Smartphones And Mobiles
The Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus arrived with a splash and a huge initial sales success, but since they are such a huge upgrade over the smaller, 4-inch iPhone 5s, there is a ton of new features and little things that you can do to tweak the iOS 8 experience on Apple's latest and greatest devices.
Starting with neat features like Reachability that allow you to reach every corner of even the larger phone easily, to the new Family sharing options that give you the opportunity to share apps between 6 people in the family, and finishing up with the plentiful new camera settings, there is a lot of new things that you can do with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
We have tried to cover every aspect of those changes and right below you'll find our tips and tricks for getting the most out of the new iPhones in every aspect. And after graduating this concise course in iPhone functions, you can safely say you've become a more advanced user, right?
iPhone battery life tips and tricks
The default option for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is the ?Standard? view, but if you prefer larger icons or have poor vision, use this tip. Go into Settings -> Display & Brightness -> View, and select the new ?Zoomed? view for larger icons that are easier to see.
How to earn money with your smartphone
Apple has finally opened up to alternative keyboards in iPonohe 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and you can download SwiftKey, Swype, Fleksy, and many other options. Do not forget to turn them on in Settings -> General -> Keyboards -> Keyboards -> Add New Keyboard? Also, remember to enable ?swype? gesture typing by granting keyboards full rights.
The 1A/5W charger included in the box of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus makes re-charging the phones slower than it could be. There is a small trick that can help you with this - grab a 2.1A/12W iPad charger for a much faster charge-up (the difference can be felt better on the 6 Plus, but the iPhone 6 also charges slightly quicker).
Double tap on the home key to have the current app slide down within easy reach (the feature is called Reachability).
The new Photos app takes over the role of iPhoto with a host of very cool editing options: you can lighten up an underexposed, dark image after you have shot it easily (and this adapts the whole image so it does not turn out hugely washed out in most parts). Plus, you get to do all sorts of non-destructive edits: adjust shadows, highlights, skin tones, rotate images, and others.
Enable the hotspot feature by going into Settings -> Cellular -> Cellular Data Network, and there, in the Personal Hotspot tab you just type in any Username. Go back into Settings, and you?d now see the Personal Hotspot option. Tap on it and swing the toggle to turn it on! You?re all set.
Just turn the iPhone 6 Plus in landscape to get a neat, iPad-like two-panel interface in some apps.
Use spotlight search to get instant information about things like artists and places of interest: Notice that the feature seems to be available only in select markets.
It tracks changes in altitude, which allows it to record how many flights of stairs you?ve climbed.
Just press the power/lock key on the right side while holding the home key, and you?ll hear a click. Screenshots are saved into the camera roll.
You can send your current location or continuously share your whereabouts via Messages -> Details (in a thread).
You can use this tip to avoid overage charges or expensive roaming fees (and you know how apps love to auto-update when you are using expensive data on roaming). Go into Settings -> Cellular -> switch the Cellular data toggle.
No more unexpected bills with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus - set up family sharing and add your kids (even those under 13 can have an Apple ID now), so that you can review their app purchase requests.
Just open the camera and swipe left to the Slo-Mo option. You can pick between 120fps (less pronounced slo-mo effect) and 240fps (even slower, cinematic, replay-like slow motion).
This option is not that easy to access and you cannot enable it straight from the camera. Trick - You need to go into Settings -> scroll down to Photos & Camera -> toggle Record Video at 60 FPS.
10 best iPhone camera and photo editing apps
Finally, group jump photos will turn out right from the first attempt! The iSight camera captures a dozen of photos after the timer count down is over.
Probably the coolest new camera features in iOS 8 is the ability to manually control exposure via the camera app. You need to tap on the object or person you want to focus on and then tap again near it and while holding your finger glued to the screen, slide it up or down to adjust exposure.
You can do this via the Messages app by just holding down the mic button while speaking. Notice that contacts that do not use an iOS device will have the option greyed out - you cannot use this feature for such contacts.
Just hold down the camera key in the messages app, and record a quick video or snap a picture to send it right away. Again, the feature only works when you are sending this media to other iOS users.
Go into Photos -> Albums -> Recently Deleted, there you can find all recently purged apps.
Find out which apps are creating a drag on your battery by going to Settings/General/Usage/Battery Usage. It shows the majors users in the past 24 hours.
This neat shortcut gesture is now even easier to perform on the slightly curved toward the edge screen of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Have it your way by choosing what happens when you swipe left or right in email. Go to Settings/Mail, Contacts, Calendars/Swipe Options. For now, flagging and mark-as-read are the options.
Want better quality selfies? Just point the main camera towards your face, and shoot with the volume down button.
Fantastic tips on taking good selfies
Did you know that you could even use symbols as names for your folders? Even if you don?t, the automatic name that iOS gives to folder is not always right and you can just open the folder and tap on its name to change the name.
Just hold down the shutter key, and fire away with the front camera for tons of selfies capturing all the variations of your posing.
Use your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus to pay at places like Starbucks, McDonalds, and others with Apple Pay.
Fill in your basic personal health information in Medical ID for use in case of emergencies.
You can now have all of your photos backed up to iCloud, so you never lose any of them, if you destroy your iPhone, or if it gets stolen.
Take action on texts, email, calendar invitations, reminders, and even messages from apps right from their noti?cation banners without leaving the app you're in.
Simply swipe to archive mails that you don?t need, and use the new gestures to better handle email.
Ask Siri to tell you which song is playing right now, a feature powered by Shazam.
You also get the option to purchase the phone that was just recognized.
Receive notifications for new replies to an important email thread.
In Messages, drag message bubbles to the side to see exactly when they were sent.
Set up family sharing for up to six people in your family, without sharing accounts.
There?s now a timer available when you?re shooting with the front camera, so you can get prepared for that perfect selfie.
Apple has released its iWork applications for mobile: Pages, Numbers, and Keynote as a free download for new iOS device owners.
The parallax effect looks nice on iPhones for a 3D-esque feel, but some people complain it makes them nauseous. If you?re one of those, you can simply disable it by going into Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> Reduce Motion -> On.
Just say ?Hey, Siri? while your phone is charging (without even touching it) to speak to the virtual assistant without having to activate it in any other, special way.
Go into Settings -> Display & Brightness -> Text Size to fine tune the size of text all across the system.
Did you know that you could use the in-box iPhone headphones to capture an image with the iPhone camera? Just plug them in, fire up the camera app, and shoot with the volume down button.
Remember the ball-and-chain searches of the old Safari, when you typed in a website address, waited, then typed a search term into that site? Now you can do both simultaneously. Typing "Amazon," then a space, and "soy candle" into Safari now produces results for soy candles at Amazon.
The operating system automatically displays recent contacts on the multitasking screen. If it annoys, visit Mail, Contacts, Calendars in Settings, then change Show In App Switcher to off.
After updating, check your security settings. Enable "Do Not Track" and warnings about fraudulent sites under Safari's "Privacy and Security" settings.
The update asks if you want to enable location services. If you did, go to Settings/Privacy and, app by app, decide which ones should see your location. Weather gets a yes. BigOven gets a no.
You can choose which third-party apps can access Health, HomeKit, Camera and Motion Activity data.
How can you ensure the safety of your iPhone and data on it? A strong passcode and activating Find My iPhone helps. But go to Settings/Passcode, then activate Erase Data and all your data will vanish after 10 failed attempts to enter a security code. Not new, but worth knowing.
Safari now autoloads the first search result, creating what appears to be a faster browser. If data use is a concern, turn off the preloads by going to Settings/Safari/Preload Top Hit.
Some will love the new Apple keyboard (and alternate keyboards) and its pop-up auto suggestions that speed typing, at least theoretically. If, in reality, it does not, make it disappear by pressing and holding the bar while dragging it toward the keyboard. Make it reappear by dragging the tiny auto-suggestion bar upward.
- Chrome And Youtube Follow Gmail With New Ios App Updates
Following an update to the Gmail iOS app yesterday that added iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus compatibility, Google has today updated both its YouTube and Chrome apps. Unfortunately there are no math jokes in today's updates, but they do add bug fixes...
- Gmail Gets Update For Iphone 6 And Iphone 6 Plus
Google has boosted the Gmail application to accommodate the larger screens on the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets. The new iOS 8-friendly application means users no longer have to rely on an app designed for a 4-inch display while reading their...
- The Guy Who Leaked The Iphone 5c Now Has An Iphone 6
With LG, Samsung, HTC and Sony having all announced their 2014 flagship devices, eyes are firmly on Apple as we await the iPhone 6 - and it's the subject of yet another leak. Spotted by GforGames, Taiwanese driving and movie star Jimmy Lin has posted...
- Iphone 6 5.5-inch Could Hit This Year After All
Apple?s much rumoured 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could be launched this year after all, according to a reputable analyst?s report. Previous reports suggested that Apple would launch a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 towards the end of this year, but that a second, larger iPhone...
- Skype For Iphone To Get Major Update, Redesigned From Ground Up
Microsoft?s trying to get everyone excited about Skype for iPhone with the promise of an update it describes as ?the biggest change ever? for the software. ?iPhone will soon join the redesigned Skype mobile app club, and we can?t wait for you to try...
Smartphones And Mobiles
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus tips and tricks
The Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus arrived with a splash and a huge initial sales success, but since they are such a huge upgrade over the smaller, 4-inch iPhone 5s, there is a ton of new features and little things that you can do to tweak the iOS 8 experience on Apple's latest and greatest devices.
Starting with neat features like Reachability that allow you to reach every corner of even the larger phone easily, to the new Family sharing options that give you the opportunity to share apps between 6 people in the family, and finishing up with the plentiful new camera settings, there is a lot of new things that you can do with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
We have tried to cover every aspect of those changes and right below you'll find our tips and tricks for getting the most out of the new iPhones in every aspect. And after graduating this concise course in iPhone functions, you can safely say you've become a more advanced user, right?
iPhone battery life tips and tricks
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Switch between Standard and Zoomed view
The default option for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is the ?Standard? view, but if you prefer larger icons or have poor vision, use this tip. Go into Settings -> Display & Brightness -> View, and select the new ?Zoomed? view for larger icons that are easier to see.
How to earn money with your smartphone
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Download and install third-party keyboards like SwiftKey
Apple has finally opened up to alternative keyboards in iPonohe 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and you can download SwiftKey, Swype, Fleksy, and many other options. Do not forget to turn them on in Settings -> General -> Keyboards -> Keyboards -> Add New Keyboard? Also, remember to enable ?swype? gesture typing by granting keyboards full rights.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Fast track charging on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
The 1A/5W charger included in the box of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus makes re-charging the phones slower than it could be. There is a small trick that can help you with this - grab a 2.1A/12W iPad charger for a much faster charge-up (the difference can be felt better on the 6 Plus, but the iPhone 6 also charges slightly quicker).
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Use Reachability for one-hand access to that elusive, far-away back button in the top left corner
Double tap on the home key to have the current app slide down within easy reach (the feature is called Reachability).
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Edit pictures after you capture them
The new Photos app takes over the role of iPhoto with a host of very cool editing options: you can lighten up an underexposed, dark image after you have shot it easily (and this adapts the whole image so it does not turn out hugely washed out in most parts). Plus, you get to do all sorts of non-destructive edits: adjust shadows, highlights, skin tones, rotate images, and others.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Use your iPhone 6 as a personal mobile hotspot
Enable the hotspot feature by going into Settings -> Cellular -> Cellular Data Network, and there, in the Personal Hotspot tab you just type in any Username. Go back into Settings, and you?d now see the Personal Hotspot option. Tap on it and swing the toggle to turn it on! You?re all set.
iPhone 6 Plus landscape mode
Just turn the iPhone 6 Plus in landscape to get a neat, iPad-like two-panel interface in some apps.
Use spotlight search to get instant information about things like artists and places of interest: Notice that the feature seems to be available only in select markets.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Track your activity better with the new sensor: barometer
It tracks changes in altitude, which allows it to record how many flights of stairs you?ve climbed.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Take a screenshot on iPhone 6
Just press the power/lock key on the right side while holding the home key, and you?ll hear a click. Screenshots are saved into the camera roll.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Share your location
You can send your current location or continuously share your whereabouts via Messages -> Details (in a thread).
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Turn off cellular data if you need to
You can use this tip to avoid overage charges or expensive roaming fees (and you know how apps love to auto-update when you are using expensive data on roaming). Go into Settings -> Cellular -> switch the Cellular data toggle.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Approve (or don?t) kids requests for app and in-app purchases
No more unexpected bills with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus - set up family sharing and add your kids (even those under 13 can have an Apple ID now), so that you can review their app purchase requests.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Record awesome slow motion in 240fps
Just open the camera and swipe left to the Slo-Mo option. You can pick between 120fps (less pronounced slo-mo effect) and 240fps (even slower, cinematic, replay-like slow motion).
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Shoot videos in 60 frames per second
This option is not that easy to access and you cannot enable it straight from the camera. Trick - You need to go into Settings -> scroll down to Photos & Camera -> toggle Record Video at 60 FPS.
10 best iPhone camera and photo editing apps
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Use the timer in camera for a burst of images
Finally, group jump photos will turn out right from the first attempt! The iSight camera captures a dozen of photos after the timer count down is over.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Use the manual exposure control in iOS 8 to come up with better photos
Probably the coolest new camera features in iOS 8 is the ability to manually control exposure via the camera app. You need to tap on the object or person you want to focus on and then tap again near it and while holding your finger glued to the screen, slide it up or down to adjust exposure.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Quickly send a voice message to other iOS users
You can do this via the Messages app by just holding down the mic button while speaking. Notice that contacts that do not use an iOS device will have the option greyed out - you cannot use this feature for such contacts.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Quickly send a picture or a video to other iOS users
Just hold down the camera key in the messages app, and record a quick video or snap a picture to send it right away. Again, the feature only works when you are sending this media to other iOS users.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Recover recently deleted pictures on iPhone 6
Go into Photos -> Albums -> Recently Deleted, there you can find all recently purged apps.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Battery-hog watch
Find out which apps are creating a drag on your battery by going to Settings/General/Usage/Battery Usage. It shows the majors users in the past 24 hours.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Swipe right to go back a page in Safari
This neat shortcut gesture is now even easier to perform on the slightly curved toward the edge screen of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - DIY swipe
Have it your way by choosing what happens when you swipe left or right in email. Go to Settings/Mail, Contacts, Calendars/Swipe Options. For now, flagging and mark-as-read are the options.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Snap images using the volume down key
Want better quality selfies? Just point the main camera towards your face, and shoot with the volume down button.
Fantastic tips on taking good selfies
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Change folder name
Did you know that you could even use symbols as names for your folders? Even if you don?t, the automatic name that iOS gives to folder is not always right and you can just open the folder and tap on its name to change the name.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Shoots bursts of selfies with the front camera
Just hold down the shutter key, and fire away with the front camera for tons of selfies capturing all the variations of your posing.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Apple Pay
Use your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus to pay at places like Starbucks, McDonalds, and others with Apple Pay.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Emergency medical info on iPhone 6
Fill in your basic personal health information in Medical ID for use in case of emergencies.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Store any kind of file in iCloud Drive
You can now have all of your photos backed up to iCloud, so you never lose any of them, if you destroy your iPhone, or if it gets stolen.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Quickly respond to a notification
Take action on texts, email, calendar invitations, reminders, and even messages from apps right from their noti?cation banners without leaving the app you're in.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Quickly manage your mail
Simply swipe to archive mails that you don?t need, and use the new gestures to better handle email.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - ?Hey, Siri, what song is this??
Ask Siri to tell you which song is playing right now, a feature powered by Shazam.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Buy recognized songs you have recognized straight from Siri
You also get the option to purchase the phone that was just recognized.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Get reply notifications
Receive notifications for new replies to an important email thread.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - More info about messages
In Messages, drag message bubbles to the side to see exactly when they were sent.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Share apps you've bought on your iPhone with others in the family (for free!)
Set up family sharing for up to six people in your family, without sharing accounts.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Take selfies with a timer
There?s now a timer available when you?re shooting with the front camera, so you can get prepared for that perfect selfie.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Install one of Apple?s awesome suite of free applications
Apple has released its iWork applications for mobile: Pages, Numbers, and Keynote as a free download for new iOS device owners.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Disable Motion effects on iPhone 6
The parallax effect looks nice on iPhones for a 3D-esque feel, but some people complain it makes them nauseous. If you?re one of those, you can simply disable it by going into Settings -> General -> Accessibility -> Reduce Motion -> On.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Always-on voice commands
Just say ?Hey, Siri? while your phone is charging (without even touching it) to speak to the virtual assistant without having to activate it in any other, special way.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Adjust text size to your preference
Go into Settings -> Display & Brightness -> Text Size to fine tune the size of text all across the system.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Use the built-in headset to snap images
Did you know that you could use the in-box iPhone headphones to capture an image with the iPhone camera? Just plug them in, fire up the camera app, and shoot with the volume down button.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Quick search
Remember the ball-and-chain searches of the old Safari, when you typed in a website address, waited, then typed a search term into that site? Now you can do both simultaneously. Typing "Amazon," then a space, and "soy candle" into Safari now produces results for soy candles at Amazon.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Recent contacts
The operating system automatically displays recent contacts on the multitasking screen. If it annoys, visit Mail, Contacts, Calendars in Settings, then change Show In App Switcher to off.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Security
After updating, check your security settings. Enable "Do Not Track" and warnings about fraudulent sites under Safari's "Privacy and Security" settings.
The update asks if you want to enable location services. If you did, go to Settings/Privacy and, app by app, decide which ones should see your location. Weather gets a yes. BigOven gets a no.
You can choose which third-party apps can access Health, HomeKit, Camera and Motion Activity data.
How can you ensure the safety of your iPhone and data on it? A strong passcode and activating Find My iPhone helps. But go to Settings/Passcode, then activate Erase Data and all your data will vanish after 10 failed attempts to enter a security code. Not new, but worth knowing.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Faster website loading
Safari now autoloads the first search result, creating what appears to be a faster browser. If data use is a concern, turn off the preloads by going to Settings/Safari/Preload Top Hit.
iPhone 6 tips and tricks - Auto suggestions
Some will love the new Apple keyboard (and alternate keyboards) and its pop-up auto suggestions that speed typing, at least theoretically. If, in reality, it does not, make it disappear by pressing and holding the bar while dragging it toward the keyboard. Make it reappear by dragging the tiny auto-suggestion bar upward.
- Chrome And Youtube Follow Gmail With New Ios App Updates
Following an update to the Gmail iOS app yesterday that added iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus compatibility, Google has today updated both its YouTube and Chrome apps. Unfortunately there are no math jokes in today's updates, but they do add bug fixes...
- Gmail Gets Update For Iphone 6 And Iphone 6 Plus
Google has boosted the Gmail application to accommodate the larger screens on the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets. The new iOS 8-friendly application means users no longer have to rely on an app designed for a 4-inch display while reading their...
- The Guy Who Leaked The Iphone 5c Now Has An Iphone 6
With LG, Samsung, HTC and Sony having all announced their 2014 flagship devices, eyes are firmly on Apple as we await the iPhone 6 - and it's the subject of yet another leak. Spotted by GforGames, Taiwanese driving and movie star Jimmy Lin has posted...
- Iphone 6 5.5-inch Could Hit This Year After All
Apple?s much rumoured 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could be launched this year after all, according to a reputable analyst?s report. Previous reports suggested that Apple would launch a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 towards the end of this year, but that a second, larger iPhone...
- Skype For Iphone To Get Major Update, Redesigned From Ground Up
Microsoft?s trying to get everyone excited about Skype for iPhone with the promise of an update it describes as ?the biggest change ever? for the software. ?iPhone will soon join the redesigned Skype mobile app club, and we can?t wait for you to try...