Jeff is the head of video content production for 9to5. He joined 9to5Mac in 2016, producing videos, walkthroughs, how-tos, written tutorials, and reviews. He takes pride in explaining things simply, clearly, and concisely. Jeff’s videos have been watched hundreds of millions of times by people seeking to learn more about today’s tech. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube to catch Jeff’s latest videos.
iOS Decoded is Jeff’s flagship video series that breaks down what’s new in iOS betas, including behind-the-scenes deep dives into undiscovered features and exclusive details on the iOS roadmap.
Jeff also produces a weekly podcast, alongside co-host Fernando Silva, entitled 9to5Mac Overtime. A video-first podcast, 9to5Mac Overtime airs weekly on our YouTube channel, but can also be enjoyed in audio form via Apple Podcasts, or your podcast app of choice.
Have a tip or exclusive? Connect with Jeff!
Fans of the new Meridian watch face that was revealed during the Apple Watch Series 5 portion of yesterday’s Apple event don’t have to wait until next Friday’s hardware release in order to take the new watch face for a test drive. Today’s release of the watchOS 6 GM includes the new Meridian watch face as the default option for Apple Watch Series 4 and higher.
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Yesterday 9to5Mac’s Gui Rambo presented exclusive first details on upcoming sleep tracking functionality for the Apple Watch. The new feature, which will require users to wear the Apple Watch while sleeping, could launch as early as next week during Apple’s ‘By Innovation Only’ event.
We’re curious to know what your thoughts are on Apple Watch sleep tracking, including whether or not you’d be willing to wear the Apple Watch to bed? Watch our video news report for more details.
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In a textbook example of addition by subtraction, cutting footage from a Final Cut Pro X project timeline can be just as important as placing footage on the timeline. But what if you want to quickly recover a clip that you previously removed? Watch our hands-on Final Cut Friday video walkthrough that shows how using keywords can make it much easier to find previously cut clips.
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Yesterday Apple released the developer beta for iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1, and with it comes several new notable changes and features. Included in the release is the return of the Automations tab in the Shortcuts app, along with enhanced Share ETA capability in the Maps app. Watch our brief hands-on video walkthrough for a look new iOS 13 changes and features.
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Today I was able to go hands-on with an early preview of Apple Arcade, which Apple announced back during its March services-oriented event. Apple Arcade is an upcoming $4.99 a month gaming service that will allow gamers to play over 100 new and exclusive titles across platforms like the iPhone and iPad, Apple TV, and Mac.
We were able to gain access to a special internal early access program aimed at Apple employees, which allowed us to go hands-on with Apple Arcade on a MacBook Pro running the latest macOS Catalina beta. As was noted by 9to5Mac’s Gui Rambo, Apple is charging a small subscription fee of $0.49/mo to test Apple Arcade until iOS 13 launches later in the fall.
Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube, and watch our hands-on video walkthrough, as we take Apple Arcade for a brief spin to highlight the six games — Way of the Turtle, Down in Bermuda, Hot Lava, Kings of the Castle, Sneaky Sasquatch, and Frogger in Toy Town — available during the initial early access period.
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After my 20-year-old garage door opener decided to kick the bucket, I asked a friend to install a new opener. The LiftMaster WLED Elite Series garage door opener that I opted for includes built-in Wi-Fi, allowing it to connect to my home network without the help of any additional hardware.
By itself, the Wi-Fi-enabled opener can talk to the MyQ smartphone app, allowing users to open and close the overhead door remotely via the app. More important for those engrossed in the HomeKit ecosystem, however, is direct support for the MyQ Home Bridge hardware.
The MyQ Home Bridge acts as a liaison between HomeKit and the overhead door opener, allowing you to control a garage door via Siri or the Home app on your iOS device.
Is the MyQ Home Bridge a worthwhile investment if you have a capable garage door opener? Watch our hands-on video for the details.
Yesterday Apple released the sixth beta of iOS 13 to developers, and as is often the case, it comes bundled with several new noteworthy changes and features.
New iOS 13 beta updates include a dedicated Dark Mode toggle, the ability to show and hide link previews from the Safari context menu, and more. Watch our hands-on look at iOS 13 beta 6 changes and features for more details.
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Every time I get a new computer, whether it be a desktop or laptop Mac, there are a few configuration changes that I aim to make each time. In this hands-on video walkthrough, I share with you 10+ getting-started tips for new macOS users and/or new macOS installs.
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Apple released new developer betas for iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 yesterday and included a few notable new enhancements in the release. Watch our hands-on video as we take a look at some of the more noteworthy new iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 beta 5 changes and features.
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Every so often I encounter a bug that renders video playback on my Mac useless. When the bug occurs, most of the time after waking and unlocking my Mac after an absence, videos play back in hyper-speed without sound…
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If you’re looking for an easy-to-use bus-powered 10-Gigabit Ethernet solution for Mac, then Sonnet’s Solo 10G Thunderbolt 3 adapter may fit the bill. This portable unit affords quick connections to high-speed networks via a single Thunderbolt 3 cable. Watch our hands-on Sonnet Solo 10G video review for the details.
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With the release of iOS 12.4, Apple officially rolled out its new iPhone migration feature to make it quicker to move data between two iPhones. iPhone Migration is an add-on to the iPhone’s Quick Start proximity-based initial setup utility and can be used to transfer all of your data wirelessly from a current iPhone to a new iPhone. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough to see how to use iPhone Migration in iOS 12.4 or later.
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iOS 13 beta 4, released last week, brings 3D Touch back to supported iPhones closer to the way it used to be. Now you can perform proper peek and pop gestures, and continue your gesture motion to select menus similarly to how you could prior to iOS 13. To be clear, it’s still not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction.
There are quite a few additional noteworthy changes and features to be found in iOS 13 beta 4 as well. Watch our brief hands-on video walkthrough for the details.
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Yesterday I received a special package in the mail from China. The package contained three new iPhone 11 dummy models representing Apple’s upcoming iPhone lineup.
Included inside the package were dummy models of the upcoming iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Max, and iPhone 11R. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we explore these well-made mockups.
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Last week Apple pushed out a couple of updates to the entry-level MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air update included a new lower $1099 starting price along with True Tone Display support.
The MacBook Air update was nice, but the refresh to the entry-level MacBook Pro, which hasn’t received an update since 2017, was far more compelling. The new entry-level MacBook model comes with refreshed internals, Touch Bar and Touch ID support, and features the same $1299 base price.
Touch Bar support is nice, but the most impressive thing about this refresh is its speed, thanks large in part to the 8th-generation quad-core CPU that replaces the dual-core CPU on the previous iteration. The update makes the entry-level MacBook Pro well worth considering, even for those who felt the previous model was too underpowered for their needs.
Watch our hands-on video walkthrough inside for the details.
HyperCube is a brand new product from Sanho’s Hyper brand that automatically backs up your iPhone to microSD or USB storage while you charge. The product is available now for a 40% off special preorder price for a limited time ahead of a launch scheduled for next month.
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Features like Dark Mode, and improved multitasking made headlines when iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 were revealed back in June, and rightfully so. That said, I find that many of the smaller, under-the-radar features lend a measurable improvement to the user experience as well. Watch as I discuss my five favorite sleeper features in iOS 13 in this latest hands-on video walkthrough.
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The Apple Watch receives a huge update with watchOS 6, bringing more independence to Apple’s wearable device than ever before. Among the watchOS 6 changes is a brand new App Store app that allows you to manage and download apps directly to the Apple Watch, a new Software Update provision that lets you perform updates, and a new Enhanced Siri voice assistant that’s much more capable than before.
Of course, there’s also many new watch faces, complications, and additional changes and features to enjoy in watchOS 6. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we step through dozens of new watchOS 6 changes and features.
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Yesterday Apple released its latest developer beta updates for iOS 13 and iPadOS 13. As expected, developer beta 3 brings about a substantial amount of new changes and features. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we step through what’s new in iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 beta 3.
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Creating a bootable macOS Catalina USB install drive is an effective way to generate a clean installation of macOS on your Mac. This hands-on tutorial will work with both the macOS Catalina developer beta, the macOS Catalina public beta, and the final version of macOS Catalina scheduled to launch later this fall. Follow our easy-to-use step-by-step video tutorial for the details.
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After going hands-on with iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, it’s now time to lend attention to macOS Catalina top features. This latest Mac software update is headlined by the dissolution of iTunes in favor of three new standalone apps for Music, Podcasts, and TV.
macOS Catalina, which checks in at version 10.15, also adds the ability to authenticate passwords with an Apple Watch and use an iPad as an external display. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for a look at the top macOS Catalina features, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more hands-on videos.
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On Monday iOS 13 beta 2 was released to developers and, as expected, it comes with a whole host of new changes and features. The update is headlined by the SMB server functionality in the Files app, which was not working in the previous beta. Beta 2 also includes several new Memoji stickers and new Portrait mode functionality in the Camera app. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for a look at what’s new in iOS 13 beta 2.
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After going hands-on with over 250 new changes and features across both iOS 13 and iPadOS 13, I set out to distill the list down to 13 of my favorite new features. What stands out the most amongst so many changes? Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for the details and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more iOS 13 coverage.
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Two of the headlining changes involving Photos in iOS 13 were missing in action in the initial beta, but today’s second beta release makes the new features available to beta testers. A new High-Key Mono effect in the Camera app’s Portrait Mode panel is now available, along with the ability to edit and control Portrait Lightning via a new Portrait Lighting Control section in the Photos app editing interface.
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