Apple’s iOS 16 adds the ability to view Wi-Fi network passwords from the settings menu, bringing to the iPhone a feature many Android phones already have.
While the new feature wasn’t directly mentioned in Apple‘s WWDC 2022 conference keynote on Monday, it did appear in the iOS 16 developer beta. The feature joins the new lock screen personalization and upgraded iMessages highlighted in the keynote. Since these features are currently in development, most people will likely not be able to use them until the public release of iOS 16 later this year.
While iOS does now offer the ability to share Wi-Fi networks, it’s currently limited to iPhones and iPads. In order to work, both devices need to have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on while in close proximity to each other. Then, when the device trying to connect goes to Wi-Fi settings and selects a network, devices already on the network can tap the prompt to share credentials. It’s fast, but it’s not helpful when you want to set up any other device like an Android phone or Nintendo Switch.
In iOS 16, if you want to share your password with others, all you need to do is find the connected Wi-Fi network in settings and tap the new password option that appears. You can then copy and paste the password and send it via SMS, email, and more.
To do this, you must be connected to or have been connected to a Wi-Fi network in the past and be close enough to the router for the network to appear in your settings. If you meet these requirements, launch the Settings app on your iPhone running iOS 16 and do the following:
1. Go to Wireless Networks.
2. Find the Wi-Fi network for which you want a password and tap the blue information icon to the right of the network name.
3. Tap Passcode and use Face ID, Touch ID, or enter your passcode to view it.
4. Finally, click Copy to save the password to the clipboard.
You can then paste the Wi-Fi network password into a text message or email to share with others, or just tell them the password.
With iOS 16, you have more control over how your lock screen looks. During Apple‘s WWDC 2022 keynote on Monday, the iPhone maker showed off the ability to customize the lock screen with new personalization features.
These new features will let you automatically rotate a set of lock screen images, enable filters, change font types and colors, add widgets, and more. If you’ve been waiting for your chance to get rid of Apple’s traditionally limited personalization features, this is a welcome upgrade.
Here’s how to customize your lock screen once iOS 16 is available – possibly this fall.
To customize or add filters to your lock screen image, just hold the image and tap Customize. From there, swipe left or right to choose from different styles, filters, and fonts. If you want to go beyond the suggested styles provided, you can further customize by tapping any element on the lock screen. For example, if you want to change the font or color of the time, you can tap the clock to do so.
You can also add widgets directly to the lock screen if you want to see information like the weather, activity ring or calendar events at a glance. You can tap the plus sign below the clock to bring up the widget library. Then, just drag any widget you want from the gallery onto the lock screen.
After personalizing the lock screen according to your requirements, you can click Done in the upper right corner to save.
You can also create entirely new looks from scratch. Swipe right on the lock screen to bring up a new wallpaper gallery with different preset collections and designs you can choose from. Alternatively, you can choose from your own photo library.
If you want to shuffle a group of photos throughout the day, you can select the Photo Shuffle option. You can browse the suggested photo library to find photos intelligently picked from your photo library.
Apple sells the world’s most popular smartwatch, but it’s not a standalone product. If you don’t have an iPhone, you might be wondering what you can do with an Apple Watch, or if you can use an Apple Watch.
You can’t set up an Apple Watch without using an iPhone. The Watch must be paired with the iPhone to link the Apple ID. You cannot use an iPad to complete this process; it must be an iPhone 6s or later running at least iOS 15.
You can’t use an Android device to set up your Apple Watch. The Watch is designed to be a companion device to most of the features of the iPhone. This is especially true of Wi-Fi models, although Apple also sells an Apple Watch with cellular connectivity that operates more like a standalone device.
After you set up your Apple Watch with cellular, you can do many things you normally do with your iPhone, such as receive text messages, answer phone calls, and access features that rely on the Internet. If you use your cellular Apple Watch away from your iPhone for extended periods of time, you’re unlikely to get a full day of battery life.
Things you can do without an iPhone
There are some features that don’t depend on the iPhone, especially those related to health and exercise. Your steps and active calories are counted when you wear your Apple Watch, which means you can fill your Move, Exercise and Stand rings with or without your iPhone.
Your watch will continue to track and record your heartbeat, and you can measure your heart rate with the Heart app or perform an echocardiogram with the ECG app. You can use your watch’s alarms and timers, or play music already stored on your watch. If you sleep on your watch, your wearable will continue to monitor sleep quality.
You can also pay for items with Apple Pay or with a card in Apple Wallet that is already available on your Watch. Apps like Voice Memos, Photos, Calendar, and Noise will continue to work as expected.
Don’t buy an Apple Watch unless you have an iPhone
If you don’t have an iPhone, the Apple Watch might not be for you. Even if you’re using another family member’s iPhone to set up the device, it’s still not ideal because the Watch is designed to work with your own personal Apple ID and device.
Apple packs its iPhone and iPad with a bunch of neat hidden features, and it seems like every iOS (or iPadOS) update adds more. The latest update, the 15.5 update, brings new privacy features and tweaks to Apple Cash. Also, iOS 16 may soon roll out more upgrades. The follow-up version of iOS 15 is expected to debut at WWDC, Apple’s annual developer conference in June, but it will likely be in beta until the fall.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of iPhone and iPad features to try out, from SharePlay to Focus. While many hidden features can be found in the iPhone’s settings, other iOS tricks are built right into the interface — like the keyboard’s secret trackpad.
When editing text, you may hold your finger on the screen and move the cursor around all letters, numbers, and punctuation marks to get where you want. The magnifying bubble provides some help by enlarging the text under your finger, but there’s another way to move the cursor that’s easier to use than the traditional way. So how do you bring up the secret trackpad on your iPhone or iPad?
Here’s how to discover hidden trackpads on iOS devices.
1. Anywhere you have written a piece of text, bring up the keyboard and hold down the space bar until the keyboard is blank. You should feel a little haptic feedback and see the cursor zoom in for a second, which means you can now use the keyboard as a trackpad.
2. With your finger still down, move it across the keyboard to move the cursor, just like you would on a Mac’s trackpad.
3. To place the cursor, simply remove your finger from the screen. You can then make any edits to the text using any other key (e.g. Delete). If you want to move the cursor again, press your finger on the space bar to bring up the hidden trackpad.
Apple has revealed a slew of new innovations for its hardware with a strong push for accessibility, features that will be implemented via software updates later in 2022.
New software features developed using machine learning include door detection for users who are blind or low-vision, and a real-time captioning system for those who are deaf or hearing impaired, and Apple Watch Mirroring for those with physical and visual impairments, movement disorders, and smartwatch control via iPhone Ability.
Let’s take a deeper look at these features, starting with door detection, which, as the name suggests, allows iPhone and iPad users to locate doors when they arrive at a new place.
The feature uses lidar, so requires a device with a lidar scanner (iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 – Pro and Pro Max – phones, and various iPad Pro models), built into the Magnifier app. It can determine whether a door is open or closed, if the latter, how it opened, and the user’s distance from the door, plus it can read any signs or characters on the door.
The magnifying glass will gain a new detection mode that will play the role of door detection and will also provide features like person detection and image description.
People who are deaf or hard of hearing can access Live Captions on iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers, allowing captions to be generated on-device for everything from video chats to watching streaming content. In FaceTime, captions are automatically attributed to the person in the call, while on Mac users have the option to type in a reply and have them read it aloud in real time.
Note on device support that only supports Macs with an Apple chip, or you need an iPhone 11 or later, or for an iPad, models with an A12 Bionic chip. Initially, Live Captions will debut in beta form (and thus still in testing — Apple observes that the accuracy of captions “may vary”) only in English.
The last major accessibility revelation Apple made here was the introduction of Apple Watch Mirroring, which allows people to use their iPhone to control their watch. In other words, users can benefit from smartphone accessibility features such as voice control and switch controls when interacting with the Apple Watch, voice commands to turn on the watch, head tracking, and more.
The new Quick Actions for Apple Watch also allow users to control with simple gestures, such as answering (or ending) a call with a double-pinch gesture.
Note that you need an Apple Watch Series 6 or newer to benefit from the mirroring feature.
Turning off your iPhone isn’t always easy, especially if it’s frozen or not working. In the following guide, we’ll show you all the effective ways to turn off your iPhone. These methods are different and once we learn all of them, even if the iPhone is locked or we find something wrong (such as the shutdown button is broken or stuck). Let’s have a look!
The easiest and most direct way to shut down your iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, or iPhone 12 is to press and hold the volume up key and the side button for 5 seconds, then turn it from the left as soon as the shutdown slide appears . Start the classic shutdown procedure on the right (works in any case where the iPhone is working properly).
If we have iPhone versions older than iPhone X (eg iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, etc.), classic shutdown can be done by holding down the power button for a few seconds until the shutdown slideshow is displayed.
To shut down your iPhone directly from the system, open the Settings app, go to the General menu and scroll through the list of options until you find the Shutdown item. After pressing the item, the classic shutdown slide will appear, which we can drag to the right to complete the process. Even with little use, this process helps to shut down the phone without pressing the power button, and it’s useful if we’re having hardware issues with the physical buttons.
Force restart iPhone
If our iPhone seems to be frozen or unable to turn it on or off, then it is better to learn the key combination that we can force restart any iPhone on the market. To restart a locked iPhone, we can follow these steps:
iPhone X or later: Quickly press and release the Volume Up key, quickly press and release the Volume Down key, and finally press and hold the Side key. We also release the side button once we notice the Apple logo.
iPhone 8 or iPhone SE (2nd generation): Also in this case, we quickly press and release the volume up key, press and quickly release the volume down key and hold the side key. When we see the Apple logo, we can release the key.
iPhone 7: Press and hold the Volume Down key and the Standby/Wake key at the same time. When the Apple logo appears, we release both keys.
iPhone 6s or iPhone SE (1st gen): On these phones, we press and hold the Standby/Wake button and the Home button at the same time. Once we see the Apple logo appear, we release the keys.
The side buttons usually don’t work if our iPhone gets stuck on startup, along with the force unlock procedure seen above. In this case, we recommend that you first charge the phone by connecting it to a PC with iTunes via a cable; after about 2 hours, we can use the program to enter Apple’s DFU mode. The keys to enter this special mode are as follows:
On iPhones prior to iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Plus (with mechanical Home button): We were afraid to press the power button for about 3 seconds, and immediately after that we also held the Home button (without releasing the button) for about 10 seconds, we Release the button power and press and hold the home button for about 8 seconds.
On iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Plus (with virtual Home button): The process is the same as seen above, the only difference is that we have to use the Power and Volume Down keys instead of Power and Home .
On iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X and later: Press Volume Up once, then immediately press Volume Down once (two touches must be quick) and hold the side button until the iPhone screen goes black. When the screen goes black, release the side button and hold the side button and volume down button at the same time for about 5 seconds; after 5 seconds, we only release the side button and keep pressing the volume down button until a warning message appears on iTunes.
Recalibration of a so-called “smart” battery, a lithium-ion battery, can be defined as a reset to its initial metering condition. One might ask, why do we need to recalibrate? Lithium-ion batteries lose some of their charged ions due to aging, etc. Due to this and other factors, the initial meter/percentage of the battery is gradually reduced. As a result, batteries give inconsistent, inaccurate percentages over time, creating a nuisance for users and confusing the phone’s AI relay capabilities.
The main reasons for incorrect battery calibration include: software updates, self-refreshing of background apps, addition of new features to the phone, and daily use of the phone. Software updates come with new technologies that can drain your battery. This will require recalibration. Also, additional applications require additional power, thereby depleting lithium ions, thus requiring recalibration.
So what is the importance of recalibration?
Recalibration will ensure that our iPhone devices provide more accurate battery metering. The iPhone has reached a milestone with the development of an artificial intelligence operating system (iOS) that tracks battery operating range. The information obtained through this tracking action is used to determine trickle charging, a phenomenon or technique that commands the phone’s power IC to reduce the charging current when it is about 80% charged, thereby ensuring that the smart battery remains in good condition. Most importantly, It provides accurate readings.
Incorrect metering can cause the AI to give incorrect signals for interpretation, affecting the trickle function. It also caused serious trouble for users. Therefore, recalibration is required.
The battery percentage is the icon on iPhone that shows how much battery power is left in the phone. For the reasons explicitly listed in the introduction above, the battery percentage must be calibrated occasionally, preferably after one to three months, to ensure proper metering and allow your iPhone gadget to function optimally or to prolong battery life.
The recalibration process involves some simple steps that do not require any tools or expertise to perform.
The first procedure is to completely drain the battery. Fully draining the battery may cause inconvenience to the normal use of the phone. To speed up battery drain, online videos may be forced to play, battery brightness increased, Bluetooth turned on, etc., to minimize battery drain. These actions will continue until the phone shuts down due to low battery. Afterwards, leave the phone overnight or allow three hours to drain the phone further.
Once the device is considered fully charged, we move on to the next stage, charging the device. Optimize charging by making sure to follow these simple but basic guidelines; charge your iPhone with a manufacturer-recommended charger, let it charge and interrupt until done, and make sure your phone is turned off while charging.
Normally, the iPhone will show the 100% mark after completing the 99% mark. Therefore, a 100 percent display does not necessarily mean full. Approximately 3 hours after a full charge ensures maximum charge. The device is charged with the power off to ensure that overheating does not adversely affect the battery.
The next step involves repeating the three steps above to ensure metering is complete. By performing this simple but vital operation, the battery will return to its original function and daily life.
The iPhone battery gauge is the battery indicator icon when the phone is set for low-battery use. Instead of showing the percentage, it shows the same color representation. The recalibration of the iPhone battery meter is minor, as described above.
Do the above steps again. This ensures complete metering. Then the phone is ready to use.
in conclusion
Smart battery (Li-Ion) life will slowly decrease during use, affecting battery life. The affected battery life can interfere with the normal operation of the iPhone, for example, given the fact that the trickle-down effect depends on battery metering. So for these reasons and more, make sure to recalibrate your iPhone Smart Battery after at least 3 months to ensure a long lifespan.
Just because iPhones perform better on MacBooks doesn’t mean they won’t work on Windows 10 laptops. Syncing your data on Windows 10 requires a bit more expertise (as opposed to macOS’s plug-and-play sync, or how you drag and drop files with Android on Windows 10). Let’s take a look below!
Syncing music, photos, movies and TV shows means getting familiar with iTunes. If you’re already using it, you’re ready to go. If not, you can download and import your music by going to File > Add Folder to Library to move your current music into iTunes. Once you’re ready to sync, follow these steps:
1. Connect your iPhone to your laptop with a Lightning cable.
2. Click Continue when asked if the computer can access the phone.
3. Click the phone icon in the top bar.
4. Click Sync. Depending on the amount of data you’re syncing, this may take a while.
5. Check your photos, music, apps, and videos to confirm that they arrived on your phone from Windows 10.
Copy from iPhone
This is where things get tricky. To avoid piracy, it’s not that easy to sync from an iPhone and send data to it. Fortunately, there are some workarounds.
Music and Movies: This puts you in Apple‘s cab. While you can move non-iTunes media files from your PC to your phone, you can’t send them from your phone to your computer. However, if you buy media from iTunes on your iPhone, you can get it on your desktop via the cloud. As long as you have an Apple ID, you can download all your songs and movies again from iTunes on your PC at no extra cost.
Files: The cloud is your friend for syncing files. While I personally use Dropbox, you can also use iCloud.
Here’s our guide to using iCloud on Windows. It’s perfect for those who love Apple software, including Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. If you’re a Dropbox user, you can use the iPhone app and desktop app to view files or photos on any device. If you’re a Google user, you can use Sheets, Slides, and Docs.
Last week, Apple officially launched a self-repair program that allows you to buy parts, rent tools, and download manuals so you can try out monitor replacements, battery replacements, and other fixes. The program is relatively new, so before you commit to fixing your device yourself, you’re likely to run into a lot of issues. For example: is this expensive? Has your phone passed the program? Will it void your warranty? Here’s everything you need to know about Apple‘s new DIY repair program, so check it out!
What is Self Repair?
The Self-Repair Program provides repair manuals and hundreds of genuine parts and tools for Apple devices, such as displays, batteries, and cameras, all of which you can order for a price through an online self-repair shop. After you have received the necessary files and equipment, you can try to repair your own equipment.
Where is the Self Repair Service?
The program is currently only available in the US, but will expand to other countries, including Europe, later in 2022.
Prices range from 20 cents for a few security screws for the iPhone SE to $312 for a display bundle for the iPhone 13 Pro Max, depending on which iPhone model you have and the repairs you need. Apple also offers a tool rental kit for $49, but you may want to keep the $1,300.
What do you need before using Self Repair?
In addition to having a supported iPhone model, you will also need the product serial number or IMEI to purchase any genuine Apple parts through a self-repair shop. On your iPhone, launch the Settings app and go to General > About to find the IMEI, it should be a 15-digit number.
Is self-repair easy?
Repairing your own equipment isn’t exactly “easy” right now, as you need to read through the manual, analyze equipment problems, buy parts, rent tools, and wait for them to get home. Then you have to take your iPhone apart and get it repaired. If you’re happy with all of these, then DIY repairs are the way to go. However, if you’re in any doubt, it’s best to have your device repaired by Apple or a third party.
How to order parts and tools through a self repair shop
Head to an online self-repair shop to buy parts and rent the tools you need for repairs. You need your IMEI number to successfully make any purchases.
Repair your device
Once you receive your Apple parts and tools, use the repair manual to guide you through the repair process. Additionally, some repairs require a system configuration step, which is a software tool to accomplish the repair. The manual should explain exactly the process and what you need, but it does require contacting the self-repair shop support team to initiate the final step.
What do you do with damaged parts?
You can return any used or damaged parts that were replaced during repair, and Apple will refurbish or recycle them. Customers can also receive a credit for the final cost by returning certain parts to Apple.
Will repairing my own device void the warranty?
Your warranty will not be void as long as you repair your iPhone with parts from the Self-Service Repair Program. However, any potential hardware damage that occurs during the repair will not be covered.
Right now, but later this year, the self-service repair program will expand to repairs for any Mac computer with an Apple chip.
Are you saving money by repairing your own equipment?
Currently, this is not fully realized. For example, the parts and tools needed to replace the third-generation iPhone SE display cost about $191. If you want Apple to replace the same iPhone SE display, it costs $179 (without warranty). If you do have a warranty, the cost may be much lower.
If you don’t have insurance and already have the tools you need to replace your iPhone SE display, you might save money, since renting out these tools costs about $50, so if you do the repair yourself, you’ll probably only have to spend $141. However, it all depends on your equipment and the type of repair you’re doing.
If you’re an iPhone lover, you won’t deny that the battery is the backbone of the iPhone. Because it always keeps your phone powered on and ready for anything you need. That’s why it must be taken care of properly. So do you know how much battery health is good for your iPhone and what happens to indicate that you need to replace the battery? The following will tell you the answer, let’s take a look!
You might assume that since your iPhone’s maximum capacity starts at 100%, this is the only situation that can be called optimal. However, this is not accurate. Apple considers any iPhone with a battery capacity of 80% or higher to be in top condition.
Apple takes battery health very seriously, so its 1-year warranty protects any battery at or above 80% charge. It’s not surprising to see an iPhone with a battery capacity of 95% or higher after a year.
The explanation for this is a form of failsafe: Apple designs its batteries with excess energy to ensure that when its battery is at 100% health, it doesn’t necessarily use all its potential processing power. Even at 80%, your phone is still running in optimal conditions.
Now you know the best state of battery health, but here’s how to check the state:
You can check battery health on any iPhone with iOS 11.3 or later by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health.
You can also see an important secondary metric on the battery health screen: peak performance capability. In fact, this screen may be more critical than power due to the nuances described above.
If you see a warning, your phone will still run, but the time between charge cycles will be significantly shorter. This message is only displayed when the battery capacity is at or below 79%.
If your iPhone is more than a year old, there’s a good chance the answer to this question is yes. According to Apple, the battery will accept 500 full charge cycles while maintaining 80% of its original charge. So, if you charge your iPhone every day, the battery will show signs of wear and tear.
If the following problems occur, it is time for you to upgrade the battery of your iPhone.
1. Your iPhone suddenly shuts down
It’s not a good sign if your iPhone suddenly shuts down when the battery is full. Calibration issues are likely to be the culprit – a full charge and a soft reset are easy to fix – a sudden shutdown is more likely due to battery wear. You may need a new iPhone battery to prevent potential shutdowns.
Your iPhone should work while it’s charging — but not just while it’s charging. It’s unnatural if you unplug your phone from the charger and it freezes instantly. The battery may not be lifeless, but it needs to be replaced if you want to end your reliance on external power.
3. Your iPhone feels hot to the touch
You don’t feel any heat when you pick up your smartphone – the battery is designed to keep the heat from charging inside. If you have no weather reasons, you may need to replace your iPhone battery with a new one.
4. Your battery has more capacity than your iPhone
If your battery is out of the case, it needs to be replaced! Even if this isn’t severe swelling, steps need to be taken quickly to safely dispose of the battery.
