ComboCases - iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus tips and tricks

Why I see 2 different colors blue and green in iMessage texts ?

noemail@noemail.org (Combo Cases) — Tue, 10 May 2016 00:00:46 -0700

If you use an iPhone, you may have noticed something odd in the Messages app: some messages are blue and some are green. why's that ?

Short answer: blue ones have been sent or received using Apple's iMessage technology, while green ones are "traditional" text messages exchanged via Short Messaging Service, or SMS.

Does this matter? In the grand texting scheme of things, should you care whether your messages are blue or green?

Maybe yes, maybe no. Let's start by making sure you have all the necessary information. A standard SMS text message is delivered over the same voice networks used for phone calls. Back in the bad old days, carriers charged by the message (often 10-25 cents per!). Then they bundled a fixed number of messages into your calling plan, and now most of them offer unlimited messaging.

In the interim, Apple unveiled iMessage, which looks and acts like standard SMS but actually relies on data networks (cellular or Wi-Fi, whatever you're connected to). That affords two benefits: freedom from carrier rates for SMS (assuming you're paying extra for it or have a capped plan) and a wider set of messaging features.

Indeed, iMessage allows you to do things standard SMS can't, like share your location, send walkie-talkie-style voice messages, check message delivery, and even see if someone's in the process of writing you back (indicated by three dots that appear below your last message).

Ah, but here's the rub: iMessage works only with other iDevice owners. If you have an iPhone and you use the Messages app to contact an Android, BlackBerry or Windows Phone user, iOS recognizes there's no iMessage at the other end and switches (downshifts?) into SMS mode. Your indication that has happened? Green word bubbles instead of blue.

However, you may end up seeing green even if you're corresponding with another iPhone. There are three possible causes:

iMessage isn't activated on your device. (Tap Settings, Messages, then check to see if the feature is switched on. If it is, you should also activate "Send as SMS." Note that you may need to perform a one-time sign-in using your Apple ID.)
iMessage isn't activated on the recipient's device.
There's no data network available. But if your phone can still connect to a voice tower, it will default back to SMS.

So, are there times when you should opt for one messaging method over the other? Although text messages are very small, picture messages can consume a fair bit of data -- and if your service plan offers unlimited texting but limited data, you may prefer to switch off iMessage in favor of SMS.

On the flip side, if you're corresponding with fellow iPhone users but still seeing only green messages, ask them to enable iMessage at their end so you can enjoy the various benefits of the service. Many users have no idea iMessage is even a thing, and don't realize it's not enabled.

You can use Facebook Messenger share your Dropbox files with friends

noemail@noemail.org (Combo Cases) — Mon, 9 May 2016 00:00:25 -0700

Dropbox and Facebook announced Messenger users now have the ability to easily share files stored in the cloud-storage service using Facebook's messaging platform.

In order to use the new feature, make sure your Android or iOS device has the latest version of the Dropbox [Android | iOS] and Facebook Messenger [Android | iOS] applications.

With both apps updated, the next time you're in a conversation and want to send a file, tap on the "More" button (three-dot icon just above the keyboard). Find and selectDropbox from the list of services, and tap on Open. The first time you select Dropbox, you'll have to grant permission for Facebook Messenger to access your files. Once that's done, select a file you want to send and let Dropbox do its magic. A few seconds later, Messenger will open with the selected file attached to your conversation.

The recipient receiving the file can view the file in Messenger, or open it in his or her Dropbox account.

Facebook states that the feature is rolling out, so if even after updating you don't see Dropbox listed as a service, keep checking the list.

How to free up iPhone memory

noemail@noemail.org (Combo Cases) — Fri, 6 May 2016 00:00:20 -0700

iPhone acting sluggish or strange? When my iPhone feels like it's a step slow, a poor network connection is usually to blame. And in instances where a weak signal isn't the culprit, I usually power down my iPhone, give it a minute to catch its breath, and then power it back on. That maneuver usually does the trick, but I just discovered a quicker way to get my iPhone back on track.

When your Wi-Fi is rock-solid or your cellular connection is strong and your iPhone is still slow to respond, there is a quick procedure you can perform that flushes your iPhone's memory. I tried it on both my iPhone and iPad and found that while it doesn't completely or even dramatically free up memory resources, it did reduce each device's memory usage somewhat.

To free up some memory, unlock your phone and then hold down the power button until the "slide to power off" screen appears. Next, instead of sliding to power off or tapping the cancel button, press and hold the Home button for a few seconds until you are returned to the home screen. That's it, memory flushed.

What I think this maneuver really does is suspend all background app activity. After you are returned to the home screen, if you double tap the Home button, you will see that all of of your recently used apps are still listed in the app switcher carousel. When you tap to open one, however, you won't pick up where you left off as the app switcher normally does. Instead, the app reloads and starts you off fresh.

I installed a system monitor app on my iPhone and iPad to see what my memory usage looked like before and after performing this memory-flush move. What I found was that I freed up an average of 75MB of RAM on my iPad Air (out of a total 1GB of RAM) and about 50MB (out of 2GB of RAM) on my iPhone 6S. But I performed these tests when each device was operating smoothly. I tried to open and engage as many apps as possible to simulate a heavy load before each test, but I was unable to bring either device to its breaking point. While my gains in free memory were minor, perhaps they'll be greater in cases where a higher percentage of memory is active.

How to change slow motion capture speed on your iPhone

noemail@noemail.org (Combo Cases) — Thu, 5 May 2016 00:00:35 -0700

When Apple first unveiled the iPhone 6 lineup, it also added the ability to alter the speed at which the Camera app could capture slow-motion video. Previously, the iPhone 5S had been limited to capturing slow-motion at 120 frames per second (fps). But Apple doubled that speed with the iPhone 6, 6 Plus and the more recent iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.

What that means to you is the more frames per second video is captured in, the more dramatic the slow-motion effect will look when played back at the standard 30 or 60fps.

Changing between speeds isn't a straightforward process, and you're likely to set the speed once and never think about it again. Nonetheless, let's take a look at just how you can adjust the speed at which your iPhone captures slow-motion video.

Start by opening the Settings app, then scrolling down and tapping on Photos & Camera. Under the Camera section, select Record Slow-mo. There you'll find two options, 1080p HD at 120fps, or 720p HD at 240fps.

As you can see, increasing the frames per second will have an impact on the overall quality of the video you capture. Depending on how picky you are about 720p or 1080p video, you may not mind the difference and the increased slow-motion effect will be worth it. Also worth pointing out is the amount of storage each setting will take up on your device; a stat that's listed just below both options.

Tap on your preferred speed and close the Settings app. Going forward, any time you slide over to the Slo-Mo capture mode in the Camera app your video will be captured based on your preference.

How to quickly search for photos and videos on iPhone and iPad

noemail@noemail.org (Combo Cases) — Sun, 24 May 2015 13:14:00 -0700

If you have thousands of photos and videos on your iPhone or iPad, finding a particular one can be a challenge.the IOS built-in Photos app offers some incredibly useful search tools. As long as you can remember where or when a photo or video was taken, the Photos app can help narrow down your search quickly. And if you've tagged Faces in Photos for OS X, you can even search for people, too! As long as you remember something about the picture or video in question, odds are the Photos app can help you track it down.

The search feature inside the Photos app can understand certain contexts like year, faces, photos taken nearby, a specific location or place, and much more. Just keep in mind that much of this functionality depends on location information and face tagging: If you have location sharing turned off for the camera, some pictures and videos may not show up. This can also happen if you took them with a camera that didn't support location tagging, such as a DSLR.

How to search pictures and videos in Photos for iPhone and iPad

Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap on Photos or Albums in the bottom navigation.
Tap on the Search button in the top menu.
Type in a location, date range, specific place, or person's name. For example, you can type things like "nearby," a specific location (like "New York" or "Golden Gate Bridge"), or even a specific month or other time frame.
Tap on the correct search result to narrow down your results. You'll see how many photos meet the search term to the right of the search.
The Photos app will instantly take you to photos and videos tagged with that criteria.

How to Reject Calls on a Locked iPhone

noemail@noemail.org (Combo Cases) — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 12:32:00 -0700

When a call comes in on your iPhone, you may have noticed that you see a different set of options when your phone is locked, compared to the options available when it’s unlocked. While the unlocked options seem more flexible, you still have a bit of flexibility available when your device is locked.

The main difference that’s always bugged me is the lack of a “Decline” button on the locked screen. All you see are the “Slide to Answer” gesture to answer, a “Remind Me” icon, and a “Message” icon.

You can however, reject a call, even if you don’t have the “Decline” button handy. To decline a call from the lock screen, simply double tap the power button on your iPhone. (It’s the button on top of the iPhone for the 5 series devices and older, and it’s on the side for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.) Double tapping rejects the call and sends the caller to voice mail. A single tap of the power button silences the call ringer without ending the call.

You can also set a reminder or send a text message to the caller from the locked screen. To decline a call, but set a reminder so you don’t forget you received the call, tap the “Remind Me” button. You’ll then be prompted to enter a time to be reminded about the call. Press “Message,” and you can send a text message to the caller.

How to reboot Your iOS Device when it becomes unresponsive

noemail@noemail.org (Combo Cases) — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 12:26:00 -0700

While you’ll very seldom face issues that will require you to reboot your iOS device, it’s good to know the option is available to you if the need arises.If your iOS device becomes unresponsive, appears to lock up, and won’t respond to the Home Button, do the following.

Hold down the Power Button (on top of the iPad, and iPhone 5 and older devices, and on the right side of the device on iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices).
While holding down the Power Button, also press the Home Button.
Hold down these two buttons until your device’s screen clears, and a silver Apple logo appears, as seen above.
Release the buttons.
In a few moments, your iPhone or iPad lock screen will appear.
Your iOS device should now work properly.

How to reorder Today view widgets in Notification Center for iPhone and iPad

noemail@noemail.org (Combo Cases) — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 13:15:00 -0700

Notification Center lets you add handy Today view widgets so you can keep up with your most used apps in just a swipe.

How to reorder Today view widgets in Notification Center for iPhone and iPad

Swipe down from the top of your iPhone or iPad to bring up Notification Center.
Tap on the Today tab at the top if you aren't already there.
Scroll all the way to the bottom and tap on Edit.
Tap and hold the move icon to the right of the widget you'd like to move up or down. The button looks like two horizontal lines.
Once it's located in the place you'd like it, release your finger.

How to share a contact card via iMessage using the iOS Contacts app

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 00:00:00 -0700

Launch the Contacts app on your iPhone or iPad and find the contact you'd like to share. On the iPhone you can alternately use the Phone app if you'd prefer.
Now tap on Share Contact towards the bottom.
Tap on Message.
Type the name of the person you'd like to share it with and select them.
Now tap Send.

How to report iMessage spam in iOS 8.3

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 14:14:00 -0700

If you've ever received spam in the form of an iMessage, it's a good idea to report it as junk to Apple.While you've always been able to report iMessages as spam, you can now do it in a lot fewer steps if you're running iOS 8.3 or above. Reporting junk iMessages will help Apple to remove spammer accounts from their servers, making iMessage a much happier place for everyone. In order to report an iMessage as junk, just follow these steps:

How to report an iMessage as junk on iPhone and iPad

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 8.3 or newer.
Tap on Messages.
Turn On the option for Filter Unknown Senders.
Launch the Messages app.
At the very top of your messages list (you have have to pull down), tap on the Unknown Senders tab.
All messages from unknown senders appear here. Tap on the message thread you want to report as junk.
Tap on Report Junk underneath the message.
Tap on Delete and Report Junk in the popup menu.
That's it. Apple will receive a junk message report and it will automatically be removed from your device.

How to filter and disable notifications for iMessages from unknown senders

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 13:56:00 -0700

A lot of us depend on iMessage to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues. That means not every message we receive is attached to someone in our contacts. If you keep finding yourself buried in tons of iMessage threads, some less important than others, here's how to filter out messages from those you don't have saved.

How to filter out iMessages from unknown contacts

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 8.3 or higher.
Tap on Messages.
Turn On the option for Filter Unknown Senders.
In the Messages app you'll now see a tab at the top to view unknown senders.

The full features fixes list from Apple for iOS 8.3

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 11:48:00 -0700

This release includes improved performance, bug fixes, and a redesigned Emoji keyboard. Changes include:

Improved performance for:

App launch
App responsiveness
Messages
Wi-Fi
Control Center
Safari tabs
3rd-party keyboards
Keyboard shortcuts
Simplified Chinese keyboard

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth fixes

Fixes an issue where you could be continuously prompted for login credentials
Addresses an issue where some devices disconnect intermittently from Wi-Fi networks
Fixes an issue where hands-free phone calls could become disconnected
Fixes an issue where audio playback could stop working with some bluetooth speakers

Orientation and rotation fixes

Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented rotating back to portrait after having rotated to landscape
Improves performance and stability issues that occurred when rotating the device between portrait and landscape
Fixes an issue where device orientation appeared upside down after pulling the iPhone 6 Plus from your pocket
Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented apps from rotating to correct orientation after switching apps in multitasking

Messages fixes

Addresses issues that caused group messages to sometimes split
Fixes an issue that sometimes removed the ability to forward or delete individual messages
Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented a preview from appearing when taking a photo in Messages
Adds the ability to report junk messages directly from the Messages app
Adds the ability to filter out iMessages that are not sent by your contacts

Family Sharing fixes

Fixes a bug where certain apps would not launch or update on family members' devices
Fixes a bug that prevented family members from downloading certain free apps
Increased reliability for Ask to Buy notifications

CarPlay fixes

Fixes an issue where Maps could come up as a black screen
Fixes an issue where the UI could be incorrectly rotated
Fixes an issue where the keyboard could appear on the CarPlay screen when it shouldn't

Enterprise fixes

Improves reliability of installing and updating enterprise apps
Corrects the time zone of Calendar events created in IBM Notes
Fixes a problem that could cause web clip icons to become generic after restarting
Improves reliability of saving the password for a web proxy
Exchange out-of-office message can now be edited separately for external replies
Improves recovery of Exchange accounts from temporary connection problems
Improves compatibility of VPN and web proxy solutions
Allows use of physical keyboards to log into Safari web sheets, such as for joining a public Wi-Fi network
Fixes an issue that caused Exchange meetings with long notes to be truncated

Accessibility fixes

Fixes an issue where using the back button in Safari causes VoiceOver gestures to not respond
Fixes an issue where VoiceOver focus becomes unreliable in draft Mail messages
Fixes an issue where Braille Screen Input cannot be used to type text in forms on webpages
Fixes an issue where toggling Quick Nav on a Braille Display announces that Quick Nav is off
Fixes an issue keeping app icons from being moveable on home screen when VoiceOver is enabled
Fixes an issue in Speak Screen where speech will not start again after pausing

Other improvements and bug fixes

Introduces a redesigned Emoji keyboard with over 300 new characters
iCloud Photo Library has been optimized to work with the new Photos app on OS X 10.10.3 and is now out of beta
Improves the pronunciation of street names during turn-by-turn navigation in Maps
Includes support for Baum VarioUltra 20 and VarioUltra 40 braille displays
Improves the display of Spotlight results when Reduce Transparency is turned on
Adds Italic and Underline format options for iPhone 6 Plus landscape keyboard
Adds the ability to remove shipping and billing addresses used with Apple Pay
Additional language and country support for Siri: English (India, New Zealand), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Netherlands), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Turkey)
Additional dictation languages: Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and Hebrew (Israel)
Improves stability for Phone, Mail, Bluetooth connectivity, Photos, Safari tabs, Settings, Weather and Genius Playlists in Music
Addresses an issue where Slide to Unlock could fail to work on certain devices
Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented swiping to answer a phone call on the Lock screen
Addresses an issue that prevented opening links in Safari PDFs
Fixes an issue where selecting Clear History and Website Data in Safari Settings did not clear all data
Fixes an issue that prevented autocorrecting "FYI"
Addresses an issue where contextual predictions did not appear in Quick Reply
Fixes an issue where Maps did not enter night mode from hybrid mode
Resolves an issue that prevented initiating FaceTime calls from a browser or 3rd-party app using FaceTime URLs
Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented photos from properly exporting to Digital Camera Image folders on Windows
Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented an iPad backup from completing with iTunes
Fixes an issue that could cause Podcast downloads to stall when switching from Wi-Fi to cellular networks
Fixes an issue where remaining time on timer would sometimes incorrectly display as 00:00 on Lock screen
Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented adjusting call volume
Fixes an issue that caused the status bar to sometimes appear when it shouldn't

How to share and accept an event on iPhone and iPad Calendar

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 11:37:00 -0700

How to share an event on iPhone and iPad

Launch the Calendar app on your iPhone or iPad.
Either create a new event or tap an existing event that you'd like to share.
Tap on the Edit button in the upper right hand corner.
Tap on Invitees.
Add all the email addresses of the people you'd like to share the event with.
Repeat the process for each person you'd like to invite.
Tap Invitees in the top left when you're done in order to return to the previous screen.
Tap the Done button in the upper right hand corner.

How to accept an event invitation on iPhone and iPad

Launch the Calendar app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap on the Inbox button in the lower right hand corner.
Tap Accept to add the event to your calendar. Tap Decline or Maybe to refuse the invitation or wait so you can decide later.

The new function in iOS 8.3

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 11:28:00 -0700

1. Get creative with emoji

You've no doubt already heard that iOS 8.3 comes with a bucket-load of new emoji symbols for you to play around with. As well as a more ethnically diverse set of characters you also get new additions such as an Apple Watch and more flags. To find the extra faces, open up the emoji panel on the keyboard (via the smiley) then press and hold on an icon.

2. Make calls over Wi-Fi

Update your iPhone to iOS 8.3 and you gain the superpower of being able to switch seamlessly between Wi-Fi and cellular networks for your calls—provided you're on a compatible network. The trick works with EE in the UK and Sprint and T-Mobile in the US, and you can activate it by heading to the Wi-Fi Calls entry in the Phone section of Settings.

3. Use Google's two-factor authentication easily

Apps and platforms that don't support Google's two-factor authentication require an app-specific password, which means another step to navigate. In iOS 8.3, when you add a Google account through Mail, Contacts, Calendars in Settings, you'll be prompted for a standard verification code instead of a password, making the process more straightforward.

4. Connect to CarPlay wirelessly

If you're the earliest of early adopters then you'll be pleased to know that iOS 8.3 supports CarPlay wirelessly—in other words, there's no need to connect your phone or tablet up to a head unit with a Lightning cable. To set it up you need to start from the car side by pressing and holding the voice control button on your dashboard.

5. Filter out iMessage spam

As anyone with your Apple ID email address can hit you up with an iMessage, you might occasionally get communications from people you don't know, but iOS 8.3 helps you filter these out more easily. Go to Settings, Messages and then tap Filter Unknown Senders to create a new section in Messages that makes it easier to see and report spam.

6. Make speakerphone calls with Siri

Perhaps you didn't know that launching speakerphone calls with Siri was previously impossible—but now it most certainly is an option. If you ask Apple's helpful digital assistant to call someone "on speaker" then the speakerphone is used, and it can come in handy on the move, in meetings, in your car, and various other places where hands-free is preferable.

7. Download free apps without entering your password

Having to enter your password every time you install an app is great from a security standpoint but a bit of a hassle when you're working on an apps round-up or something similar. You can now set the App Store to never ask you for a password for free downloads: from Settingschoose iTunes & App Store then Password Settings. If you have restrictions enabled (viaGeneral, Restrictions) then it appears on that screen instead. The option isn't available if you use Touch ID.

How to add an email account on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Fri, 3 Apr 2015 12:18:00 -0700

Learn how to add one or more of your email accounts in Mail on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Add an email account on your iOS device

Tap Settings.
Scroll down and tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
Tap Add Account.
Select your email provider. If you don't see your email provider listed, tap Other > Add Mail Account.
Provide the required information to finish adding your account.

If you use a common email provider, your device will load your email settings automatically. If your device doesn't load these settings and you don't know them, contact your email provider and ask for this information:

My Email settings

My email address: My email provider:

Incoming Mail Server Settings

Account type (POP or IMAP): Incoming Mail Server: User Name: Password: Incoming server port number:
Incoming server supports SSL? (yes or no):

Outgoing Mail Server Settings

Outgoing mail server: User name: Password: Outgoing server port: Outgoing server supports SSL? (yes or no):

How to Share content with AirDrop from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Fri, 3 Apr 2015 12:13:00 -0700

With AirDrop, you can share photos, videos, websites, locations, and more with people nearby with an Apple device.

What you need

To share content with AirDrop, both people need one of these devices using iOS 7 or later, or a Mac with OS X Yosemite:

iPhone 5 or later
iPad (4th generation or later)
iPad mini
iPod touch (5th generation)

You also need to turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. If you want to share with your contacts, sign in to your iCloud account.

Turn on AirDrop

Use Control Center to turn AirDrop on or off and control whom you can share content with.

Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to show Control Center.
Tap AirDrop.
Choose one of these options:
- Off: Turns off AirDrop.
- Contacts Only: Only your contacts can see your device.
- Everyone: All nearby iOS devices using AirDrop can see your device.

Share content

You can share content from apps such as Photos, Safari, Contacts, and more.

Tap the content you want to share.
Tap Share or .
Depending on the app, you might be able to select other items you want to share.
Tap the name of a nearby AirDrop user or the Apple device. If you're sharing Contacts Only and can't find a nearby user, check that both of you are signed in to an iCloud account. If you still can't find a nearby user, consider setting AirDrop to Everyone. You might also need to turn off Personal Hotspot on one or both devices.

The other user will receive an alert with a preview of the content you want to share, and can either accept or decline. If the other user accepts, they'll get the content in the app you sent it from. For example, photos will appear in the Photos app and websites will open in Safari.

How to use Parental Controls in iTunes to set content restrictions

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Wed, 1 Apr 2015 15:58:00 -0700

Using parental controls, you can restrict explicit content from displaying in the iTunes Store. You can also disable podcasts, radio content, the iTunes Store, and shared music so that these items don't appear on the left side of the iTunes window.

Set parental controls

You can find parental controls in iTunes preferences on your computer. To get there, follow these steps:

Open iTunes and go to iTunes > Preferences (Mac) or Edit > Preferences (PC).
Click the Parental tab.

On the Parental tab, use the checkboxes to disable and restrict items from the iTunes store. You can also set rating levels for music, movies, TV shows, and apps using the menus to the right of these items.

If you want to prevent other people from making changes to your parental controls, click the lock icon and enter the administrator password for your computer. You'll use this password anytime you want to make changes to parental controls.

Click OK to save your changes.

How to use iPhone, iPad and iPod Parental Controls ?

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Wed, 1 Apr 2015 15:54:00 -0700

You can limit what content your children have access to via Parental Controls (also know as Restrictions on an IOS device). This allows you to block explicit content, restrict content, restrict which movie your children have access to based on their rating, and more.

To enable Restrictions on IOS device, go to Setting, then General, and then Restrictions. You can choose to :

Restrict access to many different types of actions, such as using iTune, downloading apps, downloading In-App Purchases, and more.
Restrict access to specific content type such as movies and apps.
Restrict access to specific TV shows, and apps based on their rating.
Restrict explicit music and podcasts from displaying in the iTunes store.
Change settings so that a password is required at every download instead of every 15 minutes.

Turn on Restrictions

You can turn on and adjust Restrictions on your device by following these steps.

Tap Settings > General.
Tap Restrictions.
Tap Enable Restrictions and enter a passcode. You'll need the passcode to change your settings or turn off Restrictions.

The hidden features from iOS 8 on your iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 12:41:00 -0700

Snapchat-Like photos and videos You can now send instant self-destructing videos, audio clips and pictures to your contacts via iMessage, not unlike Snapchat. To send a picture, go to your message window and tap and hold the camera icon on the left hand side. A small circular window will emerge, allowing you take a quick snap. A word of warning: once the picture or video has been shot, it will send immediately, there is no confirmation or edit screen, so make sure you don’t test this one while sitting on the toilet.
Mute individual people If you don’t want to mute your entire phone but there’s someone constantly texting you, you can now mute individual people from your contact list. Open their message window, select details in the top right corner and then swipe the Do Not Disturb button. You will no longer be notified of their messages until you turn Do Not Disturb off.
Siri Shazam Siri’s power continues to grow in iOS 8 thanks to its recent marriage with Shazam, a music identification service. Hold down your home button to activate Siri and say “Siri, what song is this?” wait for it to say “Let me listen” then hold your device up to the song that you’re trying to identify. This service is surprisingly accurate.
Share your location If you’ve arranged to meet a friend somewhere, don’t bother trying to explain where you are, show them. iOS 8 comes with the ability to share your exact location. Tap Details in the top right of your message window and select Send My Current Location. The recipient will get a snapshot of your current whereabouts. If you’d like to share your location that updates as you move, select Share My Location instead.
Automatically send last location of phone before it dies If you misplace your iPhone, Find My iPhone will use your device’s GPS to pinpoint its exact location. However, your phone will need some power for this feature to work. A good way to combat the power issue is to tell your phone to broadcast its last location right before the battery dies. Turn this on by going to Settings > iCloud > Find My iPhone.

How to stop Facebook from automatically playing videos on your iPhone ?

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 12:35:00 -0700

Launch the Facebook app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap on More in the bottom navigation.
Tap on Settings, it's all the way towards the bottom.
Tap on Videos and Photos.
Tap on Auto-play.
Tap on Never Play Videos Automatically.

Google has just announced the Google Calendar is available for download in the App Store.

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 12:20:00 -0700

While there are tons of calendar options available currently in the App Store, there are tons of users who have been patiently waiting for the official Google Calendar to finally be available. Like its Android counterpart, Google Calendar for iOS will allow events to be created right from Gmail, offers various assists to speed up the process of entering events, and has a great schedule view. The features aren't the only thing Google brought over from the Android version, they have also copied the Material Design language of the application over as well.

In addition to viewing your Google calendar this application will work with any calendars that you happen to have set up on your device, like as an iCloud account. The download is available now so be sure to check it out and let us know what you think of it.

Free iTune download link - Download Now

Apple Watch Launches April 24 2015, pre-orders starting on April 10

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Mon, 9 Mar 2015 14:29:00 -0700

Apple announced on Monday that the Apple Watch will be available in nine countries beginning April 24, with pre-orders starting on April 10. The first wave launch countries include the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom. Apple Watch will be available for purchase by reservation at Apple Stores, online and at select authorized resellers in China and Japan.

“Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology and we think our customers are going to love it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We can’t wait for people to start wearing Apple Watch to easily access information that matters, to interact with the world, and to live a better day by being more aware of their daily activity than ever before.”

Apple Watch Sport will cost $349 for the 38mm model and $399 for the 42mm model, the stainless steel Apple Watch will range between $549 to $1099, and the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition will cost between $10,000 to $17,000. Customers will be able to preview and try on the Apple Watch by booking an appointment at the Apple Store, or by visiting Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Isetan in Tokyo or Selfridges in London after April 10.

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced during the "Spring Forward" media event that the Apple Watch will have 18 hours of battery life on a single charge. Bands will retail for between $49 and $449, with additional magnetic chargers costing $29 for a 1-meter cable and $39 for a 2-meter cable. A new bands and accessories page on the Apple Online Store lists all of the available add-ons for Apple Watch.

Apple to Release iOS 8.2 Today With Support for Upcoming Apple Watch

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Mon, 9 Mar 2015 14:10:00 -0700

During its big "Spring Forward" Apple Watch event, Apple announced that it will release iOS 8.2 to the public today, with support for the upcoming Apple Watch and a range of bug fixes. iOS 8.2 was first seeded to developers along with the WatchKit SDK back in November, allowing them to begin preparing apps for the device.

iOS 8.2 is available today as an over-the-air download.

Apple is already working on the next update to iOS, iOS 8.3, and iOS 8.4 is also said to be in the works.

Too lazy to read ? Let iPhone or iPad read to you.

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Fri, 6 Mar 2015 11:57:00 -0800

One of the great function in IOS 8 is a speech function that can read the content of the screen. So if you want tot give a break to your eyes. turn on the speech function, let your iPhone or iPad read to you.

follow the following steps to turn on the speech function :

1. select "SETTING"

2. select "GENERAL"

3. select "ACCESSIBILITY"

4. select "SPEECH"

5. turn on the "SPEAK SCREEN" function (hit the button, it will turn to green color to turn on the function)

6. select "VIOICE" to slecet the language

7. adjust the "SPEAKING RATE" for the speak speed

Now the Speech function is ready to use.

All you need to do is opne the content that you want iPhone or iPad read to you, then swipe down with 2 fingers from the top of the screen to hear the content of the screen

How to view recent Apple Pay transactions with Passbook

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 10:47:00 -0800

Launch the Passbook app on your iPhone or iPad that you use Apple Pay with.
Tap on the card you'd like to view recent transactions for.
Any recent transactions should appear directly underneath the card.
Tap the Info button in the bottom right corner of any card to view more transactions.

How to setup Touch ID for the Lock screen

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 09:42:00 -0800

1. Launch the Settings app from your Home screen.

2. Scroll down and tap on Touch ID & Passcode.

3, Enter your passcode if prompted.

4. Under the Use Touch ID For section, turn On the option for iPhone Unlock.

If you’ve never used Touch ID before, iOS will take you through the fingerprint setup process. If you have, your existing fingerprints will once again be enabled.

How to turn on week numbers in Calendar for iPhone and iPad

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 16:57:00 -0800

The built-in Calendar app on your iPhone and iPad has a few extra add-on features that you can enable if you choose. Week numbers is one of them and lets you easily view what week number of the year it currently is and what week any date falls on, which is much easier than counting weeks manually!

How to turn on week numbers in Calendar for iPhone and iPad

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars.

3. Turn On the option for Week Numbers, which can be found under the Calendars subsection.

How to Use Ask to Buy in iOS 8 Family Sharing

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 10:31:00 -0800

One feature of iOS 8 Family Sharing is the ability to set up child accounts. The kids can then use the family credit card to purchase apps, music, videos, and books for their device. But rather than just giving them free reign, you can set up “Ask to Buy” on their account. This will require that they ask a parent or guardian for permission to purchase. The parent can then approve or deny the purchase. Here is how to set up “Ask to Buy” in iOS 8.

1. The easiest way to set up “Ask to Buy” is to enable it when you create their account in Family Sharing. If they already have an account, you’ll need to connect it to your family. Open Settings > iCloud > Family amd tap Add Family Member

2. Enter the email address associated with their Apple account

3. Have them enter their password to connect their account to your family, or wait for them to accept the invitation

4. They will be added with full access, so you’ll need to tap on their name to set up Ask To Buy.

5. Slide the Ask To Buy slider to the right so it’s green.

6. Now when that child tries to purchase something, he is told he must ask to purchase it. This is true even for free purchases, shared media, and updates to existing apps.

7. You and any ot her approved parent or guardian will then get a notification asking to purchase the app. Tap on the approve button to approve the purchase or Decline to deny it.

If you approve the purchase, it will begin downloading on the child’s device. They can use the app when it’s done. That app (or song, video, tv show, or book) will then show up in their purchased section of the iTunes store

You can unlock your iPhone for free on any carrier starting this week

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 09:49:00 -0800

Last summer, President Obama signed the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act into law. This made it legal for consumers to unlock their cell phones, but until now, carriers haven’t been required to sell unlocked phones or honor unlock requests (although most did anyway).

That’s going to change on February 11th.

Starting later this week, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular will have no choice but to unlock your phone if you ask them to (under a certain set of conditions). If you want to see the full unlocking policy for each carrier, you can check the links below:

AT&T
Verizon
Sprint
T-Mobile
U.S. Cellular

In order to have a carrier unlock your phone, you’ll need to be either paid off in full or have completed your contract term. So if you’re in the middle of paying off installments or just a few months into your 2-year contract, the carrier doesn’t have to oblige.

One important exception to the new law: any Sprint handsets sold before February can only be internationally unlocked, but will still be locked from activation on any domestic carriers.

How to Use iOS 8 Spotlight Search

noemail@noemail.org (Victor Hung) — Mon, 9 Feb 2015 09:24:00 -0800

With the iOS 8 Spotlight tool you can search more than just your iPhone or iPad. You can now search the web, iTunes, the App Store. You can also get movie showtimes, find nearby locations, and more. Here’s how to configure your iOS 8 Spotlight and use it to search for all kinds of things.

1. Go to Settings > General > Spotlight Search.

2. Check the items you want included in your results. Tap them once to remove the check mark if you don’t want them included

3. Grab the hamburger icon (on the right) to move the items to a different order

4. To open Spotlight search, swipe down from the middle of the screen when you’re not in an app

5. Type in what you want to search for.

You will get results from Music, Events, and your mail. As well as Wikipedia, the App Store, and the web.

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Apple Watch Launches April 24 2015, pre-orders starting on April 10

Apple to Release iOS 8.2 Today With Support for Upcoming Apple Watch

Too lazy to read ? Let iPhone or iPad read to you.

How to view recent Apple Pay transactions with Passbook

How to setup Touch ID for the Lock screen

How to turn on week numbers in Calendar for iPhone and iPad

How to Use Ask to Buy in iOS 8 Family Sharing

You can unlock your iPhone for free on any carrier starting this week

How to Use iOS 8 Spotlight Search