MacLife: MacLife arrives at techradar – the Home of Technology

MacLife: MacLife arrives at techradar - the Home of Technology

MacLife.com has joined forces with fellow Future website techradar to bring its brand of Apple coverage to an even bigger audience.

You can expect continued articles on the Mac, iPhone, iPad, etc. from the people who know those products best, the MacLife.com staff.

Plus, we hope MacLife.com readers will take full advantage of everything on offer here at the Home of Technology, not only with regard to Apple products but the broader world of tech, as well. Timely news, helpful how-tos, and legendarily thorough reviews have made techradar one of the world's top spots for tech.

There's never been a more exciting time to be an Apple user, with more fantastic products than ever before. We'll keep you informed, troubleshoot the tricky spots, and help you get the most from your devices.

Welcome aboard!










iOS Tips: iOS 9 Notes: How to use these 5 fun new features

iOS Tips: iOS 9 Notes: How to use these 5 fun new features

Apple's Notes app received a much-needed overhaul with iOS 9. It's still a fairly bare-bones experience compared to beefier alternatives like Evernote, but the lack of abundant options can actually make note-taking faster and easier. Plus, the improved Notes has some cool new features if you know how to use them.

First, it's important to know that notes are now sorted into folders such as "All iCloud," "All On My iPhone," or ones that you create and name. If you store notes in an iCloud folder, they'll sync across all your iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan devices.

Also, on an iPhone, the new editing options are aligned in a row just above the predicitve-text suggestions that sit above the on-screen keyboard. To make the row of options appear, touch the plus button that appears above the keyboard on the right. (On an iPad, the options are always visible to the left and right of the predictive text.)

Now, let's use the the cool new features!

Checklists

Notes features in iOS 9

Notes has always been a handy go-to app for shopping lists, and its new checklists feature will help you breeze through aisles faster than before. To create a checklist, position the cursor at the start of a list item and tap the first icon shown in the new row of editing options (a checkmark inside a circle) — a checkmark bullet point is added instantly. Simply tap your new checkmark to select or deselect it.

Add a photo

Notes features in iOS 9

Need a visual reminder to go along with your text? Now you can take a photo from within the Notes app, or select a preexisting image, and attach it to your note. Just pull up the row of new options and tap the camera icon to start the process.

Attach maps, links, and more from other apps

Notes features in iOS 9

You can attach a map, web link, Pages document, and more to a note, but you've got to pop into the appropriate app to do it. If, for example, you want to attach a link, go to the related page in Safari and touch the Share icon along the bottom to bring up the share sheet. From there, tap the Notes icon, and you'll be prompted to choose which note you'd like to put the link into. Easy-peasy. And if you forget which note you stuck something to, you can quickly find any attachment in the Attachments Browser. To use it, enter a folder and tap the small four-squares icon in the lower-left corner.

Sketch

Notes features in iOS 9

A picture says a thousand words, so if you don't feel like typing a thousand words, doodle. It's the squiggly-line icon in the row of new options. Notes even smooths out your messy lines for you.

Siri can help

Notes features in iOS 9

Finally, don't forget that Siri can help you quickly find a specific note, even if you can't remember its title or which folder it's in. Just ask her to "Find my grocery list note," "Find my note about Oreos," "Show me all the notes I wrote this week," etc. She'll helpfully pull up all the files that fit your description.










How to set up Family Sharing on an iPhone, iPad or Mac

How to set up Family Sharing on an iPhone, iPad or Mac

In the dark days before iOS 8 introduced Family Sharing, one parent couldn't access the other's go-to playlist when the kids got cranky in the car. Now, up to six people can share purchases made in iTunes, the App Store, and iBooks, plus family photo libraries, calendars and more. Setup is simple if you avoid a couple snags - here's all you need to know.

How Family Sharing works

Family Sharing

Everyone in the group can share the content purchased through their individual accounts, but each person retains authority over their account as an Organizer. An Organizer can grant someone a kind of second-in-command status within their account by designating them as a Parent/Guardian. A child's account is the lowest on the totem pole: it can't be directly associated with a credit card, so all purchases are made through the Organizer's account. If the Ask to Buy feature is toggled on for a child's account, then the group's Organizer and anyone designated as a Parent/Guardian will receive an alert on their own devices when a child tries to buy something, allowing those in charge to approve or disapprove the purchase before it goes through.

Getting started

Family Sharing

Family Sharing on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch requires iOS 8. To set up an iOS device, go to Settings > iCloud > Set Up Family Sharing. You'll get a brief overview of the feature; when you're done reading, tap Get Started. A couple of screens explain your role as Organizer, then you're asked to add a credit card to your Apple ID if you haven't done so already. If you plan to add a child to Family Sharing, a debit card won't do - since those can be given to minors, Apple requires a credit card to prove you're a grown-up. BUT! If you prefer, you can switch to a debit card after adding the child to the group.

To set up Family Sharing using a Mac, first make sure you're using OS X Yosemite, then open System Preferences and click iCloud. Next, click the Set Up Family button in the left column and follow the on-screen instructions. (Note: The Set Up Family button will change to Manage Family once you've gone through the initial process.)

Adding members

Family Sharing

In iOS 8, the list of family members you share with can be easily managed in Settings > iCloud > Family. A new member can be added by simply tapping Add Family Member and typing in their email address. If you're adding any children, tap Create an Apple ID for a child to set up set up an iCloud email account and password for them. On a Mac, go to Settings > iCloud > Manage Family and click the + button in the lower-left corner.

And that's it!

Family Sharing

You've now set up a group for Family Sharing. You may want to consider putting restrictions on any children's devices to prohibit them from accessing any objectionable content, such as rated-R movies or songs with explicit lyrics. (To do so, visit Settings > General > Restrictions on the child's device). It's also possible to hide purchases made through iTunes, iBooks, or the App Store so they aren't even visible to the people you share with. For more information on everything Family Sharing allows you to do, check out Apple's official page.

Have fun accessing all your family's content without having to buy anything more than once!










iOS Tips: How to make iPad or iPhone read books aloud

iOS Tips: How to make iPad or iPhone read books aloud

Audiobooks are fun to listen to during a commute, or anytime your eyes and hands are busy, but they come at a premium price with limited selection. Not to worry: in three simple steps, you can have your iPhone or iPad read any ebook to you without the need for additional apps.

Step 1: Adjust Accessibility settings

How to make iPad or iPhone read books out loud

Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech. Here, toggle on Speak Screen. Now, by simply swiping down with two fingers from the top of the screen, you can have Siri read any text that's currently displayed, no matter what app you're in.

Step 2: Temporarily turn off Auto-Lock

How to make iPad or iPhone read books out loud

Go to Settings > General > Auto-Lock, and make sure Auto-Lock is set to Never. (For security purposes, be sure to turn Auto-Lock back on when you take a break from your book.) Making this change will keep your screen from shutting off, so your story won't be interrupted. (Pro tip: If you're driving, plug in a car charger to counter the extra drain on your battery.)

Step 3: Pick a book!

How to make iPad or iPhone read books out loud

All that's left is to open a book in Kindle, iBooks, or wherever, and swipe two fingers down from the top of the screen to start Siri reading. Siri will read literally any visible text, so be sure to tap the screen once to remove any extraneous elements (such as the book's title, number of pages left, etc.). Siri even flips the pages as it reads along.

Once Siri starts reading, a small semi-transparent arrow appears on the side of the screen. Tap it to bring up several options, including the ability to pause/play speech, or to slow it down/speed it up. (The speaking rate can also be adjusted via a slider on the Speech menu in Settings.)

Siri doesn't read as well as a human being, of course, but once you get used to its monotone delivery and the occasional mispronounced word, it does a surprisingly good job. Go on and give it a try!