Category: iPhone

Get Visual Alerts for Calls and Messages: iPhone Flash Notification Setup

This post provides a guide on turning on flash notifications for iPhone, especially beneficial for the deaf or hard of hearing. It includes system requirements, and step-by-step instructions.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
September 24, 2024 – 3 minutes read time

Overview

How do you turn on the flash notification on your iPhone? Sometimes we might need an extra alert if an important message or phone call is expected.

This feature is intended to be used by the deaf or hard of hearing, but it can be helpful for anyone who would rather receive visual alerts. Be aware that turning on this feature could deplete your battery life rather quickly, depending on how many notifications you get throughout the day. Let’s explore how to turn on flashlight notifications on iPhones.

System Requirements

This post works on iPhones running iOS 16 or later. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17.6.1

Click here to learn how to update your iPhone to the latest iOS version.

Reasons For This Tip

  • Get an extra visual alert any time you receive notifications.
  • Make sure you never miss an important text or phone call.

Turn on Flash Notifications

Open the Settings app, and tap Accessibility. Refer to the below image:

Flash 1
Selecting Accessibility option

Tap Audio & Visual. See the below image:

Flash 2
Selecting the Audio & Visual option

Select LED Flash for Alerts. See the following image:

Flash 3
Selecting LED Flash for Alerts option

Tap the toggle next to LED Flash for Alerts to enable this feature. Refer to the below image:

Flash 4
Toggle to enable LED Flash for Alerts

By default, the LED will only flash if your iPhone is locked and the ringer is on. However, two toggles allow you to make it so that the flash will still go off when your device is unlocked or if Silent mode is enabled. See the below image:

Flash 5
Other options for flash alerts

That’s how to use your iPhone flashlight for notifications. Since the flash is on the back of your phone, placing your phone face down when you set it down is best. Just make sure you have a good scratch-protectant cover on the screen.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing. 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

When times are bad is when the real entrepreneurs emerge.

Robert T Kiyosaki

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Author’s E-Book

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the “Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath” can be accessed from a Kindle device or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.

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

iPhone Battery Health: Monitoring, Optimization, and Maintenance Tips

Apple faced backlash for slowing down older iPhone models to preserve battery life. Users can now monitor battery health and enable optimized battery charging to prolong battery lifespan. Additionally, they can track battery usage by app and learn to conserve battery and prevent overheating.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
September 17, 2024 – 4 minutes read time

Overview

Apple landed in hot water with customers several years ago when a feature designed to slow the processors of older iPhone models to keep them from suddenly shutting down came to light. Critics maintained that Apple was throttling the speed of earlier iPhone models to push customers toward newer devices. At the same time, Apple insisted that the feature was necessary to cope with aging batteries. Now, Apple lets users monitor the health of their iPhones’ battery. Let’s explore this feature.

System Requirements

This post works on iPhones running iOS 15 or later

Click here to learn how to update your iPhone to the latest iOS version.

Check Battery Health

First, open the Settings app, and tap on Battery. Refer to the below image:

Battery 8
Accessing the Battery option

Next, tap on Battery Health & Charging. See the below image:

Battery 7
Accessing the Battery Health option

Now, you will see your battery capacity next to Maximum Capacity. See the following image:

Battery 6
Viewing the Maximum Capacity of the battery

The Maximum Capacity tells you your iPhone battery’s capacity compared to its capacity when it was brand new. For example, if your Maximum Capacity is 85%, that is all your battery can charge. On this screen, you can also enable Optimized Battery Charging, which reduces aging by optimizing how your battery behaves when charging. Refer to the below image:

Battery 5
Enabling Optimized Battery Charging

If your battery’s Maximum Capacity has dropped below 80%, a message like this will pop up on your screen if you experience an unexpected shutdown. See the below image:

Battery 1
Viewing Battery Health degradation warning message

You can tap Disable to turn off battery throttling on your iPhone or you may want to consider replacing your battery to improve your iPhone’s performance and the amount of time it can operate between charges.

Track Battery Usage by App

To view your battery usage by app, go back to:

Settings > Battery

Swipe down on the Battery settings screen and you will discover battery usage by app, starting with the biggest battery hogs. By default, the tool shows you the percentage of battery charge by each app. Tap Show Activity or a specific app, and the information changes to display the time the app has used the battery, both in the foreground and background. See the following image:

Battery 4
Viewing Battery Usage

Conserve Battery

Besides Optimized Battery Charging you can conserve your battery, turning down the brightness of your screen will increase battery health. To adjust the screen brightness, head to:

Settings > Display & Brightness 

and moving the slider. Refer to the below image:

Battery 3
Turning down Brightness to conserve battery usage

Keep Your iPhone Cool

 Using your iPhone in hot conditions can permanently shorten battery life. Store your device where the temperature is between -20º and 45º C (-4º to 113º F). Do not leave your device in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range.

If your device gets too warm or too cold, certain features might become temporarily disabled. In extreme conditions, your device might become temporarily disabled. A temperature warning screen will be displayed. See the below image:

Battery 2
iPhone is too hot warning message

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing. 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

The real secret to a life of abundance is to stop spending your days searching for security and to start spending your time pursuing opportunity.

Robin S. Charma

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I Would Like to Hear From You

Was this post helpful? We would love to hear your comments. 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, you can send screenshots of the data related to your question.

Author’s E-Book

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the “Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath” can be accessed from a Kindle device or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.

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

iPhone Call and Text Blocking: Practical Steps for Contacts and Numbers

The post provides instructions for blocking contacts and numbers. It covers blocking contacts in the phone app and blocking numbers from recent calls.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
September 10, 2024 – 3 minutes read time

Overview

You can easily block any number if you receive texts and calls from a saved contact or a random number. Let’s explore how this is accomplished.

System Requirements

This post works on iPhones running iOS 15 or later. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17.6.1

Click here to learn how to update your iPhone to the latest iOS version.

Block a Person in Your Contacts

If the person you want to block is already saved in your iPhone’s contact list, you can block them via the contacts tab in the Phone app. 

First, open your Phone app. Refer to the below image:

Block Caller 1
Accessing your Phone app

Next, tap the Contacts icon. See the below image:

Block Caller 2
Selecting your Contacts icon

Now, tap the contact you want to block. See the following image:

Block Caller 3
Selecting a Contact to block

Next, tap the Block Caller option. Refer to the below image:

Block Caller 4
Selecting the Block Caller option

Now, tap the Block Contact menu option. See the below image:

Block Caller 5
Selecting the Block Contact option

Block a Number

If the number you want to block is not saved in your iPhone contact list, you can still block it in the Phone app.

First, open the Phone app. Refer to the below image:

Block Caller 1
Accessing your Phone app

Next, tap the Recents icon. See below image:

Block Caller 7
Selecting your Recents icon

Now, fund the number you want to block and tap the Info button. See the following image:

Block Caller 8
Selecting the Info button of the number to block

Next, tap the Block Caller option. Refer to the below image:

Block Caller 9
Selecting the Block Caller option

Now, tap the Block Contact menu option. See the below image:

Block Caller 10
Selecting the Block Contact option

And that’s how you block a number or a contact on your iPhone. You can always unblock a caller by the above steps and tapping the Unblock Caller option.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing. 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

 “Success is not achieved by winning all the time. Real success comes when we rise after we fall. Some mountains are higher than others. Some roads steeper than the next. There are hardships and setbacks but you cannot let them stop you. Even on the steepest road you must not turn back.”

Muhammad Ali

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Was this post helpful? We would love to hear your comments. 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, you can send screenshots of the data related to your question.

Author’s E-Book

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the “Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath” can be accessed from a Kindle device or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.

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

How to Use Dynamic Island for iPhone Flashlight Control | TechSavvy.Life

This post provides instructions for using the Dynamic Island feature to control the flashlight on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 models. The upcoming iOS 18 update will introduce new features for controlling the flashlight.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
September 3, 2024 – 3 minutes read

This is for iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Max, and iPhone 15 running iOS 17+. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17.5.1.

Click here to learn how to update your iPhone to the latest iOS version.

Overview

Did you know you can use the Dynamic Island to control your iPhone’s flashlight? The Dynamic Island is one of the most useful features, thanks to shortcuts like this.

There are many different ways to turn off the flashlight on your iPhone. The iPhone 14 Pro and any iPhone 15 models introduced an extra option for switching off your flashlight with Dynamic Island. Let’s explore this feature.

What is Dynamic Island

The Dynamic Island is a relatively new interactive iOS 16 feature housing the TrueDepth front camera notch.

Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped zone on the upper side of the ‌iPhone‌ display. It adapts the camera hardware and is a shape-shifting hub for vital iPhone alerts or your ongoing activity. Since the feature is triggered automatically, you can view a multitasking bar within seconds without additional actions.

This UI area displays;

  • Alerts and Notifications
  • Background Activity
  • Access to Controls
  • Real-Time Updates

Turning On/Off the Flashlight

First, access the Flashlight by swiping down on your Home Screen from the upper right. Refer to the below image:

Flashlight 1
Swiping down to reveal the Control Panel

Now, the Control Center will be displayed. See the below image:

Flashlight 2
Your Control Panel

Next, tap the Flashlight icon. See the following image:

Flashlight 3
Selecting the Flashlight icon

Now, you will see a tiny flashlight icon in the Dynamic Island. Tap it. Refer to the below image:

Flashlight 4
Taping the Flashlight icon in the Dynamic Island

Next, your Flashlight status will be shown in the Dynamic Island. Tap the icon to turn off the Flashlight. See the below image:

Flashlight 5
Taping the Flashlight icon to turn it off

New Flashlight Feature

In the September 2024 iOS 18 update Apple will add swipe capabilities to control the Flashlight beam and brightness.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing. 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

. “Real science can be far stranger than science fiction and much more satisfying.”

– Stephen Hawking

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I Would Like to Hear From You

Was this post helpful? We would love to hear your comments. 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 the data related to your question.

Author”s E-Book

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the “Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath” can be accessed from a Kindle device or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.

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

How to Enable Night Vision Mode on iPhone for Enhanced Visibility

The iPhone’s night vision mode turns the screen red to reduce eye strain. This feature is beneficial for low-light environments and can be enabled in the device’s settings. The red screen helps with quicker eye adaptation in the dark and can be useful for various activities such as stargazing and viewing smartphones discreetly in dark environments.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
July 30, 2024 – 3 minute read

This is for the iPhone. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17.5.1+

The iPhone has a “night vision” feature that turns your screen red. More than giving a spy movie vibe, a red screen could help sharpen people’s night vision by reducing the harmful effect of the bright displays we stare at all day.

Overview

Night vision mode is helpful at night and when we first wake up, since the regular light the iPhone displays can cause fatigue and harm our eyes. Apple already offers some built-in options to protect our eyes, such as:

  • Warn that the iPhone is too close to your face.
  • Night Mode, which reduces blue light and reduces fatigue.
  • True Tone, which adjusts the display color based on your environment.
  • Dark Mode, which switches the bright whites to black or dark gray colors, puts less stress on your eyes.

Still, there are benefits to turning your iPhone screen red. The color is more difficult to see than other light frequencies, so it tricks our eyes into thinking it’s less bright than it actually is. In a dark room, for example, your pupils will not have to adjust as much to the light. Also, when you look away, your eyes adapt quicker to the darkness around you. Refer to the below image:

iPhone Red Screen
iPhone Red Screen for Night Vision

In addition, this iPhone feature can also help you use star map apps for astronomy, sneaking your phone at the theaters, eyesight animals, or when you check your phone in the middle of the night.

Enable Night Vision

With that in mind, Apple has this Night Vision mode. Here’s how you can enable it.

  • On your iPhone, open Settings
  • In the Accessibility tab, search for Display & Text Size
  • Turn on Color Filters
  • Move Intensity to the far-right position for the full red-screen effect.
  • Select Color Tint

Quickly Turn the Screen to Red

Now that you know how to turn on this iPhone’s feature, there are three options to make turning it on and off more straightforward.

Triple click: 

On Settings, Accessibility, Accessibility Shortcut, choose Color Filters to triple-click the side button and activate this setting.

Control Center:

On Settings, Control Center, and Accessibility Shortcuts, you can add this shortcut to your Control Center, so it’s just one tap away from changing your display from bright white to red.

Siri:

You can ask Siri to either enable or disable color filters.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing. 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

An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.

Friedrick Engels

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I Would Like to Hear From You

Was this post helpful? We would love to hear your comments. 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

The author’s Vietnam eBook on the “Battle for Tra Bong Vietnam: Events and Aftermath” can be accessed from a Kindle device or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.

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

iPhone Camera Macro Mode: How to Enable and Disable the Flower Icon

The Flower icon in iPhone Pro indicates macro mode for close-up photography. To disable the macro lens, tap the Flower icon in the camera app. In settings, under Camera, toggle Macro Control to disable the Flower icon. The iPhone 15 Pro models support macro photography, while the standard model does not.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
July 16, 2024 = 4 minutes read

This is for the iPhone Pro. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17.5.1

If you have a Pro iPhone, you have probably noticed the Flower icon while taking photos on your iPhone camera. This icon should only appear when your camera enters Macro mode for taking close-up pictures. Let’s explore how to use and disable the Macro mode Flower icon.

What is the Flower Icon on Your iPhone Camera

As you might have guessed, the icon indicates your iPhone’s macro camera is enabled. iPhone macro photography lets you take clear, extreme close-up shots of nearly any subject. If you do not need to use the iPhone’s macro lens, you can easily disable it from the camera by tapping the Flower icon.

How to Turn Off the Macro Lens

If you are uninterested in iPhone macro photography, you can disable the macro lens.

First, when the camera is open, tap the yellow Flower icon. Refer to the below image:

Macro 1
Maco Mode is enabled

Next, when it is gray with a slash through it, that means it has been disabled. See the below image:

Macro 2
Macro Mode is disabled

That’s how to disable the macro photography lens. If you want to disable the icon itself, see the below section.

How to Disable the Flower Icon in iPhone Camera

If you do not want the Flower icon to appear on your iPhone camera, you can disable that in the Settings app.

First, the Settings app, and tap Camera. See the following image:

Macro 3
Accessing your Camera option

Next, scroll to the bottom and tap the toggle next to Macro Control to disable or enable the Flower icon. Refer to the below image:

Macro 4
Disable or enable Macro Control

Note! This does not disable Macro mode, only the Flower icon. You will not be able to turn off Macro mode if you turn off the above toggle.

FAQ

What does Macro mode do?

Macro mode keeps the image clear while taking extreme close-up shots. This means you can take crisp photos of smaller subjects, like plants or animals.

Does the iPhone 15 have macro photography?

The standard iPhone 15 model does not have a Macro mode. However, all Pro models iPhones, including the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, can capture macro photography images.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing. 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

“Don’t believe everything you hear: Real eyes, Realize, Real lies.”

Tupac Shakur

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I Would Like to Hear From You

Was this post helpful? We would love to hear your comments. 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.

Suthor’s E-Book

You can access the E-book from a Kindle device, or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.

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

How to Recover Deleted Photos from iPhone

This post provides detailed instructions on recovering deleted photos and videos on iPhone, emphasizing the 30-day recovery period and the importance of backups. It also suggests using Google Photos and mentions third-party solutions for permanent deletions.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
July 9, 2024 – 3 minute read

This is for the iPhone. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17+

The first thing we used to do to free storage on my previous iPhones was to head to the Photos app and delete pictures and videos. We usually did this after a backup or AirDrop the files we wanted to keep to our PC. However, there were exceptions to the rule, and we sometimes accidentally deleted photos and videos we still needed.

If you accidentally delete files while cleaning up, you should not panic. The files are not actually lost. Go to the Albums section of your iPhone and look for the Recently Deleted folder. You must unlock it with Face ID, Touch ID, or PIN code. In there, tap the Select button and check the photos you deleted by mistake, tap the three dots menu button at the bottom, and then tap Recover. Refer to the below image:

Recover Photo 1
Selecting your photos to recover

If you have selected more than one photo, click the recover multiple photos button. See the below image:

Recover Photo 2
Recover your photos

We already knew how to rescue those files, as there’s a simple rule about deleting stuff on iPhone. The files do not get permanently removed. Instead, they sit for 30 days in the Trash folders of the various apps where you can delete content. The Photos app is one of them. And that’s how easy it is to recover those deleted photos and videos.

It gets even better if you do regular backups via iCloud or use a third-party alternative to Apple Photos. Google Photos easily comes to mind, as it’s a great app to store and back up photos.

Default Photo App

Most iPhone users will use the default Photos app. That’s where to start when viewing photos and videos and managing the storage.

Another option is to bring a single photo into view and then look for the same Recover button. This method only lets you recover photos and videos one by one.

Once that’s done, the recovered files will be available in the Photos app.

You have to remember to recover your deleted photos within 30 days. That’s how long you have until the iPhone permanently removes them. We went to this folder on iPhones with lower storage than my current iPhone 14 Pro to permanently delete the files we did not need. That’s the only way to free storage immediately.

The best way to ensure your photos and videos are safe is to perform routine backups. Whether via iCloud or your PC, the backups will help you recover files. Another option is to manually transfer the photos to a computer and store them on external devices.

There are many Photo Recovery apps from the App Store you can install.

Using Google Photos

Google Photos is a handy tool for storing images and photos on your iPhone. But, like the default Apple Photos app, you can accidentally delete files in Google Photos.

The solution is similar to Apple Photos. Google does not delete the images directly, moving them to a Trash file in the Library tab. You have 30 days to recover the file if the photo or video was not backed up to the cloud. That goes up to 60 days if the files you deleted accidentally were backed up to the cloud.

Google Photos is also available on the web and other devices.

What if You Deleted Your Photos for Good?

Whether you forget the 30-day recovery deadline or accidentally empty the trash, recovering permanently deleted files might be a big problem. Third-party software solutions might help you get those files back. 

But as Gizmodo points out, not all of them might work. The blog also mentions Stellar Data Recovery as a well-reviewed solution for recovering deleted files from iPads and iPhones.

The software is not free, starting at $49.99, and there are no guarantees it will work. But if you must try anything to recover a particularly dear deleted photo from your iPhone, you will want to look into third-party apps that claim they can do the job.

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing. 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

Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.

Winston Churchill

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That’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.

Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.

Checkout TechSavvy.Life for blog posts on smartphones, PCs, and Macs! You may email us at contact@techsavvy.life for comments or questions.

I Would Like to Hear From You

Was this post helpful? We would love to hear your comments. 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, or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.

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

How to Preserve Your Voice on iPhone

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
July 2, 2024

This is for the iPhone running iOS 17+. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro

The iPhone has a hidden feature that lets you preserve your voice forever. You just need to read a few inquiries for 15 minutes, and you will always be able to hear your voice the way it was at that moment. While this function could be fun for some tech people, some lose the ability to speak for various reasons.

With that in mind, Apple introduced Personal Voice. Apple says this feature was made to assist those at risk of losing their voice.

The company explains: “Users can create a Personal Voice by reading along with a randomized set of text prompts to record 15 minutes of audio on iPhone or iPad. This speech accessibility feature uses on-device machine learning to keep users’ information private and secure. It integrates seamlessly with Live Speech so users can speak with their Personal Voice when connecting with loved ones.”

Live Voice, for example, allows users to type what they want to say and then have that spoken for them on a phone or FaceTime call. If you use Personal Voice, the person on the other end of the call will hear your actual voice, even though you simply typed a response.

Record Your Voice

Here are the steps:

  1. Open the Settings > Accessibility > Personal Voice.
  2. Tap Create a Personal Voice.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions to record your voice.

You must be in a quiet environment for your recording. We found it best to use pause after recording a phrase. Refer to the below image:

Personal Voice 1
Selecting to Create Your Personal Voice

Tap Done in the upper-left corner or close the Settings app to pause your recording session. Your progress will be saved.

Resume Your Session

To resume your recording session, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Personal Voice.
  2. Tap the Personal Voice that you want to continue creating.
  3. Tap Continue Recording, then follow the onscreen instructions.

See the below image:

Personal Voice 2
Selecting to Continue Recording

Use Your Recorded Voice

To use Live Voice, here are the steps:

  1. Open the Settings app > Accessibility > Live Speech.
  2. Toggle Live Speech to ON.
  3. Under the Voices section, tap your keyboard language, then select a voice to use. Samantha is the default voice. (You might need to tap the download a voice by tapping the Download button before you can select it.)
  4. Tap the Voice Settings button next to the voice to adjust a voice’s pitch or speed.

See the following image:

Personal Voice 3
Turning ON Live Speech and selecting your voice

Delete a Personal Voice

Once you delete a recorded voice, you can not recover it.

  1. Open the Settings app > Accessibility > Personal Voice.
  2. Tap the Personal Voice that you want to delete.
  3. Authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID, or enter your passcode.
  4. Tap Delete Voice, then tap Delete Voice And Recordings to confirm.

Refer to the below image:

Personal Voice 4
Selecting to Delete Voice

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing. 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

An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.

Friedrick Engels

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How to Route iPhone Calls to Your Speaker and Set Auto-Answer

This post provides guidance for iPhone users on enabling the speaker for all calls and setting up the Auto-Answer feature.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
June 18, 2024 -3 minutes read time

This is for the iPhone with iOS 17 or above. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17+

If you like talking on the phone for long periods but do not love holding the iPhone to your face for hours, you may prefer to use the speaker. You can turn on a setting that automatically makes all calls through your speaker. Also, you can set the Auto-Answer feature to answer your phone within a certain time frame. This is useful for those working using a headset. Let’s explore these features.

Using Your Speaker

First, head to

Settings > Accessibility > Touch

Refer to the below image:

Accessing the Touch option

Next, select Call Audio Routing. See the below image:

Selecting the Call Audio Routing option

Now, tap the Speaker option. See the following image:

Selecting the Speaker for all calls

Next, when you get a phone call, it will automatically use the speaker when you answer!

If you have paired your iPhone to your car audio system, we recommend leaving the Speaker setting to Automatic. This will send/receive your calls through your audio system speakers.

Auto-Answer

While you are here, you can set the Auto-Answer feature and the time to pick up a call.

First, tap the Auto-Answer Calls option. Refer to the below image:

Accessing the Auto-Answer Calls option

Next, tap the Auto-Answer Calls toggle to ON. See the below image:

Toggle the Auto-Answer Calls to ON

Now, set your time duration to auto-answer a call (default is 3 seconds). See the following image:

Setting time duration for Auto-Answer

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing. 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

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.

Albert Einstein

Tweet Info

Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.

Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.

Checkout TechSavvy.Life for blog posts on smartphones, PCs, and Macs! You may email us at contact@techsavvy.life for comments or questions.

I Would Like to Hear From You

Was this post helpful? We would love to hear your comments. 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, or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.

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

How to Turn on iPhone Low Battery Mode

Low Power Mode on iPhone reduces features to save battery. To enable, go to Settings>Battery and toggle Low Power Mode on, or add it to Control Center for quick access.

RAYMOND OGLESBY @RaymondOglesby2
June 4, 2024

This is for the iPhone. Screenshots are from iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 17.5+

When Low Power Mode is enabled, the Battery icon at the top of your phone will appear yellow, and features like mail fetch, background app refresh, automatic downloads, and some visual effects will be reduced or disabled until it is turned off. There are two primary ways to turn on Low Power Mode.

Use Settings

First, open Settings and tap the Battery option. Refer to the below image:

Low Power 1
Selecting the Battery option

Now, toggle the Low Power Mode to ON. See the below image:

Low Power 2
Turning the Low Power Mode to ON

Use the Control Center

If you want quick and easy access to the Low Power Mode setting but do not want to go into your Settings and scroll to access it, let’s add it to your Control Center.

First, open Settings and tap the Control Center option. See the following image:

Low Power 3
Selecting the Control Center option

Next, tap Low Power Mode to add it to your Control Center. (If you see a red minus sign instead of a green plus side here, it means Low Power Mode is already in your Control Center.) Refer to the below image:

Low Power 4
Selecting to add Low Power Mode to Control Center

When added, the option will be in your Control Center. See the below image:

Low Power 5
Low Power Mode added to Control Center

Next, swipe down from the top right of the screen. See the following image:

Low Power 6
Accessing the Control Center by swiping down

Now, tap the Battery icon to toggle Low Power Mode ON or OFF. At the top of your screen, you will see the option status. Refer to the below image:

Low Power 7
Toggle on pr pff Low Power Mode from the Control Center

What Does Low Power Mode Do

Your iPhone’s Low Power Mode does many things to save battery power. It automatically changes some settings to save battery power, like disabling the automatic fetching of new mail, reducing your screen brightness, and automatically locking the phone and powering off its display more quickly. Apps can detect low power mode is enabled and choose to disable animations and other battery-hungry features, too.

Motion effects and animated wallpapers are also disabled. Background activities and networking are paused to prevent unnecessary power drain in the background. Your iPhone even automatically reduces the performance of its CPU and GPU, which makes it perform a bit slower but saves battery life. Tests have found that this slows iPhones by about 40 percent when Low Power Mode is enabled.

By entering Low Power Mode you will save some battery life until you can get to your charger. 

Disclaimer

Technology is always changing. 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

If you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way.

 Napoleon Hill

Tweet Info

That’s it. Please feel free to share this post! One way to share is via Twitter.

Just click the Tweet icon below. This will launch Twitter where you click its icon to post the Tweet.

Checkout TechSavvy.Life for blog posts on smartphones, PCs, and Macs! You may email us at contact@techsavvy.life for comments or questions.

I Would Like to Hear From You

Was this post helpful? We would love to hear your comments. 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, or the Kindle App for a desktop or smartphone. The apps are free.

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