iOS TIP: Swipe to Type

We’re always looking for a little more efficiency in life and sometimes we don’t notice the subtle changes Apple makes to help us along the way. If you’ve kept your iPhone updated you may have noticed a little something-something has been added to your keyboard. It’s been a long time coming, yes, I complained a little that Apple’s iOS was sooooo behind on this feature that has been around on other phone operating systems for a while, but alas the patience has paid off. So while you’re holding that reusable coffee cup in your left hand you can now swipe-to-type on your iPhone in the other hand, or the other way around, coffee in the right and phone in the left. How you ask? Well, if you’ve updated to the latest iOS 13 there’s no need to enable anything as the update would have automatically enabled it by default.

Image by Jéshoots from www.pexels.com

HOW TO DO IT?

To begin swiping-to-type, just place your finger (or thumb) on your keyboard screen and swipe it across the letters of the word you want to type. For example, for the word “Okay,” all you have to do is drag your finger/thumb over the respective letters in order “O-K-A-Y” and the keyboard will predict the word you’re trying to input.

We hope you enjoy this nifty iOS 13 feature as much as us!

iOS TIP: How to change the language of an app

If you’re like me and find learning a new language is easier when you integrate it into everyday things (ie. purposefully changing the language of my phone) then this little genius tip might be great for you! Instead of changing the whole language on your iPhone, you can change the language only for a particular app.

HERE’S HOW!

Go to Settings > Tap on an App > Tap on Language > VOILA!

Please Note: Not all apps may have this function.

iOS TIP: Sorry running late! How to share your ETA

Here’s a quick iOS TIP for you in case you’re running a little late and you have friends who want to know how far away you are.

Open APPLE MAPS > Input your destination > Directions > GO > Tap on the bottom anchor which shows the ARRIVAL/MIN/KM > Tap on Share ETA > Select the contact you want to share it to.

iOS Tip: How to stop your kids from trying to hack Screen Time

Let’s be honest here, as much as we want to have some semblance of parental control over what kids do on their iPhones, iPads or iPods they somehow have the knack of finding loopholes. Well, it’s time to fight back! Kidding…somewhat. But here are 3 loopholes that some smart alec kids have been able to find to bypass Apple’s Screen Time parental control feature and also their SOLUTIONS!

Photo by David Grandmougin on Unsplash

BYPASSING SCREEN TIME BY CHANGING THE TIMEZONE…

1. High-five the child for such a genius hack then take their phone off them

2. Disable Screen Time on their phone

3. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time > Enable “Set Automatically”

4. Enable Screen Time again and make sure you set the 4-digit Pass Code (remember it and hide it from the kids!)

5. Turn on “Content & Privacy Restrictions”

6. Go down and tap on “Location Services”

7. At the bottom you’ll see “System Services”

8. Enable “Setting Time Zone” and then go back

9. At the top of the “Location Services” screen, toggle on “Don’t Allow Changes” - This should grey out the options in System Services and “Setting Time Zone”

10. Now in Settings > General > Date & Time everything should be greyed out and the kid won’t be able to change anything!

MY KID CAN STILL USE THE APP EVEN THOUGH I’VE SET APP LIMITS!

This one is simple. One little switch makes the difference!

1. On their phone go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit

2. Select a Category or individual App

3. Set the time limit and now make sure you enable “Block at End of Limit”

4. Done!

THEY’RE WATCHING YOUTUBE VIDEOS THROUGH THE iMESSAGE WIDGET!

What a little genius, but such genius must be squashed…

1. Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restriction > Enter Passcode > Web Content

2. Tick “Limit Adult Websites”

3. Under “NEVER ALLOW” add this web address - https://www.youtube.com - NO MISTAKES! COPY IT EXACTLY OR IT WON’T WORK!

4. You may also want to remove the iMessage app from the “Always Allowed” list…

5. Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed > Remove it from the Allowed Apps by tapping on the red circle with the minus sign in the middle

iOS Quick Tip: Undo/Redo

Here’s a quick tip from Apple if you’ve made a mistake in Notes or in iMessages, etc. With three fingers, swipe left to UNDO. Swipe right if your want to REDO.

iOS Quick Tip: Scroll Bar

If you’ve updated to the new iOS you might’ve noticed a new scroll bar while navigating through a page in Safari. Not only is it useful for seeing where you are on a page you can now use it to scroll faster! Have a crack at it by normally scrolling through a page, then tap and hold the scroll bar on the right and drag it up or down to scroll through the page. Also the faster you move the scroll bar the faster you will scroll through the page!

Your iPhone can help you in an emergency!

It’s hard to dial an emergency number in an emergency! But there is actually a quick way to make an SOS call on your iPhone. Here’s how you do it…

Access SOS on your iPhone by pressing and holding down the side button and either volume button. Your iPhone will then contact emergency services and also send a message to your emergency contacts in your Medical ID and Health app.

iOS Quick Tip: It's all about that Battery Health

Once again, Apple is working on our iPhone battery woes! Now that iOS 13 is a little more ironed out with a few multiple updates to fix a few bugs, let’s talk about the changes they’ve made to help us with Battery Life.

We all get a little confused when it comes to charging our phone overnight, but look, you’re not going to overload your phone while your sleep and charge. So Apple has done this thing with your trickle-charging. Usually once our batteries charge to 100% it switches to trickle charging. What is trickle charging, you ask? Well, let’s ask Siri…

Hey Siri…

What’s trickle charging?

Using it’s AI magic your iPhone will learn your routine. Yes, your iPhone is stalking you, but it’s for the good of your battery! It will set up a routine of only charging your iPhone to 80%, switch to trickle charging, and then by learning your wake up time, it will charge up to 100% just as you wake and hit snooze.

Here’s how to activate it…

Settings > Battery > Battery Health > Turn ON Optimised Battery Charging.

iOS Quick Tip: Going Dark

iOS 13 is here and so is Dark Mode! You can switch from Light to Dark Mode straight away, automatically or schedule it. To set this go to Settings > Display and Brightness.

iOS 13: A Whole New Look On A Whole New Level

iOS 13 is finally here! Are you ready to experience a new level on your iPhone? Check out some of these features that you will find in iOS 13…

1. Dark Mode - See your iPhone in a new light! Dark Mode is finally here, designed to make screen viewing a little easier on your eyes. You can simply turn it on in your Control Centre or have it automatically turn on at night.

2. Portrait Mode - Yes, there’s new updates to make your portrait photos even more beautiful. The new update allows you to have more control over your light intensity with the new Portrait Lighting controls. You’ll also be able to create beautiful black-and-white portraits with the new High-Key Mono filter in Portrait Mode.

3. New tabs in Moments - A new way of organising your special moments into days, months and years.

4. New powerful editing tools for Photos and Video - Refine your photos a videos further with new and updated editing features. Need to rotate a video? You can finally do it with iOS 13!

5. Privacy and Security - Apple has always taken its Privacy and Security seriously so be prepared for a few upgrades here. One of the biggest updates is the introduction of "Sign In With Apple” which simplifies the way you can sign in to apps and websites with your privacy in mind.

These are only a few of the many new things in iOS 13. You can find out more here on Apple’s website. Don’t forget to make sure your phone is backed up before the update. Not sure if it is or how to? Go to your Settings > ‘Your Name’ > iCloud > iCloud Backup - check that this is on.