iPhone’s arguably limited volume controls can elicit confusion depending how they are set. For example, you might realize that as a result of turning down your ringer volume, you can no longer hear turn-by-turn directions. Learn to control volume in a way that consistently matches your preferences. Volume Controls iPhones have only three [...]

Do you prefer Gmail for managing email on your Mac? I don’t find it as flexible as Mail, but I respect your preference. As such, you might not like it when Mail appears after you click an email link or try to share by email. It’s possible to make Gmail your default email reader [...]

Think about the last time you invited someone to an event on your calendar. Do you know what happens when you change the time of the event? If you’re unsure of the actual time that works for attendees, you may want to reflect this in the event until you confirm. Inviting Others When [...]

Did you know you can use multiple search terms and tokens when looking for an email message in Mail? “What’s a search token?” you ask. Let’s explore how search works in Apple apps to help you find the items you seek. In this case, we’ll focus on email messages. How to Search Mail [...]

Did you know you can swipe just about anything to the left to delete it? On your device, that is! (It wouldn’t be very nice to be able to delete anything from existence just by swiping.) Anyway, let’s take a look at some examples. Swipe to Delete, Instantly In some applications with lists of items, [...]

Feeling ready to buy a new Mac? You’re not alone. Computers may last a long time, but most folks find that modern models are useful for about a decade. After 8–12 years, these Macs tend to feel sluggish, finicky, and otherwise invite replacement. Sometimes the Macs of yesterday can be upgraded to make them [...]

One of the first Mac Mondays posts was about using Time Machine to back up your Mac. More than once since then, I’ve written about using a Time Machine backup to migrate data to a new Mac, and I wrote a more thorough backup article in early 2020 when I recovered from my own data loss. Today, however, [...]

While at a concert featuring Gary Muszynski, I witnessed someone in front of me zooming her iPhone camera in a way I hadn’t seen before. She activated a precision zoom function that it turns out has been around since iOS 13. It’s available on iPhones that have more than one lens. Zoom Factor Buttons On iPhones [...]

Have you been on the receiving end of a “butt dial” or “pocket dial”? Have you been embarrassed to learn you made an inadvertent call like this? What else does your phone do while it’s in your pocket? How Does a Touchscreen Work? According to How Stuff Works, your iPhone’s capacitive touchscreen uses a layer [...]

The Help menu in Mac applications can lead you to documentation, assist you in locating menu commands, and may also point you toward a developer for additional support. Sometimes you can even search documentation directly. Search for Menu Commands Did you know the Help menu contains a search field? If you think an [...]