How-to

1,982 'How-to' stories September 2011 - April 2018

A collection of tutorials, tips, and tricks from the 9to5Mac team helping you fix and get the most out of your favorite gear.

How to turn off Airplane Mode and Do Not Disturb mirroring with iPhone and Apple Watch

Michael Potuck Apr 16 2018 - 12:47 pm PT

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Many of the default Apple Watch settings will mirror features between the wearable and your iPhone. However, there are times when this isn’t the most convenient option. Follow along for how to turn off mirroring between these devices for Airplane Mode and Do Not Disturb.

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How to stream Coachella 2018 on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV & Mac

Chance Miller Apr 14 2018 - 11:24 am PT

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The popular two-weekend music festival Coachella kicks off this weekend in Indio, California. This year, the show brings performances from artists such as Beyoncé, Eminem, Cardi B, and many more. Read on for instructions on how to stream Coachella 2018 on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac…

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How to create custom vibration pattern ringtones for iPhone

Michael Potuck Apr 13 2018 - 1:44 pm PT

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iOS offers a myriad of ways to customize your iPhone and it can be easy to look past some handy options. Follow along for how to create custom vibration patterns for phone calls.

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How to check your Mac for 32-bit apps before Apple drops support

Peter Cao Apr 13 2018 - 9:56 am PT

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We recently reported that Apple is now beginning to warn users about 32-bit applications potentially not working in a future version of macOS. The alert that appears on macOS is surprisingly vague and doesn’t give much detail on what to do next.

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How to set up Apple Pay on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac

Peter Cao Apr 12 2018 - 3:07 pm PT

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Apple Pay is extremely convenient and useful for paying in-store, online, in-app, or to friends. It’s available on the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Follow along as we walk you through how to get started with Apple Pay.

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How to report phishing attempts and other suspicious messages to Apple

Michael Potuck Apr 12 2018 - 12:36 pm PT

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Phishing and scams are a constant issue and staying sharp to weed out attempts is important. In addition to staying safe yourself, you can help the broader community and reduce phishing and more by reporting suspicious messages to Apple when you notice them, here’s how.

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How to back up your Apple Watch

Peter Cao Apr 11 2018 - 4:19 pm PT

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Many Apple Watch owners don’t know how to back up their Apple Watch and the process isn’t entirely obvious. Read along as we walk you through how to back up your Apple Watch.
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Tips and tricks on switching and closing out apps on iPhone X

Michael Potuck Apr 11 2018 - 1:47 pm PT

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Whether you’ve just gotten an iPhone X or have had one since launch, there are a couple of ways to improve your gesture habits for a smoother experience. Follow along for some tips and tricks on switching and closing out apps on iPhone X.

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How to enable ‘Calls on Other Devices’ like iPad or Mac

Peter Cao Apr 10 2018 - 4:30 pm PT

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Yesterday, we walked you though how to enable Wi-Fi calling on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. Today, we’re going to walk you through how to enable Calls on Other Devices.

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How to remove your Facebook data from macOS

Michael Potuck Apr 10 2018 - 1:45 pm PT

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Whether you’re planning on keeping your Facebook account, are debating deleting it, or already have, you may have Facebook data stored on your Mac. Here’s how to remove it from macOS.

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How to enable Wi-Fi calling on iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch

Peter Cao Apr 9 2018 - 8:28 pm PT

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Wi-Fi calling is a nifty feature that allows you to make phone calls on your iPhone even when it doesn’t have any cellular connectivity. Follow along as we walk you through how to enable Wi-Fi calling on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

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How to clean your Apple cables, keyboards, mice, trackpads, and more

Michael Potuck Apr 9 2018 - 2:58 pm PT

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Accessories for your Apple devices can add up quickly and before you know it they’re also looking a lot dirtier than when you first unboxed them. Follow along for the best ways to clean your first- and third-party accessories.

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How to use Scribble on Apple Watch to text without voice

Michael Potuck Apr 5 2018 - 1:40 pm PT

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You’ve probably seen or used the Scribble feature on Apple Watch to send a message discreetly. But do you know about the slick Digital Crown predictive text feature to become an efficient and fast scribbler? Follow along for more…

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How to turn off app notification badges on iPhone

Michael Potuck Apr 4 2018 - 2:36 pm PT

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With the amount of information that comes across your iPhone and all the apps vying for your attention, it can be easy to look past the option to turn off app notification badges. Follow along for how to simplify your iOS experience without deleting apps.

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How to restore the default Home screen layout on iPhone and iPad

Michael Potuck Apr 3 2018 - 2:33 pm PT

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Do you ever want to return to the default Home screen layout on your iPhone or iPad? Whether you’d like to use the iOS standard for a while or just use it as a starting point to switch things up, follow along for how to make it happen.

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How to fill Apple Watch activity rings while traveling through timezones

Michael Potuck Apr 2 2018 - 1:32 pm PT

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Whether you’ve been using Apple Watch since day one or are just getting started with it, closing the activity rings daily can become a fun and addictive goal. However, traveling can present some challenges, particularly when traversing through timezones. Follow along for some tips and tricks to make sure those rings get closed while you’re on the go.

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How to stream Apple Music on Apple Watch Series 3 without iPhone

Peter Cao Mar 30 2018 - 12:38 pm PT

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Apple’s strategy for Music control on watchOS has changed significantly over the years, and as of watchOS 4.3, the company has finally added support for the full Apple Music library back onto the Apple Watch’s Music app.

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How to check battery health and disable iPhone battery performance throttling in iOS 11.3

Benjamin Mayo Mar 30 2018 - 7:32 am PT

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As promised, Apple has included a new section in Battery Settings to include information about Battery Health. Battery Health (Beta) is available in iOS 11.3 and later and displayed on all iPhone models since the iPhone 6. You can see the estimated battery capacity and the screen explains whether the battery can offer peak performance. iOS will now tell you in this screen if your device is being throttled due to a degraded battery.

When you update to iOS 11.3, the device will have performance management. The device will be throttled automatically when the system first experiences an unexpected shutdown. You can disable the slowdowns in the Battery Health screen if you want. Read everything about Battery Health after the jump …

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How to filter unknown senders in iMessage on iPhone and iPad

Michael Potuck Mar 26 2018 - 1:46 pm PT

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Along with the wide-ranging functionality of iPhone, iPad and other devices comes a downside, information overload. Follow along for how to use a simple filter to automatically weed out SMS and iMessages from unknown senders.

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How to delete and restore iOS’ built-in apps on iPhone

Michael Potuck Mar 22 2018 - 3:12 pm PT

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While iOS 10 brought the ability to more or less hide iOS’ built-in apps, you can actually delete them with iOS 11. Follow along below for how to delete and restore the default apps on iPhone.

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How to hide information in notification previews on iPhone

Michael Potuck Mar 21 2018 - 2:58 pm PT

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Notifications on iPhone can become overwhelming with the myriad of apps that kick out alerts. Follow along for how to make system-wide notifications changes on iPhone as well as customizing them for individual apps.

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How to set up Family Sharing and create a child’s Apple ID on iPhone and iPad

Michael Potuck Mar 19 2018 - 2:30 pm PT

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Family Sharing is a handy feature that Apple offers to let up to six people share things like iCloud Storage, Apple Music, iTunes purchases, apps, location data, and more. Whether you’ve never needed the feature before or just want to get it set up for the first time, follow along for how to start using Family Sharing.

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How to use color-coded calendars on Mac, iPhone and iPad to maintain balance in your life

Ben Lovejoy Mar 18 2018 - 10:20 am PT

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It will surprise no-one to know that I was an early adopter of electronic calendars, starting with a Casio Digital Diary in the early 1990s, followed by a Psion 5mx in 1997. But making the switch from a Filofax to a grayscale PDA did mean giving up one thing I didn’t get back until years later: color-coded calendars.

Many people use color-coding to distinguish work and social events, as well as things like family calendars. But I also use them to help me maintain a balanced life …

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How to keep apps from disappearing from your iPhone by turning off app offloading

Michael Potuck Mar 16 2018 - 1:10 pm PT

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Have you noticed apps disappearing from your iPhone or iPad? There might be a simple explanation to what’s going on, a new feature that automatically offloads unused apps from your iOS devices. Follow along for how to turn this feature off.

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