iPhone – Tech Savvy Life

How to Bacup Your iPhone to iCloud

Backing up your iPhone is just as important as backing up your computer. You have items stored on your device that you do not want to lose if your iPhone becomes lost, stolen, or inoperable. Fortunately, backing up to iCloud is easy.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
March 28, 2023

This is for the iPhone. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 16+

Reasons to Backup

Having backups of your data is a good idea no matter where you store it. In fact, we recommend keeping multiple copies of anything you backup so that if one method fails for some reason you still have another. There is no such thing as having too many backups.

Even if you already have backups on multiple physical hard drives, backing up to iCloud gives you an all-important offsite backup. That makes backups one of the best uses of spare iCloud storage.

It’s also smart to make sure your data is all backed up when it’s time to upgrade phones so you can set it up in a snap from the data in iCloud. The same applies to upgrading to a new version of iOS, just in case something goes wrong.

Of course, you will have to make sure you have enough storage in your iCloud account. How much you need will depend on how much data you have stored on your iPhone, but you will get a notification if your storage is not big enough when you initiate the backup. There are a few things you can do to free up space, and if you can not make the room you do have a few options for saving money on an iCloud storage upgrade. Be prepared for some frustration, though, because iCloud’s tier scheme is in need of an update.

Your Backup Includes

Whether you perform a manual backup to iCloud or set up automatic backups that run each day, the same items normally stored on your physical device will back up to iCloud. These items are included in the backup:

App data
iPhone settings
Home screen and app layout
iMessage, SMS, and MMS messages
Photos and videos
Purchase history from the App Store, Books Store, and iTunes
Ringtones
Visual Voicemail

Additionally, if you use iOS 11 or earlier, voice memos are included. And, if you own an Apple Watch, those backups are also included unless you use Family Setup for your Watch.

Many other items on your iPhone already get backed up to iCloud by default, and they include contacts, calendars, notes, reminders, voice memos, bookmarks, iCloud messages, and iCloud photos.

Sync Your iPhone Backup to iCloud

You can perform a one-time, manual backup of your iPhone to iCloud. This is a good option if you just purchased a new iPhone or are preparing to update your version of iOS but do not want to have your data backed up every day. Even if you have already set up automatic updates, this will force iCloud to update.

First, ensure you are connected to Wi-Fi and then open the Settings on your iPhone. Select your name at the top and then tap iCloud. Refer to the below image:

Next, select iCloud Backup and tap Back Up Now. See the below image:

You may receive an alert before the backup begins. This can be from one of the following:

If you do not have enough iCloud storage space available for your backup, you will see a notification. You can then follow the prompts to upgrade your iCloud storage plan.
If you have iCloud backups turned off for any of your apps, you will see a notification. You can select iCloud Settings to turn on backups for those apps or Continue to back up without that app data.

See the following image:

It can take up to several minutes for the backup process to run, depending on the amount of data on your device. So be sure you stay connected to your Wi-Fi network during the process.

Once complete, you will see the date and time of the last successful backup below Back Up Now. Refer to the below image:

Automatically Backup Your iPhone

Performing regular backups of your iPhone is essential so that you do not lose any important items. You can set iCloud to automatically sync your data, purchases, and other items on a regular schedule. Go to the same spot in your Settings as above:

Your Name > iCloud > iCloud Backup

Then, turn ON the toggle at the top for Back Up This iPhone. See the below image:

Optionally, you can enable the toggle to Back Up Over Cellular if you lose your Wi-Fi connection. Just note that it may affect your cellular data plan usage.

To ensure your device is ready for automatic backup, simply make sure you are on Wi-Fi, connect your iPhone to its power source, and enable the Lock screen. Your device will then automatically back up to iCloud. The ideal time for this is during your standard charging time, like when you are asleep.

Just like backing up your iPhone manually, you can then see the date and time for your last successful backup on the iCloud Backup screen. See the following image:

View Backup Details

To see more than the date and time of the last backup update, such as the size and data from which apps were included, head back to the iCloud Backup screen. In Settings:

Your Name > iCloud > iCloud Backup

select your device at the bottom. You will then see a summary of details at the top and the app data backed up directly beneath. Refer to the below image:

You can also see the size of your next backup. This is a good time to confirm that you have enough iCloud storage space available and upgrade if necessary. Remember, you receive 5GB of free iCloud storage but can upgrade to obtain more directly from your device.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing and rarely is their static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.

Quote For the Day

It’s not information overload. It’s filter failure.
Clay Shirky

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Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Just send an email to contact@techsavvy.life. Please mention the device, app, and version you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

Author’s E-Book

You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

Buying Used Phones Is On the Rise

You do not always need the greatest, shiniest thing when it comes to smartphones. After all, a new phone is often a very expensive purchase.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
March 14, 2023

You do not always need the greatest, shiniest device for smartphones. After all, a new phone is often a very expensive purchase. More people are realizing that, as new numbers show used phones are more popular than ever.

Sales of used smartphones are higher than ever now, as over 282 million used phones were reportedly sold through 2022, according to data from the IDC. This represents an 11.5% year-on-year increase, and while new phones are still selling like hotcakes, it does show a growing trend of people buying second-hand instead. The second-hand market is full of great deals, letting you get old phones for really cheap or even knocking a few hundred bucks off a current, slightly used model.

The reason for this is not particularly hard to guess. Economic inflation was a problem for most of 2022 (and has not gone away), and buying a brand-new smartphone is probably not a priority for people with other bills to pay. The iPhone 14 Pro Max can start at $1,100, while you can get used iPhone 12 or 13 devices for as low as $300.

It’s considered good practice to buy a used, older flagship model than going for a new smartphone

Courtesy of: The Register

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing, and rarely is there static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.

Quote For the Day

What did people do when they went to the bathroom before smartphones?
Aaron Cobra

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Author’s E-Book

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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Enable iPhone Pop-Ups

Open the Settings app, tap Safari, and toggle Block Pop-ups to OFF. This allows pop-ups in Safari on your iPhone. You can also allow pop-ups in other browsers like Google Chrome. Open your browser app’s Settings to find this option.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
February 14, 2023

Summary: Open the Settings app, tap Safari, and toggle Block Pop-ups to OFF. This allows pop-ups in Safari on your iPhone. You can also allow pop-ups in other browsers like Google Chrome. Open your browser app’s Settings to find this option.

This is for the Safari and Chrome. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 16+

Dilbert and Love — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

Allow Pop-Ups in Safari

To allow sites to open pop-up windows in your Safari browser, first, open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Next, in Settings, scroll down and tap Safari. Refer to the below image:

Now, on the Safari page, scroll down and toggle Block Pop-Ups to OFF.

Tip: To turn on Safari’s pop-up blocker in the future, re-enable the Block Pop-Ups option.

See the below image:

Allow Pop-Ups in Chrome

To enable pop-up windows in Chrome, first, launch the browser on your iPhone.

Next, when Chrome launches, in the bottom right-hand corner, tap the three-dot Menu and choose Settings. See the following image:

Now, in Settings, scroll down and tap Content Settings. Refer to the below image:

Next, tap Block Pop-Ups. See the below image:

Now, toggle Block Pop-Ups to OFF. Then, in the top right-hand corner, tap Done.

Tip: To re-enable pop-ups in Google Chrome in the future, activate the Block Pop-Ups option.

See the following image:

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing, and rarely is their static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.

Quote For the Day

We refuse to turn off our computers, turn off our phone, log off Facebook, and just sit in silence because in those moments we might actually have to face up to who we really are.
Jefferson Bethke

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Author’s E-Book

You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Download/Save Images Using Google Image Search

Google’s Image Search results are sometimes so impressive that you want to save some of those images to your device.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
February 2, 2023

Google’s Image Search results are sometimes so impressive that you want to save some of those images to your device. If you have found yourself in this situation, let’s explore how to download those images from your search results.

This is for mobile and desktop devices. Screenshots are from Windows 10 and iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 16+

Dilbert and Batteries — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

Save Images On Desktop

To download an image on a desktop, you just pick your image, click an option, and your image is saved to your computer.

First, launch your favorite web browser on your computer and open Google Image Search. There, find the image you want to save to your machine. Refer to the below image:

Google Image Search 1 — Search Google Images

Next, on the search results page, access the image that you want to download. See the below image:

Now, right-click your image, and from the menu that opens, choose to Save image as. See the following image:

Google Image Search 3 — Check the option to save your image

Next, your browser will open your computer’s standard Save As window. Here, select a folder to save your image in, type your image name in the File Name field, then click Save. Refer to the below image:

Now, you have successfully downloaded your favorite image from your Image Search results. If you are not sure exactly where the image file went, check your Downloads folder from File Explorer.

If your downloaded file is of low resolution, then try downloading that image directly from the source site. To do that, on the Image Search results page, click the link, beneath the image, and not the image, to be taken to the image site. There, right-click the image and choose Save image as.

Download Images On Mobile

On your mobile phone, you can download images from Google’s Image Search results using Google Chrome, Apple Safari, or Microsoft Edge. Mozilla Firefox does not offer the option to save images.

To start, first, open your web browser (we are using Safari) and launch Google Image Search or type into the search box “images.google.com”. Find the image you would like to save to your phone.

Next, on the search results page, tap the image to download. See the below image:

Google Image Search 5 — Tap an image you want to download

Now, on your image full-screen page, tap and hold the image. See the following image:

Google Image Search 6 — Press and hold your image

Next, on iPhone or iPad, from the menu that opens in Safari, tap Save to Photos. Refer to the below image:

Google Image Search 7 — Select the option to save your image

Your iPhone will download and save the image on your local storage or in our example using Safari, your Photos app. See the below image:

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing and rarely is static for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.

Quote For the Day

The technology you use impresses no one. The experience you create with it is everything.
Sean Cerety

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The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Search Your Photos on iPhone

The simplest way to search your Photos library is to use the Search tab at the top. However, you can also find specific photos and videos by filtering images by app name, camera or device, and even location.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
January 31, 2023

Summary: The simplest way to search your Photos library is to use the Search tab at the top. However, you can also find specific photos and videos by filtering images by app name, camera or device, and even location. Using iPhone’s Live Text feature, you can also search for text within images.

This is for the iPhone. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 16+

Dilbert and Employee — Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS. **This is one of my favorites**

Finding that favorite photo you took can be frustrating when you have thousands to sift through. Fortunately, there are plenty of useful tips for searching and filtering your media, including photos, videos, imports, and more. Let’s discover some of these tips.

Find Specific People and Objects

Using the Search tab, you can search for people, animals, and objects in the Photos app. The Search function works well for finding animals like cats and dogs, objects like cars and boats, clothing like hats and sunglasses, or natural features like rivers and mountains.

First, launch Photos and select Search from the Toolbar at the bottom. Then type your criteria into the Search bar. Refer to the below image:

Next, you can get as descriptive as you like. For example, you can look for food items like steak or rooms in your house like the bedroom. Start typing “at the concert” and see what you find.

Now, for the search to work with people, you will need to link their likeness to a contact. Tap on the Albums tab. Scroll down to People and Places and tap on the selection of faces that Photos have generated. See the below image:

Next, you can tap on individual people, then tap Add Name at the top to link the likeness to a contact. See the following image:

Now, tap Next in the upper right-hand corner to see the tagged person, then click Done in the upper right-hand corner. Refer to the below image:

Photos 4 — The person’s name has been added

Next, to train Photos to recognize people better, click each photo and look for the Review button. You can then confirm or deny likenesses. You may find some people have multiple entries due to changes in appearance, like a new haircut. Just tag them with the same name. See the below image:

Now, return to your Albums tab and tap on People. Here, you will see your tagged entries. See the following image:

Find Text and Captions

Next, thanks to the iPhone’s Live Text feature, you can search for text within images. For example, you can search for words on a page, titles of books, road signs, or notices. You may even be able to pick up handwriting if it’s legible enough for the iPhone to recognize. Refer to the below image:

Now, you can give yourself a chance at finding something specific later by attaching a caption to it. To do so, find the photo in your library, then swipe up to reveal more information about it. Then tap the Add a Caption field and type your description.

Find Old Objects

Your iPhone can surface images from this time last year, three years ago, or even ten years ago if your media files go back that far. These sometimes appear on the For You tab or as Memories Notifications, but you can also search for them manually.

Next, the key is to type the phrase exactly to see the relevant entry. For example, you can type Three Years Ago and then tap on the event that shows up. Also, you can do this for Last Month or Last Week. Head to the Albums tab and tap on Search at the bottom of the Toolbar. See the below image:

Now, you can even filter by images taken in a particular month and year by searching for it, like July 2022. Also, you could search by scrolling down to the date range in your Library tab and selecting a date, but doing the above is much quicker. See the following image:

Photos 9 — Find photos with a specific date

Find Hidden or Deleted

Next, in iOS 16, the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums are protected by Face ID or Touch ID. You can still find them in the usual place on the Albums tab by scrolling down to the bottom of the page and tapping on the Hidden or Recently Deleted album label in the Utility section.

Note: Recently Deleted photos will be removed after 30 days.

Refer to the below image:

Photos 10 — Find Hidden or Recently Deleted photos

Find Duplicates and Delete Them

Now, the Photos app can also find and merge duplicate photos and videos to save space. Scroll to the bottom of your Albums tab and tap Duplicates in the Utility section to see a list of duplicate photos or videos. See the below image:

Next, you can review each entry and then tap Merge. Your iPhone will then keep the highest quality version of any duplicates. See the following image:

You can also merge all of your duplicates at once by tapping:

Select > Select All > Merge (###)

Where “###” is the number of duplicates you are going to merge shown at the bottom of your screen. Refer to the below image:

The iPhone Photos app is both useful and powerful. These tips are just some of what you can do.

Disclaimer

Quote For the Day

We refuse to turn off our computers, turn off our phone, log off Facebook, and just sit in silence because in those moments we might actually have to face up to who we really are.
Jefferson Bethke

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Author’s E-Book

You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

How to Quiet Notifications on iPhone

Do you feel bombarded by iPhone notifications? If so, there’s a way to silence all of your notifications. Or, you can pick and choose the notifications you want to see and those you want to ignore.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
January 24, 2023

Do you feel bombarded by iPhone notifications? If so, there’s a way to silence all of your notifications. Or, you can pick and choose the notifications you want to see and those you want to ignore. Let’s examine how to gain control over your notifications.

This is for the iPhone. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 16+

Dilbert and Email — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

Using Do Not Disturb Mode

The easiest way to silence your notifications is to turn on Do Not Disturb mode from the Control Center. Swipe down from the very top-right of your screen. Then, select:

Focus > Do Not Disturb

Refer to the below image:

Focus 1 — Accessing the Do Not Disturb button

Using Focus

If you want to schedule Do Not Disturb mode for a specific time, you can use Focus too.

First, launch the Settings app on your iPhone. In Settings, tap:

Focus > Do Not Disturb

See the below image:

Focus 2 — Accessing the Do Not Disturb option from Focus

Next, you can set which notifications you allow (if any) and choose a custom Home or Lock screen to use in Do Not Disturb mode. See the following image:

Now, under Set a Schedule, tap Add Schedule to set when you would like to enable Do Not Disturb mode. Refer to the below image:

Next, you have three options for setting a schedule. see the below image:

Focus 5 — Set a Schedule via three options

Next, you can set a Time, Location, and App to silence notifications. See the following image:

Quiet App-Specific

If you want to disable notifications for a specific app, you can manage the notification settings for each app on your iPhone.

First, open Settings on your device. Then, tap Notifications. Refer to the below image:

Next, on the Notifications page, in the Notification Style section, tap the app for which you want to disable notifications. See the below image where we are choosing the ActiveArmor app:

Now, on the app page, at the top, toggle OFF the Allow Notifications option. See the following image:

Next, a screen will open showing the Allow Notifications option is OFF. Refer to the below image:

Focus 10 — Notifications are OFF for the App

Now, tap the Back icon and notice that notifications for ActiveArmor are OFF. See the below image:

Focus 11 — Showing Notifications is OFF for the App

Your iPhone will not send you notifications from your chosen app.

Disclaimer

Quote For the Day

As technology advances in complexity and scope, fear becomes more primitive.
Don DeLillo

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Author’s E-Book

You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

You Can Have 500 Safari Tabs Open on iPhone

Among the things that can slow your iPhone down, a big pile of tabs in Safari is not one of them.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
January 17, 2023

Among the things that can slow your iPhone down, a big pile of tabs in Safari is not one of them.

Safari tabs simply do not slow the iPhone down. In fact, you can have 500 tabs open, and it has zero performance impact. And 500 more if you make a new group. And 500 more if you use private browsing. And 500 more if you make another group. Whether we had 50 tabs or 5,000 tabs in Safari for iPhone, there was simply no difference in performance.

This is for devices using Safari. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 16+

Dilbert and Pill — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

If you dislike the clutter and it feels like your mental burden is lighter if the tabs in your phone’s browser are wiped away, by all means, feel free to tidy up.

Your iPhone automatically manages Safari tabs, and the number of tabs has no impact on the performance of the phone. Open tabs cannot do work or use resources in the background.

There are, in fact, things that can slow down your phone. A really old and worn battery can make a phone feel sluggish. Updating an older phone to a current release of iOS can really show you how old the hardware has become. Stuffing your phone’s storage full of unused apps and undeleted blurry photos will do the trick, too.

View Number open Tabs

To see how many Safari tabs you have open, first, launch Safari and tap the double rectangle icon on the lower right-hand corner of your screen. Next, at the bottom, you will see your number of open tabs. Refer to the below image:

Tabs 1 — Your number of open Safari tabs

Close All Open Tabs

It’s easy to close all tabs at once in Safari on an iPhone or iPad. First, launch the browser, then tap and hold the View Tabs button in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Next, choose the Close All Tabs option to nuke your browsing session entirely. This works for the current session, so if you are in a Private browsing session then this will close all open private tabs. See the below image:

Tabs 2 — Selecting to close all open Safari tabs

Reopen a Closed Tab

You can also get back any tabs you have recently closed. First, launch Safari, then tap tap the double rectangle icon on the lower right-hand corner of your screen.

Next, long-press the plus “+” (New Tab) button. Now, select a tab to reopen. The recently closed tab will be launched in the new tab. See the following image:

Tabs 3 — Launching a recently closed Safari tab

These tabs are limited only to tabs you have closed on the device you are using, rather than another device (like a Mac).

Reopen From History

Using History, you can also get back any tabs you have recently closed. First, launch Safari, then tap the Book icon on the lower part of your screen.

Next, tap the History icon in the upper right-hand corner of your screen. Now, select a tab to reopen. The selected closed tab will be launched in the new tab. Refer to the below image:

Tabs 4 — Launching a Safari tab from History

These tabs are limited only to tabs you have closed on the device you are using, rather than another device (like a Mac).

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing, and rarely is their static tech for smartphones and desktops. Thus, the contents of this post are only valid at the time of writing. Blog posts older than six months may have directions that are incompatible with your device or OS. Hopefully, older post content will continue to work as advertised. Thank you for reading TechSavvy.Life for Technology at Work For You.

Quote For the Day

I’d rather check my Facebook than face my checkbook.

Craig Coelho

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Author’s E-Book

You can access the e-book from a Kindle device, the Kindle App for the desktop or smartphone, which is a free app.

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath

Using Focus on the iPhone

The iPhone is generally considered a “simple” smartphone to use, but it has become packed with features over the years. “Focus” is one feature that is particularly jam-packed with powerful tools.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
January 12, 2023

The iPhone is generally considered a “simple” smartphone to use, but it has become packed with features over the years. “Focus” is one feature that is particularly jam-packed with powerful tools. Let’s take a look at this feature.

This is for the iPhone. Screenshots are from iPhone XR running iOS 16+

Dilbert and VP — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

What is Focus

Focus Mode, actually called just “Focus” on the iPhone, is essentially Do Not Disturb for specific situations. Rather than having a one-size-fits-all Do Not Disturb mode, Apple made it possible to create a bunch of specialized modes.

The long-standing Do Not Disturb mode is still present, by the way, but Focus makes it more useful. While you may have only used Do Not Disturb while you sleep, now it can be customized for a bunch of different situations.

Five Great iPhone Features You Should be Using

Do Not Disturb

Distractions management is still a core part of Focus, but it goes far beyond traditional Do Not Disturb. Each Focus Mode you create can be customized with which people and apps you want to allow to send notifications. Maybe you do not care about getting a text from your friend in the middle of your workout, but you might not want that distraction while studying.

The cool thing about Focus is it can go beyond just simply allowing certain people and apps to send notifications. It can actually filter out conversations from the Messages apps, hide calendars in the Calendar app, and limit you to specific Tab Groups in Safari.

That’s part of the reason why Focus is so useful. With other Do Not Disturb modes, you may be able to block notifications, but all the distractions are still on your phone if you look. Focus not only can block notifications, but it can also block the actual distraction too.

Different iPhones For Different Situations

Another big part of Focus is customizable screens. You can actually create a specific Lock screen and Home screen setup to use in different Focus modes. It’s like having a different iPhone for each situation.

Let’s say you have a Focus Mode you use while you are at work. You can create a Lock screen with Widgets that pertain to your job and set up a Home screen with the apps you use throughout the workday. You could also create a “Weekend” mode for unwinding with a plain Lock screen and a single Home screen page with only essential apps.

It’s essentially like switching between user profiles. Set up the Focus mode once, then it’s simply a matter of tapping a toggle and you are looking at a whole new phone.

So Much to Discover

If you have not noticed, a lot is going on with Focus. Apple has really fleshed out this feature into a powerful tool, but it does require some poking around to get the most out of it.

For example, you can set up an “Auto Reply” message to text messages when you are in Focus Mode. You can share your “Focus state” across devices, to let people know you are not ignoring them. Focus modes can be scheduled to come on automatically by time, location, or when opening specific apps.

Focus is packed with cool and useful options, and if you have not taken the time to dive in, you owe it to yourself to take a look. You can really make your iPhone more enjoyable to use by setting up a few Focus modes.

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What’s the Difference Between Google Wallet and Pay

Google has confusing named products, and that might be most apparent with Google Wallet and Google Pay. These two apps have taken a convoluted path to get where they are today. So, which one should you be using?

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
December 15, 2022

Google has confusing named products, and that might be most apparent with Google Wallet and Google Pay. These two apps have taken a convoluted path to get where they are today. So, which one should you be using?

This is for diPhone and Android. Screenshots are from iPhone XR running iOS 16+

Dilbert and Rumor — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

Both Google Wallet and Pay have seen some pretty drastic revamps over the years. Their purposes have changed a lot and confused many people in the process. Let’s see what these products have to offer.

Some History

You may be surprised to learn that the original version of Google Wallet was introduced way back in 2011. The service was primarily for sending money to people and there was a physical Google Wallet credit card as well.

The Google Wallet card allowed people to pay for things in physical and online stores with the funds in their accounts. This was before mobile payments with tap-to-pay were widely supported. The Wallet card was a very clever solution.

Eventually, tap-to-pay gained enough traction that Google launched Android Pay in 2015. It maintained Google Wallet and Android Pay separately until 2018 when the two were combined into a single service called Google Pay. The Wallet card was discontinued in 2016.

Then, in 2020, Google Pay got a massive overhaul with a bunch of new features. All of Google’s mobile payment services were under one umbrella… for a while. In the summer of 2022, the service was split in two, with the Google Wallet branding making a return.

That’s where things stand as of September 2022. Google Pay and Google Wallet exist as two separate products; sometimes. More on that later.

Google Wallet

Google Wallet can most easily be summed up by its name; it’s a digital wallet. You can add credit cards, debit cards, loyalty cards, transportation passes, event tickets, vaccine cards, and gift cards.

Basically, Google Wallet is for paying for things online and in physical stores with tap-to-pay. It features a very simple interface that shows your cards, tickets, and passes. Google Wallet is only available for Android since the iPhone does not allow non-Apple apps for tap-to-pay.

Google Wallet can generally be used with any card reader that has an Apple Wallet, Google Pay, or the contactless tap-to-pay icon. For online purchases, look for the Google Pay or Google Wallet buttons at checkout. It will take some time for the Wallet branding to replace Google Pay. Refer to the below image:

Google Pay

Google Pay received a massive overhaul in 2020, and it’s pretty much the same experience now. The tap-to-pay functionality is still present in Google Pay, but that’s not the only thing it can do.

The Google Pay app has peer-to-peer payments, shopping deals, cashback offers, and a full-blown banking experience with personal finance insights. You can think of Pay as a combination of services similar to Venmo, PayPal, RetailMeNot, and Mint.

Unlike Google Wallet, Google Pay is available on both Android and iPhone. The tap-to-pay functionality does not work on the iPhone, but the other features do. It’s a feature-packed app that tries to do a lot of things. In fact, it might be too much for some people, which is why Google Wallet exists. See the below image:

Which App to Use?

Depending on where you live, you may not even need to decide which app to use. Google Pay and Google Wallet only exist side-by-side in the U.S. and Singapore. In every other country, Google Wallet entirely replaced Google Pay, and India does not have Wallet at all (as of September 2022).

Google Pay can do everything Google Wallet can do, but Google Wallet can not do everything Google Pay can do. If you are in a country that has both, you can choose between the full experience (Pay) or just mobile payments (Wallet). There’s no reason to have both.

Use Google Pay if you want peer-to-peer payments, deals, rewards, or personal finance tools. If you only care about mobile payments, Google Wallet is a much more streamlined experience for that. The choice is even simpler for iPhone users; Google Pay is the only option.

In closing, Google Wallet is for mobile payments, Google Pay is for mobile payments, and more. In the author’s opinion, it’s still too complicated.

-Courtesy of other tech blog posts

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How to Delete Duplicate Photos and Videos on iPhone

Duplicate photos and videos take up precious space on your iPhone. Since iOS 16, Apple has offered the ability to easily find and delete duplicates in the Photos app; no third-party app is required.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
December 13, 2022

Duplicate photos and videos take up precious space on your iPhone. Since iOS 16, Apple has offered the ability to easily find and delete duplicates in the Photos app; no third-party app is required. Let’s explore how to do this.

This is for the iPhone running iOS 16+. Screenshots are from iPhone XR

Dilbert and Network — *Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS*

iOS 16 Required

This feature was released with iOS 16. You can see your current iOS version under:

Settings > General > About > iOS Version

Refer to the below image:

If you need to, you can upgrade to iOS 16 by going to

Settings > General > Software Update

Find and Delete Duplicates in Photos

Note! After updating the iOS. It could take anything from a few hours to a few days for the Duplicates album to appear.

First, to find duplicate photos and videos, open the Photos app on your iPhone and tap the Albums tab at the bottom of the screen. See the below image:

Next, scroll down to the bottom of the page to the Utilities section where you will find the Duplicates album. See the following image:

Duplicates 3 — Selecting Duplications option

Now, tap on Duplicates to see a list of all the duplicate photos and videos found on your iPhone. Refer to the below image:

Next, you will see a preview of each image and the relevant file size. You can review each duplicate entry individually, then tap on Merge to save one of the photos or videos. iOS will automatically keep the higher-quality version.

Now, you will need to confirm that you wish to merge the photos or videos in the pop-up window that opens. See the below image:

Duplicates 5 — Merge the current Duplicate

Next, if you do not have time to merge each duplicate individually, you can merge everything at once. To do this, tap Select at the top of the screen followed by Select All. Then, tap Merge at the bottom of the screen. See the following image:

Duplicates 6 — Merge all your Duplicates

Processing Your Photos

You might find that after merging all of your duplicates, more appear as your whole library finishes processing.

Apple states that the detection process requires your iPhone to be locked and connected to power. The size of your library and the tasks running on your device will influence the speed at which the process completes.

If your photos are stored in an iCloud Photo Library, removing duplicates is a good way of freeing up precious iCloud storage.

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