Tag: iPhone

iPhone

How to Switch to the New Facebook Interface

Facebook’s new website interface change is not well known. At some point, it will probably be the new standard. The interface is getting a visual overhaul that almost everyone can access. You can now update to this brand new, less cluttered design with the click of a button. If you don’t like the change, you can easily switch back to the classic interface.

This if for a desktop/laptop, Macs and smartphones supporting Facebook

Dilbert and Human Interaction
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Enabling the New Interface

Note! This post relates to a PC, other devices will be similar. If you don’t see the new Facebook option then Facebook has yet to rollout the change to your device.

Fire up your device and log in to your Facebook account.

Next, click on the down arrow in the top-right corner of the interface. Select the Switch To New Facebook option. The page will refresh and the new interface design will load. Refer to below image:

Facebook New 1
Switch to the new Facebook option

A welcome message will appear the first time that you switch to the new Facebook design. Facebook claims that the redesign has faster loading time, cleaner look and bigger text. Additionally, Facebook now includes a dark mode that you can enable whenever you want.

Additionally, this update comes with a user-friendly redesign of the Groups tab and an overhaul of the News Feed. See below image:

Facebook New 2
The Welcome message for the new interface

Simply click the Next button. You will see the following image allowing you to select how yout interface will look.

Facebook New 3
Selecting your interface look

Just click the Get Started button. That’s it, you are all set with the new desktop interface. If you aren’t a fan of the Dark mode, you can switch back to Light whenever you like.

Switching Back to the Classic Interface

Once you’ve enabled the new interface, you can always revert the change from your Facebook account’s front page. Just click on the down arrow in the top-right and then select Switch To Classic Facebook. See following image:

Facebook New 4
Reverting back to the Classic interface

At some point in the future, Facebook may decide to roll out the new design permentally for all platforms. If so, reverting back to the classic interface will no longer be an option.

I Would Like to Hear from You

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

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

How to Use Spotify with Siri on iPhone

If you’re running iOS 13 or higher, you can directly ask Siri to play your favorite playlist, song or an artist on Spotify. iOS 13+ expands third-party support for Siri which now includes Spotify. This means you can get Apple Music style playback controls with Siri on your iPhone. Here’s how to set it up.

If you already have the Spotify app installed, and you’re logged into your account, all you have to do is start talking to Siri. Say “Play the Beatles on Spotify”.

This is for iPhone or iPad running iOS 13 or above

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Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Enable Spotify Access to Siri

As this is your first time using Spotify with Siri, it will ask for permission to access your Spotify data. Simpily tap the Yes button. Refer to below image:

Siri and Spotify 1
Giving permission to access Spotify

Spotify will start playing the music you requested. You’ll see a Now Playing widget playback control on the Siri screen.

You can also control the Siri access for Spotify from your iPhone.

  • Open Settings
  • Select Spotify
  • Select Siri & Search. See following image:
Siri and Spotify 2
Accessing Siri and Search

At the bottom of the screen, toggle on the Use with Ask Siri feature to enable Siri access for Spotify. Refer to below image:

Siri and Spotify 3
Toggle on the Use with Ask Siri

Control Spotify on Using Siri

Once Spotify is connected to Siri, you can use it to play any song, album, artist or playlist. You can also get specific about albums and years of release.

Below are some Spotify commands you can use with Siri:

  • Play [song name] on Spotify
  • Play [album name] on Spotify
  • Play [artist name] on Spotify
  • Play on Spotify
  • Play my liked songs on Spotify
  • Shuffle on Spotify
  • Play the latest album by [artist name] on Spotify
  • Play [genre] music on Spotify

Other than these, you can use the standard playback controls in Siri as well. For instance, you can ask Siri to play, pause, skip, repeat, shuffle or go to the previous track. Refer to below image:

Siri and Spotify 4
The playback control

On your iPhone, you can also open Spotify and see what is playing at the bottom of the screen. See below image:

Siri and Spotify 5
Accessing Spotify to see what is playing

The following image is an example of using the Spotify command Play Easy Listening on Spotify:

Siri and Spotify 6
Listening to Easy Listening on Spotify

For now, Siri only supports playback features in Spotify. You can’t use Siri to interact with the app. For instance, you can’t search for something like a song in Spotify using Siri. You also can’t use Siri to add a song to a playlist either.

I Would Like to Hear from You

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

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

How to Record a Zoom Meeting

Why take notes during a Zoom meeting when you can refer back to a recording of the entire call? Here’s how to record a Zoom meeting, whether you’re the host or not.

Important meetings need good records, and anyone who has taken notes knows that some details can be missed. The best way to preserve a record of a meeting is to have a video recording.

 That goes doubly for remote meetings, where distractions, tech issues and other problems can lead to you missing out on essential information.

If you are using an Enterprise account to host a meeting, you may not be able to record a Zoom meeting unless your IT team has given you permission. Be sure to check with your administrator before the meeting to grant you access if you don’t have it.

If using a PC or Mac, be sure your computer has a microphone and/or camera to use Zoom to its fullest. You may also use your smartphone to record the meeting.

This if for a PC, Macs, iPhone/iPad and Android devices that support Zoom

Dilbert and Future 1
Copyright Scott Adams, Inc./Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Accessing Zoom Settings

First, fire up Zoom and join an active meeting. Then click on your small profile photo in upper right-hand corner. This will open up the dialog options window. See below image:

Zoom Record 1
Zoom dialog Options window

Recording a Zoom Meeting

Next, click on the Settings option. The Settings options will be displayed. The Record video during screen sharing option should be checkmarked. Also, at the top of the screen is the location where your video will be stored upon completion. This folder was created when you installed Zoom. Refer to below image:

Zoom Record 2
Settings options for recording a video

By default, only the meeting host can record the meeting, but it’s easy to grant other participants the ability to do so. The meeting host can do so by clicking on Participants while in a meeting, looking for the More button next to an individual’s name and selecting Allow Record. 

Once in a meeting, those wanting to record only need to click the Record button to start capture, at which point the Record button will change into two buttons: One to Pause the recording and one to Stop recording.

When you’re done recording video, Zoom stores it temporarily in the location mentioned above. The video is encoded into MP4 format once the meeting has ended.

I Would Like to Hear from You

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

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

How to Use FaceTime During the Time of Social Distancing

During our time of social distancing, you can still reach out to your friends or relatives using FaceTime video or audio on your iPhone or iPad.

You can use FaceTime over Wi-Fi or over cellular on iOS 12.1 or later devices. Also, you need an iPhone 6s or later. FaceTime supports up to 32 people simultaneously.

This is for iPhone or iPad

Turn on FaceTime

Open the FaceTime app and sign in with your Apple ID. You can also do this from Settings > FaceTime

If you’re using an iPhone, FaceTime automatically registers your phone number. To also register your email address on your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > FaceTime > Use your Apple ID for FaceTime and sign in with your Apple ID.

Make a FaceTime Call

To make a FaceTime call, you need the person’s phone number or registered email address. There are a few ways to make a FaceTime call:

  • In the FaceTime app, tap the plus button and type the person’s phone number or email address. Tap the number or address, then tap Audio or Video
  • If you have the person’s phone number or email address saved in your Contacts, you can start typing their name and tap the name when it appears. Then tap Audio or Video
  • You can also start a FaceTime video call from your iPhone during a phone call. Tap the FaceTime icon in the iPhone app to switch to FaceTime.

Now you don’t have to be alone, you can reach out to people using your Apple smart devices.

I Would Like to Hear From You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help me out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

How to Lock your iPhone or iPad Screen Orientation

Do you get frustrated when your smart device switches to landscape from portrait mode (or vice versa) when you don’t want it to? There is a way to prevent this behavior through Orientation Lock.

This is for iOS devices iPhone and iPad running iOS 7 and above

Set the Lock

To do this, launch the Control Center by one of the following ways:

1. iPhone 10 and above – Swipe down from upper right hand corner

2. iPhone 8 or earlier – Swipe up from bottom of screen

See below image:

iPhone Screen Lock 1
The Orientation Lock screen
  • Tap the Orientation Lock icon (the one with an open lock and a curved arrow) to set the lock to its current position. A brief message will appear at the top to confirm the lock and the icon will be highlighted. Refer to following image:
iPhone Screen Lock 2
Turning on the Orientation Lock
  • Swipe to close Control Center

Verify the Lock

  • Launch the Control Center. A small lock icon will be displayed in the Status Bar next to the Battery Level icon. See following image:
iPhone Screen Lock 3
Verifying the Orientation Lock is on
  • Swipe to close Control Center

Turn Off the Lock

  • Launch the Control Center
  • Tap the Orientation Lock icon

A brief message will appear at the top to confirm the lock is turned off and the icon will no longer be highlighted. See following image:

iPhone Screen Lock 4
Turning off the Orientation Lock
  • Swipe to close the Control Center

Note! Not all apps support screen rotation. Some apps only work in portrait or landscape mode. This is particularly true of some games and video apps. For those apps, your screen rotation settings don’t matter. The app will only display in the orientation it supports.

I Would Like to Hear from You

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

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

How to Listen to Podcasts on Your Amazon Echo

Yes, you can now hear Podcasts on your Amazon Echo device. Apple Podcasts and others, like Spotify and iHeartRadio, are now options to choose from for your favorite podcasts.

We are going to link your Echo device to one of these podcast services. Our example is linking Apple Podcasts to the Amazon Echo. The ways this is done is somewhat clumsy. The Echo seems to be hard to program; it’s not straightforward. But follow along, it’s not time consuming and is worth it.

This is for iOS devices (iPhone and iPad) and the Amazon Echo

Starting Alexa

  • Open the Alexa app on your smart device. If you have yet to download the app, head to the Apple Store to download and install.
  • Tap the hamburger icon, the one with 3 dots in upper right hand corner or tap on the menu icon in upper left hand corner
  • Select Settings. You will see the following screen:
Apple Podcasts 1
The Settings image
  • Select Music & Podcasts. Refer to following image:
Apple Podcasts 2
The Music & Podcasts screen

Setting up the Link

  • Select Link New Service.
  • Select Apple Podcasts. Refer to following image:
Apple Podcasts 3
Enabling the Apple Podcasts image
  • Tap ENABLE TO USE.

You will be asked to enter your Apple ID, Password and Passcode depending on your login procedure

  • Tap SETTINGS. See following screen:
Apple Podcasts 4
The Apple Podcasts settings screen.

Linking the Service to Echo

  • On the Skill Settings screen, tap on the Link Account link. See below image:
Apple Podcasts 5
The link screen for Apple Podcasts

Allowing Access for the Link

  • Tap Allow on the Access Request screen. You may see a different screen depending on what service you are linking. Refer to below image for Apple Podcasts:
Apple Podcasts 6
Allowing the link to Apple Podcasts image

Linkage for the Podcast Service Completed

You will see that Apple Podcasts has been successfully linked. See following image:

Apple Podcasts 7
Apple Podcasts now linked to Amazon Echo screen
  • Click Done

Now you can listen to your favorite Apple Podcasts. Just repeat the above steps to add other podcast service(s).

I Would Like to Hear from You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help me out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

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

How to Clean Your Device

The Coronavirus is in the news in a big way, almost a Pandemic by World Health Organization. The news has you aware of how many times you touch your face, how many times do you touch your device?

What you Will Need

What can we do about this? To get our gadgets gleaming, you will need microfiber cloths, cotton swabs, isopropyl alcohol, compressed air spray and distilled water. Before you apply any cleaning, unplug or turn off your device. We are going to disinfect your device and give everything else a general cleaning.

Cleaning your Phone or Tablet

iPhone Image

Phones and tablets have fingerprint resistent coating that could come off. Manufactures generally recommend wiping them down with distilled water on a microfiber cloth, then using cotton swabs to clean around the edges of the screen, buttons and camera lens.

What To Do

Apple recently released its updated guidelines for cleaning. They endorse using 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. You may gently wipe the nonporous surfaces such as the screen, keyboard or other exterior surfaces.

You can create a mixure by using 70 percent alcohol and 30 percent water in a spray bottle. Be sure to wash your hands before starting the cleaning. Then remove any case (leave on any protective screen), spritz the cloth with the solution and thoroughly wipe down your device. Let it dry completely. Then be sure to wash your hands again.

What To Avoid

  • Do not use bleach
  • Avoid getting moisture in any opening
  • Do not submerge your Apple device in any cleaning agents
  • Don’t use the wipes on fabric or leather surfaces
  • Do not reuse the microfiber cloth
  • Avoid using Windex

Cleaning Your Desktop or Laptop

Laptop

First unplug your device and remove the battery for a laptop. Turn your laptop or PC keyboard upside down and (gently) shake out to get rid of dirt and crumbs. Then grab a can of compressed air blaster (available at WalMart and similar places) and blast it. Use cotton swaps to get inside the crevices like the keys.

Lightly spray a microfiber cloth with your solution and wipe down the plastic and metal surfaces to include external devices.

To clean the screen, use a screen cleaning product or your mixture and spray onto a microfiber cloth. For a laptop, a one stop solution is to try 3M Notebook and Tablet Cleaning Wipes. If you have a touch screen, clean it with a microfiber cloth; for smudges, use only water or eyeglass cleaner applied to the cloth to remove them.

Don’t forget the mouse. Using the same mixture, dab it on a cotton swab and run it over the feet of the mouse and any crevices. Then take a microfiber cloth dipped in the mixture and go over the body of the mouse and cord.

I Would Like to Hear from You

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

Five Tips for Using Your iPhone at Night

Apple added the Dark Mode feature in iOS 13+. This allows less eye strain, especially at night, and promotes a healthier sleep. You can use Dark Mode all the time or have your iPhone automatically turn it on.

This is for iPhone and iPad

1. Enable Dark Mode

  • Tap Settings
  • Tap Display and Brightness
  • Select Light or Dark
  • Toggle on Automatic to enable auto switching. You can also setup a schedule under Options. Refer to following image:
Dark Mode 1
Enable Dark Mode on automatic schedule

Note! Not all apps support Dark Mode, especially Facebook and Messenger.

2. Enable Night Shift

This feature is for iOS 9.3 and above. It limits blue light and makes the iPhone “warmer” for a healthier sleep.

  • Tap Settings
  • Tap Display and Brightness
  • Tap Night Shift
  • You can enable a “Sunset to Sunrise” automatic schedule or choose a custom schedule. See following image:
Dark Mode 2
Enabling Night Shift on a schedule

3. Enable Night Vision

Night vision naturally occurs in low light as our pupils adjust to reduced light. By using a red filter, the iPhone simulates night vision. This feature places a red filter across the screen. You can adjust the amount of red color being displayed.

  • Tap Settings
  • Tap Accessibility
  • Tap Display and Text Size
  • Scroll down and tap Color Filters and toggle it on. Tap Color Tint from the list. Move the Intensity and Hue sliders all the way to the right. The screen will be very red in color. Refer to following image: (Note! The reddish color does not show up in a screenshot)
Dark Mode 3
Enabling Night Vision

4. Adjust the Flashlight

To do this, launch the Control Center by one of the following ways:

1. iPhone 10 and above – Swipe down from upper right hand corner

2. iPhone 8 or earlier – Swipe up from bottom of screen

See below image:

  • Tap and hold the Flashlight icon. You will see a segmented bar in five sections. Tap a section to control the brightness of the Flashlight. It will keep this brightness setting until you change it by following the above steps. Refer to below image:
Dark Mode 5
Adjusting the Flashlight intensity

5. Enable Led Flash for Alerts

Let’s say you are on silent mode and want to be notified of alerts at night. We can use the camera flash to alert you of a push notification or a phone call.

  • Tap Settings
  • Tap Accessibility
  • Tap Audio/Visual
  • Toggle on LED Flash for Alerts. Optionally, you can toggle on Flash on Silent. See following image:
Dark Mode 4
Enabling LED flash on alerts

Personally, I like the auto switching of Dark Mode. This feature reduced my eye strain at night. I wrote this post at night using Dark Mode on my iPhone. It was much easier to write and edit than using Light Mode.

I Would Like to Hear from You

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

How to Find an App on iPhone or iPad

If you are like me, you have dozens of apps on your smart device. Instead of swiping screen by screen to locate and launch an app, let’s explore another method using Spotlight Search.

This is for iPhone and iPad

Launch Spotlight Search

  • Near the middle of any screen, especially the Home screen, tap and swipe down. This will open the Spotlight with a keyboard and a search bar. See below image:
iPhone Find App 1
Launch of Spotlight

Finding an App

  • Type a few letters of the app name. In my example, I am searching for “TV App”. See following image:
iPhone Find App 2
Finding an app using Spotlight search
  • Spotlight will suggest a “Top Hit” and other possibilities. Refer to below image:
iPhone Find App 3
Spotlight Top Hit for your search

Launch the App

  • Once you find your app, tap it’s icon to launch. See following image for launching “TV App”:
iPhone Find App 4
Launching the Spotlight search app
  • You can also use Siri to locate and launch an app. Once Siri is activated, just say “Launch” followed by the app name.

I Would Like to Hear from You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer tech or smart device question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help me out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

Related

How to hide an app on your iPhone or iPad

How to Hide an App on Your iPhone or iPad

You have some choices but you can’t completely “hide” an app. You can delete an app by a tap and hold on the icon until the “X” appears, then tap it.

The choices are making the app hard to find via a search or using Siri. To do this we are going to turn off some of an app features.

This is for iPhone and iPad

Hide an App

  • Launch Settings
  • Tap Siri and Search. See below image:
iPhone Hide App 1
The Settings screen for Siri & Search
  • Find the app you want to “hide” from your list of installed apps. I selected the app “Yale Cleaners”. Refer to below image:
Phone Hide App 2
My Yale Cleaners app
  • On this screen, disable all items by toggling them off. The Show App toggle will be revealed; disable this toggle as well. This will exclude the app from all search results and and suggestions screens. See below image:
Phone Hide App 3
Disabling all Yale Cleaners searches

Note! The Settings app does not follow the rules. Any app you try to “hide” will appear in Settings and it’s search field.

Find Your Hidden App

To find the “hidden” app, you have to find its icon somewhere among your installed apps to launch it.

Unhide Your App

  • Launch Settings
  • Find the app from your list of installed apps.
  • Tap Siri & Search and toggle on each feature
  • Tap Notifications and toggle it on. Refer to below image:
iPhone Hide App 4
Unhide Yale Cleaners for searches

I Would Like to Hear from You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer tech or smart device question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help me out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

Related

How to find an app on your iPhone or iPad