lucky Eggs are also included at times in the Special Boxes that are made available during events, allowing you to save some PokéCoins. These coins allow you to customize your character with unique clothes, hairstyles, backpacks and more.

How do you get more XP in Pokémon Go?

Simple: by playing! Almost everything you do in Pokémon Go earns you XP. It can sometimes be in small amounts, like the 10 XP bonuses you get for throwing curveballs or hitting "nice throw" targets at Pokémon.

Occasionally large quantities, like the 2000 XP bonus for spinning a Pokéstop or catching Pokémon on the 7th day in a row can also be obtained. Here's the complete breakdown:

XP for catching Pokémon

• Curve Ball bonus: 10 XP
• Nice Throw bonus: 10 XP
• Pokémon Flees: 25 XP
• First Throw bonus: 50 XP
• Great Throw bonus: 50 XP
• Excellent Throw bonus: 100 XP
• Catch a Pokémon: 100 XP
• Catch the 100th Pokémon of a species: 100 XP
• Add a Pokémon to your Pokédex: 500 XP
• Daily Catch Streak (Days 1-6): 500 XP
• Daily Catch Streak (Day 7): 2000 XP

XP for spinning PokéStops and Gyms:

• Spin a PokéStop: 50 XP
• Spin 10th PokéStop in a row: 100 XP
• Spin a PokéStop for the first time: 250 XP
• Spin 10th PokéStop for the first time in a row: 500 XP
• Spin a rival Gym (Basic): 25 XP
• Spin a rival Gym (Bronze): 50 XP
• Spin a rival Gym (Silver): 75 XP
• Spin a rival Gym (Gold): 100 XP
• Spin a friendly Gym (Basic): 31 XP
• Spin a friendly Gym (Bronze): 63 XP
• Spin a friendly Gym (Silver): 94 XP
• Spin a friendly Gym (Gold): 125 XP
• Daily Spin Streak (Days 1-6): 500 XP
• Daily Spin Streak (Day 7): 2000 XP

XP for hatching Pokémon:

• Hatch a 2K egg: 200 XP
• Hatch a 5K egg: 500 XP
• Hatch a 10K egg: 1000 XP
• Add a Pokémon to your Pokédex: 500 XP

XP for evolving Pokémon:

• Evolve a Pokémon: 500 XP
• Add a Pokémon to your Pokédex: 500 XP

XP for battling at Gyms and Raids:

• Feed a berry to a friendly Pokémon: 25 XP
• Beat a Gym defender: 100 XP
• Beat all Gym defenders: 25 XP
• Beat a Raid Boss: 3000 XP
• Beat a Legendary Raid Boss: 10,000 XP

XP for Friendship:

• Sending a Gift: 200 XP
• Become a Good Friend: 3,000 XP
• Become a Great Friend: 10,000 XP
• Become an Ultra Friend: 50,000 XP
• Become a Best Friend: 100,000 XP

How do Lucky Eggs work in Pokémon Go?

You get Lucky Eggs as a reward for leveling up, but you can also buy them in the Pokémon Shop, either as a single item or at a discount for 8-packs. Once a Lucky Egg is used, you get double XP for the next 30 minutes. Keep in mind though — that's 30 minutes as counted by the Pokémon Go servers. If you stop playing the game to do something else, the timer still runs down. Here's the difference a Lucky Egg makes:

For catching Pokémon:

• Curve Ball bonus: 20 XP
• Nice Throw bonus: 20 XP
• Pokémon Flees: 50 XP
• First Throw bonus: 100 XP
• Great Throw bonus: 100 XP
• Excellent Throw bonus: 200 XP
• Catch a Pokémon: 200 XP
• Catch 100th Pokémon of a species: 200 XP
• Add a Pokémon to your Pokédex: 1000 XP
• Daily Catch Streak (Days 1-6): 1000 XP
• Daily Catch Streak (Day 7): 4000 XP

For spinning PokéStops and Gyms:

• Spin a PokéStop: 100 XP
• Spin 10th PokéStop in a row: 200 XP
• Spin a PokéStop for the first time: 500 XP
• Spin 10th PokéStop for the first time in a row: 1000 XP
• Spin a rival Gym (Basic): 50 XP
• Spin a rival Gym (Bronze): 100 XP
• Spin a rival Gym (Silver): 150 XP
• Spin a rival Gym (Gold): 200 XP
• Spin a friendly Gym (Basic): 62 XP
• Spin a friendly Gym (Bronze): 126 XP
• Spin a friendly Gym (Silver): 188 XP
• Spin a friendly Gym (Gold): 300 XP
• Daily Spin Streak (Days 1-6): 1000 XP
• Daily Spin Streak (Day 7): 4000 XP

For hatching Pokémon:

• Hatch a 2K egg: 400 XP
• Hatch a 5K egg: 1000 XP
• Hatch a 10K egg: 2000 XP
• Add a Pokémon to your Pokédex: 1000 XP

For evolving Pokémon:

• Evolve a Pokémon: 1000 XP
• Add a Pokémon to your Pokédex: 1000 XP

For battling at Gyms and Raids:

• Feed a berry to a friendly Pokémon: 50 XP
• Beat a Gym defender: 200 XP
• Beat all Gym defenders: 50 XP
• Beat a Raid Boss: 6000 XP
• Beat a Legendary Raid Boss: 20,000 XP

For Friendship:

• Become a Good Friend: 6,000 XP
• Become a Great Friend: 20,000 XP
• Become an Ultra Friend: 100,000 XP
• Become a Best Friend: 200,000 XP

Are there any other ways to get double (or more) XP in Pokémon Go? Events?

Absolutely. Pokémon Go has run several events so far that have offered XP multipliers. During some of them, it was a blanket 2x multiplier for all XP — essentially a constant Lucky Egg that ran all day, every day for the duration of the event. And yes, if you used a Lucky Egg at the same time, you got quadruple the XP.

Pokémon Go has also hosted events where the multiplier for XP was specific to catching, hatching, or some other action. It's essential to pay attention to what specific action in the game grants these bonuses and focus on those. Like other multipliers, these also stack with a Lucky Egg.

Keep an eye out for them.

What's the fastest way to earn XP?

There are a few good ways to "grind" XP in Pokémon Go and level up fast. Most of them involve using a Lucky Egg to get the maximum XP possible at any given time.

Time vs. money

You get Lucky Eggs when you level up, but you can also buy them from the Pokéshop. If you don't have much time but don't mind spending some money, you can buy all the Lucky Eggs you need.

As mentioned previously, you can get:

• One Lucky Egg for 80 Poké coins
• Eight Lucky Eggs for 500 Poké coins

Since Legendary Raids offer 10,000 XP a pop, and 20,000 XP with a Lucky Egg — and 40,000 XP during a double XP event! — you can quickly climb the levels by doing those raids. If you work with a group in an area with many Gyms, especially during a Legendary Raid Hour, it's possible to get tons of XP with only a couple of Lucky Eggs.

You'll need a lot of Premium Raid passes, though. Sometimes they're part of the Special Boxes, but usually, the cost is:

• One Premium Raid Pass for 100 Poké coins.

If you want to grind, using Pokémon Go Plus, the Bluetooth accessory that lets you spin Pokéstops and catch Pokémon faster, can speed up your progress. It also costs some money up-front but can be used at any point in time, even with the game running in the background.

With it, though, you can go through a ton of Poké Balls in a short time. You'll either need to stock up by going someplace that has a high-density of Pokéstops for you to spin, like downtown streets, or buy them from the Pokéshop as well.

It varies from region to region, of course, but in the U.S. you can get:

• 20 Poké Balls for 100 Poké coins.
• 100 Poké Balls for 460 Poké coins.
• 200 Poké Balls for 800 Poké coins.

That's a lot of money, enough to buy a fast-food lunch or a couple of fancy coffees, but it's less than most movie tickets and can provide you with a similar amount of fun if Pokémon is your jam.

Either way, time or money, grinding XP can cost you.

Mass Friending

The XP for increasing friendship levels is substantial as well:

• 3,000 XP for Great Friend
• 50,000 XP for Ultra Friend
• 100,000 XP for Best Friend

So, if you can time Friendship level increases and drop a Lucky Egg before they hit, you can wrack up a ton of XP. However, you can only increase your friendship level once per day per friend. While the pay off is definitely worth it, it takes 90 days of interactions to reach Best Friends.

Mass-raiding

One of the fastest ways to gain XP and level up in Pokémon Go is by Raiding — Legendary Raiding, specifically — a lot. You get 10,000 XP per Raid. That's 20,000 XP with a Lucky Egg and 40,000 XP with a double XP event and a Lucky Egg.

1. Stock up on Premium Raid Passes.
2. Join your local Raid group. They'll typically use Discord, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or a similar app to coordinate Raids.
3. Set up a Raid Train (where your group goes from one Raid to another, one after another) so you can Raid as much as possible at any given time.
4. Complete as many Raids as possible.

You'll also need Revives and Potions to keep your Raid Teams up and running.

You can easily burn $10, $20, even $50 or more a day doing mass Raids. But, if money is no object, you'll level up in record time. (Especially if you use your Go Plus to mass catch and your time moving between Raids to mass evolve — see below.)

Even if money is an issue, shopping smarter by picking up special Boxes with lots of Raid Passes and playing a lot to keep yourself stocked up on potions and revives still make this a great way to level up fast.

Mass-catching

The first method requires both a Lucky Egg and a Pokémon Go Plus accessory. The Plus lets you catch Pokémon swiftly and efficiently, and since it's binary — you either catch them or you don't — every catch nets you 150 XP. Add a Lucky Egg to that, and it's 300 XP per catch. If any Pokémon flee, instead, you still get 25 XP or 50 XP with the Lucky Egg.

1. Go to an area with plentiful Pokémon mass spawns. Busy cities with lots of PokéStops work best but any park or shopping mall that does a lot of traffice (especially on Community Day!) will work.
2. Connect your Pokémon Go Plus.
3. Start a Timer for 30 minutes.
4. Drop your Lucky Egg.
5. Optionally, drop an Incense to increase spawns.
6. Start catching Pokémon with your Pokémon Go Plus.
7. Travel slowly. As one mass spawn depletes, move on to the next one.
8. When the timer goes off, your Lucky Egg will be, done and you can stop.

Depending on how many Pokémon you average, your Lucky Egg and catching spree can net you tens of thousands of XP at a time.

• One a minute: 9,000 XP
• Two a minute: 18,000 XP
• Three a minute: 27,000 XP
• Four a minute: 36,000 XP

It's expensive because you need the Pokémon Go Plus and it uses a bunch of Poké Balls, but it works. And if you mass catch during a double XP event, your totals will be twice as high. If you can pick a spot that has a lot of Pokémon and a lot of PokéStops, you can save yourself some money because the PokéStops will help you replenish your PokéBalls.

This method works especially well during an XP event like the Solstice event, where catches were multiplied by 3x — 6x with Lucky Egg, or any of the monthly Community Days.

Mass evolving

The second method requires a Lucky Egg and a large quantity of a common Pokémon that is cheap to evolve and an even larger amount of their respective candy, to evolve. Since Caterpie, Weedle, Pidgey, Wurmple, and Whismur only require 12 candy to evolve, and each evolution nets you 500 XP — 1000 XP with a Lucky Egg — they are the top choices for this incredibly efficient method of leveling.

You do need to catch enough common Pokémon to make it worth your while. Doing the mass-catch above is a great way to stock up while earning XP at the same time. There are also a host of Pokémon that only require 25 candy to evolve, including Rattata, Lebdya, and Sentrat, and more that can fall back on if you need to.

(If you have any Pokémon with evolutions that will get you new Pokédex entries, you can fold them in for an extra 1000 XP — 2000 XP with Lucky Egg — a pop.)

To make things as efficient as possible, you can rename all the Pokémon you want to evolve before you start. Use punctuation like ! to push them to the top of the list. Otherwise, Caterpie, Weedle, and Pidgey are all really close together in Pokémon number, so sort that way and get to it.

1. Rename, sort, or otherwise prepare your Pokemon for evolution.
2. Start a Timer for 30 minutes.
3. Drop your Lucky Egg.
4. Start evolving your Pokémon, fast as you can.
5. When the timer goes off, your Lucky Egg will be done, and you can stop.

It takes 20 seconds to do an evolution, plus whatever time it takes to switch to and start the next one. So, depending on how many Pokémon evolutions you average, your Lucky Egg and evolving spree can net you tens of thousands of XP at a time. If you can manage two a minute, that's 60,000 XP!

That's not including new Pokédex entries. Of course, if you mass-evolve during an XP event, your results will be even better.

Double catch-and-evolve dip

Because Pokémon Go Plus is so easy to use, you can double up on mass-catching and mass-evolving. It's especially useful for squeezing every ounce of value out of your Lucky Eggs, even if it does cost more in terms of Poké Ball usage.

1. Go to an area with plentiful Pokémon mass spawns.
2. Connect your Pokémon Go Plus.
3. Start a Timer for 30 minutes.
4. Drop your Lucky Egg.
5. Optionally, drop an Incense to increase spawns.
6. Start catching Pokémon with your Pokémon Go Plus.
7. Start evolving your Pokémon, fast as you can.
8. Travel slowly. As one mass spawn depletes, move on to the next one, evolving at the same time as you go.
9. When the timer goes off, your Lucky Egg will be, done and you can stop.

The additional overhead that comes from having to hit the Pokémon Go Plus and the evolve button on your phone at the same time can slow down your catch and your evolve rate, but you should still end up way ahead in total.

And yeah, XP events make this even more profitable as well.

How about cheats? Can you beat the Pokémon Go XP system?

Some people try to force-quit the Pokémon Go app once an evolution starts, betting their phone is fast enough to relaunch before the evolution animation would have otherwise ended.

Others try to use multiple phones to get multiple concurrent evolutions at the same time. That kind of stuff can get your account banned, though, so you're better off taking the huge amount of XP you can get legitimately and leaving it at that. While it might be appealing to get even that little extra XP out of your Lucky Eggs, there are plenty of legitimate ways to level up fast that don't run the risk of getting banned from the game.

Level on up in Pokémon Go 

It will take a lot of effort and time before you make it to the last possible level in Pokémon Go. Over time, Niantic will likely add even more levels for us to reach. Keep up your daily activities and eventually, you'll be able to gain more and more XP. 

If you're running iOS 17, Safari now comes with a translation feature baked into the browser, making it easier than ever to translate a web page on iPhone and iPad.

Once enabled, text is translated in-line on the webpage that you're viewing. It's a handy tool if you want to read websites that are written in different languages, and it's available right in the address bar in Safari.

With this in mind, here's how you can translate web pages in Safari on iPhone and iPad.

What you'll need

How to translate a web page on iPhone in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16

In iOS 15 and later, the ability to translate a web page's language to your native language is now a built-in part of Safari. As such, you no longer need a third-party app to translate. Here's how to use built-in language translation in Safari in iOS 14, iOS 15, and later.

1. Tap the action button on the left side of the address bar while visiting a site that you need to translate. The button looks like two A's next to each other.
2. Tap Translate to [Your Device Language].

3. Tap Enable Translation if prompted.

Your page will then be translated into the primary language that you've set on your device. If you want to revert back to the page's original language, take the following steps.

1. Tap the translate button in the Safari address bar. It takes the place of the standard action button on the left side of the address bar.
2. Tap View Original.

The page will revert to its original language.

How to activate the Microsoft Translator extension in Safari

If you're running a version of iOS 13 or earlier on your device, then a third-party app with a translation extension is what you'll want to use. Microsoft's Translator extension is an excellent tool for the task, as it translates the web page in place when activated.

Once you've got it downloaded, you can set up the action extension for translation web pages.

1. Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
2. While viewing a web page, tap the share button.
3. Scroll to the left on the bottom row of icons.

4. Tap the More button.
5. Turn the switch next to Microsoft Translator to the green 'on' position.
6. Tap Done.

How to translate a web page on iPhone with Microsoft Translator

Now that you have the app installed, you can use it in Safari from the share menu.

1. Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Head to the web page that you want to translate.

3. Tap the share button at the bottom of the display.
4. Tap the Microsoft Translator button. The extension will then translate the entire page for you.

With apps like CrunchyRoll being available on the Nintendo Switch, you'd think getting Netflix on the Switch would be intuitive. It would make sense for a portable entertainment system to connect you to Netflix. Unfortunately, the app is not currently available in the eShop and we're not sure if it will be. Although there is a way to get to Netflix, you cannot actually watch any shows with the Switch the way it is. 

What you'll need

Why watch Netflix on your Nintendo Switch when you can play incredible games like Pokémon: Legends Arceus? The best way to play Switch games is on the Nintendo Switch OLED, why not pick one up today?

While there is a way to get to Netflix on your Nintendo Switch through the hidden web browser unfortunately once you select a show or movie to watch it will ask you to download a plugin. This is due to the hidden browser not being updated enough to run a video. The only way you'd be able to download the plugin is to jailbreak your system which would leave it open to being able to be hacked and Nintendo would no longer assist with any issues your console may have. 

Other streaming options on Nintendo Switch

Netflix isn't your only option for streaming content! There are currently six streaming apps available for free download through the Nintendo eShop. The thing that's most similar is Hulu, a subscription for which gives you access to several shows and movies. For anime fans there's Crunchyroll and Funimation, both have free watching options as well as paid subscription plans.

Take your viewing back to your childhood and watch the very beginning of Pokémon with Pokémon TV! In addition to the hundreds of episodes throughout the animated series' time, there's also card and video game competitions available to view. There are even sing-alongs and other great content for kids. All of this is available for free.

Finally, there's also access to Twitch and YouTube to watch your favorite streamers! Twitch is largely known for video game streaming and is a great way to watch some gameplay before purchasing games or just to relax. YouTube has a wider variety of content creators from video game streaming, to music creation, educational videos, and more! 

Switch between games and shows

The portability of the Switch along with the great screen size makes for a great way to enjoy entertainment on the go. Although you can't watch Netflix, you can pull up any of the other streaming options available and set up one of the best stands for your console and stream anywhere with Wi-Fi from your portable Nintendo Switch! While there isn't any word of Netflix coming to Nintendo Switch's eShop yet, we'll be sure to update you here if that changes.

FaceTime hand gestures in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma let you react to video calls similarly to how you react to messages in the Messages app. Triggered by hand gestures, these FaceTime reactions allow you to express yourself in new ways that make FaceTime calls much more immersive than ever before. 

In FaceTime calls on the latest software for the best iPhones and best iPads, you can now activate on-screen effects like hearts, thumb reactions, balloons, confetti, fireworks, and much more. So whether you want to activate these FaceTime hand gestures, or keep awkwardly activating them during calls and want to turn them off, this guide has you covered. Here’s how to use FaceTime hand gestures and how to turn them off.

What you'll need

We'll get to the actual steps below but to start you're going to need an iPhone, an iPad, or a Mac. If you're in the market for a new Apple device for FaceTime these are our recommendations:

How to use FaceTime hand gestures

There are eight FaceTime hand gestures that activate reactions and they are all enabled by default to work in Apple video calls. Some of these gestures also work in third-party apps like Google Meet.

The available reactions and how to trigger them are:

• Heart shape with both hands = Heart emoji
• Thumbs up = Thumbs up emoji
• Thumbs down = Thumbs down emoji
• Peace sign = Balloons 
• Two thumbs down = Rain
• Two peace signs = Confetti
• Two rock-on signs = Laser
• Two thumbs up = Fireworks

Now, whenever you want to trigger some fun visual effects in your FaceTime calls just take a glance at the list above and make some magic happen.

How to turn off FaceTime hand gestures

Alternatively, if you’re here because you’re sick at the sight of FaceTime reactions and your hand gestures keep triggering effects at awkward moments like during therapy calls or work meetings, here’s how to turn them off:

1. Open FaceTime
2. Swipe down (top right) to bring up Control Center
3. Tap Effects
4. Tap Reactions

Now hand gestures in FaceTime will not activate any reactions or effects, perfect for if you just want a good ol’ video call. The process on Mac is essentially the same, look for the FaceTime icon in the Menu Bar and untick Reactions — FaceTime hand gestures only work on the latest Macs running Apple silicon like the M3 MacBook Air.

Viewing and wiping your web browsing history on the best iPhones and iPads in Apple's Safari web browser has been an easy task for years.

When you browse the web, a record is always kept of where you've been online, which can be stored on your device for days, weeks, or even months. Most of us don't need to look back on our web browsing, so being able to wipe it on our Apple devices is a straightforward affair.

However, you may be someone who regularly wipes your browsing history so you can make a clean start when you next use Safari. There may be other moments when you're wiping your browsing history so you can hide a surprise birthday present from a friend.

In any case, viewing and wiping your web browsing history on iPhone and iPad is simple, and can be done in minutes. Here's how to do it.

How to find your web-browsing history

Viewing your web history in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 is very easy to do, here's how:

1. In Safari, tap the Bookmarks button in the toolbar that's below the address bar.
2. Tap the History icon in the upper right corner. Here, you can view your entire web history.

3. Use the History search bar to find previously viewed pages.

How to clear your web browsing history

If the time calls to wipe most or all of your web browsing history in Safari, here's how to do it on both iPhone and iPad.

To note, the below steps will be the same if you attempt to wipe your web browsing history on an iPhone 15 Pro Max or an iPad Mini 6, all Apple devices require the same steps.

1. In Safari, tap the Bookmarks button.
2. Select the History icon in the upper right corner.
3. Tap Clear and select how much history you'd like to clear: the last hour, the last day, 48 hours' worth, or all recorded history.

One more thing… A feature no one talks about

Privacy on the web matters more than ever in these modern times. Websites store the pages you click on, especially when you sign into a page that can contain personal information about you.

It's great to have a feature like this in Safari — but it would be good to have this automated as an Apple Intelligence feature in iOS 18 someday. If Apple's web browser could automatically clear history after 24 hours it would be very useful, as you wouldn't leave a trail behind.

Regardless, it's still a good feature, and one you should use every week.

Your adventure in Pokémon Sword and Shield doesn't end after you defeat Champion Leon. You still need to catch Zacian and Zamazenta, and you'll need to go on another journey across the Galar region to do so. Buckle up because you'll face some of the toughest challenges yet. It would be wise to have a team of Pokémon that are close to Lv. 70 or higher.

Note: The following contains story spoilers for the end of Pokémon Sword and Shield.

What you'll need

Defeat Leon and visit the Slumbering Weald

Source: iMore

You'll need to defeat Leon in the Champion Cup and become the new Champion of the Galar region before you can catch Zacian and Zamazenta. After beating Leon, you'll start back in your house at the beginning of the game and be greeted by Professor Magnolia, who rewards you with a Master Ball. Exit your house and enter the Slumbering Weald through the gate on the left.

Go all the way to the end of the Slumbering Weald until you find the area where you first found the rusted sword and shield. Two brothers, named Shielbert and Sordward, will show up claiming that they are ancestors of Galar's first kings and thus rule the land. You'll battle one of them and defeat him, but your rival loses to the other.

The brothers will begin Dynamaxing Pokémon across the region, so you'll need to head to Wedgehurst's Pokémon Lab, where Sonia can monitor Power Spot Detectors to see where these Dynamaxed Pokémon are occurring. You'll need to travel to 7 gyms (with the exception of Spikemuth) and defeat a Dynmaxed Pokémon in each stadium, all the while battling the brothers a couple more times along the way. At this point, you'll want to go to Hammerlocke Stadium, where you can encounter either Zacian or Zamazenta on top of the Energy Plant where you first battled Eternatus.

How to find and catch Zacian and Zamazenta

Source: iMore

Depending on your game, you'll first need to subdue the other version's legendary before getting a chance to catch yours. Meaning in Pokémon Sword, you will battle Zamazenta before being able to catch Zacian, and vice versa for Pokémon Shield.

No matter what, you can't catch the other version's legendary Pokémon, so don't bother trying to. After knocking out the first one, you'll then be allowed to catch Zacian (Sword) or Zamazenta (Shield). They will both be Lv. 70. This is where it would be wise to use the Master Ball that Professor Magnolia gave you as it has a 100% catch rate, but you can also whittle down the Pokémon's health enough and try using another type of Poké Ball. I also highly encourage saving before you initiate the battle in case you accidentally knock it out.

Congratulations on your new legendary. You're that much closer to completing your Pokémon Sword and Shield Pokédex. If you want to have even more legendary adventures after you catch Zacian and Zamazenta, consider picking up the Pokémon Sword and Shield Expansion Pass.

Pokémon Go map trackers have been contentious for some time. Being an easy way to quickly scour an area and pick out the very best Pokémon and even find the most valuable raids, some, Including Niantic, have considered it a form of cheating. For this reason, many of the Pokémon Go trackers people have used over the last eight years have stopped working. 

However, just because most of them have stopped doesn't mean they all have, and there's still an easy way to plan out the best routes ahead of time.  Here are some Pokémon Go map trackers that still work. 

What you'll need

Want to get the best Pokémon Go experience? The best iPhone Apple has to offer with long battery life and a huge display will help you get the best experience possible. Add one of the best portable batteries for iPhone and you've got a fantastic setup to go out and catch em' all.

These few sites have found legitimate ways to provide players with guidance to finding things in-game. And we're here to walk you through the remaining options. Also, be sure to check out our best Pokémon Go accessories, so you can be fully equipped on your Pokémon journey!

Why use a map or tracker in Pokémon Go in the first place?

While the information each map or tracker can provide varies and the quality of that information can be spotty in many areas, these tools can give players direction and save them a lot of time. If you're trying to find a Machop nest so you can power up your Machamp, some maps lay out all of the nests in an area and what Pokémon are spawning there. If you're looking for a particular raid battle, there are maps for that too. If you're visiting a new area and want to know where the biggest clusters of gyms and PokéStops are, there are also maps for that. One site even tries to keep track of rare Pokémon spawns.

While some players consider some or even all of these tools to be cheating, they can provide invaluable guidance for those who use them. Of those that are still up and running, four stand out.

Go Map for Pokémon Go

GO Map is a collaborative, real-time map that lists PokéStops and gyms, as well as Pokémon spawns. Because this site relies on players to report locations and spawns, it is more useful in some areas than others. This site also offers an interactive Pokédex with statistics and in-depth details about each Pokémon. They offer a PVP guide that provides not only step-by-step instructions but also a breakdown of their preferred Pokémon for PVP battles. You can sort Pokémon by country and city as well for major cities, or use it as a more traditional map.

PokeHunter for Pokémon Go

PokeHunter is one of the maps and trackers that runs remarkably well. They offer detailed information on gyms, including which Team has control at any moment, how many spaces remain in a gym, and where raids are happening. It'd be a perfect tool save for one massive downside: it only works for a handful of cities in three US states. If you happen to live or work in one of the following cities, this is a fantastic tool:

• California (Cupertino, Downtown Campbell, Mountain View, North San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Pasadena, and Los Banos)
• Minnesota (North Saint Paul, Apple Valley, Eagan, Savage, Burnsville, Prior Lake, South Minneapolis, and Lakeville)
• Oregon (Downtown Portland, Happy Valley, Gresham, and Hillsboro)

PogoMap for Pokémon Go

PogoMap is a comprehensive map of all Gyms, PokéStops, and Nests and one of my personal favorites for one particular reason: it differentiates between normal Gyms and Gyms that have the potential to hand out EX Raid Passes. Although EX Raids aren't happening at the moment, when they are happening, this is an invaluable tool.

While this map has the ability to report lots of useful details, such as which Pokémon are spawning in a current Nest, when Team Go Rocket has invaded a PokéStop or even which Field Research tasks any particular PokéStop is handing out, I found these features to be underutilized in my area despite being near multiple large cities. In some areas with more active players, these tools could be handy, but even without them, I find the information on this particular map to be super helpful.

The Silph Road

Saving the best for last, The Silph Road has remained the biggest and best-organized site for Pokémon Go players to collaborate. In addition to their comprehensive Pokédex and countless guides on Pokémon Go, they have a map that has all the Nest locations with both confirmed and rumored Nest spawns. Plus, there's an unofficial League Map that provides locations for real-world meet-ups of all varieties. Their site offers more information on Pokémon Go than any other I've ever found, and the people running it from all around the world are some of the most knowledgeable and dedicated players in the game. It's easy to see why they are the go-to authority on all things Pokémon Go.

Other options for Pokémon Go

Maybe, for some reason or another, these tools just aren't cutting it for you. While there will never be the number or quality of tools for Pokémon Go players as existed in its early days, there are still other options. Namely, the best thing you can do for real-time information on Pokémon Go is to connect with other local players. Many social platforms, such as Facebook and Reddit, run local Pokémon Go communities. These groups often have active Facebook Messengers Groups and Discord Chats, where you can connect with other local players who share locations of rare Pokémon spawns, Raids, coveted Research tasks, and more. If these tools just aren't enough, your best bet is to connect with other players through these groups.

Questions about maps and trackers in Pokémon Go?

Do you have any questions about how to use these tools to up your Pokémon Go game? Have you found another map or tracker that isn't listed here to be particularly useful? Drop us a comment below, and be sure to check out our other Pokémon Go Guides so you too can become a Pokémon Master!

You might be wondering how to get a refund for iTunes or App Store purchases. It's not as straightforward as returning an unwanted item to your local Apple Store, but it can be done. We've all had a situation where we accidentally tapped that purchase button with a slip of the finger. Or a child who managed to make a purchase without parental permission. Or even a case where a purchase didn't work as advertised. But all is not lost, you can request a refund from any of Apple's digital stores. 

You'll need good reason, though. This process isn't for creating your own free trials of apps, games, books, music, or streaming content.

What you'll need

To get an App Store refund you'll need an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Here are the best models currently available:

How to get an iTunes or App Store refund via the web

Apple's refund system is web-based rather than being built directly into any of Apple's in-app storefronts, so you may as well start your refund process directly at the right website.

1. Go to Apple's Report a Problem page.
2. Log in with your Apple ID user name and password.
3. From the drop-down menu, select Request a refund.
4. Select the reason for your refund request from the list in the drop-down menu.

5. Hit Next.
6. Select the item you wish to request a refund for from the list of purchases.
7. Hit Submit. 

This process is the same regardless of whether you use the browser on your favorite iPhone, your iPad, or your Mac. You should hear back from Apple within a few days about whether your request for a refund is approved.

How to get an iTunes or App Store refund on iPhone or iPad

Though Apple hasn't built a way to request a refund directly into apps like the App Store or iTunes Store even on iOS 17, you can at least start the process there if you prefer. The below steps show the process for the App Store specifically, though the process is much the same in Apple's other digital stores.

1. Open the App Store.
2. Tap on your photo in the top right to view your account. If you don't have a photo set, this will be your initials.
3. Tap Purchased. If you have Family Sharing enabled, you'll then need to hit My Purchases or the name of the person in your family who made the purchase you wish to seek a refund for.

4. Tap on the app you want to claim a refund for.
5. Scroll down the app's listing and tap on Report a Problem. You'll then be taken to Apple's refund site in Safari.
6. Sign in to Apple's site with your Apple ID user name and password.

7. From the drop-down menu, select Request a refund.
8. Select the reason for your refund request from the list in the drop-down menu.
9. Tap Next.
10. Tap Submit.

You should hear back from Apple within a few days about whether your request for a refund is approved. Note that if you are not eligible for a refund for the item you have selected, the final button to submit your claim will be grayed out.

How to get an iTunes or App Store refund on Mac

If you're on your Mac or Windows PC and want to seek an iTunes or App Store refund, you can do just that. Like on iOS, the process will boot you out to a web browser to complete the claim, but you can at least start the process in one of Apple's storefront apps. The steps below apply to the Mac App Store, though you can also start the process via the Music, TV, or Books apps.

1. Open the App Store app.
2. Click on your photo to view your account. If you don't have a photo set, this will be your initials. 
3. In the Music and TV apps, a faster way to get to your account is by clicking Account in the menu bar and selecting Account settings from the drop-down menu.
4. Click on the app you wish to claim a refund for.

4. Scroll the app's listing and click on Report a Problem. You'll then be taken to Apple's refund site in Safari.
5. Sign in to Apple's site with your Apple ID user name and password.
6. From the drop-down menu, select Request a refund.
7. Select the reason for your refund request from the list in the drop-down menu.

8. Tap Next.
9. Tap Submit.

Again, you should hear back from Apple within a few days as to whether your refund has been approved.

A note on refunds

As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, Apple only gives refunds in cases where you made an honest mistake in purchasing. Or, the purchase you made was never received, or it doesn't work as expected. Refund requests are not for trying out the best iPhone apps or best iPad apps or any digital content as a free trial.

If your reason for requesting a refund isn't in the drop down menu, you'll have to select Other and plead your case. Apple does have the right to deny your claim; approval is not automatic.

If you do realize you've made a purchase in error or otherwise need to request a refund, be sure to do so immediately. The time frame for requesting a refund is limited and can vary by region. 

Once you've made your refund request, you can expect it to take a business day or two for Apple to process it. If Apple needs to speak with your further about your claim, it might even take a bit longer. You can check the status of your claim at any time by logging back in to Apple's Report a Problem site.