10 Things to look forward to in Apple’s iOS 12!

As you may have already heard Apple will be releasing iOS 12 soon. Here are 10 features to be looking forward to in the upcoming update…

1. Turn yourself into an animated emoji! (for iPhone X) You saw Apple introduce Animojis in it’s last update, but now you can create a personal animated emoji called Memoji!

2. Group FaceTime. Finally! You’ll be able to FaceTime multiple people at once. The new update will be able to support 32 people in one FaceTime call.

3 Siri just got smarter. Siri will also be seeing a significant update in iOS 12. She’ll be able to answer a larger variety of questions, even about famous people, and is integrated with more third-party apps.

4. Screen Time. This new feature is part of the comprehensive set of time management and focus tools in the new update. This feature provides repost on your weekly activities based off how you use your device. This includes how much time you spend with individuals apps, how often you pick up your phone and the duration you spend on your iPhone or iPad. You can also set a time limit on specific apps as part of the new Parental Controls.

The iOS 12 update introduces a comprehensive set of built-in features designed to help you focus, limit distraction, monitor your iOS device usage, and get a better understanding on how you're using your time throughout the day. (Source: MacRumours)

5. Do Not Disturb. There are two new updates to Apple’s Do Not Disturb feature. There will be one for bedtime, allowing you to turn off notifications at night, only being able to see the time, and you can also control it’s ending time. You will also be able to control the duration of Do Not Disturb while at a particular location or in a meeting.

6. Grouped Notifications. This feature has been added into the new update to make viewing and managing notifications from a single app easier.

7. Improved Privacy and Security. One of the new features you’ll be seeing in iOS 12 is strong password suggestions. It’ll also be able to let you know if your password is weak or strong.

8. Multiple Faces in Face ID (for iPhone X). An update that you may have not heard is the ability to “Set Up An Alternative Appearance.” This may be for people who may want more than one face to unlock a phone, like a couple who shares their phone perhaps?

9. Face ID Rescanning (for iPhone X). If you’re like me and sometimes get frustrated when the Face ID doesn’t recognise your face straight away, there fore having to lock and then unlock your phone again to rescan, the new update takes this issue away. Instead, to re-initiate the scan, your just have to swipe up from the bottom of the phone.

10. Battery Info. Finally, after much beta testing, the new iOS 12 will see a more comprehensive way of viewing your battery’s information. With a detailed usage chart you’ll be able to see usage data from the last 24 hours or the last 10 days.

So with these updates coming soon to your iDevice, I hope you’re just as excited as we are. These are just the few features coming soon as there is plenty more!

You can preview more of iOS 12's features on Apple's website.

What is AR?

With the latest iOS updates coming out from Apple you may have heard the term AR being thrown around. Many App developers are taking advantage of Apple's move towards AR improvements to make apps more interactive and immersive.

AR vs VR

AR is different from VR. In the instance of Virtual Reality, a headset or visual device is used to immerse you in a virtual/digital environment, whereas AR blends both the digital and real world.

Samuel Zeller

What is AR? Short for "Augmented Reality" it brings the digital world into the real world through the lens of your iDevice. Many Apple app developers are starting to take advantage of AR to make their applications more immersive and interactive. You would've seen this feature in the Pokémon Go app, which took the world by storm! Popular social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram have now also integrated AR features for their users to have more fun. The AR feature is also a great tool for businesses like Ikea who have recently released their Ikea Place app, which allows you to place their products into your living space to have a 'preview' of what it would look like.

Here's a video from the good folk of Mashable explaining AR a little further.

Free up space on your iPhone

Don't you just hate it when you're taking a photo or mid-recording a video on your iPhone and you get the little pop-up that tells you you've run out of storage? Well, here's a few space-saving tips for you...

1. Update your iOS

   • Since the iOS 10 update in March 2017 Apple introduced a new file structuring system. This new update assisted in freeing up a decent amount of space on iPhones.
   • If you haven't updated yet, open Settings > General > Software Update and then follow the prompts.
   • Don't forget to make sure your device is backed up!

2. Delete Apps you don't need

   • Let's be honest, we can be a little bit app happy and hoard apps that we no longer use, so it's time to let go of them and you'll be surprised how much space you might actually free up from deleting them.
   • To delete an app, tap and hold on the icon until all the icons start jiggling (edit mode), then tap on the 'X' on the left hand corner of the app icon to delete it.

3. Remove the Pre-installed Apps you don't use

   • If you've got the latest iOS 10 then you'll see that you're able to actually delete some of the apps that come preinstalled on your device - ie. Stocks, FaceTime, Mail.
   • For more info on this checkout this article by MacWorld.

4. Find out what Apps are taking up space

   • Something really useful is to delete the apps that are taking up most of your space.
   • To do this go to Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage > Manage Storage and you will see all your apps and how much storage they are taking up.

5. Clear up your messages!

   • You'd be quite surprised how much storage Messages can take up, especially the really old messages you've received with attached photos or videos.
   • If you're not too attached to your Messages and can't be bothered going through each chat to delete messages one-by-one here's how you can completely purge your Messages - Settings > Messages > Message History > Keep Messages then select a time option, then tap on Delete.

There are many other ways you can free up space on your device, but hopefully these tips will help you out!

Photo by Jeff Sheldon on Unsplash

The Rock + Siri = Life Goals

Who knew that Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Siri would make quite the epic pair! With iOS 11 on it's way we're going to be seeing quite a few significant improvements to Apple's Siri. Some of these include a much more natural voice for Siri (both male and female), an option to type to Siri instead of asking out loud, to save you from embarrassment, and giving better intuitive suggestions based off Siri observing your interests as you use your phone. But first let's just bask in the awesomeness which is that of The Rock fulfilling his life goals with Siri in hand!

You can find out more about what Siri can do for you here.

Sharing WiFi with your friends has only gotten easier!

Are you as excited for the release of iOS 11 as I am? Well, with the upcoming new iOS Apple has made it easier for you to share your WiFi details. No need for pulling out a card, a notebook or that scrap receipt with your password scribbled on the back to share your passwords with your friends. With iOS 11 you can now automatically send passwords to nearby devices - ie. an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, etc. Those who have iOS 11 on their devices can simply join your WiFi network through one simple tap too! No need to tap out the long complicated passwords on your friend's phones!

You can see it in action here with this article from 9-to-5Mac.

With a the new iOS 11 coming out, don't forget to backup your iPhone or iPad as well! If you can't remember how to backup manually just follow this link to one of our previous posts on how to backup your iDevice manually to your computer.

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New Apple Goodies!

Did you manage to catch Apple's Special Event this week online at their World Wide Developers Conference? No need to have the feeling of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) as you can watch the whole presentation on their site here.

Image: Apple

To put it in a nutshell for you, here are the new things that Apple announced at the latest WWDC.

1. The all-new 10.5-inch iPad Pro
2. The new iOS 11 coming soon to your iDevice packed with new features!
3. Finally a significant upgrade to the iMac range as well as the new iMac Pro
4. A new OS X coming soon called MacOS High Sierra
5. An update to Apple Watch's OS to watchOS 4
6. A newly redesigned App Store
7. Introducing a new housemate, the HomePod, a high quality speaker and AI for your home or office.

Stay tuned to our blog to learn more about the new things coming out of Apple by following and liking us on Facebook!

Don't Let Your iPhone or iPad Ruin Your Sleep

It has become a natural habit for many of us to look at our iPhone or iPads while lying down in bed. I'm sure you've heard it before, but such a habit can really disrupt our sleep pattern because of the light that our devices emit. So, you might find yourself taking a little bit longer to fall asleep and also to stay asleep.

To combat this issue Apple actually provides an option called 'Night Shift.' It was introduced when iOS 9.3 was released, but not many actually know about it!

What Does Night Shift Do? Night Shift allows you to automatically or manually adjust the colour of your screen from the cool blue that it normally emits to a warmer yellow tone. This warmer tone actually helps you sleep better!

Here's how you can automatically switch Night Shift on from your Lock Screen using the Control Centre...

1. Swipe up from the edge of your screen while on your Lock Screen to bring up the Control Centre.
2. Tap the Night Shift button in the centre and you will see the temperature of your screen change when it is on.

You can also manually enable, set a custom schedule and adjust the colour settings of Night Shift via Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift.

Did you know that Night Shift is also available on Mac? Learn how to set it up here!

Take Better Photos With Your iPhone 7!

Look what Apple has given to its iPhone 7 users! Recently Apple released a playlist of video tips on how to take better photos with your iPhone. Starting from the basics, the videos guide you from learning how to take a great selfie to taking an awesome action shot!

When the iPhone 7 was released it was rated one of the top smartphone cameras, even by professional photographers. Having a wider colour range, an improved lens (with a physical zoom!) and sensor for low light situations, photos from the iPhone 7 are sure to turn out great, and greater when you know how to take them! Also for the more tech savy, the RAW option makes it much more flexible for you to capture higher-resolution photos and edit them.

So check out the iPhone 7 Photography video playlist by Apple here and take better pictures with your iPhone!

What Is Ransomware & How To Protect Yourself From It

As previously mentioned in our article on “2 Easy Steps To Keep Your Device Up To Date With Security” there’s a lot of bad stuff happening in the cyber-world with a current Ransomware called WannaCry. But what exactly is Ransomware? Here’s what ransomware is and how you can deal with it and avoid it…

What Is Ransomware? In a nutshell Ransomware comes in two forms. The first is where all your data becomes ENCRYPTED and then a pop-up will occur asking for payment to decrypt your data. This is one of the most popular forms of Ransomware, but rarely has it affected Apple. The second form is when you are LOCKED out of your device and a pop-up notification can appear asking again for payment to have your device unlocked. This form of ransomware has personally happened to me, but lucky enough I was able to recognise it and deal with it.

How Do I Deal With Ransomware? When hit with a Ransomware attack there’s no blaming a person for panicking. It can be quite overwhelming and also invasive. There are quite a few simple steps though into dealing with it.

1. Always have a back up - I cannot stress enough how important it is to always back up your iPhone, iPad or Macbook! It’s as simple as backing up your iPhone/iPad to iCloud or to your computer via iTunes. For you MacBook users you can easily go out and buy an external hard drive and set it up with Time Machine.
2. Change your passwords - Log in to your AppleID account and change your password. Majority of the time this is the case in Ransomware attacks where your account has been compromised.

When my iPhone was affected by Ransomware the first thing I did was log on to my AppleID account, reset my password and then restored my phone from a previous backup.

How Do I Avoid Ransomware? As my father taught me, it’s always better to prevent than to find a cure. Here are a few simple things you can do to avoid getting caught up in a

1. Keep your devices updated - Apple has always been on the ball with keeping its security up to date so it always good to make sure your iOS and OS X are always updated.
2. Read before you click! - Sometimes the easiest way to be affected is via email by clicking on random links, or by clicking on random pop-ups in your browser. If you do get a window pop-up that you don’t recognise simply shut it down. Not by clicking on the red ‘X’ in the top left hand corner though, but by pressing COMMAND + ‘W’ because sometimes the window itself can have an ‘invisible link’ or a fake ‘x.’ These cyber buggers are tricky like that!
3. Try to avoid unprotected websites - The most simple way to tell if a website has good security is to look at the web address at the top of your Safari browser. If there is a padlock icon next to it then the site is protected.

Apple has just released the latest update for your iPhones/iPads with iOS 10.3.2, so please back up and update your devices ASAP! If you do find yourself in a pickle with Ransomware though and are feeling overwhelmed with how to deal with it, you can always give us a call or an email to book a meeting for us to help you out.

2 Easy Steps To Keep Your Device Up To Date With Security

In the past days you may have heard news of the recent cyber attack that disabled computers in Britain’s National Health Service, Russia’s Interior Ministry, various companies, and homes across numerous countries (read more about it here). Thankfully this attack did not affect any Apple operating systems, which proves evermore why it’s so important to keep your iOS and OS X devices up to date always!

1. BACK IT UP!  - The last thing you want is to lose all your data and documents if your system get compromised, so always make a habit of backing up your devices. It’s not too hard to get it done either! With your iPhone or iPad it’s easy to back up your contacts and other settings via iCloud…

SETTINGS > iCLOUD > iCLOUD BACKUP (enable)

I personally believe the best way to back up your iPhone/iPad is to manually back it up via iTunes. Here’s how you can do it…

On your Mac you can back it up by using Time Machine…

1. KEEP IT UPDATED! - The one excuse you can’t give is that you didn’t know there was an update. A lot of the time when there is a new update to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac you get a pop-up notification. Truth is, I know most of you ignore this! Please don’t, as these updates contain the latest security measures against any undesirables from hacking your device.

It’s quite easy to make sure you have the latest updates…

On your iPhone/iPad navigate your way to your device’s SETTINGS > GENERAL > SOFTWARE UPDATE

For Mac computers… Click on the Apple symbol at the top left of your screen  > ABOUT THIS MAC > OVERVIEW > SOFTWARE UPDATES

**Be sure to backup everything before doing any updates!

So, to keep your devices safe make it a habit to backup and update whenever you can!

iOS Video Tip: How to Backspace in Calculator

Ever get frustrated with having to keep erasing your calculation and starting all over again when you input the wrong number? Actually there's a way to 'backspace' in Calculator that Apple's been keeping a "secret" for a while. Watch the video below to find out how!

This Week's Video Tip: How To Manually Back Up Your iDevices

Apple's iOS 10.3 update is coming soon and it looks like it's going to be packed with quite a few new things. This is a great time to make sure that you have your iPhone or iPad manually backed up to your computer using iTunes. Though you may have your iPhone or iPad backed up to iCloud it is still good practice to do a manual back up as this backs EVERYTHING up! So just in case anything might go wrong during the update to the new iOS watch this week's video tip to find out how to manually back up all your contacts, settings and data from your iPhone/iPad...

This Week's Video Tip: How To Unlock Your Phone Without Pressing the Home Button