Michael Potuck

If you notice faster battery drain with your iPad than expected, you’re not alone. Here’s a look at 8 tips and tricks to understand why you might be seeing it drain quickly and how to improve iPad battery life.

Native Union has released its latest iPhone accessory today, the (Re)Classic Power Bank. The company is looking to set it apart from the competition with what it says is the slimmest design for a 5000mAh iPhone at just 8.6mm (0.34 inches), an Italian vegan leather, and more.

Satechi is out with its first CES announcements today. The new SM1 Slim Mechanical Backlit Bluetooth Keyboard for Mac, iPad, iPhone, Windows, and more is available now. And coming soon Satechi has a foldable 3-in-1 and 2-in-1 Qi2 charger stand.

Update 4/25/24: The 3-in-1 Foldable Qi2 Wireless Charging Stand and the 2-in-1 Foldable Qi2 Wireless Stand are now available direct from Satechi priced at $129.99 and $79.99, respectively.

A curious email from Apple is making its way to iPhone Upgrade Program customers. The message is telling many who upgraded to an iPhone 15 last fall that their completed trade-in has been “canceled” and the paid-off loan will “resume.”

Verizon is out with an update for its Home Device Protect plan that repairs or replaces an unlimited number of devices from computers, game consoles, smart home devices, TVs, and now robot vacuums, healthcare devices, and more. The service also now covers a 2nd residence, 24/7 tech support, in-home expert visits, and more.

Yesterday we learned that Spotify decided to pass on Apple’s new EU terms that would allow it to use alternative payment methods due to the Core Technology Fee. Instead, it submitted an app update with pricing info and details on how to subscribe outside of the App Store without giving users a link. Now Spotify says Apple has unjustly blocked the update and again “defied the European Commission”.

We’re not far from the first official look at iOS 18 at WWDC 2024 on June 10. Whether you’d like to test out the new OS as soon as the dev beta is available or you’ll wait for the public beta or public launch, follow along for when to expect the iOS 18 release date.

iMazing has been a go-to tool for Apple power users and IT admins for almost 20 years, now developer DigiDNA is out with iMazing 3. The major release sees a re-engineering of the whole app that brings a new UI and features, and even Vision Pro compatibility to join iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple TV support.

CIRP is out with a report on how iPhone activations compare to Android in the US. The latest data shows a notable drop over the last year bringing Apple’s US smartphone market share of new activations back in time six years.

Last week, we got a report from Ross Young with a nice surprise that the upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Air would use mini-LED for its display. Now an updated report from Ross says that’s not happening after all, but there could be an iPad surprise at the end of the year.

iPhone and Mac feature native access to see battery health, but interestingly, Apple hasn’t made the same available for iPad. Whether you’re curious about your battery health or you’re having issues with iPad battery life, it’s still possible to check on your own. Here’s how to see iPad battery health and charge cycles, tips on when it’s time to get a replacement, charge cycle expectations, and more.

T-Mobile has announced the expansion of its 5G Home Internet with a premium tier for the standard service plus a new “Away” plan for those who need a reliable connection on the go without having to rely on a traditional hotspot.

Sonos has revealed what it’s calling its “most extensive app redesign ever.” The new iOS and Android experience (plus web) does away with tabs and puts everything on a single Home screen that’s faster, customizable, has one search bar for all of your streaming services, features improved system control, and more.

Proton is out with the latest upgrade for its users on a paid tier. Dark web monitoring is here to help you keep your online credentials as safe as possible with alerts when you need to update passwords due to data breaches and more. Here’s how it works.

Like the modern MacBook Pro laptops, Apple’s latest MacBook Air models support fast charging which can give up to 50% battery in as little as 30 minutes. However, by default, both sizes of the Air ship with a charger that doesn’t support the feature. Here are the requirements and details for how to fast charge MacBook Air.

One of the latest attacks on iPhone sees malicious parties abuse the Apple ID password reset system to inundate users with iOS prompts to take over their accounts. Here’s how you can protect against iPhone password reset attacks (often called “MFA bombing”).

A year and a half after Apple launched its Studio Display, Samsung released a direct competitor with its ViewFinity S9 5K monitor. With many of the same features as Studio Display plus some beyond, it’s an interesting alternative. Follow along for how Studio Display vs Samsung ViewFinity S9 stack up.

Last year Astropad launched its impressive Rock Paper Pencil kit for iPad that delivers a reusable/removable matte screen protector plus a ballpoint-style Apple Pencil tip for a real pen-on-paper experience. This year the company delivered Rock Paper Pencil v2 with a NanoCling border, flat profile, improved Apple Pencil tip, and more. Here’s what I think after testing out the improved version.

Have you noticed your iPhone jump onto a WiFi network when you’re away from home without asking first? Or maybe you want to check what networks your iPhone is auto-joining? Follow along for how to turn off iPhone WiFi auto-join for public and carrier networks.