November 2019
PSA
Roger tells us that Tucson Macintosh User’s Group will be Meeting at a new location starting December 16 and every third Tuesday thereafter. The new venue is right next door at the City Council Ward6 Community Room (very close to Fronimos). Parking is free. TMUG offers easy access to helpful information about Apple hardware and software. More information at TMUG.com
Apple and iOS news
In mid October 2019, Apple started its next expansion area: the Western States are expanding in detail: Expansion #7, including AZ.
Adobe announces that Photoshop and Illustrator are coming to iPad in 2020. In fact, Adobe Photoshop is available for download on iPads. Here is a deeper dive into Photoshop and Aero on iPad. Functionality is limited compared to the desktop version.
Apple TV+ is now available. It’s a streaming service similar to Netflix and Amazon Prime video. One of the more anticipated shows, The Morning Show, got a very postive review by the Guardian: Jennifer Aniston returns in a masterwork for the #MeToo era.
Here are the initial shows available on Apple TV+.
US Census Bureau to use iOS devices for data collection and management in 2020 census.
AirPods Pro
Apple has just released new AirPods Pro, with active noise cancellation (ANC) and significantly improved bass range, for an `immersive’ sound experience. The AirPods offer a `transparency” mode’ for those times when you do not want ANC’. Furthermore, the fit has improved with silicone tips that create a snug seal in the ear; three different tip sizes come with each AirPod pair. A single charge lasts 4.5 hrs with ANC or 5 hrs without anything. A 5-minute recharge gives you another hour of play. And you cn get 24 hrs of listening time with multiple additional charges via the case.
Here is a detailed view at the new AirPods Pro, also being compared to Apple's PowerBeats:
How well do they fit and how well do they stay in place? Here is Joanna Stern for the WSJ in a funny video putting them to the test: AirPods Pro Fit Test: How Well Do They Stay In?
Apple AirPods Pro review: so good it's almost annoying, writes Wired in their review. Apple has addressed all aspects that needed improving from the previous model.
AirBuddy for Mac update brings AirPods Pro support, improved power efficiency, more.
Apple describes How to Clean your AirPods and EarPods. Reminders: airPods Pro are water resistant (regular AirPods are not). lso, the tips for the new AirPods Pro have an oval base and need to be aligned correctly.
iOS 13
Voice Control is a new feature with iOS 13. To turn it on, tap Settings >Accessibility >Voice Control. David Pogue discusses Voice Control in iOS 13. He says: `Man... not sure this feature got enough press. It lets you do EVERYTHING on the phone hands-free. In some ways, it's like Siri, except you don't have to hold down any buttons or say "Hey Siri" or anything. You just TALK. The phone ignores you until you say a command it understands. (You can also set it so that it listens only when you're LOOKING at the phone.) Pretty cool.' Take a look at Pogue’s demo:
New gestures with iOS 13: you can tap with 3 fingers to copy/paste, you can swipe left to undo and swipe right to re-do.
With iOS 13, screenshots can be saved to Files instead of your Photo gallery. After you take a screenshot, select Save to Files.
You can tap and hold links in Safari to `peek’ and see a preview of a page without opening it.
Peek capability is available when you tap and hold an app’s icon on the desktop: you will get a menu pop up with options.
Low Data Mode: go to Settings > Cellular > Options > Low Data Mode.
Optimized battery charging: Settings > Battery > Health. This learns your routine and aims to charge past 80% only when you are expected to need it. This improves battery longevity.
Searching Notes now includes searching images with text as OCR has been enabled with iOS 13 in Notes.
In Notes, you can now share a folder of notes with others. To do so, you can go to all your notes, tap the icon on the upper right (circle with ellipses), tap select notes, and select some notes of your choice. Then tap `Move To.. ‘ on the bottom and create a New Folder. Name the new folder. Now tap its name and choose Add People.
Sending emoji is a lot easier with iOS13, as there is a new dedicated button on the primary keyboard for emoji.
With iOS 13 you can compress and uncompress files. Go to Files, tap & hold a file name or a folder. The popup menu will give you the option to compress. To compress many files at once, create a new folder, move them there and compress the folder. To decompress, simply tap a file to pen it.
In the Photos app, go to the Photos tab on the bottom. Now you can zoom in or out by pinching, making easier to navigate.
When you are about to share photos, you can remove EXIF data before sharing -- a nice option if you consider your privacy before sharing on social media or in general. After you select the photos you want to share, tap the share button. Then tap Options, at the top. You can uncheck the location and other data before you share the photo(s).
With iOS 13, there are better privacy settings. Settings > Privacy > Location services. Tap on any app name from the list presented. You will now see a new option: ask next time. This is new, giving better control for times when you do not want to revoke location services permanently.
In Settings > Privacy there is a new sub-menu under Bluetooth. This lists apps that use Bluetooth in ways other than streaming videos. Review these to decide whether you want them to access your iOS device via bluetooth.
on iPhone, you can silence Unknown Callers (go to Settings > Phone). You can avoid robocallers, sending them straight to voice mail without making your phone ring, buzz, or display a notification; only from people in your Contacts and people you’ve called yourself. Be cautious though: if you expect a call from someone whose number you don't know it will go to voicemail as well.
Siri can play the radio -- all you need to do is ask: `Hey Siri: Play BBC Radio .’ Or `Play 89.1’ to play the local Tucson KUAT, and so on.
How to share your ETA in maps:
iOS 13 includes Memoji, of course. Apple has a brief video on Memoji makeup:
Here are 8 tips to get started with iOS 13:
The Reminders app in iOS 13 has had a significant update. Fair warning: if you decide to accept the iCloud version after you upgrade, the app requires ALL your devices to be on the latest version of OS in order to sync across all devices. Here is Apple's info on Reminders and upgrades
Here is an overview of the updated Reminders app in iOS 13:
With iOS 13, when deleting apps that have subscriptions associated with them in the App Store, you get a warning when you are about to delete the app.
You can set daily reading goals in the Books app: you can set X minutes of reading per day, for example.
iPadOS 13
On iPadOS 13, you can now scan a document and save it directly for Files. Go to your Files app, and at the top, tap the icon with ellipses. Choose scan document.
on iPadOS 13, the iPad can ow recognize external storage in the Files app. Just connect an external drive to your iPad: you can do this via a USB-c drie on a Pro iPad model or via a USB-A connector with an adapter. As soon as you connect the eternal drive, Files on the iPad recognizes it and can access the files on the drive.
Last week, iOS 13.2 was released. For iPadOS here is a very thorough overview of this update which is more extensive than you might expect from a `dot release’.
How to multitask with Split View on your iPad:
How to use Slide Over on your iPad:
Here video on iPadOS with 9 tips and tricks:
iOS apps & widgets
Next is an iOS app that brings dynamic playlists to Apple Music. It helps you discover more about your music library with automatically generated dynamic playlists.
Cheatsheet is an app for tidbits of info you want to remember but know you will forget, such as: hotel rooms, license plates, luggage combination, ID numbers. It's not intended for really sensitive info (as it has no encryption). Instead of using a post-it, write it down in Cheatsheet. You can refer to your info in a Widget. Then swipe right on your lock screen, or glance at your Apple Watch. The app is free, but with a paid version you can remove ads and sync over iCloud.
Hindsight helps you track things you care about and helps you understand trends. It tracks the passage of time since something happened, and helps you answer questions like "How long has it been since?" or "How often does it happen?" For example, you might track whenever you experience a migraine or whenever you go to the gym or visit a friend or take a medication. It also has a companion app which makes it even easier to use.
GPSmyCity offers self-guided city tours and lets you create your own walk. It works offline. Here is an overview:
Here are some Tucson City Walks created by various people. You can create your own and share.
Lunar Phase is a fee app showing you a lunar calendar with the phases of the moon, as well as other events, such as lunar eclipses.
Day One has recently started providing support for PencilKit: now a new journal entry can include drawings or handwritten notes using Apple's PencilKit. See an everview of the app, Day One app review, by Geekscorner.
Paper has just introduced the Paper Store, what they call a collection of creative prompts, workbooks, tutorials, and planners. Explore The Paper Store to get inspired. Many resources are free, some have a modest price.
Spdr (pronounced `speeder')is an app to help you speed-read text. It works on iPhone iPad and on your watch! It shows you one word at a time, so rather than you moving your eyes to scan text fast, you focus on the screen which changes the words quickly.
Numerics is an app for anyone who is intersted in tracking certain metrics. The app lets you create your own customized dashboard with metrics you want to track. It's available on iPhone, iPad and the watch. A small business owner, a web designer, anyone working on a project or with a team could make use of this. Take a lok at some of the features.
Want Twitter on your Watch? Here are two good apps to consider:
Jay lets you read our timeline, like, tweet and retweet. Another smart feature it lets you bookmark tweets for later viewing on Jay on the iPhone. It's a powerful app on the Watch, as it even plays videos well including sound. You can view images. And if you want to zoom in on an image, you can do so with your digital crown. Impressive little app. It's $3.99.
Chirp is a Twitter client for your Watch. It's free but users may choose to donate to the developer.
Here is an anti-recommended list of apps: 17 malicious apps to delete if you have them, reports MacDailyNews, based on a report by Wandera. It’s worth noting the apps appear benign and may easily be appealing to many: a yoga app, one to track vehicle info, and so on.
Apple confirmed the removal of the 17 malicious apps. App Store security tools updated to detect similar apps
tips & tricks
How to customize AirPods Pro controls.
On iOS 13, to set your `My Card’, got to Settings > Contacts > My Info , and select your card entry.
On your Mac, How to set up your `My Card’. You can also make it private, if you want.
With iOS 13, you can customize your iMessages profile with your name & picture. In fact, you can make them different from your personal card in Contacts, if you wish. Here are instructions on how to do it, step by step.
Are you planning to share your iPad or iPhone? For example, you have a visitor who needs to use your device but you would rather limit their use? Enter Kiosk mode. Here is how to do it. Olga highly recommends this feature.
Olga described what happened when her iPhone's Spotlight index (apparently) got corrupted. Simple spotlight searches became extremely slow, searches in Settings were impossibly slow (sometimes they never completed) and battery life tanked. Eventually, only a complete erase and restoration from a backup fixed this.
gadgets & accessories
Interval Swim Headphones for Apple Watch, by H2O Audio:
Bernie got a new iPhone 11 Pro Max and he recommends his new indestructible case.
Moment continues to make high quality lenses for iPhones. They offer new cases for iPhone 11 to attach the lenses to the new iPhones.
A handheld flash gives iPhone photos studio pop, writes CultofMac in their review of the Xenon Flash.
Lumu Light is a professional light meter as an accessory to the iPhone.
Fireproof Document Bag is a fire proof and waterproof bag for important items such as your passport, for some emergency cash, for an iPad, critical documents, and so on. It's also very portable in case of an emergency you can grab it and go.
Pay
Tim Cook says Apple Pay transaction volume growing 4x as fast as PayPal.
Apple Card was released in September. Apple card is different from Apple Pay. Apple Card is a credit card.
Apple Card users can now finance iPhone purchases for 24 months, interest-free, reports TechCrunch.
Here is info on Apple card. You get cash back for all purchases: 3% for any Apple product, 2% when used via Apple pay, and 1% when used a traditional credit card (i.e., if not using Apple Pay via an iOS device nor a Watch).
Tech writer Terry White gives a very nice overview Apple card, 1 month later. This is a good overview. He shows the application process and the use of wallet and Apple card.
watch
Apple Watch likely saved Calgary woman from rapist.
The Underrated Apple Watch features you need to rediscover:
In summary, the listed features above are: the flashlight, unlocking your Mac, the `Now Playing' screen, Siri on your wrist, iPhone camera remote, ping your lost iPhone, hourly chimes, Apple TV remote, open and preview weblinks from messages and emails, hourly forecast at a glance, delete apps on-watch (including some native Apple ones), tip calculator, sport Loop band can be washed in the washing machine.
The King of Smartwatches is how the Guardian describes the new Apple Watchs Series 5 in their review.
Apple has launched Screen Replacement Program for Aluminum Series 2 and Series 3 Apple Watch Models.
Mary Anne showed us her new stretching watch band.
Braxley bands for Apple Watch are 3rd party bands that stretch and claim to be very comfortable.
Along similar lines, Doogle Designs offers a wide variety of well crafted bands on Etsy. They are customizable.
Likewise, Mary Anne points us to a similar style stretchable band by Tefeca.
privacy & security
Here is Sign in with Apple: What It Is and How It Works.
general apps & services
For those who use LaTeX to prepare papers for mathematics or science, Overleaf is a web-based application that can be used on iOS. This is a good option for those who want to use an iPad for professional work.