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. 

Have you ever placed your iPhone on charge overnight and woken up to a black screen? Or taken your iPhone out of your pocket and been shocked when the iPhone screen is black and won’t respond? 

If so, you’re in the right place. Here’s the easy fix for whenever your iPhone screen is black and won’t respond.

How to fix a black iPhone screen

If your iPhone doesn’t respond when you touch it, and the screen is black or unresponsive, there’s an easy fix to get even the best iPhones back to normal.

iPhone 8 or later, including SE (2nd and 3rd generation)

1. Press and release the volume up button
2. Press and release the volume down button
3. Press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo

Tip: Make sure to quickly release the button and move to the next button in the sequence. If you hold the button too long, you'll have to start again.

iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus

• Press and hold the side button and the volume down button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo

iPhone 6s or earlier, including iPhone SE (1st generation)

• Press and hold the home button and the side button until you see the Apple logo

If your iPhone screen went black overnight, this should fix the issue. It’s one of the easiest iPhone fixes and something that can happen regularly to any iPhone, so it’s good to remember these simple steps. 

If following these steps doesn’t fix the black screen on your iPhone, you’ll need to go further into figuring out what’s wrong with your device.

My iPhone screen is still black. What do I do next?

You’ve tried all the steps above, and your iPhone screen is still black. Now, you’ll need to troubleshoot a bit further to get to the root of the issue.

Try changing your charging cable and brick, as one of the two might no longer work, and your battery could be completely dead. If you leave the iPhone on charge for an hour and the screen is still black, you must contact Apple Support to run diagnostics and fix your issue.

There are many reasons why your iPhone screen might turn black, and unfortunately, this can sometimes include the failure of key components inside your device. At that point, you may need to bring your iPhone to Apple or a third-party expert for a repair consultation. But following this simple guide should get you back on Apple TV Plus or Apple Music in no time, most of the time.

Learning how to transfer data from iPad to iPad is nearly necessary if you want a good first day with your impressive new device. If you are looking to figure it out beforehand or don't know how to do it for your brand-new iPad, here's everything you need to know. 

iPads, thanks to their excellent portability, great specs, and wonderful screens, are pretty excellent for productivity apps. For this reason, you may have important work documents, files for school, pictures of the world, and so much more. It's important to make sure your data is safe and, with the transfer option, you don't have to worry about losing them. 

Luckily, if you want to move your data to your iPad, like the ability to transfer data onto the iPhone, it's a super simple process with Apple. Here's everything you need to know in order to transfer data from iPad to iPad. 

Use Automatic Setup to transfer data to your new iPad

Since iOS 11, you can use any old device to set up a new iPad by transferring your old device's settings to your new device when in close physical proximity. That means if you're using the latest iOS, iOS 17.2, or another iPad with iPadOS 17.2, you can transfer data seamlessly.

1. Select your language on your new iPad with your new and old devices in close proximity
2. Tap Continue on your iPad on the pop up that appears asking you to set up your new iPad with your Apple ID

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

6. Choose whether or not to restore your new iPad from your most recent compatible backup, if that option presents itself
7. Choose to restore your new device from an iCloud or iTunes backup, set up as a new iPad, or transfer data from an Android device

8. Agree to the terms and conditions
9. Tap Continue under Express Settings to use Siri's settings, Find My iPhone, Location, and usage analytics that were transferred over from your old iPad

10. Complete the setup process for your new iPad as you normally would

Use a Mac to transfer data to your new iPad

If you're using macOS Catalina or newer, like the latest macOS release, macOS Sonoma, you can transfer data to your iPad directly from Finder. If you're on an older operating system, the steps are the same but you'll need to use iTunes instead.

1. Connect your old iPad to your Mac
2. Click Finder in the Dock to open a new Finder window
3. Click on your iPad in the sidebar

4. Click the checkbox next to Encrypt local backup if you want to encrypt this backup
5. Enter a password if you chose to encrypt your backups

6. Click Back Up Now and wait for the backup to complete, then disconnect your old iPad

7. Connect your new iPad to the same Mac that you used to back up the old one
8. Click your new iPad in the sidebar
9. Click the button next to Restore from this backup

10. Click on a backup from the drop-down
11. Click Continue

Follow the instructions on your new iPad to finish setting it up.

Use iCloud to transfer data to new iPad

If you use iCloud to back up your iPad, you can transfer everything to your new iPad wirelessly. However, before you do that, you'll want to trigger one last manual backup on your old iPad to make sure you get everything as up-to-date as possible on your new device.

1. Open Settings on your old iPad
2. Tap the Apple ID banner
3. Tap iCloud

4. Tap iCloud Backup
5. Tap Back Up Now

After you back up your iPad, you'll want to restore the older device's back up to your new iPad.

1. Press the Home button or swipe up on your new iPad to start the setup process
2. Follow the instructions for initial setup. If you're looking to transfer everything from your old iPad to your new iPad, try using the Automatic Setup process
3. Tap Restore from date of most recent backup Backup to restore your latest iCloud backup when you're using Automatic Setup
4. Tap Agree
5. Finish setting up your new iPad with Siri, location, app analytics, and Apple Pay settings

Your iPad will now restore from your iCloud backup. This could take some time, so be patient!

One more thing... What about starting fresh?

Apple provides a lot of options to get your data moved from your old iPad to your new one. The process is fairly straightforward and quick, so you can get started with your brand new device in no time. 

If you want the fastest method, a wired connection with the computer would be your best bet. But no matter which method you go with, these are the best ways to get your data over from an old iPad to a new one, whether that's an iPad mini 6, M2 iPad Pro, or even an iPad Air 5.

For every Apple product I buy, I opt to set it up as new rather than restore from backup. My reason for doing so is that I have all of my important information stored on iCloud regardless, and I like to spring clean when bringing a new device into my home (getting rid of unwanted apps, changing wallpapers, etc).

By opting to set up as new, with my iCloud settings backed up and iCloud Photos enabled, I have a fresh new device with all my settings and photos.

Before you decide to transfer data between devices, it might be worth thinking about what you actually need to transfer over and if choosing the "Set up as new" option is the way to go over any automated setup.

While most of your photos are probably on your iPhone thanks to the built-in Photos app, what about the images that you have on your favorite Mac? We're talking about your stunning photos taken with your DSLR of choice, a point-and-shoot camera, or just images that you've collected from all over the internet? How are you supposed to get those pictures on your Mac to your iPhone or iPad?

The easiest solution is probably to use the iCloud Photo Library because all of your photos, whether from your iPhone 13 Pro, iPad, or Mac, get synced in full resolution across all of your devices. But of course, this requires enough space for your entire photo library, which means you need a paid iCloud storage tier. Thankfully, there are other ways to transfer photos from your Mac to your iPhone, so don't sweat it — we'll show you all you need to know. And we also have a guide on how to transfer photos from your iPhone to your Mac instead, if you need that too.

What content can I view on my iPhone or iPad?

The Photos app on iPhone and iPad can display several different types of file formats without issue. These will all appear fine in the Photos app, but you won't be able to tell what format they are on the surface — it will all appear rather seamless.

• JPEG
• PNG
• TIFF
• RAW
• HEIF (these are HEIC images and is what your iPhone saves natively if High Efficiency is turned on)
• Live Photos
• GIF (these only animate in the Photos app on iOS 11 or later or macOS High Sierra or later)
• MP4 video
• HEVC video (similar to HEIC, it is the High-Efficiency video format)
• Slo-mo video
• Time-lapse video

As long as your photo or video is in one of these formats, it will show up fine in the iOS Photos app once you transfer photos from your Mac to your iPhone. Otherwise, you'll want to consider using the iOS Files app.

How to use iCloud Photo Library

iCloud Photo Library is probably the easiest way to keep your photos on Mac and iPhone in sync, but you do need a newer Mac that can get the Photos app on it (macOS Yosemite and later). Here's how to enable the iCloud Photo Library.

1. Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Click Photos in the top left of the menu bar and select Preferences (or click the Command and , keys on the keyboard).
3. Click the iCloud tab.
4. Make sure that the iCloud Photos option is checked.

If this is the first time you are launching Photos on Mac in macOS Catalina or later, you may need to make sure that the System Photo Library is on before you can enable the iCloud Photos option.

1. In the Preferences for Photos app, click General.

2. Click Use as System Photo Library. It may take a little bit of time to complete.

When you have the iCloud Photos option enabled on your Mac, you will want to ensure that it's also enabled on your iPhone or iPad.

1. Launch Settings on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap on Photos.

3. Tap the toggle for iCloud Photos to ON (green).
4. You can also turn the toggle for Shared Albums to ON (green) if you want to share your iCloud Photos albums with others.

Once iCloud Photos is enabled, it may take up to 24 hours before all of your content is synced up between devices. iCloud Photos also won't sync unless you're on WiFi, so make sure that's good to go before wondering where all of your content is.

Upload photos from iCloud.com

If you don't want to deal with iCloud Photos (it does come with some headaches), you can actually use the good old-fashioned method of uploading to the web. That's right — iCloud Photos can be accessed from the web, and it's another way to transfer photos from Mac to iPhone, or any platform, really.

1. Make sure that you have iCloud Photos enabled on your iOS devices.
2. Visit icloud.com and sign in to your Apple ID.
3. Click the Photos icon.

4. After everything loads up, click the Upload button (it looks like an up arrow to a cloud icon).

5. Choose the images from your hard drive that you want to upload.
6. Click Choose.

Your images will then get uploaded to iCloud Photos manually. A progress bar at the bottom of the screen lets you know how the uploads are going, and you can click Stop Upload at any time if you change your mind.

Sync via iTunes or Finder

For those who don't want to use iCloud Photos, you can do the good ol' syncing method with the computer itself. You know, with a — * le gasp* — cable.

If you are using macOS Mojave or earlier, then you will do this with iTunes. But if you are on macOS Catalina and later, you do this through the Finder, since Apple split iTunes up into separate Music, TV, and Podcasts apps.

The reason you may want to sync with your Mac with a cable is that because you may be running an older version of iPhoto or Aperture, you may have certain albums in Photos, or you have specific folders or albums of images in your Pictures folder. Therefore, it's important that before you manually sync through iTunes or Finder, you have all of your images that you want to transfer from Mac to iPhone organized appropriately.

1. Ensure your photos are organized the way you want them to be organized.
2. Plug in your iPhone or iPad to your Mac.
3. Launch Finder (iTunes in macOS Mojave and earlier) if it doesn't open automatically.
4. Click on your iOS device icon in the device list.

5. Click the Photos tab.

6. Click the checkbox next to Sync Photos.

7. Click the source of the photos that you want to sync from in the drop-down menu.
8. Click the checkbox next to the option you want: Sync All Folders or Sync Selected Folders.

9. Choose the Folders that you want to sync from your chosen source.
10. Click the checkbox next to Include videos if you want.
11. Click Sync in the bottom right corner to begin syncing.

Use AirDrop to transfer photos from Mac to iPhone

One of the easiest ways to transfer photos from Mac to iPhone is with AirDrop. Apple introduced AirDrop back in OS X Lion (10.7), so your Mac should work with AirDrop, even if it's a little older (Lion works on Macs from 2008).

AirDrop uses Bluetooth Low Energy to broadcast, discover, and negotiate connections, allowing point-to-point Wi-Fi for transferring data. Between Macs and iPhones, and iPads, this is a quick and easy way to transfer files, such as photos and videos.

1. Launch Finder on your Mac.
2. Open a new Finder window or tab so that you can view two Finder locations at once.
3. Locate and select the photos and video that you want to transfer to your iPhone or iPad.
4. In the other Finder window or tab, click AirDrop from the side menu.

5. On your iPhone or iPad, make sure that it is unlocked and awake.
6. Make sure that your iPhone or iPad has AirDrop receiving enabled and set to Everyone.
7. Drag your selected photos and video to the iPhone or iPad option in the AirDrop Finder window.

8. If your iPhone or iPad prompts you, tap Accept.

While AirDrop is excellent, it works best for smaller batches of photos and video rather than your entire photo library. If you want to transfer your entire library, it's best to use iCloud Photos or sync via Finder or iTunes.

Utilize a third-party syncing service

Another great option to consider when you need to transfer photos from Mac to iPhone is to use a third-party syncing service, like Dropbox. For example, you could upload your pictures to your Dropbox account directly on the web or add photos to your Dropbox folder once you install Dropbox on your Mac. Dropbox has an excellent walkthrough to help you get started if you're a newbie to the service. Then on your iPhone or iPad, download the Dropbox app and access your photos and videos directly.

While I prefer to use Dropbox for my photos, there are also other options that you can use, such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon Drive, and more. It just comes down to personal preference here.

Take your photos with you everywhere

We all have a lot of photos that we take and they're probably on our Macs right now. Once we're done editing them, we may want to just have them on our best iPhone to show them off. Thankfully, there are a few ways to get our favorite photos from our Mac to our iPhone, as we just showed you here.

And if you need to do the reverse, which is getting your photos from your iPhone to your Mac, the process is pretty easy and straightforward too. Apple has made it convenient, and you can also use your preferred cloud syncing service of choice too.

Updated August 2022: These are still the current steps for transferring photos from your Mac to your iPhone and iPad.

When your iPhone isn't receiving picture messages it can be incredibly frustrating. After all, nowadays we communicate with friends and family via iMessages littered with memes and photos of what we had for dinner last night.

Whether you've got the best iPhone available, like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, or an older device like the iPhone SE, bugs can often impact your ability to do the things that should be relatively easy.

With iOS 18 on the horizon, it's good to know how to fix these issues if your iPhone ever has issues with receiving pictures.

Here's how to fix your iPhone not receiving pictures in text messages with a few easy fixes that should solve any issues to get you back to 2024 in no time at all. 

How to check your MMS settings

In addition to iMessage, the iPhone supports MMS, which is a simplified way to send a text message via a cellular network. If you have MMS disabled on your iPhone, you won't be able to send or receive multimedia messages like photos or videos with Android users or when iMessage is unavailable.

1. Launch the Settings app
2. Tap Messages
3. Scroll down and check to see if MMS Messaging is on. If not, tap it to enable it

How to sign in and out of your Apple ID

Another thing that you can try is signing in, and out of the Apple ID you use with Messages. Signing out of Messages will delete all your messages from your iPhone and re-download them as new from Apple's servers when you sign back in.

1. Launch the Settings app
2. Tap Messages
3. Tap Send & Receive

4. Tap your Apple ID
5. Tap Sign Out

6. Tap Use your Apple ID for iMessage
7. Tap Sign in. You can also tap Use Other Apple ID and enter your credentials for another Apple ID

How to reset your network settings

The last thing you can try is resetting Network Settings on your iPhone. Although it may sound a little daunting, this option will only remove some behind-the-scenes configurations, toggle Wi-Fi/cellular on and off briefly, and change your iPhone name to the default state.

1. Launch the Settings app
2. Tap General
3. Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone

4. Tap Reset
5. Tap Reset Network Settings
6. Type in your Passcode and then tap Done

One more thing... fix your iPhone not receiving pictures in text messages 

This guide has you covered for sorting all issues related to your iPhone not receiving pictures. 

While we've tried our best to cover the solution there is also the possibility that the issues are related to the person you're trying to contact. If this is the case, send this guide to them so they can follow the steps above.

With these tools, you should be able to fix your iPhone not receiving pictures. If not, you may need to contact Apple Support or head to your local Apple Store for some troubleshooting.

If you like sending emoji in your texts and iMessages, Apple makes doing that incredibly easy. Between Tapbacks for reacting directly to a message and using machine learning to know which emoji to recommend, Apple understands that these little pictograms are some of the best iPhone communication tools.

If you're looking to spice up your messages to your friends and family, you can litter them with emoji all you want! Here's how you do it!

How do you get emoji recommendations in Messages?

Apple's predictive QuickType keyboard can suggest emoji and, you know, regular words. The predictive keyboard has to be turned on in Settings and can't be hidden, so check out our QuickType keyboard guide first if you need helping getting it set up.

1. Start typing in the Messages text field.
2. Tap any emoji predictions that show up in the prediction bar. If multiple predictions show up, tap the one you prefer.
3. Tap the Send button. (Looks like an upward arrow.)

Emoji predictions will show up whenever you type something with a corresponding emoji. For example, "I'm happy" will predict "(smiley face)." Likewise, "My car" will suggest the "(car)" emoji.

Pro-tip: If you don't want the emoji to take the place of the word but rather appear beside it, put a space between the word before you tap your desired emoji.

How do you replace words with emoji in Messages?

This "emojification" process works similarly to emoji recommendations and will work in both iMessages and standard SMS texts.

1. Type an iMessage in the text field.
2. Tap the Emoji button on the keyboard.
3. Tap on a word that's highlighted orange to replace it with its corresponding emoji.

4. Keep tapping words highlighted until you've "emojified" everything you want.
5. Tap the Send button (Looks like an upward arrow).

With emojification, you can convert as many — or as few — words to emoji as you like.

How do you react with a Tapback in an iMessage?

Emoji aren't just for replying; they're also for reacting. Apple calls them Tapbacks. They're similar to Slack or Facebook emoji reactions and drop right onto any iMessage bubble sent your way.

1. Touch and hold (long press) or double-tap on an iMessage sent your way.
2. Tap the Tapback you want to send: Heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, Haha, !!, or ?.

There's no need to hit send; the Tapback reaction goes immediately.

What do the different Tapback reactions mean?

Theoretically, these Tapback reactions can mean whatever you want them to. However, context is king, and a thumbs up Tapback to your Mom might mean something different than one to your best friend. Here's a basic guide to all the Tapback reactions available and what they could mean.

• Heart: Like, love, or fave
• Thumbs up: Happy, approve, or agree
• Thumbs down: Sad, disapprove or disagree
• Haha: Laugh, either happily or sarcastically.
• !!: Exclaim emphatically.
• ?: Question.

How do you change the Tapback reaction on an iMessage?

If you reply with the wrong Tapback or later decide you want a different Tapback, you can easily make the change.

1. Touch and hold (long press) or double-tap on an iMessage with the Tapback you want to change.
2. Tap the Tapback you want to change to Heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, Haha, !!, or ?.

The new Tapback will take the place of the old one.

How do you delete a Tapback reaction on an iMessage?

You can also remove it if you accidentally send a Tapback or have reconsidered sending one.

1. Tap a Tapback that you wish to remove.
2. Tap the Tapback you want to remove (i.e., if you want to remove Heart, tap Heart.)

The Tapback will disappear for you and the recipient.

Emote away

Using emoji has never been easier, and Tapbacks somehow made things even more straightforward. Use them on your best iPhone, all you want. Here's to having vibrant and fun conversations in just a few taps.

Updated May 2022: Updated for the latest version of iOS 15.

The United States participates in an emergency notification service called AMBER (America's Missing: Broadcasting Emergency Response). An AMBER alert usually lets citizens know when police are tracking a missing person and there is information that this person may be in your area. Apple has included AMBER alert notifications, as well as other emergency government notifications like Emergency Alerts and Public Safety Alerts, on all iPhones, including yours.

Depending on the nature of the alert, which can include child abductions and impending natural disasters, it's a great feature that can prevent injury and save lives. Many lives. So, by their nature, these alerts don't respect Do Not Disturb settings. They NEED to get through.

That can be shocking, however, especially if they happen when you're sleeping, driving, or otherwise not expecting a loud noise to come from your iPhone 13. That's why, ultimately, AMBER and other alerts work at your discretion. They are all on by default, but you can decide which alerts you want to keep on or turn off. Here's how.

How to control AMBER and government alerts on your iPhone

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone
2. Tap on Notifications and scroll all the way to the bottom

3. Under the Government Alerts section, toggle the AMBER Alerts and Public Safety Alerts options on or off to enable or disable them
4. Tap Emergency Alerts and then choose whether you want to receive them or not, and if so, whether you want it to Always Deliver or not. If Always Deliver is off, then emergency alerts will not play a sound when your iPhone is in Silent Mode

Turning off AMBER and other alerts can cost lives, including yours. If a natural disaster is coming your way, and you don't know about it, you have no way to save your life or the life of your family.

That's why they're loud and shocking. They're meant to get your attention, instantly — and big, loud, and noisy is the way to do that.

So, while you can disable them, you shouldn't. Not unless you have some other way to be reliably alerted about emergencies.

If you have an Android device or Windows Phone or know someone who has them, you should make sure that AMBER and other government alerts are also active on those too.

Better safe than sorry!

Keeping your AMBER and other alerts on is important and potentially life-saving. Apple also offers several other easy-to-use safety features on all its devices. Emergency SOS is one of those safety features, and it's been known to save lives on both iPhones and Apple Watches. Triggering it is super simple. All you have to do is follow the steps in our Emergency SOS guide.

If you own an iPhone 14 model, such as the best iPhone at the moment, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, you'll also have access to Crash Detection, a lifesaving feature if you're ever involved in a car crash.

Additionally, depending on which version of iOS you're using, Emergency SOS can also reach out to your emergency contacts via your iPhone and send the device's last known location.

So make sure you've set AMBER alerts up correctly because you never know when you might need them, and it's always better to be safe than sorry.

On Launchpad on Mac, you can find all of your apps, regardless of where they are installed. While you can expect few problems on Launchpad with apps installed in the Applications folder, the same can't be said for titles downloaded and stored elsewhere. Occasionally, installed apps aren't showing up under Launchpad. Conversely, you might see icons for apps that are no longer on your computer. In times like these, the Launchpad database gets corrupted.

Luckily, there's a quick fix for it! Here's how to reset Launchpad on macOS Monterey on all the best Macs!

How to reset Launchpad on your Mac

1. Go to the Finder on your Mac.
2. Hold down the Option key and click on the Go menu.
3. Select Library.
4. Open the Application Support folder.

5. Click on the Dock folder.
6. Delete all the files ending in ".db."

7. Empty the Trash on your Mac.
8. Restart your Mac.

Once your Mac has restarted, it will automatically rebuild the Launchpad database and repopulate it with an accurate count of the apps you have on your Mac.

Easy fix

As you can see, it's relatively simple to reset Launchpad on your Mac when there is a problem. Follow the steps, and be on your way!

May 2022: Updated for the latest version of macOS.

When it comes to reading text on your wrist, even the best Apple Watch can be a little small for some people. Luckily, you don't have to squit your eyes any longer!

In watchOS 8, Zoom allows you to enlarge text and other elements on your Apple Watch display to appear larger when you tap the display. For those with visual impairments or partial blindness, it's a huge help to be able to see your favorite Apple Watch much clearer when you're interacting with it. Plus, when you learn how to use Zoom on Apple Watch, you'll be able to zoom in to the display when you want and zoom out too, meaning it will look like a normal Apple Watch display when you want it to. Here's how to set up and use Zoom on Apple Watch.

How to enable Zoom on the Apple Watch

1. Launch the Settings app from your Apple Watch Home screen.
2. Tap on Accessibility.
3. Tap on Zoom.

4. Tap the switch next to Zoom to the green 'on' position.
5. Tap the + or - buttons to increase or decrease the maximum zoom level.

To disable Zoom, repeat the same steps and toggle Zoom to OFF (gray).

How to enable Zoom using the Apple Watch app for iPhone

1. Launch the Apple Watch app from your iPhone Home screen.
2. Tap on Accessibility.
3. Tap on Zoom.

4. Tap the switch next to Zoom to the green 'on' position.
5. Drag the slider left or right to adjust the maximum zoom level.

To disable Zoom, repeat the same steps and toggle Zoom to OFF (gray).

How to control Zoom on your Apple Watch

Controlling zooming on your Apple Watch is all about double taps.

1. Double-tap with two fingers to zoom into the display on your Apple Watch.
2. Double-tap, hold, and drag with two fingers to adjust the degree of zoom on the Apple Watch.

Need more help navigating your Apple Watch?

I firmly believe that when tech because more accessible, it benefits everyone. The good news is Apple seems to take accessibility seriously, and new features that are designed to help those who can't interact with their Apple Watch the same way others keep getting added to the software. The most recent one was AssistiveTouch.

With AssistiveTouch on Apple Watch, you can control apps and navigate through menus without touching the screen. The tool uses the Apple Watch's gyroscope, accelerometer, and optical heart rate sensor to recognize movements to navigate your Apple Watch. While it was designed to help people with limb differences, anyone can learn how to use AssitiveTouch on Apple Watch as long as you are running iOS 15, watchOS 8, and have an Apple Watch Series 4 or newer.

Updated May 2022: Updated for the latest version of watchOS 8.

If you've learned how to use Optimized Storage on the Mac, you know it can help reduce the amount of space that data takes up on your hard drive. However, what you may not know is that it also takes up iCloud storage space.

The good news is macOS Monterey you can learn how to customize Optimized Storage on the Mac to choose what gets stored in iCloud and what doesn't so you can maximize your storage solutions. Striking a good balance between the hard drive and iCloud storage will make even your best Mac even more tailored to your liking. You can adjust some of the settings for what is stored in iCloud to save some space in your iCloud storage.

How to stop syncing Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud on your Mac

If you've tried out Desktop and Documents folder syncing in iCloud but decided you don't like it, you can stop syncing. If you disable syncing, Desktop files will no longer appear on a secondary Mac computer's desktop, but they will still be in a file in iCloud Drive, which you can move them out of. Your Documents folder will also still be visible in iCloud Drive, which you can also move.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Click System Preferences in the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Apple ID.
4. Click on iCloud.

5. Click on Options next to iCloud Drive.
6. Click to uncheck the checkbox for Desktop & Documents Folders.

How to disable Optimized Storage on your Mac

Optimized Storage automatically removes iTunes movies and TV shows that you've already watched from your Mac. It also keeps recent email attachments on your Mac when your hard drive starts running out of room. If you want to keep your movies and TV shows on your hard drive, so you don't have to re-download them every time you want to watch them, you can disable the feature.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Apple ID.
4. Click on iCloud.
5. Click to uncheck the checkbox at the bottom of the window for Optimize Mac Storage.

How to disable Empty Trash Automatically on your Mac

I can't see any reason not to use the Empty Trash Automatically feature. Still, if you worry that you will delete something from your Mac and need it back more than 30 days later, you can disable the feature and go back to manually emptying the trash.

1. Open a Finder window.
2. Click on Finder in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
3. Click Preferences in the drop-down menu.

4. Click on Advanced in the Finder Preferences window.
5. Click to uncheck the checkbox for Remove items from the Trash after 30 days.

How to customize what apps are stored in iCloud on your Mac

If your iCloud storage is starting to get full, you can select which apps and programs store data, clearing out space for more important data that you need to access all of the time.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Click System Preferences in the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Apple ID.
4. Click on iCloud.

5. Click on Options next to iCloud Drive.
6. Click to uncheck the checkbox for each app whose data you do not wish to store in iCloud.

Note: Since the apps will no longer sync with iCloud, some features will be disabled, so make sure you want to remove their access to iCloud.

How to manage files and folders stored in iCloud on the Mac

You may want to keep some or all of your apps synced with iCloud, but you don't need to keep all of the files and folders saved in them. You can reduce some of the storage used up by removing unneeded data.

1. Open a Finder window.
2. Select iCloud Drive from the sidebar.

3. Double-click a folder to view its contents.
4. Select a file that you want to delete. You can select multiple files at once.
5. Right-click or Control-click on the files.
6. Select Move to trash to delete them.

You can also move files out of iCloud Drive and into another folder. Just make sure the folder you move files to isn't also being stored in iCloud.

How to stop using iCloud Photo Library on the Mac

For some, the Photo library is the biggest space hog in iCloud. It is incredibly convenient to store your pictures in the cloud and be able to access them from any device without having to use up hard drive space (or, in the case of the iPhone and iPad, device storage space). Still, it is also a burden on your iCloud storage limit. You can turn off iCloud Photo Library on all of your devices, which is inconvenient but frees up a lot of space in iCloud.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Apple ID.
4. Click on iCloud.

5. Click on Manage in the bottom right corner of the iCloud window.
6. Click on Photo Library from the sidebar.
7. Click on Turn off and Delete.

You'll have to manually download content that you previously stored in the iCloud Photo Library. You will have 30 days to download all of your photos and videos from iCloud Drive onto your Mac (you can also download them directly onto your iPhone or iPad, but I don't suggest doing that since they take up so much space).

1. Launch the Photos app.
2. Click on Photos in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.

3. Click Preferences in the drop down menu.
4. Click on Download Originals to this Mac.

How to delete iPhone and iPad iCloud backups on the Mac

When you back up your iPhone or iPad in iCloud, the most recent backups are stored there. Backups take up a few GB of space each, which can add up if you have multiple iOS devices. You can, instead, backup your device to your computer using iTunes. If you choose to save your backups on your computer, you can delete them from iCloud.

Note: When you delete a backup from iCloud, you will also be turning off the ability to use iCloud to back up your device. You will have to switch back to iCloud backups if you change your mind later.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Click System Preferences in the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Apple ID.
4. Click iCloud.

5. Click Manage in the bottom right corner of the iCloud window.
6. Click Backups from the sidebar.
7. Select a backup to delete.
8. Click Delete.
9. Click Delete when prompted to confirm that you wish to delete the backup and turn off iCloud back ups.

How to free up space used by the Mail app on the Mac

If you use the built-in Mail app on your Mac, you might be clogging up your iCloud storage with useless junk and deleted mail. You can quickly clear out some space by erasing the old stuff.

1. Launch the Mail app on your Mac.
2. Click on Mailbox in the upper left side of your Mac's screen.

3. Select Erase Deleted Items from the drop down menu.
4. Select iCloud.
5. Click on Erase when prompted to confirm that you want to erase the deleted items in your iCloud mailbox.

6. Select Erase Junk Mail.
7. Click on Erase when prompted to confirm that you want to erase the junk mailbox.

Optimized storage still needs to be backed up

Optimizing your storage is a great way to make sure that your Mac isn't getting bogged down with files you don't need; however, you never want to lose any important data. Backing up your Mac frequently is the best way to make sure that nothing bad ever happens to all your important data on your Mac. So, make sure you're backing up your Mac often.

Updated March 2022: Updated for macOS Monterey

Though the suite of apps that come with your new iPhone or iPad is pretty impressive, there's so much more out there to explore.

The App Store is filled with alternative apps to the first-party ones that are pre-installed on your new iPhone, as well as great games to play on the go. It doesn't matter if you have one of the best iPhones or an older model, the App Store is an essential part of what makes the iPhone so great.

Here's how to download apps and games from the App Store on iOS.

How to search for apps in the App Store

In order to get all the cool apps you want on your iPhone, you need to know how to search for them on the App Store.

1. Launch the App Store
2. Tap the magnifying glass on the bottom right of your screen
3. Type in your search query and tap the search button

How to download apps and games from the App Store

Once you've searched for the app you want, it's time to download and install it.

1. Follow the steps to search for the app or game you want
2. Tap the app or game you wish to purchase or download for free
3. Tap Get if it is free, or the price of the app if it is paid
4. Place your finger on the Home button to activate Touch ID or double-click the side button for Face ID to authenticate, purchase, and download

How to manually update apps and games on iPhone and iPad

1. Open the App Store app
2. Tap your Profile icon in the upper-right corner
3. Scroll down and tap Update for apps that need an update or tap Update All to download all available updates

How to automatically update apps and games on your iPhone and iPad

Apple gives you the option to have app updates take place automatically. That way, you don't have to keep checking to see what needs an update.

1. Open the Settings app
2. Scroll down and tap on App Store
3. Under automatic downloads, tap App Updates to toggle the switch on

When enabled, app updates will automatically take place every day.

How to automatically download apps and games you buy on one device onto others

If you own more than one Apple device, like an iPhone and an iPad, or an iPad and an iPod touch, or all three, you can automatically download apps and games onto all of them if they are all under the same Apple ID. Well, you can't download iPad-only apps onto an iPhone or iPod touch, but that is the only restriction.

1. Open the Settings app
2. Scroll down and tap on App Store
3. Under Automatic Downloads, tap Apps to toggle the switch on

You can also turn on automatic downloads for music, Apple Books, and audiobooks the same way.

How to disable app updates over cellular

If you have concerns about using up too much of your cellular data, it is a very good idea to disable downloading updates over cellular, especially if you have automatic updates turned on.

1. Open the Settings app
2. Scroll down and tap on App Store
3. Tap Automatic Downloads under Cellular Data to toggle the switch off

One more thing... App fatigue

Though our Apple Arcade ultimate guide will give you tonnes of games to download and try out, it can get very easy to overload your phone with apps you will never use. The App Store is a veritable treasure trove of creativity, but not every app you take on will be worth your time. In your first month or so of using your new device, try out as many apps as you can. After a while, it's worth deleting those you don't use. 

I've often found myself unable to download the new iOS update or a brand-new app because my folders are filled with software I'll never use. If you have the time to do so, it's worth really taking everything you download and justifying its place in your storage. Use the Screen Time section in Settings for an easy way to know which of your apps are being used. This will make sure you aren't hurriedly deleting apps to make room for more photos down the line.

Even if you don't spend a lot of time on your iPhone's Home screen, you still need to keep it as organized as possible. Whether you use your iPhone for work or your iPad for art, having a clean home screen boosts your productivity and makes it easier to find your go-to apps, and it changes your device's look and feel overall.

Organizing your Home screen is very simple, and you can do it in a few taps. Plus, with iOS 15, you can now have a very minimalistic Home screen that doesn't show every app on your device, offering only your most-used apps and even dynamic widgets. Here's how to rearrange your apps on iPhone and iPad.

How to put your Home screen into edit mode

Contextual menus, available since iOS 14, create a new option for editing your apps on your Home screen, though the older method of holding down and waiting for your icons to jiggle still works.

1. Tap and hold on to the app icon of the app you want to move so that the contextual menu pops up.
2. Tap Edit Home Screen.

After doing this, you can move apps, delete them, remove them from folders, place them in folders, and anything else outlined in this guide.

How to rearrange your apps on iPhone and iPad

1. Put your chosen app into edit mode.
2. Drag the app icon you want to move to its new location and let go. If you want to drag multiple apps, use a second finger to tap each additional icon and add it to your stack.
3. Tap on any space on the Home screen. You can also wait a moment, and your iPhone will get itself out of edit mode.

How to move apps between pages

You can rearrange your apps on iPhone on different pages as well. The process is pretty similar to the step prior. Just do this!

1. Put your chosen app into edit mode. If you want to drag multiple apps, use a second finger to tap each additional icon and add it to your stack.
2. Use a second finger to swipe to the page you want to move your apps over to. You can also drag the app to the corner of your screen to move it to the left or right page.

3. Let go of the app icon(s) to drop them into place.
4. Tap anywhere on the screen that doesn't have an app to get out of edit mode.

How to move apps to a new page

As you download apps, iOS will create new Home screens when the old ones are full. You can, however, also create additional Home screens any time you like.

1. Put your chosen app into edit mode. If you want to drag multiple apps, use a second finger to tap each additional icon and add it to your stack.
2. Use a second finger to swipe to the left until you reach a blank home screen.

3. Let go of the app icon(s) to drop them onto your new page.
4. Tap anywhere on the screen to get out of edit mode.

How to delete apps from your Home screen

If you no longer want an app you've downloaded from the App Store, you can delete it and remove it from your iPhone.

1. Put your chosen app into edit mode.
2. Tap the Delete button (looks like a "-") at the top left of the app icon.
3. Tap on Delete App.
4. Confirm that you want to delete the app by tapping on Delete.

You can also delete an app through the pop-up contextual menus. It's a slightly quicker method of deleting an app than the previous way now that pressing and holding for contextual menus is standard behavior across iOS.

1. Tap and hold on to the app you want to delete until the contextual menu appears.
2. Tap Remove App.
3. Tap Delete App.
4. Tap on Delete to uninstall the app.

If you later change your mind and decide you want a deleted app back, you can re-download it from the App Store.

How to remove apps from your Home Screen without deleting them

Thanks to the App Library feature in iOS, you can now remove apps from your Home screen without deleting them from your iPhone. This helps keep your pages more organized, and now you have a whole page without a single app to give you a more minimalistic look without losing your helpful apps.

1. Tap and hold the app you want to remove from your Home screen.
2. Tap on the Delete Button (the one that looks like a "-").
3. Tap on Remove From Home Screen.

You'll notice the app is gone. If you want to bring it back to the Home Screen, you'll have to swipe to the right, where the App Library is located. Then, find the app and move it to any page you want. You can also swipe down on the screen to bring up a system-wide search.

How to hide pages from Home screen

There's a new way to hide full pages without worrying about deleting all the apps it has. This is extremely helpful if you want to keep your unnecessary apps at hand without having to look at them all the time or if you want to use certain pages at certain times of the day. Here's how you can do it:

1. On your Home screen, go into edit mode.
2. Tap on the Page Indicator. That's the pill-shape icon with dots just above the dock at the bottom of your screen.
3. You'll see all your pages. Tap on the checkmark of a page to hide it.
4. Tap on any visible page to go back to your Home screen.

5. Tap anywhere to get out of edit mode.

You can always do the same process to make a page visible again. You won't lose the apps on that page or the order they were left in.

How to create a folder for apps on your Home screen

Another way to save space on your Home screen is to put your apps into folders. Here's how.

1. Put your chosen app into edit mode.
2. Drag the app icon you want to move. If you want to move multiple apps, use a second finger to tap each additional icon and add it to your stack.
3. Drag the app icons on top of the last app icon you wish to move and hold until the folder interface appears.

4. Tap anywhere on the folder to get out of edit mode.
5. Tap outside the folder to close it and return to the Home screen.

How to rename folders on your Home screen

1. Tap on the folder you want to rename to open it.
2. Put one of its apps into edit mode.
3. Tap on the folder name to edit it or the clear button (looks like an X) to wipe it and start over.
4. Enter the new folder name — you can even use emoji!
5. Tap anywhere on the folder to get out of edit mode.

There's also a way to rename a folder from the pop-up contextual menu that appears when you press and hold on to a folder.

How to add apps to folders on your Home screen

You can continue to add apps to existing folders at any time. So, for example, you can make a folder filled with puzzle games or messaging apps.

1. Put your chosen app into edit mode. If you want to move multiple apps, use a second finger to tap each additional icon and add it to your stack.
2. Drag the app icon(s) you want to put into a folder on top of the folder you want to add it to.
3. Let go of the app icon(s) to drop it into place.
4. Tap somewhere where there aren't any apps to get out of edit mode.

You can drag in as many additional apps as you want.

How to remove apps from a folder on your Home screen

If you no longer want an app in a folder, you can pull it back out. For example, if you start playing a game frequently again, you might want to stick it back on your Home screen.

1. Tap the folder containing the app you want to remove to open it.
2. Put your chosen app into edit mode. If you want to move multiple apps, use a second finger to tap each additional icon and add it to your stack.
3. Drag the app icon(s) out of the folder.

4. Let go of the app icon to drop it back onto the Home screen (anywhere you like).
5. Tap anywhere to get out of edit mode.

How to delete a folder from your Home screen

To delete an entire folder, you remove all the apps inside it.

1. Tap the folder you want to delete.
2. Put your chosen app into edit mode.
3. Use a second finger to tap each additional icon in the folder to add it to your stack.
4. Drag the app icons out of the folder.
5. Let go of the app icons to drop them back onto any Home screen (anywhere you like).
6. Tap anywhere to exit edit mode.

Once the last app is removed, the folder is automatically removed.

How to restore your Home screen to the default layout

If you don't like the result after you rearrange your apps on your iPhone or iPad, you can always go back to the original layout. Here's how to restore your Home screen.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap on General.
3. Tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone (at the bottom).

4. Tap on Reset.
5. Tap on Reset Home Screen Layout.
6. Tap on Reset Home Screen to confirm.

Take control of your Home screen

Knowing how to organize and customize your Home screen is fundamental to enjoying the best iPhone and iPad experience possible. You can have your most-used apps front-and-center, but you can also remove any clutter from your screen.

Updated April 2022: Updated for iOS 15.

Even if you aren't the type of person to simply text your besties all day, there's a good chance that you still make use of the Messages app. Whether you're sending a message to your significant other or family and friends or dragged into a group message, the Messages app is something that pretty much everyone uses.

But what about when you're driving? Well, it's illegal to text and drive, so that's when Siri comes in handy. That's right — Siri can help you send quick messages to others and even read incoming messages to you too, so you're always in the loop! Here's how to use the Messages app with Siri on your best iPhone, like the iPhone 13 Pro.

How to send messages using Siri for iPhone or iPad

1. Press and hold the Home button to activate Siri (or say "Hey Siri" to compatible iPhones and iPads).
2. Tell Siri you want to send a message. To expedite the process, tell her to whom as well. If you don't say the contact or relationship immediately, Siri will ask you for a phone number, contact name, or iMessage-associated email address.

3. Dictate your message.
4. Wait for Siri to confirm the content of your text.
5. Say yes or send to send the message.

If you're not happy with the message, instead of confirming it, say "Change it" to re-dictate it, or say "Cancel" to abandon it.

How to check for new messages with Siri for iPhone or iPad

1. Press and hold the Home button on your iPhone or iPad to activate Siri (or say "Hey Siri" to compatible iPhones and iPads).
2. Say something like, "Check my messages" or "Do I have any new messages?"
3. Choose one of the messages Siri mentions. She will read new messages upon finding them.
4. After Siri reads the message, she'll ask you if you want to reply. If you choose to, dictate your message like you did in the previous section.

Make life easier with Siri

When you're in a situation where you just can't get to your phone immediately, but you need to send a quick message or see what someone else has sent you, Siri can be a lifesaver. It's super easy to utilize Siri with the Messages app to send and check messages too — after all, she's your digital assistant.

Updated April 2022: Updated for iOS 15.

Anyone on the free, 5GB iCloud storage plan knows that that's not a lot of space at all. You'll fill it up fast, so you need to be judicious about what you store in an iCloud backup. This is especially true if you have, say, both an iPhone and an iPad.

One way you can free up some additional storage to use elsewhere is by manually choosing what app data gets stored, and what won't! Or you can of course upgrade your iCloud storage plan if you want to store all your things, all the time — there are a ton of options to choose from! But here's how you can selectively back up your data over iCloud.

How to choose what app data gets backed up to iCloud for iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Apple ID banner.
3. Tap iCloud.

4. Tap Manage Storage.
5. Tap Backups.
6. Tap your iPhone or iPad under Backups.

7. Tap Show All Apps if the apps you want to manage aren't among the first five displayed.
8. Tap the switches next to any apps that you no longer want to back up to flip them to the white "off" position.

Note that turning off app data doesn't mean that app won't return to your device during an iCloud restore, it just means the app's data will not return.

Typically, games or photo- and document-centric apps are the most storage-hungry. If you decide to turn these off, just make sure you're okay with losing the data within them in the event of a restore. We'd suggest saving any documents or photos to your computer frequently to free up storage space.

Best to back up

If you want the best iPhone and iPad experience and don't want to spend any money on additional iCloud storage, you're probably going to have to manually manage what data gets backed up into your free 5GB allowance. Thankfully, it's easy to do.

It's always best to have a copy of any data that is important to you in case something bad happens to your device, though, so we don't advise you just switch iCloud backups off completely and forget about it. Instead, back up your iPhone or iPad to your computer or use a third-party service like Google Photos or Dropbox.

Updated April 2022: Updated for iOS 15.

One of the biggest headaches for many families is coordinating schedules. From soccer practices to ballet recitals to a night without the kids, Family Sharing can also help you make sure everyone's where they need to be, when they need to be there.

Of course, it's necessary to enable Family Sharing before you will have access to a family calendar. You can also ask a family member to add you to an existing family sharing account if someone else is managing the family calendar. Once you enable Family Sharing, a shared calendar is created for you automatically. All you have left to do is start using it!

How to use Family Sharing with the Calendar app

1. Launch the Calendar app on your iPhone or iPad once you've enabled and set up Family Sharing already.
2. Create a new event or tap on an existing one that you'd like to appear on the family calendar.
3. Tap on Calendar.
4. Choose the calendar labeled Family.
5. Fill out your event and tap Add on the top right of your screen.

Everyone that's in your Family Sharing group will see anything that is added to the Family calendar via the Calendar app. They'll also receive any notifications linked to events so everyone can stay on top of who needs to be where and when. Be sure to fill out the alerts section when you create the event if you want family members to receive alerts.

Remember to pay attention to which calendar you're using. For your own personal appointments and events, you can add them to your own calendar so that your entire family doesn't receive reminders.

Get organized

Getting your family organized will be a breeze with Family Sharing. No more excuses kids! Now everyone will be on board with the family plan on their best iPhone or iPad.

Updated April 2022: Everything's up to date for the latest version of iOS.

Whether you love them or hate them, emoji are here to stay. They're fun because they allow us to express ourselves with a simple icon, and while emojis may appear different on other platforms, they all convey the same meaning. So while you may be sending tons of emoji-filled messages on your favorite iPhone, did you know that you can also send them straight from your Apple Watch? With a flick of your wrist, you can bombard your favorite people with your favorite emojis to answer their messages. And not only can you use emojis, but your own personalized Memoji too.

Here's how to send your favorite emojis right from your Apple Watch, be it an Apple Watch Series 7 or older with watchOS 8.

How to send an emoji on your Apple Watch

1. Open Messages from the Home screen of your Apple Watch.
2. Select the conversation in which you wish to send a message.
3. You can also tap New Message at the top, above your current conversations, to start from scratch.
4. If you selected New Message, tap Add Contact to choose a contact.

5. Tap the message area.
6. Tap the emoji button (it looks like a smiling face).
7. Scroll up or down to find the emoji you want using either your finger or the Digital Crown. Your most frequently used emojis appear at the top of the screen.
8. Tap on the emoji character, which will be inserted into your message.

9. If you select an emoji with multiple skin tones or color options, choose the one you want, then finish the rest of your message if you need to add text.
10. Tap Send.

How to send Memoji stickers on Apple Watch

In addition to regular emoji, you can send Memoji stickers right from your best Apple Watch. Here's how.

1. Launch Messages from the Home screen of your Apple Watch.
2. Select the conversation in which you wish to send a message.
3. Optionally, you can tap New Message at the top to start from scratch.
4. Tap the App Store icon next to the message area.

5. Tap the Memoji button.
6. Scroll through Memoji stickers using your finger or Digital Crown.
7. Tap the Memoji sticker that you want to use. It will bring up different facial expressions for each one.
8. Tap the facial expression for the Memoji sticker you want to use. It will be sent immediately.

9. If you were composing a new message, make sure to tap Send, as it doesn't get sent immediately like with existing conversations.

How to jump to emoji categories on your Apple Watch

There are dozens of emoji, and more get added regularly. So how are you supposed to find the perfect emoji to respond with if it doesn't appear in your most frequently used emoji? Fret not; the Apple Watch lets you browse each emoji category, too.

1. Open Messages from the Home screen of your Apple Watch.
2. Select the conversation in which you wish to send a message, or start a New Message from scratch if you want.

3. Tap the message area.
4. Tap the emoji button.
5. Scroll down past your Frequently Used Emoji with your finger or Digital Crown.

6. Tap the category of emoji you want.
7. Find and select your emoji to insert it into your message.
8. Tap Send.

How to use Scribble to send an emoji on Apple Watch

You can also use the Scribble feature on Apple Watch to send an emoji. You don't get to draw a picture of a smiley face (or poop), but you can use the emoji picker right from the Scribble interface. Here's how.

1. Open Messages on your Apple Watch.
2. Tap a conversation or tap New Message to compose one from scratch.
3. Tap the message area.

4. Write your message using your finger.
5. Tap a word that can be translated into an emoji. For example, "lol," "sushi," or good old fashioned "poop."
6. Scroll through the available options with the Digital Crown until you see an emoji.
7. Select your emoji.
8. Tap Send.

Express yourself with emoji

As you can see, it's straightforward to send your favorite emojis to friends and family through Apple Watch. After all, why spend time writing out messages when one emoji can suffice?

Updated April 2022: Updated for watchOS 8.

Every wanted to jot down a thought in the Notes app, but your hands are busy? Relax, Siri has got you covered.

In iOS 15, you can use Siri to take notes and even quickly search your notes, so you can always jot down your important thoughts. Here's how to take notes with Siri on iPhone and iPad.

How to dictate a note to Siri on iPhone and iPad

1. Press and hold the Home button, **Side Button*, or say "Hey, Siri" to launch Siri.
2. Say "Take a note."
3. Dictate your note to Siri.

Once you're done talking, Siri will automatically save what you dictated to the Notes app. Dictating notes to Siri may not be perfect in its current form, but it can often be much quicker than typing them out. Then, when you have time later, you can go in and add a title or make any needed changes.

How to find and view notes with Siri on iPhone and iPad

1. Press and hold the Home button, Side Button, or say "Hey, Siri" to launch Siri.
2. Say something like "Show me my notes" or "Show me notes from today" or "Show me notes about iMore" — just replace iMore with the keyword you want Siri to search.
3. Siri will present you with a list of notes in the Notes app that matches the description.
4. Tap on the note you want to open.

Quick Notes on iPad

While you can use Siri to take notes on both your iPhone and iPad, your best iPad has a different feature that may be useful to know about.

One of the new features in iPadOS 15 is Quick Note. With this, you can invoke a simple notepad on your iPad, quickly jot down any little bits of invaluable information, save links, and even add text and images from Safari.

Apple Pay provides a convenient way to make purchases on your iPhone and Apple Watch when out and about (or in the comfort of your home) without needing your physical debit or credit card. You can add as many virtual cards to your Apple Pay as required. The first card you add ends up as your default, but you can change that with ease on the best Apple Watch and other models.

Here's how to assign a default card for Apple Pay on Apple Watch, including the Apple Watch Series 7.

How to change the default card on Apple Watch

To change the default Apple Pay payment method on Apple Watch:

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap Wallet & Apple Pay.
3. Tap Default Card under Transaction Defaults.
4. Select your card.

How to change the default card on iPhone

For your convenience, here's how to change your default Apple Pay card on your iPhone (or iPad) also:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Wallet & Apple Pay.
3. Choose Default Card under Transaction Defaults.
4. Select a new card to be your default.

You can also change your default payment method in the Wallet app on your iPhone:

1. Open the Wallet app on your iPhone.
2. Touch and hold a card until it hovers, then drag it to the front of the other cards.

A message on your phone will confirm the change.

Time to buy

As you can see, you can easily make purchases using Apple Pay from your Apple Watch. Happy shopping.

Updated March 2022: Updated for latest versions of iOS and watchOS.

You have hundreds of apps and games on your iPhone or iPad. It's simple when you want to share them with your family, friends, and colleagues. You can perform these steps on iPhone and iPad.

How to find reviews in the App Store

The App Store includes a section of reviews from people that have downloaded and used an app. It's a great tool when you've found something you are interested in but are not sure if you want to invest your hard-earned cash into it.

1. Launch the App Store from your Home screen.
2. Tap an app for which you'd like to view reviews.
3. Swipe up to scroll down, and tap See All next to Ratings & Reviews.

You'll be able to read all of the available reviews for that app. You can also swipe through the reviews without tapping See All.

How to share content from the App Store

If you think your friends and family should be playing your favorite games or using your favorite apps, you can share it all via message, email, Facebook, and more!

1. Launch the App Store from your Home screen.
2. Find the app you want to share.
3. Tap the share button next to the app title.
4. Tap a sharing option from the share sheet.

Time to share

As you can see, it's relatively simple to tell your family and friends about your favorite apps and games on the best iPhones and best iPads, including the all-new iPad Air 5.

Updated March 2022: Added information on what you can do in iOS 15/iPadOS 15.

Family Sharing allows you and the other members of your household to share iTunes, App Store, and iBooks purchases across all your devices without having to purchase them multiple times. While most app developers support Family Sharing, Apple gives them the option to opt-out if they choose. Luckily, there's an easy way to find out if specific apps are eligible for Family Sharing. Here's how!

How to tell if iOS apps are eligible for Family Sharing

1. Launch the App Store on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Search for the app you'd like to view sharing information on.
3. Tap the app to view information about it.
4. Scroll down to the Supports section. If Family Sharing is supported, it will say so.Source: iMore

How to tell if Mac apps are eligible for Family Sharing

1. Launch the Mac App Store on your Mac.
2. Search for the app you'd like to buy or have already have purchased.
3. Click the app to view its information. Under the Information section, you should see whether or not the app is eligible for Family Sharing.

As far as books, music, and movies, all purchases are shareable in Family Sharing except for individual or student Apple Music subscriptions. So you should have no problem sharing this type of content with your family members. And if you get your movies through Apple, then make sure you get a nice outdoor projector to go along with those films for a family fun night!

Summary

As you can see, it's pretty simple to see which apps are eligible for Family Sharing on both iOS and macOS. Happy sharing!

Updated March 2022: Updated instructions according to newest operating system.

Siri was designed to help you get things done, and part of that job description is creating and updating your Reminders. If you need to be prodded to pick up milk on the way home, order that present in time for the big party, or set up that lunch meeting before the end of the day, Siri is always there to help. 

Siri works on all the best iPhones and you'll be getting the most from your virtual assistant in no time with this quick guide.

How to create a time-based reminder with Siri

One of the easiest things to do with Siri is to have it set up a quick Reminder. Siri is so quick, in fact, that it's almost always faster to use Siri than to tap your way through the Reminders app.

1. Say "Hey, Siri" to activate Siri
2. Say aloud what you want to be reminded about and when. For example: "Remind me to call Chris at 9 pm"
3. Tap Remove to cancel the reminder

The Reminder will go into the default Reminders list. This will be "Reminders" or whichever list you set as the default list in Settings.

How to create a location-based reminder with Siri

Because your iOS 16 device knows where you are, you can set up Reminders based on location as well.

1. Say "Hey, Siri" to activate Siri
2. Say your reminder and be sure to say where you want to be reminded. For example: "Remind me to feed the dog when I get home" or "remind me to chat with Lory when I get to work"
3. Tap Remove to cancel the reminder

Just like standard Reminders, the location Reminder will go into the default Reminders list. If you made a mistake or want to revise something immediately, you can tell Siri to "change the time to", "change the title (of the appointment/event)", or "cancel" it entirely.

How to create a Reminder in a specific List with Siri

If you have multiple lists in Reminders, like a packing list, a party list, etc., you can tell Siri to create a to-do item specifically for one of those lists.

1. Say "Hey, Siri" to activate Siri
2. Say aloud what you want to be reminded about and in which List you want it to go. For example: "Add milk to the grocery shopping list." If the list doesn't exist, Siri will ask if you would like to create one
3. Tap Remove to cancel the Reminder

The Reminder will then be placed in the List you specified.

How to use Siri to remember things from apps

Siri can remind you of "this" where "this" is almost anything you're looking at when you invoke Siri.

1. Navigate to the content you want to remember, like a web link or a song
2. Say "Hey, Siri" to activate Siri
3. Say "Remind me of this"

Siri will add it to Reminders with a link back to the app and also the specific content.

A lot you can do

As you can see, Siri has a lot of tricks up its digital sleeve! The next time you need to remember something, simply say, "Hey, Siri."

The Apple Watch is excellent for quick responses, but if you find yourself needing to chat at more length, your iPhone is here at the rescue. Whether you're talking on an iPhone or chatting through Messages or email, here's how to quickly transfer Apple Watch to iPhone communication. Use these directions on watchOS 8.

How to transfer a call from Apple Watch to iPhone

1. If the call is still ringing your Apple Watch, use the Digital Crown to scroll down until you see the Answer on iPhone button. Tap it, and your recipient will be placed on hold until you can pick up your iPhone. (There's even a Ping button to find your iPhone if you're not sure where it is in the house.
2. If you've already answered the call on your Apple Watch, you can transfer it to your iPhone in one of two ways: - If your iPhone is locked, tap on the phone icon at the top left corner of the screen. - If your iPhone is unlocked, tap the time at the top of the screen.

How to transfer a message from Apple Watch to iPhone

1. Open the Messages app on your Apple Watch.
2. Tap on the thread in question you want to reply to. You can then open the message thread on your iPhone.
3. Select the app switcher on your iOS device. On an iPhone X or later or an iPad, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. On older iPhones, double-click the Home button.
4. Tap on the Handoff option; it appears as a banner beneath the apps.

How to transfer an email from Apple Watch to iPhone

1. Open the Mail app on your Apple Watch.
2. Tap on the thread in question you want to view or reply to. You can then open the message thread on your iPhone.
3. Select the app switcher on your iOS device. On an iPhone X or later or an iPad, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. On older iPhones, double-click the Home button.
4. Tap on the Handoff option; it appears as a banner beneath the apps.

Whether you're talking on the phone or having a conversation through Messages or email, you can quickly move your conversation from Apple Watch to your iPhone.

Ready to upgrade?

Be sure to check out our best Apple Watch of the year if you're looking to make a new purchase. There are various Apple Watches at different price points.

Updated March 2022: Added information for watchOS 8.

Have you ever come across a time when you have to hand off your device to someone else so that they could use it? Yes, we all have been in that situation, but there's also the possibility of them poking around in other apps, which could contain sensitive information or things you don't want others to see. Whether you're using your most powerful iPad at work and need to use it to display info to others, or you let your child use your iPhone to watch a video, you can lock the device to just that particular app with an Accessibility feature called Guided Access.

Guided Access is originally an Accessibility feature, but it has proven itself to be a useful tool for anyone who doesn't want others to snoop around on their best iPhone or favorite iPad. By locking the device to a single app, no one besides you can exit out of it, because you can even use Touch ID or Face ID for security, as well as a specific six-digit passcode for Guided Access.

Whether it's a writing app, drawing app, music app, math app, or a story, video, or reading app, iPhone's Guided Access feature helps make sure that all attention remains only on that app. It also prevents you from accidentally exiting to the Home screen or another app when you don't mean to. Think of it as a kind of "guest mode," because you can let someone else use an app like Safari without worrying about them going through your other apps or messages.

How to enable iPad or iPhone Guided Access

1. Launch Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on Accessibility.
3. Scroll down to the bottom and then tap on Guided Access.

4. Turn the toggle for Guided Access to ON (green).
5. Tap on Passcode Settings.

6. Tap Set Guided Access Passcode to create a six-digit passcode. This passcode is needed to end a Guided Access session.
7. Verify your passcode by typing it in again.

How to enable Face ID or Touch ID for Guided Access

1. Launch Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on Accessibility.
3. Scroll down to the bottom and then tap on Guided Access.

4. Tap Passcode Settings.
5. Turn the toggle to ON for Face ID or Touch ID (depending on your model).

How to use Guided Access

1. Launch the app you'd like the user to have access to. In this case, we used Music.
2. On iPhone or iPad with a Home button, triple-click the Home button, or on iPhone or iPad with Face ID, triple-click the Side button to launch Guided Access.
3. Circle any areas of the screen that you would like to make inaccessible.

4. Tap on Options in the bottom left corner to choose whether or not you want to grant access to the Sleep/Wake button, Volume buttons, touch screen, and motion. Tap Done to save your selections.
5. Tap on Start at the top of the screen to begin Guided Access.

Once Guided Access is enabled, anyone trying to leave the specific app you've locked it to will receive a banner message telling them to triple-click the Home button to exit. If they don't know the pre-set passcode, they won't be able to exit Guided Access.

Lock it down to a single app with Guided Access

As you can see, using the Guided Access feature on your device, such as the iPhone 13, definitely comes in handy. When it's enabled, you can let someone use your device for a particular app without having to look over their shoulder to make sure they're not looking where they shouldn't be looking. It's originally an Accessibility feature, but it has other use cases too. It's easy to set up and use.

February 2022: These steps are still accurate to enable and use Guided Access in iOS 15.

The Lock screen is the first screen you land on when you boot up or wake up your best iPhone, it serves as both assistant and gatekeeper — it keeps you informed and up-to-date at a glance, and keeps your iPhone and iPad secure against unauthorized access. That means there's a lot of functionality you can get to quickly, but also a lot of privacy options you can toggle to make sure what's available is only what you want to have available.

How to navigate the Lock screen on iPhone and iPad

Apple has re-invented the Lock screen, changing everything from the way you unlock your iPhone or iPad, to the way you glance at your info or quickly take control. It's simple once you get the hang of it. You just need to familiarize yourself with how to navigate the Lock screen and the world is your oyster!

Once you know the basics, quickly accessing the camera, Notification Center, your Wallet, and even Siri become a breeze!

How to customize the Lock screen on iPhone and iPad

Lock screen serves two contradictory purposes: It provides fast, convenient access to a ton of features like the camera, Siri, Control Center, and more, and it also prevents unauthorized access to the private contents of your iPhone or iPad. You can absolutely swap your wallpaper to make it your own, but you can also disable many of the conveniences if you'd prefer your Lock screen to be on lockdown.

You can adjust all sorts of settings to help customize your Lock screen. Changing wallpapers, turning off what is accessible through the Lock screen, and setting how much time has to pass before your best iPhone or iPad locks, can all make the Lock screen feel more like it's working for you.

How to set up and use Face ID on iPhone and iPad

If you're using a newer iPhone or an iPad Pro, you'll have the option of setting up Face ID to unlock your device. Face ID is Apple's name for the biometric facial identity scanner on its latest iPhone devices and with it, you can not only unlock your iPhone or iPad, but you can also authenticate Apple Pay, the App Store, and iTunes transactions.

How to set up and use Touch ID on iPhone and iPad

Touch ID is still around on the iPhone SE (2020) and plenty of iPad models, and it's as handy as ever. Touch ID lets the Home button identify who you are by scanning your fingerprint. That way, your iPhone or iPad knows to unlock, to authorize iTunes, App Store, and Apple Pay purchases, to give you access to your password and banking apps, and more. And they know to keep other people out. By setting up Touch ID, you can stay relatively safe, but still, make it quicker and easier than entering your passcode when you need to get into your iPhone or iPad.

How to set up and use a passcode on iPhone and iPad

Setting a passcode means anyone picking up your iPhone or iPad has to enter a series of numbers — or, optionally, a full-on password — to unlock it. It also enables hardware-level encryption for all your data. That means it's incredibly hard for anyone who doesn't have the passcode to get to your private messages, photos, financial and health information, etc. Even with Touch ID and/or Face ID, you should set a passcode, and set as strong a passcode as you feel comfortable with.

The Lock screen is just the start!

There's plenty more to see in iOS 15, so once you've figured out your preferred Lock screen settings, don't forget to explore your iPhone or iPad thoroughly.

Updated February 2022: Updated for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15.

We all know that there's nothing more frustrating than getting spam phone calls and messages. That's why it's so great that you can easily block messages, block phone and FaceTime calls and silence unknown callers in iOS 16. 

You can also block contacts or people you know if you simply don't want them to be able to contact you. However, you might have accidentally blocked someone. Or maybe you've decided to let someone out of "communication jail." Or perhaps you can't even remember why you blocked a number in the first place. 

Luckily, you can always remove them from your blocked list and unblock them. There are a few simple steps to follow and if you have an Apple device running the latest OS, iOS 16, they should work for you, whether you're using the latest iPhone 14 Pro or an iPad. Here's how:

How to remove someone from the blocked list on your iPhone or iPad

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap the green Phone icon. You'll likely need to scroll down the menu a little.
3. Tap Blocked Contacts.

4. Swipe left on the contact or number you want to unblock.
5. A red banner will appear, tap Unblock.

That's all there is to it. The good news about the blocked list in iOS 16 is that you can have only a certain email address or phone number for a person blocked. This gives you a lot of freedom to dictate exactly how you can hear from specific people.

However, remember that this process will only unblock contacts from contacting you via Messages, Phone, or FaceTime, so if you've blocked someone on a social media app, like WhatsApp or Facebook, you'll need to unblock them on those apps each in turn – if you want to hear from them again on every app, that is.

Don't just block spam — report it!

Blocking spam numbers is a great way to earn some peace, but don't forget that when you get a spam text, you can report it directly in the Messages app. I highly encourage reporting any spam numbers, as well as blocking them. That way these scammers have a much harder time carrying out their unsavory deeds.

Updated March 2023: For iOS 16.

Apple's Siri can help you do all kinds of things, including allowing you to get transit or walking directions, which is excellent if you are visiting a big city without a car. All you have to do is ask! Here's how to do it.

How to get transit directions with Maps and Siri

If you are in a location that supports transit directions in Maps, you can ask Siri to help you figure out your route and what time you need to be at your first stop. Use it on all of our favorite iPhones.

1. Start by saying "Hey, Siri" to activate Siri.
2. Say, "Show me transit directions to (the location).If there is more than one location with a similar name, Siri will ask you which one.
3. Siri will launch the Maps app with transit directions to your destination. Tap Go to start voice navigation.

How to get walking directions with Maps and Siri

1. Start by saying "Hey, Siri" to activate Siri.
2. Say, "Show me walking directions to (the location)." If there is more than one location with a similar name, Siri will ask you which one.
3. Siri will launch the Maps app with walking directions to your destination. Tap Go to start voice navigation.

Where to?

As you can see, using Siri to take you places is a relatively simple process. Use it for transit and walking directions — and enjoy your trip! Be sure to check out our ultimate guide for Maps.

Updated February 2022: With new information that reflects changes in the Maps app.

Why do you need to make iPhone audio better? After all, the iPhone makes it easy to take and edit videos. But that doesn't mean that getting great audio is as simple as pointing and shooting. The microphone on newer iPhone models isn't too shabby at close distances, but when you're trying to film in a crowded room or the great outdoors, it's not quite enough. Here are some tips to avoid sub-par sound when shooting iPhone video, starting with great equipment like the RØDE Microphones VideoMic Me-L Microphone.

Best overall: RØDE Microphones VideoMic Me-L Microphone

RØDE's VideoMic Me-L is perfect for when you want to make iPhone audio better. It couldn't be simpler; just plug it directly into your iPhone's Lightning port and go. The microphone's directionality reduces surrounding noises. Monitor your audio as you shoot and playback your video via headphones plugged into the 3.5mm jack. You also get a furry windshield to block wind sounds and a mic clip to secure the microphone.

Plug this mic directly into your iPhone's Lightning port and hear an instant improvement in your recordings.

Most versatile: Zoom iQ6

Record your surroundings effortlessly with this highly-rated, well-made microphone. This mic can adjust from 90 to 120 degrees, making it ideal for recording your surroundings in a variety of different weather conditions and environments. The stereo X/Y recording design enables you to capture a variety of sounds from several distances. Plus, the precise gain wheel lets you easily tweak and adjust your volume without having to unlock your phone and potentially mess up your recording. Use Zoom's proprietary app to smoothly and professionally record your audio.

Easily connect and start recording some stellar sound via your iPhone's Lightning port with this flexible mic.

Budget option: Movo PM10

If you want an affordable, portable, omnidirectional microphone for your iPhone, then take a gander at the convenient Movo PM10. It can easily be clipped onto a variety of clothing or surfaces and comes with a portable travel case, windshield, and lapel clip. This highly portable and easy-to-use microphone needs to have a Lightning to headphone jack adapter to use it with newer iPhones. Once you have the microphone set up, you'll be able to record some crystal clear vocals and sounds.

The Movo PM10 is a small, well-priced lavalier microphone that can be clipped onto your clothing.

Best deluxe microphone: Shure MV88+ Video Kit with Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone

If it fits into your budget, consider the outstanding Shure MV88+ Video Kit with Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone. Get excellent sound quality when you pop this mic into your iPhone's Lightning port. Multiple stereo width and Polar pattern options give you ultimate flexibility.

It's Apple MFi-certified and is fully compatible with the native iOS camera app, GarageBand, and much more. The kit that comes with this mic includes a Manfrotto® PIXI tripod, phone clamp, and mount, plus iOS and USB-C cables, so you're always connected. The built-in headphone output lets you monitor your audio in real-time.

This top-notch microphone comes with a tripod and everything else you need for pro recording on your iPhone.

Best mobile kit: Sennheiser MKE 200 Mobile Kit

The Sennheiser MKE 200 Mobile Kit includes a MKE 200 Directional Camera Microphone, a Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod, Sennheiser Smartphone Clamp, fuzzy windshield, and two cables. One of the cables plugs into a smartphone while the other plugs into a DSLR camera. If you're using a newer iPhone, you'll need a headphone jack to Lightning port adapter to connect the cable.

The Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod is both a tabletop tripod and a small "selfie stick" when you pull the legs together. The Sennheiser Smartphone Clamp mounts securely onto the tripod (or any standard tripod; you're not limited to the Manfrotto.) Simply pull the clamp open to insert your iPhone. The top of the clamp has a cold-shoe mount so you can attach the microphone.

If you're creating content on your iPhone and want to take your videography to the next level without a lot of equipment, this is a kit to consider. The microphone enhances audio quality. The Sennheiser MKE 200 Mobile Kit is easy to set up and use and doesn't require any battery power.

Get a top-notch microphone, a tabletop tripod, and more.

Additional accessories

Best pop screen: Facmogu Desktop Pop Shield

Having a reliable and convenient pop shield in your recording arsenal is a terrific idea, especially if you're someone who wants to record interviews with your iPhone. The Facmogu Desktop Pop Shield is a tripod with a pop shield that you can insert your small microphone into. The shield can be adjusted 360 degrees and can bend to suit a variety of different microphones. It's designed with a double layer of mesh for smoother recording capabilities.

The Facmogu Desktop Pop Shield is easy to set up with a tripod design and adjustable pop shield.

Best for outdoors: Hisonic Microphone Windscreens

If you're recording outside, the wind can be distracting and often ruin a recording. One thing that will keep your sound clear and free of distracting noises is a good windshield. Many microphones come with a windshield. But if yours doesn't, or the windshield gets lost or deteriorates, you'll need another one.

The Hisonic Microphone Windscreens come in a five-pack of colorful windshields that slip over the top of your portable microphone to keep your sound smooth and consistent. Using one of these will better protect your microphone while you're recording and allow for cleaner, smoother sound in windy environments.

With the Hisonic Microphone Windscreens, you can minimize the noise clutter for a smoother, sharper sound.

Best portable sound booth: Monoprice Microphone Isolation Shield

In certain recording situations, you may find a sound booth to be helpful. Monoprice Microphone Isolation Shield has acoustic foam on the front and a vented metal plate back, and the dual clamp mount attaches to mic stands or booms up to 1.25 inches in diameter.

It has a standard 3/8-inch microphone threaded mount and includes a 3/8- to 5/8-inch thread adapter. All tools needed for assembly and mounting are included. Folding sides give you different angles to work with or can be folded all the way in for storage.

The acoustic foam and vented metal back can help you get even better sound quality.

Best universal table stand: *InnoGear Upgraded Adjustable Desktop Microphone Stand *

Regardless of which microphone you have, if you need a tabletop stand with no bells or whistles, InnoGear has you covered. The weighted base won't let your mic tip over, and the non-slip pads underneath prevent scratches. Rather than a snap-in clasp that can loosen over time, this one enables you to screw in your microphone. It comes with 3/8-inch female to 5/8-inch male screws for multi-purpose use. You can adjust the height from 10.6 to 15.4 inches.

Stabilize your mic on any hard surface with this universal tabletop mic stand.

Bottom line

Once you pick out your microphone and start recording, there are a few tricks you can use that'll make iPhone audio better — whether you're using an iPhone 13 or any other model — and give you the sharpest recording possible.

If you're recording outside, do your best to face away from the wind and keep your microphone protected. If you have to record in the middle of a field, a lav mic is always a terrific option because it hugs close to a person's body for a clearer sound. Just be sure it isn't too close to the person's mouth.

Believe it or not, you can get terrific sound in a closet. Your clothing can act as a buffer and eliminate outside noises. There are plenty of YouTubers and podcasters who do this! Most importantly, try to keep your microphone as steady as possible. The more it moves and bounces around, the higher chance you have of getting spotty, broken sound.

Be sure to use the right tools for the job. While high-quality recording equipment can get expensive, you don't need to buy a full setup for every conceivable situation at once. A solid microphone such as the RØDE Microphones VideoMic Me-L Microphone is a good place to start; then, you can see what accessories you need as you go. If you're looking to improve the audio when playing back your videos, consider one of the best Bluetooth speakers for iPhone.

We're not here to tell you what photos you should and shouldn't take with your iPhone. That's your business. However, we are here to tell you that any photo you do take with your best iPhone is stored in iCloud by default. What does this mean? Well, it means that in some form, any photos you take are on the internet and susceptible to being "found."

Now, although we love everything iOS 15 allows you to do with the photos you take, you may not be comfortable with having your private photos on iCloud. The good news is you can keep your photos off iCloud; it just requires a few steps. Here's how you can keep your photos off iCloud.

Turn off iCloud Photos

iCloud Photos syncs every photo you take on your iPhone up to Apple's servers and then syncs it back down to any other Apple devices you have logged into the same account. That includes personal, private, even intimate photos. It doesn't differentiate or distinguish cinnamon buns from, well, human buns. That's your job.

So, if your camera roll is filled up with photos you don't want on Apple's servers — or anyone else's servers, you can turn off iCloud Photos. You'll lose your backup, but you might decide the peace of mind is worth it.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap your Apple ID banner at the top of the menu.

3. Tap iCloud.
4. Tap Photos.
5. Tap the iCloud Photos On/Off Switch. The switch should be grey when the feature is off.

If you later change your mind and decide you do want to backup your photos to iCloud, you can toggle it back on by following these same steps above.

Turn off My Photo Stream

iCloud Photos has more or less replaced My Photo Stream, but it's still there for people who have been using it. If you're one of them, and you're now concerned about just how much flesh tone or family business is included in those pics, you can shut it down too.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap your Apple ID banner at the top of the menu.

3. Tap iCloud.
4. Tap Photos.
5. Tap the My Photo Stream On/Off Switch. The switch should be grey when the feature is off.

If you later change your mind and decide you do want My Photo Stream to live again, you can toggle it back on by following the same steps above.

Delete photos in chat or IM

If you don't just take private photos but share them, then it's possible your messaging client of choice has copies of those photos stored as well. Whether it's Apple's iMessage, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, or any of the half-dozen or so Google apps that offer messaging, if you want your pictures gone, you'll have to get rid of them there as well.

Some apps let you set photos to automatically evaporate after a short period of time. Others require you to delete them manually. Take a look through the settings and choose the options that make sense to you.

You might even be able to manually or bulk delete any photos already in the app. Just realize there's almost no way to make sure the person you sent the photos to has likewise deleted them. Saving, screenshots, even taking photos of the screen with another phone or camera are all possibilities.

The only truly deleted photo is the one never shared or taken. Everything else is mitigation.

Opt for local backups

If you want a backup of your photos — all your photos — but don't want them online, you can backup your photos to your Mac or Windows PC using iTunes or any camera capture app. This makes sure you'll still have your photos in the event you lose or break your iPhone but it also means there'll be copies on your computer, which is another place you'll have to protect.

At the end of the day, decide how important having the photos are to you. If they're treasured memories you'd be devastated to lose, then back them up. Even online if it's easier. If they're just for fun and you'd be crushed if they ever got out, treat them as disposable. Don't back them up, and delete them as soon as possible.

The only copy that can't get out is no copy at all.

More iCloud Photo Library help

While you certainly need to turn off iCloud Photos if you want to ensure your photos are staying off the cloud, there are lots of reasons why you may still want to use the iCloud Photo Library. Don't forget to check our iCloud Photo Library ultimate guide to ensure you're using iCloud Photos the way you want.

Updated January 2022: Updated for iOS 15.

Using your Apple Watch to find directions is as simple as asking Siri. You can also make selections manually to help you get on your way. Here's what you can do with the Maps app on the best Apple Watches and watchOS 8.

Using Siri

The easiest way to get started with the Maps app on Apple Watch is by asking Apple's voice assistant to find a location. For example, you can say, "Where is the nearest gas station?" or "How far to the airport?" Other examples: "How do I get to New York?" and "Get directions home."

Manually

There are many options available in the Maps app on the Apple Watch. To get directions:

1. Tap the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch.
2. Select the Maps app.

3. Tap on your selection among Search, Favorites, Guides, and Recents after turning the Digital Crown to scroll.

4. Choose a location.
5. Tap a suggested route by driving, walking, transit, and cycling directions. Not all transportation modes are available in all locations.
6. Choose a route to get started.

There are various options Apple offers when you select a suggested route.

As Apple explains:

• Choose an alternate route: If alternate routes appear, tap one to take it.
• Switch to a driving, walking, transit, or cycling route: Tap Walking, Driving, Transit, or Cycling.
• Avoid tolls or highways: With a driving route showing, tap > next to the destination's address, then turn on an option.
• Avoid hills, or busy roads: With a cycling route showing, tap > next to the destination's address, then turn on an option.
• Choose preferred public transit: With a transit route showing, tap >, then choose the kinds of public transit you prefer—bus, subway & light rail, commuter rail, and ferry, for example.

When applicable, once you begin a route in Apple Watch, it will also show up on your connected iPhone.

Ending directions

At any time before reaching your location, you can end the directions. With the route active on your Apple Watch:

1. Tap the End button icon at the bottom right or
2. Tap End after tapping the More button and scrolling up.

Starting a route on iPhone

When you use the Maps app on iPhone, the route automatically appears on your connected Apple Watch.

Many ways to explore

Apple Watch offers various Maps options in watchOS 8. These options have improved significantly in recent years, and no doubt will do so again with the next watchOS release. Enjoy your next trip!

For most people, the Notes app is quite nifty. With Notes, you can store your thoughts, ideas, create checklists and even sketches, all without having extra set up involved. But it's also great for sharing and collaborating with others too! For example, you can create shared checklists for groceries or gift ideas, or perhaps bounce ideas off with another colleague of yours for the next big project. And all of this is built-in on your favorite iPhone or iPad.

Here's everything you need to know about how to share and collaborate with others in the Notes app on iPhone.

How to invite people to make changes to notes on iPhone and iPad

Once you've started a note, you can invite others to view and collaborate on it with you.

1. Open the Notes app.
2. Select a note to share and edit with others.
3. Tap the more button (...) in the upper right corner.

4. Tap Share Note.
5. Choose how you would like to send the invitation: You can use Message, Mail, social media, or productivity apps.
6. Enter the recipients' names. You can send invites individually or as a group.
7. Tap the arrow in the text field to send.

The recipients will receive a link to the note in iCloud, which they can then use to collaborate on iPhone and iPad running iOS 10 or later, or on iCloud with a Mac or PC.

How to work on a note on iPhone or iPad in real-time with others

Once invited, others can begin editing and adding content to your note. Whether it's a checklist, photo, or sketch, everyone can collaborate.

You can see, in real-time, the phrases being edited. When another person is editing a note, you'll see their words highlighted on the screen. If you come across such activity, try to hold off adding your own information until the other person is finished. This, unfortunately, can cause some complications when multiple people are trying to edit the same thing. Since updates are synced via iCloud, you might start typing something, only to see it disappear a few seconds later.

How to see what has changed in a note, even when not in real-time

You can see changes others have made with the Highlight Changes feature. This makes it easier to see what's been added without having to watch it change in real-time.

1. Open the Notes app.
2. Navigate to the Note that is being shared.

3. Tap the Collaborate icon. It looks like a silhouette of a head with a checkmark icon next to it.
4. Tap the Highlight All Changes switch to turn it on.

The color of the highlight will be based on the person that made the changes. Unfortunately, the colors picked are not customizable.

How to change permissions on a shared note on iPhone or iPad

1. Launch the Notes app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on the collaborative note that you want to edit permissions on.
3. Tap the Collaborate button. It looks like a silhouette of a head with a checkmark next to it.

4. Tap Share Options.
5. Select whether you want to let people Make Changes or View Only.

How to stop receiving notifications about changes to a note on iPhone or iPad

If you don't want to hear a distracting "ding" every time someone makes even a minor change to a note you're collaborating on, you can quiet your note and your nerves.

1. Open the Notes app.
2. Navigate to the Note you are sharing.

3. Tap the Collaborate icon. It looks like a silhouette of a head with a checkmark icon next to it.
4. Tap the Hide Alerts switch to turn it on.

How to stop sharing a note on iPhone or iPad

Once you've finished working on a note with your group and don't need any more editing help, you can stop sharing it with the group. Here's how.

1. Open the Notes app.
2. Navigate to the Note you are sharing.
3. Tap the Collaborate icon. It looks like a silhouette of a head with a checkmark icon next to it.

4. Tap Stop Sharing to remove all people from having access to the note.
5. Confirm that you want to stop sharing the note by tapping Stop Sharing.

How to remove individual access to a note on iPhone or iPad

If someone has left your project team, or you accidentally shared a note with someone who isn't on your team, you can also remove individual collaborators from the group.

1. Open the Notes app.
2. Navigate to the Note you are sharing.
3. Tap the Collaborate icon. It looks like a silhouette of a head with a checkmark icon next to it.

4. Swipe to the left on a name and tap Remove
5. You can also tap a person's name and then tap Remove Access.

How to mention someone in a shared note on iPhone and iPad

With iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, a new feature for shared note collaboration are Mentions. If you want to get the attention of someone in a shared note, just mention them so they get a notification. This is especially good if there has been an important update, and the mentioned user can go directly to the note from the notification with just a tap.

1. Open the Notes app.
2. Navigate to the Note you are sharing.

3. Tap anywhere to edit the note.
4. To mention someone, just type "@Name."
5. Tap the contact that pops up above the keyboard to select someone to mention.
6. Tap Done

How to view highlights by each user in a shared note on iPhone and iPad

With iOS 15, it's possible to see a highlight of all changes by collaborators, including what, where, and what time it was changed. Text is also highlighted to be color-coded, which matches with each collaborator.

1. Open the Notes app.
2. Navigate to the Note you are sharing.

3. Swipe to the right to display the highlights.
   • Optionally, you can tap the Collaborate button at the top.
   • Then tap Show Highlights.

How to access Activity View in a shared note on iPhone and iPad

A new Activity View was introduced in iOS 15. This provides an overview of what each collaborator has contributed.

1. Open the Notes app.
2. Navigate to the Note you are sharing.

3. Tap the "…" button (it looks like three dots) in the upper right.
4. Select Show Note Activity.

Collaborating in Notes has never been easier

As you can see, the new collaboration features for Notes in iOS 15 make it better than ever. With mentions, you can ping others when there is an important update, and it's easy to check on who made what change when and where.

Lory Gil contributed to an earlier version of this guide.

Updated January 2022: Updated for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15.

MacOS comes with a small panel along the edge of the screen called the Dock: It lets you quickly access your favorite apps, files, and folders, as well as any actively-running apps. When you save an item to the Dock, you can access it at any time by clicking on it.

By default, most of Apple's built-in apps start with shortcuts saved in the Dock, but you can also remove those shortcuts and add your own. You can also customize the Mac Dock to fit your preferences. Here's how.

What is the Dock and what gets displayed there?

The Dock has been with the Mac for over a decade now: It offers you a quick way to access the Finder (your Mac's underlying file system) as well as your currently running applications, favorite apps, favorite files, or folders, and the trash.

When you first set up your Mac, your Dock lives along the bottom of your screen in a translucent rectangle. If you don't like its positioning, you can move it to the left or right of the screen or have it automatically hide whenever you're not interacting with it. Items are organized as follows, left to right:

• The Finder
• Favorite app shortcuts
• Currently-running apps (you can also choose in the Dock preferences whether you want to view an indicator (a tiny black dot) for currently-open apps)
• Favorite files or folders
• The trash

Though you can shuffle the position of app shortcuts in the Mac Dock, you can't move the Finder or trash — they live on opposite ends of the Dock, respectively — nor can you mix file shortcuts with apps in the same section.

How to add apps to the Dock on your Mac

1. Launch a Finder window from your Dock.
2. Click on Applications in the sidebar.

3. Select an app and drag it to the Dock.
4. Let go of the app while it hovers over the Dock.

If you want to add a currently-running app to your Mac Dock permanently:

1. Right-click or Control-click on the app icon in the Dock.
2. Select Options under the drop-down menu.
3. Click on Keep in Dock.

Alternatively, you can drag the icon to a different position in your Dock, which will automatically save it as a favorite shortcut.

How to add files and folders to the Dock on your Mac

Files and folders can also be saved to your Dock, but they can only be stored on the far right of the Dock, after your app shortcuts. The Dock has a demarcating line that separates apps from files and folders so that you won't mix them up.

1. Launch a Finder window from your Dock.
2. Select a file or folder from its location on your Mac and drag it to the right side of the Dock.
3. Let go of the file or folder while it hovers over the right side of the Dock.

How to remove apps, files, and folders from the Dock on your Mac

If you don't want a particular app, file, or folder in your Dock anymore, you can remove it with just one gesture. Note that this doesn't remove the item from your computer; it just removes the shortcut from the Dock; you can always re-add the app or folder by following the steps above.

1. Select an app, file, or folder and drag it out of the Dock.When it is hovering over your desktop, you will see the word Remove appear above the app, file, or folder.
2. Let go of the app, file, or folder. It will disappear from the Dock.
3. Repeat the steps above to remove all items you no longer want to keep in the Dock.

Note: If you do this on a currently-open app, it will continue to stay in the Dock until you Quit the application, at which point it will disappear.

How to organize the Dock on your Mac

You can rearrange the placement of apps, files, and folders in your Dock so that they are in alphabetical order, color-coordinated, or however you'd like.

Note: You can't move the Finder or trash icons from the far left and right of the Dock, respectively. They are anchored to the Dock because of their importance to the system.

1. Select an app, file, or folder in the Dock.
2. Drag it to a new location in the Dock.
3. Let go of the app, file, or folder while it hovers over the new location in the Dock.

How to change the Dock's size on your Mac

You can adjust the size of the Dock so that icons are larger or smaller on your screen.

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Dock.
4. Drag the Size slider to the left or right to increase or decrease the size of the Dock.

5. Tick the box for Magnification to enable an animation that makes the items in the Dock that your cursor hovers over larger.
6. Drag the Magnification slider to the left or right to increase or decrease how large the icons grow when your cursor hovers over them.

How to change the Dock's orientation on your Mac

You can display the Dock on the bottom, right, or left side of your screen.

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Dock.
4. Select Left, Bottom, or Right to change the orientation of the Dock.

How to automatically hide or show the Dock on your Mac

On smaller laptop screens, every bit of screen space is valuable. So if you don't want the Dock getting in the way of your productivity, you can keep it hidden until you want to access it, at which point, you can call it back up by hovering your cursor over the place where it usually resides.

1. Click on the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Dock.
4. Tick the box for Automatically hide and show the Dock.

How to hide recent applications on the Dock on macOS Monterey

Much like iOS on the iPad, macOS Monterey puts users' recently-used applications in a special section of the Dock. If this doesn't sound like your cup of tea, it's easy enough to turn off.

1. Open System Preferences from your Dock or Applications folder.
2. Click Dock.

3. Click the checkbox next to Show recent applications in Dock so that the check disappears (it's on by default).

You can check the box if you decide to use this feature.

Bonus: Pro tips for using the Dock

• You can change the size of the Dock by positioning the cursor over the Dock divider that separates apps from files and folders. The cursor will change to a double-sided arrow; click and drag to increase or decrease the size of the Dock.
• You can change the location of the Dock by holding down the shift key, clicking on that divider, and dragging the Dock to the left, bottom, or right sides of the screen.
• If you'd like to keep an app that's open in the Dock permanently, right or control-click the icon in the Dock, select Options, and select Keep in Dock.
• If you want to add spacers between apps, there's a Terminal command to do so.

New Mac?

Are you considering a new Mac desktop or laptop? Be sure to check out our favorite Macs of the year.

There are many tools you can add to your iPhone or iPad. You can use a case, a pair of headphones, or even a flash drive. But by far, the best help you can get on your iPhone or iPad is Siri. With a simple "Hey Siri," you get many tools and features available to you without using your hands. Start using Siri isn't hard; here's how you can set up Siri on any of the best iPhones or iPads.

How to set up Siri on iPhone and iPad

"Hey Siri," now tries to lock on to your voice to prevent accidental — or mischievous — activation. You can either set it up when you set up your new iPhone or iPad or at any time in Settings.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap on Siri & Search
3. Tap the Listen for "Hey Siri switch to turn it on.

4. You'll go to the Setup page so you can train Siri to listen to your voice. Go to the train section to finish setting Siri up.

How to train "Hey Siri" to your voice

Whether part of the setup process or later, as soon as you turn on "Hey Siri," you'll need to train it to recognize your voice.

1. Tap Continue on the Set Up "Hey Siri" page.
2. Using your voice say, "Hey Siri."
3. Using your voice say, "Hey Siri, Send a Message."

4. Using your voice say, "Hey Siri, How's the Weather Today?"
5. Say, "Hey Siri, set a timer for three minutes."
6. Using your voice say, "Hey Siri, play some music."
7. Tap Done on the "Hey Siri" Is Ready page.

Siri now knows your voice and is ready to go!

How to use "Hey Siri!"

Learning how to set up Siri is easy, but using "Hey Siri!" is, by design, ridiculously easier. You say, "Hey Siri," to initiate the start of your interaction.

1. Position yourself within audio range of your iPhone or iPad
2. Say "Hey Siri!" loud enough for your iPhone or iPad to hear you.
3. Tell Siri what you want it to do — "call mom on speaker," "make a dinner reservation," "what's the weather like in Bermuda?" etc.

Here's a list of awesome Siri commands you can test out right now.

How secure is "Hey Siri!" voice ID?

We've tested "Hey Siri!" with over a half-dozen voices, and nothing has worked except the registered voice or a recording of the registered voice, but that can vary. But Voice ID on Hey Siri isn't meant for security. Don't mistake it for "My voice is my passport, authorize me!" Instead, it's intended to solve the problem of unintentional activation, whether it be accidental, a prank, or even malicious.

Turn "Hey Siri" off and stick with manual activation if you're worried about security. If you're interested in the convenience of voice activation while caring for children, cooking, working, or otherwise have your hands full, then know the limitations but enjoy the functionality.

Updated December 2021: Updated for iOS 15.

Learning to navigate your Home screen on iPhone and iPad isn't as easy as it seems. With all the new added features, like widgets and the App Library, it might not be clear where to even begin. The good news is, you can start mastering your Home screen by learning the basics. Here's what you need to know.

• How to rearrange your apps on iPhone and iPad
• How to use widgets on your iPhone Home screen
• How to use App Library on your iPhone

Understanding how to navigate your Home screen on iPhone and iPad

Unlike a PC or a Mac, the Home screen on iPhone and iPad is a place to store every app, shortcut, and widget you have installed. It began simply enough but has gained more and more functionality over the years, though much of it has been tucked away to reduce confusion. That way, if you don't want it, you never have to see it. If you're curious about how you can swipe one way to get to Today View widgets and another to get more apps, how you can pull down Notification Center or pull up Control Center, then here's where it all lives.

How to get to the Home screen

You get to the Home screen by pressing the Home button. You may need to unlock your iPhone or iPad first or press the Home button twice instead of once if you're in Control Center, Notification Center, or some other state. The principle is always the same, though: Home takes you Home, from anywhere, at any time.

If your iPhone or iPad is locked with a Passcode:

1. Click the Home button.
2. Enter the 4-digit, 6-digit, or alphanumeric password.

If your iPhone or iPad is locked with Touch ID, Apple's fingerprint identity sensor:

1. Place your Touch ID-registered finger on the Home Button.
2. Click the Home button.

If your device is locked with Face ID, Apple's biometric identity sensor:

1. Raise to wake or tap to wake your iPhone or iPad.
2. On iPhone, glance at the screen in portrait mode. On iPad, glance at the screen in either portrait or landscape mode. Make sure your finger isn't covering the TrueDepth camera.
3. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to unlock.

How to switch Home screens

Your iPhone or iPad can have more than one Home screen. That way, you can have more apps than would fit on one page. The number of dots to the right of the main Home screen shows you how many additional Home screens you have. To switch between them:

1. Swipe your finger from right to left to go to the next Home page.
2. Swipe your finger from left to right to go back to the previous Home page.
3. Click the Home button to go to the main (first) Home page. Or swipe up on Face ID-based devices.

How to launch apps from the Home screen

Launching an app from the Home screen couldn't be easier:

1. Tap the app's icon on the Home screen.

How to see quick actions with 3D Touch or Haptic Touch on the Home screen

On the iPhone 6s or later, you can press firmly on an app icon to bring up quick actions. Doing this involves either 3D Touch or Haptic Touch. The former uses capacitive sensors integrated into the smartphone's display to sense three degrees of pressure in a user's touch and responds differently based on the amount of pressure exerted. The latter doesn't detect pressure. Instead, it registers how long you leave your finger on the UI element. When pressed for long enough on an app icon, you'll see the list of quick actions.

Whether you're using 3D Touch or Haptic Touch, these actions act as shortcuts for the app. Some apps have several quick actions, including dynamic quick actions that update based on the last person you contacted, article you read, show you watched, etc. Tap on an action to go directly to that feature or content in the app.

1. Press firmly on the Home screen icon you want to open quick actions for.
2. Tap on the action you want to perform.

How to quickly switch to open apps from the Home screen

Launching an app, going back to the Home screen, launching another app, going back to the Home screen, re-launching the first app … it can be tiresome. That's why your iPhone and iPad offer a faster way to jump between recently used apps.

1. Double click the Home button or, in the case of Face ID-compatible devices, slowly slide your finger from the bottom of the device.
2. Swipe to the app you want to switch to. (They're in order of how recently you used them.)
3. Tap the app screen to switch to it.

How to access Spotlight search

Apple's built-in search system, Spotlight, can be used to quickly find information in any app that supports it. That includes not only the apps that came with your iPhone or iPad but many apps that you download from the App Store as well. With it, you can find things like contacts, emails, songs, and much, much, more.

1. Touch your finger to the Home screen (in between apps works best).
2. Swipe your finger down to pull down the Spotlight search field.
3. Type in what you're looking for.
4. Tap the result you want.

1. Swipe right on your Home screen to get to the widget screen.
2. Tap Search at the top.
3. Enter your search term.
4. Tap the result you want.

How to quickly access the Today View widgets from the Home screen

Today View widgets are combined with Siri recommendations, and you can access them in the same way from everywhere, including the Home screen.

1. Go to your main (first) Home screen.
2. Swipe your finger towards the right edge. (i.e., swipe right.)

How to quickly access Notification Center from the Home screen

1. Touch the bezel above the screen.
2. Swipe your finger down onto the screen. (i.e., swipe down.)

Once you've swiped down, you can also swipe right to go to the Camera app, or swipe left to go to the Today view without having to dismiss Notification Center first. Time saver!

How to quickly access Control Center from the Home screen

You can access Control Center from any screen on your iPhone and iPad, including while you're in an app or playing a game. All you have to do is swipe up on iPhone 8 and older and swipe down from the right corner on iPhone X and newer!

1. Touch the very bottom edge of the screen.
2. Swipe your finger up to toward the top of the screen.

1. Touch the top right edge of the screen where the battery, cellular, and wi-fi icons are.
2. Swipe your finger down toward the bottom of the screen.

How to quickly access Siri from the Home screen

You can use your voice to activate Siri, even from a distance. (Note: Voice activation doesn't work in Low Power Mode.)

1. Say, "Hey Siri!"
2. Tell Siri what you want to know or do. (e.g., "What time is it in Hong Kong?" or "Did the Red Sox win?! ")

How to quickly access Continuity apps from the Home screen

Apple lets you "hand-off" the activity you're doing on one device so you can continue it on another. For example, if you're using Safari on your Mac, you can pick up your iPhone and iPad and continue browsing right where you left off.

1. Double click the Home button or, in the case of Face ID-compatible devices, slowly slide your finger from the bottom of the device.
2. Tap the app icon at the bottom left of the screen. (If there's no app icon there, it means there's currently no suggested app and no handoff app available.)

How to lock your iPhone or iPad

By default, your iPhone or iPad will automatically turn off the screen to save power. You can, however, turn off the screen manually and go into standby mode at any time. If you have a passcode or Touch ID set up, the screen will also lock once you turn it off.

1. Click the On/Off button on the right side (iPhone 6 or later) or top (all other iPhones, iPods, and iPads).

When you wake your iPhone or iPad back up again, you'll return to the Lock screen.

How to turn off your iPhone or iPad

If you're not going to be using your iPhone or iPad for a while, you can turn it off to save even more power.

1. Press and hold down the On/Off button on the right side (iPhone 6 or later) or top (all other iPhones, iPods, and iPads) of your device for 3 seconds.
2. Swipe the slide to power off confirmation slider to the right.

iPad multitasking

What Apple calls "iPad Multitasking" really refers to several different things. The first is multitouch navigation that lets you use four-finger gestures for fast app switching. The second is multi-window multitasking, which lets you use two apps side-by-side in slide over or split-view mode, and optionally watch a video as well in picture-in-picture mode.

Don't forget about Widgets!

Now that you know how to navigate the Home screen on your iPhone, there's a whole world of possibilities for customization. In iOS 15, you can use Widgets to have access to all sorts of information on your Home screen.

Updated December 2021: Updated for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15.

When it comes to gadgets, our favorite is the Apple Watch. It's great for tracking fitness, time, messages and calls on-the-go, and so much more. Plus, it looks great on any wrist, and fairly simple to use. If you just picked up the best Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Series 7, then you want to make sure that it's set up properly and customized to your liking. Here's how to get started with your new Apple Watch!

What's new with Apple Watch?

The Apple Watch Series 7 is the latest and greatest smartwatch from Apple. With the Series 7, you'll have pretty much everything from the Series 6, including always-on altimeter, blood oxygen monitoring, ECG, Fall Detection, always-on display, and more. The Series 7 does add fast-charging capabilities with the new USB-C charger, and a slightly larger display at 41mm or 45mm sizes.

How to set up and pair your Apple Watch with your iPhone

While the Apple Watch and your best iPhone may be two very different pieces of hardware, one of them cannot exist without the other. After all, once you turn on your Apple Watch, the next step is to pair it with an iPhone if you plan to use it at all.

In order to set up and pair your Apple Watch with your iPhone, you're going to have to use the Apple Watch app on iOS. It should already be installed on your iPhone, or you can download it again on the App Store if you've previously removed it.

Say 'hello' to watchOS

As watchOS continues to evolve, it only gets better when it comes to improving its users' lives. Here are the things that you can do with watchOS 8, as well as other tips and tricks.

When it comes to navigating your Apple Watch, it is pretty straightforward, but you may need some time to get used to it. After all, you have the Dock on your Apple Watch that displays your recently opened or favorite apps. You'll also get notifications on your Apple Watch throughout the day, which can be incredibly convenient. Your Apple Watch also has Siri, making it possible to use your smartwatch completely hands-free if need be! And while you're at it, don't forget to check out the secret Apple Watch controls that you can use with the Digital Crown.

If you want to get the most out of watchOS, make sure to check out some of our tips and tricks that you should know. And if you want to be even more productive, we have 15 power tips for you and your Apple Watch too.

How to customize your Apple Watch

While the Apple Watch is a simple device that goes on your wrist, there are actually a ton of ways to customize it to make it truly yours. If you want to know how to personalize it, then read on!

The first thing you're going to see on your Apple Watch is the face. Thankfully, you can change watch faces whenever you want. You can even add and remove multiple watch faces as you see fit. When you want to add some pizazz to it, make sure to choose your own face styles and colors for your Apple Watch face.

When we say you can pick out your own face styles and colors, there are a few different ways to go about that. You can go with the Kaleidoscope face for a cool, psychedelic effect, or add your own photo or time-lapse to a watch face. You can also add a personal monogram, and make the Modular face multicolored instead of going with a singular hue.

Another thing about watch faces that can be customized are the complications. These are bits of data that show up in various spots on the watch face, even from third-party apps, and they're incredibly handy. Here's how to add complications to your Apple Watch.

Next on the list of things to do with your new Apple Watch is to make sure that the settings are how you like them. You'll want to make sure that you name or rename your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch to ensure that you can recognize it easily. After all, a lot of people have these devices, so you want to make sure you can differentiate yours from the crowd!

Since the Apple Watch is essential for getting notifications, you'll want to make sure that your notifications are customized to your liking. I mean, do you really need notifications for absolutely everything? Not really. So make sure to only have notifications on for Apple Watch for the essential apps.

And if you want to use complications for weather, stocks, and the world clock, make sure that the default options are what you want. After all, what good is knowing what the weather is like when it isn't for where you are right now?

The Apple Watch will come with plenty of first-party apps from Apple, including Messages, Workouts, Activity, and more. There are default responses and goals, but you can also change these as you see fit.

With Messages, you can add custom message responses to your Apple Watch. This can sound more personal than the default canned responses, and you can have some fun with them too.

You can also customize workouts on your Apple Watch to display different metrics during your workout sessions. This is useful when you just want to see specific metrics and not every little thing that the Watch is tracking. And while the default goals for exercise and stand are pretty standard, you can tweak your Apple Watch goals to something that is more reasonably tailored to your lifestyle.

If you know others who also have an Apple Watch, you can use Activity Sharing to see how their progress is coming along each day. This also lets you compete with them too!

How to find apps for Apple Watch

Since watchOS 6, Apple added a dedicated App Store right on the Apple Watch itself. This means you no longer need to use your iPhone to find Apple Watch apps, but do keep in mind that the Apple Watch App Store is not as robust. Still, it's better than nothing — here's how to use the App Store on your Apple Watch. And once you find some apps you like, we can show you how to automatically install, rearrange, and delete apps on your Apple Watch. And if there are any issues, you can also force quit apps on the Apple Watch too.

In need of suggestions on Apple Watch apps? Yeah, we get it — you may feel a bit overwhelmed. We have some roundups of the best Apple Watch apps and third-party Apple Watch complications. And while the default Activity and Workouts apps are nice, there are tons of great health and fitness apps from other developers, and plenty of meditation apps if you need to unwind.

Accessorize your Apple Watch

Now, when it comes to customizing your Apple Watch, you don't just stop at the software. No, no, you must accessorize your Apple Watch with bands and accessories! There are a ton of different band choices out there, which not only add a new splash of color to your Apple Watch, but can dress it up for a night out in the town or when you have a professional business meeting. Plus, some bands work better for sweaty workout sessions, and you don't want to ruin your fancier bands. Other Apple Watch accessories can help protect the screen or casing, provide you with a more convenient way to charge, and more.

If you don't know where to start, make sure to check out what we recommend for some of the best Apple Watch bands and accessories out there.

Troubleshooting Apple Watch

As fantastic as the Apple Watch is, it's definitely not perfect. Sometimes things just don't work the way you need or want them to, and issues arise. If you have a basic problem, make sure to first check out our Apple Watch troubleshooting guide first.

If those steps did not help, then you may need to try some other actions, like restarting and resetting your Apple Watch. But of course, before you wipe out anything, you'll want to make sure you back up your Apple Watch first, so all of that data isn't lost. If all else fails, you might need to unpair your Apple Watch and then pair it up again.

But if you're still having problems, then we have solutions. Perhaps your Apple Watch just isn't connecting to your iPhone? Is auto-unlock not working? Or maybe you're having problems updating watchOS to the latest version, or have a stuck app install. No worries — we have you covered with all of our troubleshooting guides.

We all want the best battery life on our devices, right? You may feel that your Apple Watch isn't getting the best battery life these days, and if that's the case, it's okay. Batteries drain over time, but here are some solutions to fixing watchOS and Apple Watch battery life issues if they still persist. And always make sure that you're on the latest version of watchOS by updating the software. And if you ever lose your Apple Watch, make sure to find it with the Find My iPhone app.

For those who are getting a new iPhone 13 or other iPhone, you may be worried about how to pair an existing Apple Watch with a new iPhone. It's actually easy, and not as scary as it sounds. But if you're wondering if you can use one Apple Watch with multiple iPhones or even an Android, the short answer is no, you can't.

You can, however, switch between multiple Apple Watches. You may be wondering why you would want to use two or more Apple Watches. Perhaps you want one to wear during the day and one at night for sleep tracking. Or you have an aluminum model that you want to use for workouts, and a stainless steel or titanium model for fancier nights out. The possibilities are endless!

Enjoy your new Apple Watch

Now that you've gone through our Apple Watch beginner's guide, we hope you enjoy your new Apple Watch! It's definitely an amazing little device, and one that has improved the lives of many people.

If you're picking up a new Apple Watch — like the Apple Watch Series 7 — it's pretty much ready to go out of the box. So you can pair your best Apple Watch to your iPhone and be prepared to go; however, if you want to be extra prepared, there are a few things you can do. Here's how to ready your iPhone for Apple Watch.

Update your iPhone to the newest software

It's a smart idea always to make sure your iPhone is updated to the newest version of iOS because Apple often releases security patches and bug fixes through software updates. On top of that, some software updates come with new features that your Apple Watch won't be able to take advantage of if your iPhone isn't up-to-date.

Pro tip: Even when you get a new Apple Watch, sometimes out of the box, it still needs software updates. Make sure you also download and install the latest version of watchOS after you've updated your iPhone.

How to get Apple Watch apps now

We all know that what really makes the Apple Watch awesome is the large selection of apps you can use. Unfortunately, while some apps are completely independent of the iPhone, many Apple Watch apps require you to have the iPhone app installed to work on your Apple Watch.

The good news is you can download any apps you know you want on your Apple Watch right now. That way, when you set up your Apple Watch, all the apps will get downloaded and install on your Apple Watch during the process. There are so many great Apple Watch apps, so go nuts and download them all if you like.

Ready, Set, Pair!

You're now ready to set up your new Apple Watch and pair it to your iPhone. And, if you're looking for even more fun, don't forget to try out some of the best Apple Watch bands, so you can show off your style!

Get to know watchOS 8

If you want extra gold stars for your prep work, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with watchOS 8 before you get your hand on the Apple Watch Series 7. That's the software the Series 7 will come with, and it has plenty of new features for you to read up on.

Whether you're interested in Reflect, the new features in Messages, or looking forward to using Focus to help you drown out notifications when you need to concentrate, watchOS 8 is a great update to the Apple Watch software — get to know it intimately.

Need to quickly let someone know you're running late for a meeting, or place a quick call? The best Apple Watch enables you to stay in touch with those most important to you without reaching for your iPhone. Plus, if you plan on getting an Apple Watch Series 7, you'll have an even bigger screen to utilize for communication. However you want to use your Apple Watch to communicate, here's everything you need to know!

How to manage phone calls and voicemails with Apple Watch

Even when your iPhone isn't within reach, you can get an urgent call with your Apple Watch. Once your handset is closer, you can quickly transfer the call with just a tap. Did you get a voicemail? No problem! You can listen to those on your Apple Watch as well. No matter who you need to contact, your Apple Watch has you covered. You can make and answer phone calls on your Apple Watch with just a tap of your finger. Plus, if you want to transfer the call from your Apple Watch to your iPhone, you can do that too.

How to manage messages and emails with Apple Watch

The Apple Watch is a great way to send messages without ever touching your iPhone and learning how to use Messages on your Apple Watch. Not only can you read messages and regular texts with your wearable device, but you can respond to them too. You can dictate a message with Siri, send an audio message, or choose from many different animated emoji. If you want to keep up with email, you can read emails in their entirety with the Mail app. If an email is urgent and requires a quick response, you can even transfer it directly to your iPhone with just a swipe!

Updated October 2021: Updated for most recent version of watchOS.

By default, your best Apple Watch will show you several different metrics during a workout. Things like duration, heart rate, distance, calories burned, and more can all be displayed. If you want to change what metrics you see during your workouts, you can head over to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and customize it to your liking.

Whether you plan to get the Apple Watch Series 7, or you just are continuing to use your current Apple Watch, here's how to customize Workouts for Apple Watch.

How to show a metric in workouts for Apple Watch

Each preset workout will have a default setting for what metrics appear on screen, and some of them will even have options you can add.

Important note: You can only have a max of five metrics displayed on your Apple Watch during a workout, so if you already have five, you'll need to hide a metric first.

1. Launch the Apple Watch app from the Home screen of your iPhone.
2. Tap the My Watch tab if you're not already there.
3. Tap Workout. You'll need to scroll down a bit.

4. Tap Workout View.
5. Tap the workout you want to customize.
6. Tap Edit. It's located in the top right corner of your screen.

7. Tap the Add button next to the metric you want to include.
8. Tap Done

Now that metric will be displayed on the screen of your Apple Watch whenever you select that type of workout.

How to hide a metric in workouts for Apple Watch

1. Launch the Apple Watch app from the Home screen of your iPhone.
2. Tap the My Watch tab if you're not already there.
3. Tap Workout. You'll need to scroll down a bit.

4. Tap Workout View.
5. Tap the workout you want to customize.
6. Tap Edit. It's located in the top right corner of your screen.

7. Tap the Remove button next to the metric you want to hide.
8. Tap Remove
9. Tap Done

How to reorder metrics in workouts for Apple Watch

If you want to change which order the metrics appear on your Apple Watch, follow these steps.

1. Launch the Apple Watch app from the Home screen of your iPhone.
2. Tap the My Watch tab if you're not already there.
3. Tap Workout. You'll need to scroll down a bit.

4. Tap Workout View.
5. Tap the workout you want to customize.
6. Tap Edit. It's located in the top right corner of your screen.

7. Tap and hold the reorder button next to the metric you want to move.
8. Drag the metric to your desired location.
9. Tap Done.

Questions?

If you want to know anything more about changing your workout metrics, let us know in the comments below.

Updated September 2021: Updated for the latest versions of watchOS8 and iOS 15.

Apple Watch complications are a great way to see a variety of information at a glance — and your App Store apps can have complications of their very own, too. That means you can not only keep up on all your information right on the watch face, but you can launch directly into your favorite apps with just a tap!

Naturally, the complications work on the best Apple Watches, including the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE.

How to find App Store apps with Apple Watch complications

If you're looking for someplace to start on your watch face complications collection, we've compiled a list of the best Apple Watch complications for you.

How to add and remove Apple Watch complications from the Customize screen

By default, third-party apps that support complications will automatically appear in your list of options. If the list starts to get too long, though, you can remove some of them.

1. Launch the Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Complications under the My Watch tab.
3. Choose Edit in the upper right corner of the screen.

4. Tap the minus button (-) on the left, next to the app you want to remove from the list.
5. Select Remove.
6. Choose Done when finished.

To add a complication back in, follow the steps above, but instead tap the plus button (+) on the left next to the app under Do not include.

How to add Apple Watch complications via your Apple Watch

You can customize complications for every watch face right on your Apple Watch when you are on the go.

1. Press the Digital Crown to navigate to the watch face on your Apple Watch.
2. Press firmly on the watch face to enter customization mode.
3. Select a watch face.
4. Tap Edit.
5. Swipe to the left until you reach the last customization option. This is the complications menu.

6. Tap a complication location.
7. Rotate the Digital Crown and scroll through complications to select one.
8. Repeat the two steps above for each complication location.
9. Press the Digital Crown to exit customization mode.
10. Tap the watch face when finished.

How to add Apple Watch complications via your iPhone

If customizing complications on your Apple Watch feels a bit awkward or uncomfortable, you can do the work on your iPhone instead.

1. Launch the Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Under the My Watch tab, swipe to the left or right to select a watch face.

3. Tap a complication location that you want to change.
4. Scroll through the complications to select one.
5. Repeat the two steps above for each complication location.

You will immediately see the changes to the complications on the watch face on your Apple Watch.

Don't forget to change the color and style of your Apple Watch faces

In addition to changing the complications on your Apple Watch, you can adjust your watch faces' colors and style. Getting a few new bands is also a great way to customize your Apple Watch look.

Updated August 2021: Updated for the current watchOS.

For a lot of people, the best Mac that they can get is one of the fantastic MacBook Pros that Apple currently offers in its lineup. No matter what you need, whether it's a 13-inch or 16-inch screen, Intel or M1 SoC, there's a MacBook Pro out there for you. On top of these great internals, you get gorgeous Retina displays, multiple USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 ports, incredibly fast SSD storage, nice scissor-switch Magic Keybaords, and maybe even a Touch Bar.

Depending on whether you go with an Intel model or the newer M1 13-inch MacBook Pro, you should get between 10 to 17 hours of battery life. But what if you aren't? Thankfully, there are a few quick solutions when it comes to fixing MacBook Pro battery life, and this also applies for the MacBook Air and other models too.

Note: Apple's battery life estimates are based on reduced brightness and light internet load like browsing the web or checking email. If you've got the screen at 100 percent, are downloading gigs in an area with poor Wi-Fi, and are transcoding video while you do it, your battery life will be substantially less. This article focuses on what to do when otherwise good battery life goes bad.

Walk away

In addition to a lot of processes running when you set up a new Mac, you're likely to be using it a lot as well. It's your new toy, after all! You want to see how the world looks on that wide color display, how easy it is to authorize with Touch ID, and how many apps you can try out on the Touch Bar.

But that also means the screen might stay on longer than normal and Wi-Fi and other systems might likewise get a lot of abnormally high use.

In other words, if your battery feels like it's only lasting half as long, the first step to fixing it is figuring out if you're using it twice as much.

So, note down how much battery life you have left. Then walk away for 20-40 minutes. When you come back, note down how much battery life you have left again. If there isn't a big change while your MacBook Pro is asleep, you're probably okay, and your battery life will return to normal when your usage returns to normal — you know, after the novelty factor wears off.

If your MacBook continued to drain and drain fast, even when you weren't using it, keep reading for more ways to fix MacBook Pro battery life.

Restart

Mac owners love to make "restart Windows!" jokes but, the truth is, every computer system can sometimes use a good, swift kick in the bits. Whether it kills a rogue process or just gives bad apps a clean start, rebooting can often be a simple solution to a complex problem.

1. Click on the Apple menu button in the upper left corner of your screen.
2. Click Restart....

3. Click the Restart button on the pop-up menu to confirm.

After doing so, the pop-up window begins a countdown from 60 seconds, so if you select Restart and walk away, the computer will complete its task. You can also click the Restart button immediately to end the countdown and reboot the machine.

Once your MacBook Pro has rebooted, repeat the previous steps and see if battery drain has returned to normal. If not, keep reading for more fixes to MacBook Pro battery life.

Update everything

Newer versions of the Mac operating system, like macOS Big Sur and the upcoming macOS Monterey, and apps are often better optimized for current-generation hardware. Sure, regressions happen, but for the most part, making sure that you're running the latest and greatest macOS and the most recent releases of Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, Office, and other heavy-duty apps will help you get the best battery life possible.

Here's how to check for app updates in the Mac App Store:

1. Launch the App Store from the Dock or Finder.
2. Click Updates in the side panel menu.

3. Click Update next to each app you'd like to update, or click Update All.

4. Enter your Apple ID password if prompted.

To update non-Mac App Store apps, you can typically go to the Menubar and find Check for Updates in the app menu or help menu section.

If you do think a newer version is worse on your MacBook Pro battery than a previous version, check forums, social media, and ask around. If you find a consensus, consider holding off on upgrading or switching back temporarily until the new version gets its battery act together.

Check usage

Apple invented the concept of "battery shaming" on the Mac as a way of showing us just which apps were consuming a lot of power, and encouraging the developers of those apps to fix them. Yes, even when that developer is Apple.

1. Click on the Battery icon on the right of your Mac Menubar.
2. Click on the name of an app to inspect its power usage.

Sometimes there might be a legitimate reason for an app to be consuming a lot of power. For example, if you're transcoding or rendering video, or have a silly amount of tabs open with scripts and movies playing in the browser, then yeah, expect a bit of a drain on your battery.

Other times there isn't (looking at you Chrome and Slack!) When that's the case, quitting the apps (even killing tabs you're not currently using) can radically improve MacBook Pro battery life, so give it a try.

Run native apps

Safari is better on battery life than Chrome because Apple only makes Safari for macOS and can code it to be as efficient as possible. This is especially true for M1 Macs, which have four out of eight cores dedicated to power efficiency (the other four are for performance). Chrome is cross-platform and has become almost Internet Explorer-like in its desire to make the browser a platform.

Some tests have shown turning off Chrome can save you up to an hour in battery life, which is quite significant. So, if you don't need something that's Chrome-only, consider running Safari. Even consider running Safari for normal browsing and Chrome only when you need it for heavy Google work — that's what I do.

Likewise, Slack is currently a big drain on batteries. Because, like all Electron-based apps, it's really just a Chrome instance in a Slack wrapper. That's harder to change because you need to be where your team and friends are, but you can shut it down or check it only on your phone or tablet when your MacBook Pro battery gets low.

The same goes for other apps like Final Cut Pro X vs. Premiere or a native app like Acorn or Pixelmator vs. Photoshop. Even if you just keep them around as a light-weight alternative, they can help you in a pinch. Using native apps is one of the best ways to fix MacBook Pro battery life.

Extend your battery life

If you're stuck without power for an extended period of time and really need to squeeze every ounce of juice out your MacBook Pro that you can, here are a few other hacks you can try.

• Turn down the screen brightness.
• Turn off Wi-Fi if you don't need to be online.
• Use headphones instead of the speakers if you have to listen to audio or music.
• Turn on Automatic Graphics Switching, Put hard disks to sleep when possible, and Wake for Wi-Fi network access options under the Energy Saver section in System Preferences.
• Turn off Enable Power Nap while on battery power to prevent the MacBook Pro from periodically checking for new email, calendar, and other iCloud updates. This can also be found under Energy Saver in System Preferences.

Another good way to save battery life is to quit apps that are running in the background. You can check on what's currently running on your Mac by launching Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor), and closing any unnecessary processes. You may be surprised to see how many things are running in the background on your Mac.

You can also get one of the best USB-C battery packs and power banks. Thanks to USB-C on the MacBooks, they're not just for phones or tablets anymore.

Contact Apple

Every once and a while, you get a problem you just can't solve. Like any electronics, sometimes things go wrong. If you have AppleCare, you should absolutely contact Apple Support and book a Genius Bar appointment to relieve yourself of the issue. If you don't live close to an Apple Store, you can call 1-800-MY-APPLE in order to set up a mail-in repair.

If you don't have AppleCare and are out of warranty, you should still try to take it to Apple to see if they can take a look, but be prepared to pay for something like a battery replacement if necessary. You can also try an authorized third-party reseller for repair.

Please note that due to the current COVID-19 situation, your nearest Apple Store may not be open right now. You'll want to double check to make sure it is open again before making a trip down there.

Your tips for fixing MacBook Pro battery life?

If any of these power-saving tips worked for you, let me know! If you've got any tips of your own, let me know that too! And if you're having some battery life issues with your iPhone and iPad, or even your Apple Watch, make sure to check our troubleshooting guides for those while you're at it.

Updated August 2021: This information is still current.

It doesn't matter if you prefer using iCloud, Dropbox, or even OneDrive, or any other cloud storage service, there's a way for you to save email attachments on the best iPhone and iPad.

Whether it's a spreadsheet or presentation, a PDF, or plain text, you can save your attachments using the Mail app right from your iPhone. This is extremely helpful if you'll need to save the attachment for later. The best part is, you can watch it on any other device that have the same online storage service. Here's how!

How to save email attachments on iPhone and iPad to iCloud

Trying to save email attachments on iPhone or your favorite iPad to iCloud Drive is easy because iCloud is built right into iOS and iPadOS.

1. Launch Mail from your Home screen.
2. Choose the email that contains the attachment.
3. Tap on the attachment attachment to bring up the Share sheet.

4. Tap the share sheet button on the bottom left of the page. It's a square with an upward arrow.
5. Choose Save to Files.
6. Tap iCloud Drive to save to iCloud Drive or tap On My iPhone to save it directly to your phone.
7. Tap Save on the top right of your screen.

How to save email attachments on iPhone or iPad to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or enterprise storage

Thanks to document provider extensions, you can also save to Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and other storage services.

To save attachments to your storage provider, you first have to download the host app from the App Store.

Once you've downloaded the app, launch it, and log into your account. Then you can start saving attachments to the respective accounts. How you do it can vary by provider, however.

Save email attachments to Dropbox

1. Launch Mail from your Home screen.
2. Choose the email that contains the attachment.
3. Tap on the attachment attachment to bring up the Share sheet.

4. Choose Save to Dropbox.
5. Select the folder to save your file to or Tap Choose a Folder You can't create a new folder on the fly using the Apple Share sheet, unfortunately.
6. Tap Save.

Save email attachments to Google Drive

Before saving a file to Google Drive using the Share sheet for the first time, you should add the Google Drive extension, which makes the process much easier.

1. Launch Mail from your Home screen.
2. Choose the email that contains the attachment.
3. Tap on the attachment attachment to bring up the Share sheet.

4. Tap the More icon by scrolling right-to-left on the second row of icons in the Share Sheet.
5. Choose Edit at the top right.
6. Tap the green + to the left of Google Drive under Suggestions.
7. Choose Done at the top right.
8. Select Done at the top left now.

9. Tap the (Google) Drive icon in the Share sheet. It should be in the second row of icons.
10. Log into your Google account, if necessary.
11. Choose Select Folder at the bottom.
12. Select the location to save the file.

13. Choose Save here at the bottom right to save your image to Google Drive.
14. Finally, select Upload at the top right.

As you can see, saving an attachment to Google Drive requires many more steps than saving to iCloud.

Save email attachments to OneDrive

1. Launch Mail from your Home screen.
2. Choose the email that contains the attachment.
3. Tap on the attachment attachment to bring up the Share sheet.

4. Tap the More icon by scrolling right-to-left on the second row of icons in the Share Sheet.
5. Choose Edit at the top right.
6. Tap the green + to the left of OneDrive under Suggestions.
7. Choose Done twice.

8. Tap the One Drive icon in the Share sheet. It should be in the second row of icons, then follow the directions.

Not sure how to add attachments? Are you looking to take advantage of the Files app on iPhone and iPad? Don't worry, we have guides for that too!

Don't want to save email attachments on iPhone through Mail? You can always try another Mail app for your iPhone or iPad. If you're thinking about switching here's our list of the best email apps for iPhone and iPad.

Questions?

Do you still have questions about how to save email attachments on your iPhone or iPad? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated July 2021: Updated for latest iOS/iPadOS versions.

The great thing about Siri is how easily you can use it to control everything. Not just your iPhone, but you can also use Siri for things like the best HomeKit temperature sensors, and even control time itself! Okay, maybe not time itself, but you can control your time better, and track different timezones just by talking. Here's how you can use the Clock app on iPhone and iPad with just your voice.

How to view the time in any city with Siri

The Clock app on iPhone and iPad can help you keep track of the time all around the world. That's incredibly convenient if you want to keep track of multiple relatives... or offices. If you just want to know what time it is anywhere in the world, though, Apple's virtual assistant, Siri is even more convenient!

1. Say Hey Siri or press and hold the Home button or Power button on your iPhone or iPad to activate Siri.
2. Say something like "What time is it in Florence, Italy?" Siri should automatically give you the time.
3. Tap the clock widget within Siri in order to automatically be taken to the Clock app if you'd like.

How to set an alarm with Siri

1. Say Hey Siri or press and hold the Home button or Power button on your iPhone or iPad to activate Siri.
2. Say something like "Wake me up in 30 minutes," or "Wake me up on weekdays at 8 a.m.," or even just "Set an alarm for 8 a.m." Siri should confirm your alarm has been set.
3. You can always tap on the new alarm to go to the Clock app and check all your available alarms.

How to edit a current alarm with Siri

Some may argue that nothing is worse than getting out of bed any earlier than you have to. Luckily, Siri makes it super simple to edit your existing alarms. All you've got to do is ask and Siri can do all the heavy lifting for you!

1. Say Hey Siri or press and hold the Home button or Power button on your iPhone or iPad to activate Siri.
2. Say something like "Change my 6:30 a.m. alarm to 6 a.m."
3. If you have more than one alarm matching your description, Siri should ask you to confirm what alarm you mean — this can happen if you have a one-off alarm and a recurring alarm for the same time.
4. Make your selection and Siri should confirm the new time.

How to delete an alarm with Siri

Apple's virtual personal assistant, Siri, can set any alarm you ask for. But after a while all those alarms can pile up. Luckily, what Siri sets, Siri can also delete — either one at a time or all at once. That makes Siri super efficient at keeping you super efficient!

1. Say Hey Siri or press and hold the Home button or Power button on your iPhone or iPad to activate Siri.
2. Say something like "Delete my 7 a.m. alarm."
3. If Siri finds more than one alarm for that time, you'll be asked to confirm which one you'd like to delete.

How to delete all alarms with Siri

1. Say Hey Siri or press and hold the Home button or Power button on your iPhone or iPad to activate Siri.
2. Say "Delete all my alarms."
3. Say or tap "yes" to confirm to Siri that you do indeed wish to eradicate all the alarms.

How to set a timer with Siri

Tapping into the Clock app on your iPhone or iPad, hitting the Timer tab, and then setting a countdown is a lot of first-world work. Luckily, Apple's personal virtual assistant, Siri makes it a breeze. Just say how long you want to time something for, and so it shall be timed!

1. Say Hey Siri or press and hold the Home button or Power button on your iPhone or iPad to activate Siri.
2. Say something like "Set a timer for 20 minutes."
3. Siri should confirm that the timer was created and started.
4. To view the timer inside the Clock app, just tap on the countdown within Siri.

Once you've set your timer with Siri, you can go back to the Home screen and use your iPhone or iPad like normal. When your timer is up, an alarm will go off letting you know!

Questions about the Clock App on iPhone?

Do you still have questions about how to use the Clock app with Siri on your iPhone or iPad? Let us know in the comments below.

Updated January 2021: Updated screenshots to reflect minor changes in iOS 14.

Apple Watch Do Not Disturb, as the name suggests, allows your Apple Watch to continue collecting notifications without actually notifying you. That might sound strange, but it's ideally suited when you're asleep, in a meeting, at the movies, working, or otherwise in a situation where you don't want noise or haptics to bother you. Here's how to set up and use Do Not Disturb on the Apple Watch Series 7 and all the best Apple Watch models.

Set up Apple Watch Do Not Disturb on Apple Watch App for iPhone

1. Launch the Apple Watch app from your best iPhone's Home screen.
2. Scroll down and tap on General.
3. Tap on Do Not Disturb.
4. Toggle Mirror iPhone to On. You can also automatically turn on Do Not Disturb when you start a workout by toggling Workout Do Not Disturb to On.

You can also set up and use Do Not Disturb mode on your iPhone and iPad.

How to manually enable Apple Watch Do Not Disturb on your Apple Watch

1. Press the Digital Crown until you get to your watch face.
2. Swipe up to bring up the Control Center.
3. Tap on the Do Not Disturb button.
4. Choose a duration for Do Not Disturbin the list that appears.

To turn off Do Not Disturb, repeat the same steps.

Times we use Apple Watch Do Not Disturb

• Working
• Studying
• Focusing on projects
• In a theater or lecture
• While podcasting
• While driving
• While taking a nap
• At night
• Anytime we just don't want to be disturbed

Apple Watch Do Not Disturb: Time to relax or get things done

When you don't want notifications making noise or buzzing your wrist, switch your Apple Watch to Do Not Disturb. It's simple to use and gets the job done. And you don't have to worry that you'll miss important notifications. They will be there waiting for you when you turn off the Do Not Disturb function on your Apple Watch.

So, you've purchased your new Mac and you've got it all set up. Now, you're sitting in front of your screen, wondering what to do next. Lucky for you, we've got this useful guide to understanding the basic anatomy of your desktop or laptop. So, if you're new to Mac, welcome to the family. Now it's time to learn where everything is and what it does.

• Touch ID and Apple Pay
• Auto Unlock
• The Touch Bar on MacBook Pro
• The Dock
• The Menu bar
• Finder
• Desktop background images and the screensaver
• The Mac App Store
• Right-clicking
• The Trackpad & Magic Mouse
• Full screen mode
• Taking Screenshots
• Spotlight
• Siri
• Launchpad
• Safari
• The Mail app
• Messages
• iCloud and Continuity
• Troubleshooting the Mac

Touch ID and Apple Pay

Apple added support for Touch ID with the latest model MacBook Pro. With it, you can log into your account with one touch, and even set up multiple users with Touch ID. You can also use it to make online purchases thanks to Apple Pay on the web.

• How to use Touch ID on the MacBook Pro
• How to set and manage Apple Pay on the Mac
• How to use Apple Pay on the Mac

Auto Unlock

You can set up your Mac with a super strong password without having to worry about the inconvenience of having to retype it every time you lock your screen. Auto Unlock makes it possible for you to unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch just by being in proximity to it. So, you can set a 14-digit password that not even the most super of computers could figure out, but still unlock your Mac in a split second.

• How to enable Auto Unlock on your Mac and Apple Watch

The Touch Bar

Apple added a big new feature to the latest model MacBook Pro. The Touch Bar is an OLED panel that sits at the top of the keyboard and replaces the row of function keys. It is contextual, meaning what appears on the panel will change, depending on what app you are currently using. It is also customizable, which will allow you to set up different apps (including third-party apps that support customization) to improve your workflow.

• How to use the Touch Bar: The ultimate guide
• Best Touch Bar apps for MacBook Pro

The Dock

The Dock is what you can consider the "favorites" section on your Mac. It stores all of the apps, files, and folders you consider to be the most important for quick access. It also temporarily holds apps, files and folders that are currently open, so you can get to them with one click, instead of sifting through all of your open windows and programs.

• Learn how to use the Dock on your Mac

The Menu bar

The Menu bar sits at the very top of your Mac's screen. It houses the Apple menu, which will get you to all of your system settings, the app menu, which is specific to the app you are currently using, computer status shortcuts and third-party quick look tools, Spotlight, and Siri.

• Learn how to use the Menu bar on your Mac

Finder

Finder is the one-stop shop for every shred of data on your Mac. It is sometimes the best way to find what you are looking for (though Spotlight really gives it a run for its money). The best part is that you have direct access to cloud-based programs in Finder, too. So, you don't have to go digging around in the Dropbox app or iCloud Drive.

• How to use Finder on your Mac

Desktop background images and the screensaver

No computer seems right until you've made it your own with your personal background image or screensaver. Even if you use the built-in content, you are still the one choosing your look, and that's what makes it feel just right.

• How to change the desktop and screen saver on your Mac

The Mac App Store

The Mac App Store is where you will find some of the best apps and games for your desktop or laptop. It's also the place you go to when you need to update the Mac operating system and other software programs. Visit often to see new content that will really make your Mac shine. You'll need an Apple ID to purchase and download content from the Mac App Store. So, if you don't already have one, create an Apple ID before you start.

• Learn how to download apps from the Mac App Store
• Learn how to check for macOS and app updates in the Mac App Store

Right-clicking

The Mac isn't like other computers. The included mouse or trackpad doesn't actually come standard with a right-click function. But, you can still get the right or control-click usability. You just have to set it up first.

• Learn how to set up right-clicking functionality on your Mac

The Trackpad & Magic Mouse

The trackpad on a Mac laptop and the included Magic Mouse for a Mac desktop have some amazingly useful features, including but not limited to, gesture-based functions that will zoom, swipe, scroll, and more. Get to know your trackpad or Magic Mouse. You'll be amazed at what they can do.

• Learn how to customize your mouse on the Mac
• Learn how to customize the trackpad on your Mac

Full screen mode

Going full screen helps you stay productive and avoid distractions. On the Mac, you can split up your screen and have two programs running at half-full side-by-side. This is useful for when you want to work in one app but reference another. You can really make full-screen mode work to your advantage if you know how to use it.

• How to use full screen mode on the Mac

Taking Screenshots

So, you've finally got the high score in Super Hexagon and you want to show off that final screen to your friends, or maybe you want to save a cute picture to your desktop, but can't seem to find a way to save it from a website. Take a screenshot! Just like on iPhone and iPad, you can take a screenshot on your Mac with a simple keyboard shortcut.

• Learn how to take a screenshot on your Mac

Spotlight

Spotlight is basically the most robust search program around. It digs through your personal files, folders, apps, emails, and other content to produce results that you were most likely to be looking for in the first place. It also searches the web to cover all the bases. If you're looking for something, chances are Spotlight will find it for you.

• Learn how to use Spotlight on your Mac

Siri

You can use Siri on the Mac just like you would on your iPhone or iPad. In fact, Siri on the Mac can access even more data than its iOS counterpart. Ask Siri to schedule events, remind you of a task, tell you the weather, search your hard drive for files, look up pictures, and a whole lot more. Instead of putting out so much effort yourself, let Siri do the work for you.

• Learn how to set up and use Siri on your Mac

Launchpad

The launchpad is where all of your apps and games are displayed. Think of it as the Home screen on your iPhone or iPad. You can organize apps and games into folders, delete them by clicking and holding until they go into jiggly mode, and search for something specific using the search bar.

• Learn how to use Launchpad on your Mac

Safari

Safari is the default Mac browser. You might be used to a different way to surf the internet, but you should, at least, give Safari a try before you switch. Because it is integrated with the Mac operating system, it has some very awesome features you might end up loving too much to let go of, especially if you use Safari on your iPhone or iPad.

• Learn how to start using Safari on your Mac

The Mail app

When you've connected your mail client to the built-in Mail app, you can get notifications whenever a new message arrives in your inbox. you can also set up filters for VIP contacts, unread messages, emails with attachments, and more.

• Learn how to set up and use the Mail app on your Mac

Messages

You can use Messages on the Mac the same way you do on your iPhone or iPad. You can even set it up to receive text messages from contacts that don't use an iPhone (including those friends that don't even use a smartphone at all). When chatting with other iPhone users, you can view rich links, and even see some of the bubble effects

• Learn how to set up and use Messages on your Mac

iCloud and Continuity

When you create an Apple ID, you will automatically get 5 GB of iCloud storage for free. You can use it for little things like saving your iPhone backups and syncing app data. You can also use it for bigger things, like storing all of your music and photos in the cloud and optimizing your Mac's storage. If 5 GB isn't enough, you can upgrade for as little as $0.99 per month. When you connect your Mac and your iOS devices to iCloud, you can take advantage of Apple's Continuity feature, which allows you to start something on one device, then pick up and continue on another.

• Learn how to set up and use iCloud on your Mac
• Learn how to set up and use Optimized Storage on your Mac
• Learn about iCloud and your photos
• Learn about iCloud and your music
• Learn everything you need to know about Continuity on mac and iOS

Troubleshooting the Mac

Just like with all forms of technology, sometimes, things don't go right. Luckily, the Apple community is incredibly helpful. If something is wrong with your Mac, chances are, someone has already found the solution. You can get help directly on your Mac, from the iMore forums, and from Apple support. Just remember to relax and breath. A solution is waiting for you, you just have to know where to find it.

• Learn about the channels you can go through to troubleshoot your Mac

If you use your Mac every day for work and your personal life, chances are you have a lot of files, photos, folders, documents, and other data all over your Mac. It can make finding one specific file a pain. Luckily, Spotlight lets you search your Mac for pretty much anything, making it easy to find whatever you need. Here's how to use Spotlight on Mac with macOS Big Sur.

What Spotlight can help you find

Spotlight helps you find pretty much anything on your Mac. It indexes the contents of your Mac's hard drive to make it easier to find documents, emails, apps, music, contacts, and other information. It can also help you find information on the web, perform equations, and now in High Sierra, it can even find your flight information.

How to access and use Spotlight in macOS

1. Click on the Spotlight button in the menu bar; it looks like a magnifying glass. Or, use the Command + Space keyboard shortcut. The Spotlight search field will appear in the middle of your screen.
2. Type in your search query. Spotlight will return results as you type.

If Spotlight isn't finding what you're looking for, you can adjust its search results to optimize what you need. You can also exclude your hard disk's specific locations to prevent Spotlight from searching information you'd prefer to keep private.

How to customize Spotlight search results

1. Choose the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Click on Spotlight.

4. Click the Checkbox beside the category to change what Spotlight will show you. If it has a checkmark, those results will be displayed; if it doesn't, those results will not be displayed.

How to hide content from Spotlight search

If you have sensitive documents in a certain location that you never want to be searched, you can tell Spotlight to not look in those locations.

1. Choose on the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Click on Spotlight.

4. Click on the Privacy tab.
5. Choose the add button. It's the + sign at the bottom left of the window.

6. Click the item you don't want Spotlight to search for.
7. SelectChoose.
8. Repeat Steps 5 through 7 to add more items to the list.

Looking for something new?

Are you considering buying a new computer? Check out our favorite MacBooks of the year.

Questions?

Need any more help with Spotlight? Let us know in the comments below.

Safari is Apple's web browser — your portal to the internet. You can visit websites, bookmark favorite pages, and more. Here's what you need to know to get started with Safari on Mac in macOS Big Sur.

How to visit a website

Safari's main use is to give you a portal to the internet, i.e., millions of websites. If you know the web address or "URL" of the website you'd like to visit, you can enter it manually.

1. Launch Safari from the Dock or the Finder.
2. Click the address bar at the top of the window.
3. Enter the address of the website you'd like to visit, like www.imore.com.
4. Press return on your keyboard.

How to search with the address bar

The address bar is where you can type websites by URL, like www.imore.com. But it's not just for web addresses; you can use it to search Google too!

1. Launch Safari from the Dock or the Finder.
2. Click the address bar at the top of the window.
3. Enter your search query, like "funny cat videos."
4. Hit return on your keyboard.

Safari will navigate to Google, where you'll see a list of results for your search.

How to bookmark a website

If you really like what you're reading online, or if you want quick access to your favorite sites, you can bookmark them so that you can go back later with just a click!

1. Launch Safari on Mac from the Dock or the Finder.
2. Go to the web page you'd like to bookmark.
3. Press Command-D on your keyboard.
4. Enter a title for the bookmark, or you can leave it as-is if you want. You can also enter a description if you'd like.
5. Click Add or hit return on your keyboard.

6. Choose View in the menu bar on the top left of your screen.
7. Select Show Favorites Bar.

Now the bookmarked pages you add to Favorites will appear below the address bar so that you can get to each of them with just a click. Also, whenever you click in the address bar, your Favorites will appear as suggested sites.

How to view all of your bookmarks

If you don't like having your favorites under the address bar, or if you like having your bookmarks in separate folders, you can view all of your bookmarks at once.

1. Launch Safari from the Dock or the Finder.
2. Click the Show sidebar button next to the address bar.
3. Click the bookmarks tab if it's not there already. It looks like a book.

How to remove bookmarks

If you don't need a page bookmarked anymore because you don't need it or it no longer exists, you can remove it from your bookmarks.

1. Launch Safari on Mac from the Dock or the Finder.
2. Choose Bookmarks in the menu bar on the top left of your screen.
3. Click Edit Bookmarks.
4. Select the down arrow to the left of Favorites.

5. Right-click or control-click the bookmark you'd like to delete.
6. Click Delete.

How to add a web page to your reading list

Adding pages to your reading list allows you to save that site and read it later. The best part is that you can even view your reading list without an internet connection.

1. Launch Safari from the Dock or the Finder.
2. Go to the website you'd like to add to your reading list.
3. Press shift-command-D on your keyboard or select Bookmarks from the menu bar followed by Add to Reading List.

That's all you have to do to add a web page to your reading list! You'll see a little icon jump over to the sidebar or the sidebar button.

How to view your reading list

If you're saving pages to your reading list, you'll obviously want to look at them again! Here's how!

1. Launch Safari on Mac from the Dock or Finder.
2. Choose the Show sidebar button next to the address bar.
3. Select the reading list tab. It looks like a pair of glasses.
4. Click the item you'd like to look at.

How to remove items from your reading list

Once you're finished with a reading list item, you can remove it so that you don't have to sift through web pages you've already looked at.

1. Launch Safari from the Dock or Finder.
2. Click the Show sidebar button next to the address bar.
3. Select the reading list tab. It looks like a pair of glasses.
4. Right-click or control-click the item you'd like to remove.
5. Click Remove Item.

How to enable Private Browsing

Private Browsing lets you browse the internet without saving the websites you've been to, your search history, or your AutoFill information. It's perfect for when you're shopping for Christmas presents on a shared computer or looking at… well, you know.

1. Launch Safari on Mac from the Dock or Finder.
2. Click File in the menu bar on the top left of your screen.
3. Click New Private Window. You can alternatively press shift-command-N on your keyboard.

Now, none of the websites you visit or any of your AutoFill information will be stored, so no one can track where you've been by your history.

How to view a website privacy report

Beginning with macOS Big Sur, you can now see a safety report for each website you visit. To do so:

1. Launch Safari from the Dock or Finder.
2. Go to the website you want to visit.
3. Click on the privacy report button to the left of the address bar.
4. Select the information icon to view the full report.

5. Review the report, which includes a listing of trackers that Safari has prevented from running on the website.
6. Tap the red circle at the top left to leave the report.

How to add extensions to Safari

Browser extensions are plug-ins that add new functions to Safari. They can do things like block ads, integrate with apps, and more. There are a host of free extensions that help you with productivity, keep you current on the news, provide security, entertainment, and more!

Note: While extensions are free, the apps or services that provide them might not be.

1. Launch Safari from the Dock or Finder.
2. Click Safari in the menu bar at the top left of your screen.
3. Click Safari Extensions.

You'll be redirected to the Mac App Store's Safari Extensions page where you can download and install the extensions the same way you would download and install any other app in the Mac App Store. After the installation is complete, open the app to add it to your Safari toolbar.

How to pin tabs

Sort of like adding sites to your Favorites, you can pin tabs so that the sites you visit most often can be accessed with just a click.

1. Launch Safari from the Dock or Finder.
2. Click View in the menu bar at the top left of your screen.
3. Click Show Tab Bar.
4. Go to the website you'd like to pin.

5. Click and hold the tab and drag it all the way to the left. The tab will now appear as a little site logo or the first letter of the site's title on the left side of the tab bar.
6. To get rid of your pinned tabs, just drag them to the right.

How to set the homepage

By default, Safari will open to apple.com when you first launch it. If you'd like to make a different website on your homepage, you absolutely can.

1. Launch Safari from the Dock or Finder.
2. Click Safari in the menu bar on the top left of your screen.
3. Select Preferences, making sure you on the General tab.
4. Enter a website next to Homepage. Alternatively, you can click Set to Current Page if you want the page you're on to be your homepage.

5. Click the dropdown menu next to New windows open with.
6. Click Homepage if you'd like new windows to open on your homepage.
7. Click the dropdown menu next to New tabs open with.
8. Click Homepage if you'd like new tabs to open to your homepage.

How to customize your start page

Beginning with macOS Big Sur, you can set up a start page. You can set a background image and select new sections to display on the start page — including Favorites, Siri Suggestions, Reading List, iCloud Tabs, and a Privacy Report.

1. Launch Safari from the Dock or Finder, which should bring up the start page by default unless you changed it using the dropdown menus above. On this page, you'll find the following sections: Favorites, Frequently Visited, Privacy Report, Siri Suggestions, Reading List, and iCloud Tabs.
2. Click on the settings icon at the bottom right of the start page to make changes.
3. Uncheck the sections you don't want to see.
4. Choose from the backgrounds to make changes or add your own.

How to share websites

If you've come across a web page that you'd really like friends or family to see, you can share it in several ways.

1. Launch Safari from the Dock or Finder.
2. Go to the website you'd like to share.
3. Click the Share Sheet button on the top right of the Safari window.
4. Choose a sharing method. You can share via email, Notes, Reminders, Messages, AirDrop, and supported third-party apps.

How to use Reader View

Reader View allows you to pull up a web page in a more stripped-down script so you can read the words and see the images without a bunch of fancy animations or movement programmed into the page. Not all web pages will support Reader View, but plenty will; here's how it works.

1. Navigate to a webpage.
2. Click the Reader View button. It's the lines to the left side of the address bar.

1. Navigate to a web page.
2. Click the Reader View button. It's the lines to the left side of the address bar.
3. Click on the Reader Options button. It's the two As on the right side of the address bar.
4. Click on the background color you want to use.

1. Navigate to a web page.
2. Click the Reader View button. It's the lines to the left side of the address bar.
3. Click on the Reader Options button. It's the two As on the right side of the address bar.
4. Click on the font you want to use.

1. Navigate to a web page.
2. Click the Reader View button. It's the lines to the left side of the address bar.
3. Click on the Reader Options button. It's the two As on the right side of the address bar.
4. Click on the A to make the text bigger or smaller. The smaller "A" will decrease the text size, while the bigger "A" will increase the size.

In the market?

Apple's lineup of laptops and desktops continues to grow. When it's time to buy, consider our favorites.

Questions?

Questions about using Safari? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated December 2020: Updated for macOS Big Sur.

Launchpad provides an iPad Home screen-like launcher on macOS, and a way to see, start, search for, delete, and otherwise manage apps on the Mac with macOS Big Sur installed.

How to launch an app in Launchpad on Mac

1. There are three ways to enter Launchpad:
   • Click on the Launchpad icon in your Dock.
   • Do a four-finger pinch gesture on your trackpad.
   • Press the Launchpad button on your Apple keyboard, when applicable.
2. Click on the app you want to launch.

How to search an app in Launchpad on Mac

If you have a lot of apps installed, you can easily search for them in Launchpad.

1. Open Launchpad.
2. Select the search bar at the top center of the Launchpad screen.
3. Enter the name of the application you wish to find.
4. Choose the app.

You will notice that as soon as you start typing, Launchpad will begin filtering the results, so in most cases, you shouldn't even have to type the entire name of the app to find it.

How to move apps in Launchpad on Mac

If you want to have all your favorite and most used apps in a certain location in Launchpad, you can easily move them around to arrange them however you want.

1. Open Launchpad.
2. Click and hold the app you wish to move until it starts wiggling.
3. Move the app using your mouse.

How to organize apps into folders in Launchpad on Mac

You can put apps into folders to better organize your Launchpad. It's perfect for putting similar apps together.

1. Open Launchpad.
2. Click and hold on the app you wish to put in a folder until it starts wiggling.
3. Drag the app on top of another app you wish to put into the same folder until a white box appears around both apps. Or drag the app into an existing folder.
4. Let go.

How to delete apps in Launchpad on Mac

You can certain apps on your Mac from Launchpad, which is a great way to keep your desktop clean and organized. Please note that you can't delete certain built-in apps or apps running in the background on your Mac.

1. Open Launchpad.
2. Click and hold the app you want to delete until it starts wiggling.
3. Choose the X on top of the app to delete it.
4. Select Delete in the pop-up box.

How to reset Launchpad on Mac

Sometimes, after installing a new app (especially third-party apps), you may notice it doesn't show up in Launchpad. There is a way to manually refresh Launchpad, which will most likely resolve the issue.

1. Click on your desktop.
2. Click on the Go menu. It's up on the menu bar at the top of your screen.
3. Press and hold the Option key.
4. Click on Library.

5. Double-click on the Application Support folder.
6. Double-click on the Dock folder.

7. Drag all files ending in .db into the trash.
8. Choose on the Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen. It should look like this .
9. Click on Restart.
10. Confirm on the Restart button.

Your computer will restart, and when it boots back up, you should find all your apps available in Launchpad.

Time to upgrade?

Are you considering a new Mac desktop or laptop? Be sure to check out our favorite Macs of the year.

Questions?

If you have any questions about taking screenshots or making screen recordings on Mac, ask away in the comments.

Updated December 2020: Updated for macOS Big Sur.

Welcome to the fold. You're anxious to use your Mac, but you've amassed years of data on that PC. Switching platforms doesn't mean starting over: You can still use those old files. Apple makes it easy with a free utility called Windows Migration Assistant. Here's how to transfer data from PC to Mac using the Windows Migration Assistant from Apple.

What is Migration Assistant, and how do I get it?

Migration Assistant is a utility Apple includes in the Utilities folder of every Mac. You'll see it when you first start up your Mac when your Mac asks you if you want to transfer data over from another Mac, a Time Machine backup, or a PC. Apple makes the app freely available for download for transferring to your Mac. You'll need specific software, depending on what macOS or OS X operating system you're transferring to. You'll need to download the Migration Assistant software to your PC before you begin. Below are the following software links, depending on the Mac operating system to which you're migrating.

• Windows Migration Assistant for macOS Big Sur
• Windows Migration Assistant for macOS Mojave or later
• Windows Migration Assistant for macOS Sierra and High Sierra
• Windows Migration Assistant for OS X El Capitan or earlier

Migration Assistant will help you transfer files from a PC running Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 operating systems. The Mac and the PC both have to be running Migration Assistant.

Both should be on the same network in order to find each other. The data migration may take several hours depending on what's being transferred and what means are used: Wi-Fi is slower, a wired Ethernet connection is faster. But one way or the other, your patience will be rewarded.

What actual data gets transferred will depend on which version of Windows you're using and what programs created your data. Bookmarks from Internet Explorer and Firefox will be brought into Safari, for example. iTunes content and image files should make it over as well. System settings will get pulled over. You'll be able to specify what other files you'd like to bring over, too.

Email, contacts, and calendar information are where it gets a bit tricky. The bottom line is that Migration Assistant will pull over your email account information, and if you're using Microsoft Outlook, it should pull over your email messages, your contacts, and your calendars. Other programs may vary. Apple has posted a detailed chart of what gets migrated over to help you understand.

Even though you're transferring all your Windows data to your Mac, it doesn't mean you should only have the data on your computer. We highly suggest that people know how to back up their Macs and that they do so often. Plus, we also suggest that you invest in one of the best external hard drives for Mac, so you can have an extra copy of any of your important documents and files. Be data smart, y'all!

What you need before you transfer data from PC to Mac

Before you get too excited and try to start transferring your PC's data to your new Mac, you'll need to have a couple of things at the ready.

• You must have the administrative username and password associated with the PC.
• Both computers must be on the same network, either through Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
• You should perform a drive performance check before running Migration Assistant, or you may not be able to use the software properly.

1. Click on Start on your PC.
2. Click on Run.
3. type cmd into the Run window.
4. Press Enter.
5. type chkdsk into the Command window.
6. Press Enter.

If your drive performance check uncovers issues, you'll need to run a drive repair process.

1. Type chkdsk drive: /F (Change the name "drive" to whatever the name of your Windows startup disk is) into the Command window.
2. Press Enter.
3. Press Y when prompted.
4. Restart your PC.

You will need to repeat the steps above until the drive performance check returns without any issues. You can then use Migration Assistant to move your data to your Mac.

Here's how to transfer data from PC to Mac

First, connect your Mac to your PC either through Ethernet or by making sure both computers are on the same local Wi-Fi network.

On your new Mac:

1. Launch a Finder window.
2. Click on Applications in the sidebar.
3. Double-click or control-click on the Utilities folder.
4. Click on Migration Assistant.
5. Click Continue.
6. Click From a PC. when prompted to select how you want to transfer your information.
7. Click Continue.

On your PC:

1. Make sure you've downloaded and installed Migration Assistant on your PC.
2. Launch Migration Assistant on your PC.
   • Launching Migration Assistant on the PC is a one-way trip: It's only designed to transfer data from your PC to a new Mac. After launching it, Migration Assistant for Windows will try to connect to its Mac counterpart. A security code will display on the screen.
3. Confirm that the code on your PC is the same on your Mac.

4. Select the files, folders, and settings you want to transfer from your PC to your Mac.
5. Click continue.

There are other ways to move files between Macs and PCs. Thumb drives will work on both machines, so you can manually transfer whatever files you want to use, for example. But Migration Assistant provides an elegant, convenient, and absolutely free way of managing the transition to becoming a Mac user, as long as you have the time to use it.

Have any questions?

Put them in the comments, and I'll help you out.

Updated December 2020: Updated for macOS Big Sur.

macOS is designed to be easy to navigate for the average computer user, but finding some tools and features can be arduous, especially if you are going through System Preferences. Luckily, the Mac has a Menu bar (the small strip at the top of your screen) which has some very useful shortcuts to the most important features.

What's on the Menu bar on Mac?

The best way to make the most out of the Menu bar on the Mac is to get to know what's on it.

• Apple menu - This is where you find important system tools and features, like information about your Mac, System Preferences, access to the App Store (and whether there are updates for apps), recently opened items, a shortcut to putting your Mac to sleep, restarting your Mac, shutting down your Mac, and logging out of your account.
• App menu - Just past the Apple menu icon is the currently-selected app menu. When an app is open and in use, you'll see such categories as File, Edit, View, Window, Help, and more. Each app has a different menu layout.

• System status menu - The System status menu includes third-party widgets that you can download from the Mac App Store, the volume controls, Wi-Fi status, AirPlay, the battery (on laptops), and the date and time.
• Spotlight - Spotlight is the Mac's system-wide and online search tool. You can type anything into the Spotlight search and you will almost definitely find what you are looking for.

• Siri - With Siri on the Mac, you can use the personal digital assistant to look up information, add events to the calendar, set reminders, and a whole lot more.
• Notification Center - You can set widgets in Notification Center to provide quick access to things that matter the most to you, like the weather, your daily schedule, iTunes control, and special content from some third-party apps.

How to remove widgets from the Menu bar on the Mac

Over time, the Menu bar can start to get cluttered, especially when you add third party widgets. You can remove macOS status widgets if you don't use them.

1. Right-click or control-click on a widget in the Menu bar.
2. Select Open Preferences.
3. Untick the box for Show in Menu bar.

In third-party apps (like Fantastical 2, when you click on the widget, there is usually a settings icon (it looks like a gear), which you can click on to quit or disable Menu bar access.

How to change the date and time in the Menu bar on the Mac

You can change the date, time, time zone, and look of the Date & Time of your Mac.

Note: If you manually change the date and time on your Mac, you could negatively impact programs running on your computer, and possibly get banned from certain games that consider time alterations a method of cheating at a game, so tread lightly.

1. Click on the date and time in the Menu bar in the upper right corner of your screen.
2. Click on Open Date & Time Preferences.

3. Click the Date & Time tab.
4. Click the lock to make changes.
5. Enter your administrator password and click Unlock.

6. Untick the box for Set date and time automatically.
7. Select a new date.
8. Select a new time.

You can also set the date and time automatically for a different country. You can set it for the U.S., Asia, or Europe.

1. Click on the date and time in the Menu bar in the upper right corner of your screen.
2. Click on Open Date & Time Preferences.

3. Click the Time Zone tab.
4. Click the lock to make changes.
5. Enter your administrator password and click Unlock.

6. Untick the box for Set time zone automatically using current location.
7. Click on a new region.

1. Click on the date and time in the Menu bar in the upper right corner of your screen.
2. Click on Open Date & Time Preferences.

3. Click the Clock tab.
4. Click the lock to make changes.
5. Enter your administrator password and click Unlock.

6. Click Digital or Analog to change what the clock looks like.
7. Tick the box for Show the day of the week to show the day of the week.
8. Tick the box for Show date to show the date.

How to use the battery widget in the Menu bar on Mac

The battery widget in the Menu bar, which will only appear on Apple laptops, shows you how much juice you have left before you'll need to charge up again. It also shows a few interesting facts about your usage.

1. Click on the battery widget.
   • The first status shows approximately how much time left you have before your battery runs out. It also shows whether your laptop is running on battery power or if it is plugged into an outlet.
   • The second status shows which program is being a battery hog. This is helpful if you notice that your battery is draining much faster than normal. It could be a buggy app.
2. Click on Show Percentage to show, in numbers, how much battery power is remaining.
3. Click on Open Energy Saver Preferences to adjust how long your screen and hard drive stay awake when not in use.

How to use Spotlight on the Mac

Spotlight is your Mac's systemwide search. When you type in a term, it will search for apps, documents, files, emails, and more. It will also search the internet, your contacts, directions in Maps, currency conversions, calculations, and a whole lot more. It's your one-stop shop for shortcuts to everything you use on your Mac.

• How to set up and use Spotlight on Mac

How to use Siri on the Mac

Just like Siri on the iPhone and iPad, Siri on the Mac can be your personal virtual assistant. It searches your Mac for files and folders, schedules calendar events, and keeps important search results in your Notification Center. Need to know something? Siri can help with that.

• How to set up and use Siri on Mac

How to use Notification Center on the Mac

Notification Center is a side panel that you can access whenever you want to quickly see what's on deck for today, what the weather looks like for the afternoon, or your list of things to do today. With third-party Notification Center widgets, you can stylize your Today view with all of your most important productivity apps.

• How to set up and use Notification Center on Mac

How to rearrange Menu bar icons

1. Hold down the command key on your keyboard.
2. Click on the icon you would like to move. Make sure the command key is still pressed.

3. Drag the icon to its new location.
4. Let go of the mouse and command key to let the icon fall into place.

Bonus: Pro tips for Menu bar widgets on the Mac

Pressing the option key on your keyboard while clicking on some of the built-in Menu bar widgets will call up different information.

• Option + Click on Wi-Fi to call up additional information about your wireless network, such as your IP address, the router address, your security type, and more. You can also create a diagnostic report and open a wireless diagnostic.
• Option + Click on Bluetooth to see additional information about your Bluetooth connection, including its version and address. You can also create a diagnostic report on your Desktop.
• Option + Click on Notification Center to manually turn Do Not Disturb on or off.

For more information:

• Check out even more pro tips for using the Option key with Menu bar widgets!

New Mac?

Are you considering a new Mac desktop or laptop? Be sure to check out our favorite Macs of the year.

Whether it's lower-case keyboards, whooshing apps, accidental Slide Over swipes, or unreadable text, iOS and iPadOS has some visuals that can be less than pleasant. Here's everything you need to know about tweaking the iOS interface on your iPhone and iPad to your own liking.

Visual tweaks on iOS and iPadOS

Getting a headache from iOS's visuals? Here are the settings you may want to take a gander at.

Are your aching eyes struggling to read the iOS system font? You can make your text both bigger and bolder.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Accessibility.
3. Tap Display & Text Size.

4. Tap Larger Text.
5. Tap, hold, and drag the slider to increase text size.
6. Tap the switch next to Larger Accessibility Sizes if you need text to be even larger.

Apple has moved away from bubbly buttons to flat, text-only links. If that confuses your brain, you can turn on Button Shapes.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Accessibility.

3. Tap Display & Text Size.
4. Tap the switch next to Button Shapes.

You can also add texture to those toggles (to know better whether they're on or off) by going to Settings > Accessibility and turning on the On/Off Labels toggle.

If bright content is a little too much for you at its normal setting, you can reduce the white point on iOS to lessen the impact that bright material has on you.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Accessibility.

3. Tap Display & Text Size.
4. Tap the switch next to Reduce White Point.

Do iOS's app zooms and parallax wallpapers make you feel a little seasick? You're not alone: When these new animations came out, quite a few people rushed to the Settings app to turn them off. You can do the same today.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Accessibility.

3. Tap Motion.
4. Tap the switch next to Reduce Motion to the green "on" position enable reduced motion.

This will change all animations to a graceful fade, and turn off the parallax motion applied to icons and wallpaper.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Accessibility.

3. Tap Keyboards under Physical and Motor.
4. Tap the switch next to Show Lowercase Keys to turn it to the gray/black "off" position.

It's your choice now as to whether or not you want a larger version of each key you tap to appear above it while you type.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap General.

3. Tap Keyboard.
4. Tap the switch next to Character Preview. It's likely on by default.

Touch-based tweaks on iOS and iPadOS

Having trouble with your iPhone or iPad's multitouch gestures? See if any of these tweaks ease your pain.

Reachability is a feature on the iPhone that lets you double-tap (not double-press) the Home button (iPhones with Home button) or swipe down on the Home indicator (iPhones with Face ID) to bring the top of the screen down so that you might more easily access it with a thumb.

If you find yourself never using Reachability, however, or you keep triggering it accidentally, you can turn it off.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Accessibility.

3. Tap Touch.
4. Tap the switch next to Reachability so it's in the gray/black "off" position.

You can double-press the Home button (or Side button on iPhone X or newer) on the Lock screen to trigger Apple Pay. But if you'd prefer not to keep accidentally activating Apple Pay, here's how you turn that setting off.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Wallet & Apple Pay.
3. Tap the switch next to Double-Click Side Button to the white/gray 'off' position.

For many years, "Shake to Undo" was the quickest way to undo a line of text—and throw your iPhone across the room in the process. If you'd prefer to ignore this accelerometer-based feature, tunr it off!

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Accessibility.

3. Tap Touch.
4. Tap the switch next to Shake to Undo to disengage it.

Another Reachability-like feature is available on the iPad (not available on 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro): the split keyboard. This triggers when you use a reverse-pinch to pull apart the two sides of the keyboard, gluing each to one side of the screen.

In theory, this makes for better typing, but if you find this gesture interfering with the two-finger keyboard trackpad, you can turn it off.

1. Launch Settings.
2. Tap General.

3. Tap Keyboards.
4. Tap the switch next to Split Keyboard.

Don't want to use the iPad's multiple-app multitasking? Turn it off.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Home Screen & Dock.

3. Tap Multitasking
4. Tap the switch next to Allow Multiple Apps (gray is off).

Picture-in-picture, available not just on iPad anymore, but iPhone, too, is pretty great for watching a video in the background while you work in other apps.

Normally, you can either activate PiP by tapping the PiP icon or by pressing on the Home button; if you'd prefer to only activate it by tapping PiP and have videos pause when you use the Home button, try this:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad
2. Tap General.

3. Tap Picture in Picture.
4. Tap the switch next to Start PiP Automatically to the gray/black 'off' position. Tap it again to allow picture-in-picture to start automatically.

If it's three- and four-finger gestures that are getting you down, you can turn them off from your iPad's settings.

1. Launch Settings
2. Tap Home Screen & Dock.

3. Tap Multitasking.
4. Tap the switch for Gestures to turn them to the gray/black "off" position and limit your iPad to one- and two-finger expressions.

Don't want to trigger Control Center in an app accidentally?

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Control Center.
3. Tap the switch next to Access Within Apps to toggle (gray is off).

If you don't want to be able to control various settings when your iPhone is locked, turn off Control Center on the Lock screen like this:

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Touch ID & Passcode or Face ID & Passcode depending on your device's biometric authentication method.
3. Enter your passcode.
4. Tap the switch next to Control Center under Allow Access When Locked.

Audio and information tweaks on iOS and iPadOS

Noises getting you down? Here's how to turn off (or change) most audio alerts from your iPhone or iPad.

By default, iPhones and iPads chirp at you whenever you lock, unlock, or type on them.

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Sounds & Haptics.
3. Scroll down and tap the switches next to Keyboard Clicks and Lock Sound to toggle them on or off (green is on; gray is off).

Want to make sure you can always understand the Maps app when it's giving directions? Alternatively, do you hate hearing navigation? You can set your voice preferences, from No Voice all the way to Loud Volume. Here's how:

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Maps (you'll have to scroll down a bit to find it).
3. Tap Driving & Navigation.
4. Tap an option under Navigation Voice Volume: No Voice, Low Volume, Normal Volume, or Loud Volume.

Does Siri pipe up too much for its own good? You can turn off both "Hey Siri" and audible voice feedback in Settings.

To turn off Hey Siri:

1. Launch Settings.
2. Tap Siri & Search.
3. Tap the switch next to Listen for "Hey Siri".

If you like Siri but prefer that you be the only talker in this relationship, you can also turn off Siri's voice feedback so that it only triggers when your mute switch is off or when you're connected to a Bluetooth Hands-Free stereo or headset. Here's how:

1. Launch Settings from your Home screen.
2. Tap Siri & Search.
3. Tap Voice Feedback
4. Tap either Always On, Control with Ring Switch (Siri only speaks aloud when not muted or on Bluetooth connection), or Hands-Free Only (Siri only speaks aloud when connected to Bluetooth).

Don't want to hear about the latest news or get contacts and app suggestions when you swipe down or right for the Search screen? You can turn off these options and leave your screen clutter-free.

1. Swipe right on your screen to get to Today view.
2. Swipe up to scroll down and tap the Edit button at the bottom.
3. Tap the minus button (red circle) next to Siri App Suggestions.
4. Tap Remove.