Blog
Practical tips on Apple devices, AI tools, and staying safe online, written in plain language.
-
Hold Off on Upgrading to macOS 26 Tahoe, iOS 26, and iPadOS 26
Apple’s newest updates are here, but I recommend holding off for now. In my own testing, I’ve already run into significant issues, and I’m not comfortable advising an upgrade at this time.
-
Bring Joy to Your Wrist with watchOS 11’s Photos Watch Face
I want to take a brief break from productivity tips to share a feature that has been bringing me genuine joy. In watchOS 11, the Photos watch face displays a photo from a shuffled set of images every
-
iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 Offer Better PDF Handling in Mail
You can now work directly with PDFs received in the Mail app using a little-known feature in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. Tap a PDF attachment in a message and use the Markup and Form Fill buttons at the bot
-
Unlock the Potential of AI Chatbots with These 10 Tricks
I use AI chatbots every day, and I teach my clients to use them too. Since ChatGPT launched in late 2022, people have been using chatbots to brainstorm, speed up research, draft content, summarize len
-
How To Add Weather to Your Mac’s Menu Bar with This Sequoia Tip
In macOS 15.2 Sequoia, Apple added the option to display the current weather conditions in the menu bar but hid the switch deep in the bowels of System Settings. To turn this option on, open System Se
-
Manage Your Default Apps in One Place in iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2
One of my favorite under-the-radar changes in iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 is a single screen for managing the default apps on your iPhone and iPad. A default app is the one that opens automatically for a
-
Control Window Tiling in macOS 15 Sequoia
One of my favorite features in macOS 15 Sequoia is a new form of window tiling. Drag a window to the menu bar to expand it to fill the screen, to the left or right edge to resize it to half the screen
-
Do Not Listen to Anyone Who Tells You to Drag a Text File into Terminal
In macOS 15 Sequoia, Apple made it more difficult to bypass Gatekeeper to run apps that aren’t notarized. (Notarization is one of the ways Apple ensures that apps distributed outside the Mac App Store
-
The Importance of Properly Offboarding Employees
Employers and employees part ways for all sorts of reasons. People move on when a contract ends, to take a new job, or to retire. They also leave through layoffs or terminations. Whatever the reason,
-
Train Yourself to Use the iPhone 16’s New Camera Control Button
If you are accustomed to opening the Camera app on your iPhone by tapping its Home Screen app icon or Lock Screen widget icon, you may find it challenging to remember to use the new Camera Control but
-
Mail on the iPhone Can Categorize Your Messages in iOS 18.2
Apple slipped a significant new feature into Mail in iOS 18.2, and it has nothing to do with Apple Intelligence: Categories. Like Gmail and other email apps, Mail can now automatically sort messages i
-
How to Use Widgets on iPhone and iPad: Customize Your Home Screen Easily
Widgets on the iPhone and iPad Home Screen just got a whole lot easier to use! Now, you can quickly add or resize widgets directly from an app icon without any hassle. Simply touch and hold an app ico
-
Why I’m Now Recommending CleanMyMac for All Mac Users
For years, I’ve relied on CleanMyMac to help clean up and optimize my clients’ Macs, especially those that haven’t been properly maintained or need a bit of a pick-me-up for aging computers. It’s been
-
Control Center Got a Major Upgrade in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18: Here’s What’s New
Control Center has been a part of our iPhone and iPad experience for over a decade, first appearing in iOS 7 in 2013. It provides direct access to important controls so we don’t have to hunt through S
-
Apple’s New Passwords App: Manage and Share Passwords Easily in macOS 15 and iOS 18
With the release of macOS 15 Sequoia, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and visionOS 2, Apple has elevated Passwords from a buried feature to a standalone app. This shift simplifies access to Apple’s built-in passwo
-
Watch Out for Fake “Sextortion” Scams
The aftermath of data breaches is catching up with us, and scammers are getting more personal with their attacks. One of the latest tactics is the sextortion scam, where scammers claim to have comprom
-
When Should You Upgrade to macOS 15 Sequoia, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, and visionOS 2?
Today, Monday, September 16th, 2024, usually around 1:00 PM EST, Apple will start rolling out its annual wave of software updates for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. While it’s exciti
-
Be Careful When Scanning QR Codes
QR codes have become a part of everyday life. Whether you're pulling up a restaurant menu, checking out event details, or making contactless payments, all you have to do is point your iPhone’s camera
-
Apple Announced iPhone 16 Lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4
On Monday Apple unveiled its latest products: the iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4. These upgrades offer exciting new features, making them appealing for those ready to upgrade,
-
Massive data breach exposes Social Security Numbers and more: What should you do?
A major data breach at National Public Data, a background check company, has potentially exposed the personal information of a significant number of people. While the company hasn't officially confirm