howtos
Latest
Mac 101: How to change the email addresses for individual contacts in a group
Like most good contact managers, the OS X Contacts app allows you to create a contact group that you can use to send emails to several people at once. Contact groups are indispensable for users who communicate with a variety of different friends, associations, organizations and more. One question I often see about these contact groups is how can you select the correct email address for individual members when the address book entry lists two email address. For example, you want to add your co-worker to your business contact group, but you want to use his business email for the list and not his personal gmail address. Selecting the email address for individual contacts in your group is easy once you know where to look in the OS X Contacts app. To find this setting, just select "Edit" from the menu and then select "Edit Distribution List" near the bottom. This will allow you to select a group and then edit the individual members. If a contact has two email address, you can choose the default address you want to use. You can determine which email is the default one as it will be bolded.
Mac 101: Use this tip to easily map a contact's address in OS X Mavericks
Traveling to a friend's new house and not exactly sure how to get there? if their new address is in your Contacts, then you can quickly and easily pull up a map to see where they live. Once you have Maps open, driving directions are just few clicks away. To Map a contact's address, just open the Contacts app in OS X and select the name of the contact you wish to map. If you added an address to the contact, it should appear below their phone number, email and home page information. Just hover your mouse cursor over the address and you should see a link for "Show Map" appear on the right side of the address. Just click that link and address will open in Apple Maps. The address will be highlighted by a pin, which you can use to view additional information about that location. Just click on the pin and then click on the "i" button to open a dialog that allows you to add that address to your bookmarks or get driving directions to that location. You can read more about syncing Maps bookmarks between your iOS and OS X device in an earlier Mac 101 or watch a handy video tip that shows you how to send driving directions directly to your iPhone.
iPhone 101: Troubleshooting iTunes error codes
Have you ever encountered a weird error code when you connect your iPad or iPhone to your Mac? These may pop up when you are updating your iOS device software or backing up your iPad or iPhone to your Mac. Below you will find a list of these errors, an explanation of what they mean and some instructions to help you resolve them. Before you start down a rabbit hole of power cycling modems and modifying security settings to resolve errors, you first should try these few simple steps and see if they fix your problem. Download the latest version of iTunes Check your version of iTunes by going Help > Check for Updates on a Windows machine or iTunes > Check for Updates on a Mac. Download the latest version if you don't already have it installed. Check for System Software Updates On a Mac, you can easily check for updates by going to the Mac App Store and clicking on the "Updates" icon in the menu bar. You also can open the Apple Menu and then select Choose Software Update. PC owners can visiting Microsoft's Update website. Unplug any extra USB devices, keeping only your mouse, keyboard and iOS device plugged into your computer. Restart your computer and soft reset your iOS device by holding both the "Home" button and the "Power" button until the screen displays the Apple logo. Restarting your devices often fixes small errors and is often the first thing I do to fix unusual glitches I encounter. Quit virtualization software like Parallels or VMware that is running on your Mac. Try Again. Unplug and plug in your iOS device to try again. Communication Errors with iTunes Update server Errors: 17, 1004, 1013, 1638, 3014, 3194, 3000, 3002, 3004, 3013, 3014, 3015, 3194, or 3200. There errors usually indicate there is a communications error between iTunes and Apple's update server. Along with the code, the error also may say "There was a problem downloading the software," or "The device isn't eligible for the requested build." You can quickly check to see if your connection is working by typing in "GS.APPLE.COM" into your web browser if you reach a placeholder page or a 404 page on Apple's website then your connection is working properly. If you can't access the internet, then you should check your internet connection to make sure if it active. Check WiFi on your computer to make sure it is turned on, check your routers and modems to make sure they are plugged in and power cycle your modem. Apple has a list of tips to help with this process. If entering "GS.APPLE.COM" redirects to another website, then you need to check the hosts file or TCP/IP filtering to ensure there are no communication issues between iTunes, ports, and servers. Security software Errors: 2, 4, 6, 9, 1000, 1611, 9006, 9807, or 9844. Sometimes third-party security software interferes with the connection between iTunes and Apple's servers. While troubleshooting each security software package and individual proxy server settings are beyond the scope of this article, Apple has some handy tips on configuring your software with the proper port information and domain settings for Apple's servers. There's also information on connecting to the iTunes store without using an Internet proxy. USB connections Errors: 13, 14, 1600, 1601, 1602, 1603, 1604, 1611, 1643-1650, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 4000, 4005, 4013, 4014, 4016, "invalid response," and being prompted to restore again after a restore completes. Sometimes a loose cable or a faulty USB hub can cause your connection to iTunes to fail. The easiest solution to this problem is often to try a new USB cable and remove all hubs and docks by plugging your iOS device directly into your Mac. If those simple steps don't fix the issue, you can follow these detailed steps provided by Apple. Hardware issues Errors: 1, 3, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 1000, 1002, 1004, 1011, 1012, 1014, 1667, or 1669. Sometimes undiagnosed hardware errors can interfere with the connection between your Mac and your iOS device. Follow the steps above to eliminate any errors with the internet connection, security software, cables and USB hubs before you start considering issues with the internal hardware on your Mac or iOS device. You also can determine whether you Mac or iOS device is causing issue by connecting different devices to different Mac. For example, you can connect your iOS device to a known working Mac. If you are able to sync with iTunes, then your iOS device is working properly. If it fails, then there likely is something wrong with the hardware or software on your iOS device. Likewise, you can connect another known working iOS device to your Mac to see if it sync. A successful sync rules out hardware problems with your Mac, while a failed sync may indicate of a problem. If you've gone through extensive troubleshooting and still see an error, then you should contact Apple support for more comprehensive hardware troubleshooting options. Enter recovery or DFU mode to restore your device Errors: 1015, "The required resource can't be found." If you are running a beta version of iOS, have jailbroken software on your device, or are trying to install an older version of iOS, you may have to enter recovery mode of DFU mode to restore your device before you can sync it successfully. This method erases your device, but you may be able to recover your data by restoring a saved backup after you have completed the recovery process. You can read more about the differences between DFU Mode and Recovery mode here. You can also glean some tips from our own Steve Sande whose iPhone 5 entered a continuous boot loop while running iOS 7 beta software.
iPhone 101: How to use the Wish List in the iOS App Store
Do you find killer apps in the iOS App Store, only to forget them a few minutes later? One handy feature of the iOS App Store on your iPhone or iPad is the ability to save apps to a Wish List that you can view later. Follow these steps below to add items to your Wish List: Tap the App Store icon to launch the App Store app Locate an app you want to remember Tap the iOS Share icon at the top of the screen Tap Add to Wish List at the bottom Once you have saved apps to your Wish List, you can use the following steps to view it again. Tap the App Store icon to launch the App Store app. Tap the Preview History icon in the upper right hand corner (it looks like a bulleted list with lines) Your Wish List apps will appear. You can scroll down through the list of apps and delete individual apps by swiping The iOS Wish List is limited in that it only works with paid apps that you do not own. It also is a straight list with no ability to organize your list items. Despite these limitations, the Wish List option is useful for short-term storage of apps that you intend to buy in the near future.
Mac 101: A handy list of startup options for Macs running OS X
Need to reboot you Mac to access a new startup disc or launch with safe mode enabled so you can troubleshoot problems with OS X? Then read on for this handy list of startup options for Mac OS X machines. Manually restart: Hold down the power button on your Mac until it shuts off. It takes about 10 seconds. Release and then press the power button again to start your Mac. Though easy, this is not the recommended shut down method as you may lose unsaved changes in open documents. Use this as a last resort when the computer is so locked up that everything else fails. Prevent automatic login: Do you have automatic login enabled and want to disable it temporarily? Then hold down the Shift key when you see the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear) to force your Mac to the login screen. Disable login items and Finder windows from opening when you log in: This is handy if you want to open OS X with a minimal number of apps running. After clicking the login button in the login window, hold down the Shift key to enable this mode of strartup. Select a startup disk: Press the Option key when you restart. If you need to open the optical drive when choosing a startup disk, press Command(⌘)-Period(.). Start up from a CD or DVD: Press the C key when you restart. Eject removable discs: Hold down the mouse or trackpad button or press the Media Eject key (⏏) or F12 key when you restart. Use OS X's Recovery Tools: Press Command(⌘)-R when you restart to launch the recovery tools, which allow you to format a drive, restore the version of OS X and more. Start up from the default NetBoot disk image: Press the N key when you restart. This allows you to access a disk image of OS X that is stored on a server and install it over a network connection. Use Apple Diagnostics or Apple Hardware Test: Press the D key when you restart. Start up in Target Disk Mode: Press the T key when you restart. Target Disc Mode (TDM) allows you to boot using the operating system of another Mac when your Mac is having issues. The Macs have to be compatible (same version of OS X with similar hardware configurations) and they must be connected via FireWire or Thunderbolt. Reset parameter RAM (PRAM): Press Option-Command(⌘)-P-R when you restart. When you are having issues with your speakers, display or other peripheral items, you may be instructed by Apple's support team to reset PRAM. Settings stored here depend on your machine's configuration, but may include startup disk information, display resolution, speaker volume, and other information. Start up in Safe Mode: When you hear the startup tone, immediately hold down the Shift key. Release the Shift key when you see the progress indicator (looks like a spinning gear). Safe Mode is useful for troubleshooting Macs as it prevents most software from automatically opening. A check of the startup volume is forced by the OS and only essential OS X items are started. As a result, some features and apps may not work correctly. Show detailed status messages (verbose mode): Press Command(⌘)-V when you restart. Verbose mode displays text-based information about the startup process and is useful for troubleshooting issues during startup. Start up in single user mode: Press Command(⌘)-S when you restart. Single user mode is another troubleshooting mode that allows you to interact with your Mac via text input. It's useful when you need to troubleshoot startup issues causes by a corrupted file of troublesome application. Use with caution as you can cause more problems than solve if you do not know what you are doing.
iPhone 101: Add a useful message or contact information to your lock screen
Unlike OS X which has a native setting for adding a message to your lock screen, iOS lacks this option. You still can add a message to your lock screen -- you just have to be a bit more creative and must spend a little extra time creating a custom wallpaper with this information. The easiest way to create a custom wallpaper with your contact information is to use one of several iOS apps dedicated to this purpose. Be careful when browsing through the app store for wallpaper apps as many of them do not support the addition of custom text. Be careful to download one that mentions the addition of text or ICE (In Case of Emergency) information. For iPhone users, I recommend LockInfo+, which is available as a Pro version (99-cents) and a free version with limited options and ads. Both versions allow you to create a lock screen with text and save it to your lock screen within minutes. On the iPad, you can use Contact Lockscreen Info. It doesn't have as many options as LockInfo+, but it supports the larger screen of the iPad. You also can create a lock screen manually using your own photos and an image editor like Acorn, Pixelmator or Adobe Photoshop Elements. If you size the image correctly, you even can create a wallpaper with your contact info that supports Apple's parallax effect. Use these guidelines below for sizing your wallpapers properly for each device and these tips to create the perfect parallax wallpaper for your iPhone and iPad. iPhone 4s Static: 960 x 640 Parallax: 1,196 x 740 iPhone 5/5s/5c Static: 1,136 x 640 Parallax: 1,392 x 744 iPad 2/iPad mini Static: 1,024 x 1,024 Parallax: 1,262 x 1,262 iPad 3/4/Air/mini 2 Static: 2,048 x 2,048 Parallax: 2,524 x 2,524 With the iPad, keep in mind that you need to make a square image to support both the portrait and landscape orientation. The text needs to be placed away from the edges so it will always be on the screen regardless of how the person is holding the device. If you have any other tips, please share them in the comments.
Mac 101: Add a useful message to your OS X login screen
Did you know that recent versions of OS X (OS X 10.7 Lion or newer) allow you to add a short message to the login window that is displayed when your Mac is locked? The message can be anything -- a note appropriate to users who access the computer, a cheerful line of inspiration for yourself or contact information in case your computer is lost. Follow these steps to add a message to your login screen: Open System Preferences and then select the "Security & Privacy" pane. Click the lock icon in the bottom left to unlock it and make changes. You will need to enter an administrator name and password. Select the "Show a message when the screen is locked" option, then click "Set Lock Message." You can type in a multi-line message with special characters and emoticons. Type the message you want to display in the login window. Log out of your account or restart your computer to access the login screen and view your changes.
iPhone 101: Improve the App Store search experience with this easy trick
Searching through apps in the App Store on your iPhone can be a rabbit hole -- you search for a term and then scroll endlessly through the results to find just the right app that you need. When you want to return to the beginning of your search results, most people just scroll backwards, tediously swiping multiple times to return where they started. There is an easier way to hop back to the beginning of your search with just one tap. When you have scrolled through a few dozen apps in the search results, you can just tap on the search icon in the bottom bar and jump back to the beginning of your search list. If you have gone a step further by looking at individual apps and browsed through their related apps list, the same search icon tap will bring you back to the original app that you were viewing. In the example shown above, you can view GameChanger in the search results, tap on it to view its details and its related apps, and then tap on the related app iScore to view its details. To get back to GameChanger in the search results, you can tap the 'Search" icon at the bottom to jump all the way back in one step. Tap the search icon again, and you will return to the beginning of the search results.
iPhone 101: Change this one setting to get your iPhone battery to last overnight
This happens to me all the time. I get snuggled up under the blanket and am ready to check my Twitter feed and Facebook posts one last time before calling it a night. It's always then and there that I realize my iPhone battery is at less than 10 percent, and all the charging cables are more than an arms length away. Rather than get up, I've adopted this simple strategy that allows my phone to stay charged overnight so I can check my email first thing in the morning. Yes, you could go through this series of steps to stretch your iPhone's battery as far as it can possibly go, but you don't need that hassle just to make it overnight. You just want the battery to stay charged enough, so you don't have to re-enter your passcode because your phone shut off and Touch ID reset. The best way to preserve your battery overnight is to activate Airplane Mode. It's easily accessible in iOS 7's Control Center and takes just a few seconds to activate, which is perfect for someone on the verge of sleep. Using Airplane mode may be intuitive to experienced iPhone users, but new users may not realize how effective it is at halting battery drain. In one tap, you can turn off Cellular (voice and data), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and Location services. I've gone up to 6 hours overnight with less than 10% battery when Airplane Mode is enabled. When you wake up in the morning, just swipe up to access Control Center and tap the Airplane Mode icon to turn your phone back on. Yes, you lose the ability to receive text messages, emails and phone calls, but you really don't want those incoming alerts disrupting your sleep anyways. Sometimes I am concerned about missing an overnight emergency call, but I figure if it was that important someone would call my husband's phone, FaceTime me on my iPad or come directly to my house. What strategies do you use to extend your battery life when a plug or a cable is far away?
Manage your passwords and protect yourself from Heartbleed
You've probably seen the news about Heartbleed, the nickname for an OpenSSL bug that exposes random chunks of memory on web servers to snooping by almost anyone, even from transactions supposedly protected in the https:// security mode. In principle, this vulnerability -- which was quietly present in the OpenSSL library for a couple of years prior to discovery/announcement -- could let malicious parties capture passwords, usernames or even the private keys that big sites use to encrypt all their conversations. While this is a very serious issue (security guru Bruce Schneier describes it thusly: "on a scale of 1 to 10, this is an 11"), not all Apache sites are affected by Heartbleed -- only those that use the 1.0.x version of OpenSSL without the patch are vulnerable. As pointed out by a former TUAWer Damien Barrett, sites that run OS X server have a more recent version version of OpenSSL and SSL/TLS encryption that's older (the 0.9 branch); they are are not affected by this flaw. Though Heartbleed is a gaping security hole in SSL that's been open for several years, it is unlikely that you have been targeted by hackers; in fact, the nature of the bug means that data can only be collected at random, without much targeting short of picking a particular site to harvest. Still, you need to be aware of the flaw so you can protect your data going forward. Website managers have been aware of the issue for several days now and are in the process of updating their software and security certificates so they are no longer affected by this flaw. Here are some suggestions to help you keep your data safe as the Internet deals with this Heartbleed vulnerability. Be Careful Where You Login Avoid logging into websites that contain sensitive information for a few days or at least until the website has been updated with a new security certificate. Services worth their salt will have an alert telling you that their servers are now secure. You can use a couple of online tools to see if a service is still vulnerable: LastPass's screener and the original Heartbleed tester. Mashable also has a list of major sites and their Heartbleed status. Change Your Passwords As a precaution, you should change the passwords that you use to login into secure websites that were affected by this bug. It's a daunting task, but one you shouldn't start right away. Wait for websites to update their security status first and then choose strong and unique passwords for all your important sites. You also may consider changing all of your passwords just to be safe -- you should be changing them routinely anyways, so now is as good a time as any. Use a Password Manager Use a password manager if you don't already have one. If you have to change passwords, you might as well take the extra time to setup a password manager and store all your logins in a single, secure location. Many Apple owners use 1Password (review), while I personally use LastPass, which has the added benefit of scanning your stored services for the Heartbleed vulnerability. If a site is vulnerable, the tool will let you know whether you should update your passwords for those accounts at this time. LastPass users with the browser extension installed can click the LastPass icon in the browser toolbar, click the "Tools" menu, and select "Security Check". Users also can login to their vault in their web browser and click "Security Check" in the left-hand column. If you want to know more about Heartbleed itself, TechCrunch posted this great technical video and here's a little background on why there is a logo and website to spread info about this security issue. Post updated 1pm ET 4/10.
iPhone 101: How to lock exposure and focus in the Camera app
This feature has been around for a while, but not too many iPhone owners realize the iOS Camera app includes an exposure and focus lock feature that allows you to lock these parameters and then frame your shot. This AE/AF lock is useful when you are taking a photo with variable light conditions or in an area where there are stark differences between the light and dark objects in a scene. To activate the AE/AF lock, simply open the iOS Camera app and tap on the screen as if you were going to focus on an area. Instead of tapping and releasing, you need to tap and hold until the focus square flickers. When you release, you should see an "AE/AF Lock" indicator on the screen. This AE/AF Lock feature works with both photos and videos, including the Slo-Mo option in iOS 7. Once the AE/AF Lock is enabled, you can frame your photo without losing the exposure and focus controls you set. To undo the exposure and focus lock, just tap on the screen once and it will be removed.
How to bookmark map locations and share them across OS X and iOS
With the debut of iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks, Apple's Maps app is now on both platforms, allowing you to share location-based information across devices via your iCloud account. One handy feature is the bookmark list, which can save important locations and allow you to view them on both your Mac and iOS device. OS X Bookmarks Bookmarks on OS X are available from the bookmarks menu at the top of the screen. It should be recognizable to Apple owners as it is the same icon used in Safari on the Mac and on iOS. Here is how to view and add Map bookmarks on your Mac: 1. Tap on the bookmarks icon to display a current list of bookmarks. You can view, edit or delete bookmarks from this drop down. 2. You can easily add new bookmarks on OS X . Just search for a location, drop a pin on the map (View > Drop Pin) or click on an existing pin and then select the "i" icon for more information. 3. When the information dialog appears, you can select the "Add Bookmark" button to add the location to your bookmarks list. If the location is already bookmarked, you can remove it by selecting the"Remove Bookmark" button. 4. Any bookmark that you add will appear on both OS X and iOS as long as you are using iCloud on both devices. The bookmark menu also has an option to show the location information pulled from your iCloud contact. Click on a contact to view the address information and then select the address to view it on a map. iOS Bookmarks The process of viewing and adding bookmarks on iOS is very similar to OS X, with the bookmarks icon very visible at the top right corner of the app. Follow the steps below to view and add bookmarks on iOS: 1. Open Apple Maps and tap on the familiar Bookmark icon in the top right corner. The bookmarks menu shows the existing bookmarks, recent locations and location information for contacts. 2. To add a bookmark, you can search for a location or find an existing pin. 3. Tap on the pin to pull up detailed information on the location, including driving directions and contact information. 4. Tap on the 'Add Bookmark" link to add the location to your bookmark list. As is the case with OS X, any bookmarks you add in Maps for iOS will automatically appear in the bookmarks list for OS X.
iPhone 101: Using Photos app to view photos sorted by location
The Photos app in iOS 7 has a useful feature that allows you to view the location information of all the photos you took during the past year. To make use of this feature, you must have geotagging turned on the settings (Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Toggle on Location Services and the Camera app). Follow these steps to view your photos according to the location at which they were taken: Open the Photos app. Tap on Photos in the bottom left corner. You are likely viewing the Moments section of the photos app, which sorts your photos according to individual days. Tap on "Collections" to view your photos as grouped over a longer timeframe. Tap on "Years" to view your photos sorted according to the year in which they were taken.. Tap on the location information next to the yearly date to view a map that shows you were the photos were taken and how many were taken in each location. Tapping on a thumbnail collection for each location will show all the photos taken at that site. You can view similar location information for the "Collections" view and the "Moments", but I find the "Years" view to be the most impressive as it gives me an overview of how far or how little I traveled each year.
iPhone 101: How to easily dismiss banner notifications in iOS 7
Apple's notification system in iOS is wonderful for letting you know when you've received a new email or text message, but the banners can be annoying when they appear at the top of a screen and overlay buttons or other important content while you are in another app. Most people wait for the banner to disappear before resuming their business, but you can quickly dismiss the alerts by tapping on the banner as shown above and swiping it up and off the screen. You temporarily activate notification center with this gesture, but it is worth it to get rid of those pesky alerts.
Mac 101: How to move pages between PDF documents using Preview
Preview is often overlooked by users who have yet to delve into the many features of the OS X app. Its name, "Preview," suggests it is only a document viewer, but it has editing capabilities that allow you do much more than merely read a file. One useful feature is the ability to move pages from one PDF document to another PDF document with a simple drag and drop as follows: Open both PDF documents in Preview. View individual pages by selecting "Thumbnails" or "Contact Sheet" from the View menu. Select the thumbnail image for each page your want to move from the original document and then drag it to the destination document. You can place the page anywhere you want in the destination document by dropping it between any two pages you choose. You can move single pages or multiple pages using this tip. If you have any other useful Preview tips, please share them in the comments.
Mac 101: Use Quick Look to create an instant slideshow from your photos
Did you know that OS X has a handy feature for easily previewing a bunch photos in a slideshow format? It's a basic slideshow with no option to add music, but it is perfect if you want to quickly show a handful of your photos to your friends or family. To use Quick Look to create a slideshow, you must first open Finder and select the photos you want to add to a slideshow. Press the space bar on your keyboard to open all the photos in Quick Look with the first image displayed in the window. Use the arrows in the Quick Look window or use your keyboard's left and right arrow keys to navigate between the photos. Switch between an index view of the photos and a slideshow view by clicking the button to the right of the arrows, or pressing Command (⌘)-Return.
iPhone 101: How to use Reader mode in Safari to simplify web pages for reading
It doesn't take long to get annoyed by ads and images that clutter your reading space in Safari when you are trying to digest a long-form article on your iPhone or iPad. To clear your browser window and bring focus to the words on the page, you can activate Reader mode in mobile Safari in a single tap. When browsing a compatible web page, you can easily remove almost all the distracting content by tapping the line-style icon in the left corner of the URL bar (as shown above). This enables a Reader mode in Safari, which removes all advertisements and extra images in the article's content. You will be left with a single column of easy-to-read words. If you want to go back to the original webpage, just tap the icon again. The biggest drawback to this Reader feature is that it is not available on all web pages. You don't have to guess whether a page is compatible with Reader, as the icon only will appear on pages that support the feature.
Mac 101: How to enable or disable automatic app downloads
Just like iOS, OS X now has an automatic update feature that allows you to install updates from the Mac App Store without lifting a finger to click. This feature was added in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and remains the latest version, OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Though Apple has embedded the option in the system preferences, you can easily toggle it on or off, depending on your preferences. Open System Preferences and select the "App Store" icon shown above Uncheck the "Install app updates" to disable automatic updates or check it as shown below to enable automatic updates
iPhone 101: Use Safari AutoFill to enter information into web forms on your iOS device
Typing on a mobile keyboard can be a pain, especially when you are entering information into a long web form. To make it easier, you can enable the useful AutoFill feature in Safari, which will automatically enter contact and credit card information into compatible web forms. It'll take a few minutes to setup, but it will save you frustration later on. Before you get started in Safari, you need to add a contact for yourself in your address book, if you don't already have one. If you do have a contact with updated information, then you can skip to the Safari-specific instruction below. Open up the Contacts app on your iOS device Tap the "plus" sign in the upper right corner Type in your personal details Hit Done to save your contact information Now that you have a valid contact in your address book, it is time to hop into the Safari settings and enable AutoFill. Open up Settings on your iOS device Tap on Safari Tap on AutoFill Toggle "Use Contact Info" to on. The toggle will be green on iOS 7. Tap on "My Info" and select your contact entry in your address book These few steps will enable AutoFill on your iOS device, making it an available option the next time you visit a compatible web form. To test that it is working properly, visit a site with a web form and select the text box at the top of the form. When the keyboard pops up, be sure to select the option for AutoFill.
How to identify battery-draining apps in OS X
Notice that your MacBook battery level is falling at an alarming rate? Want to find out which apps are causing the power to drain? There are two easy ways to identify apps that are consuming the battery in your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. First, you can select the battery icon in your OS X menu bar to get a peek at those apps that are using significant energy, as shown below. You can't close the offending apps from the menu bar, but you can select an app and view its details in the Activity Monitor app, where you can shut it down. The Activity Monitor app in OS X Mavericks lets you view important information about your Mac, including a list of apps that are draining valuable energy from your notebook's battery. You can open Activity Monitor from the Applications folder or the "Other" folder in Launchpad. Once Activity Monitor is opened, you can select the "Energy" tab to display the amount of energy that is being consumed by open apps and background processes. You then can sort this list by Energy Impact. The number in this column represents the energy that currently is being used by individual processes, with a higher number meaning more power is being consumed. You also can look at the Avg Energy Impact column, which shows the energy impact for each app over the past eight hours or since the Mac last started (whichever time is shorter). Processes with the highest average Energy Impact recently have consumed the most power. If a process is consuming too much energy, you can quit these processes by selecting them in Activity Monitor and then tapping the "x" button in the upper left corner. OS X will ask you if you want to quit this process, and you can choose to either "quit" to end the process or "force quit", if you think the process is locked up and may have difficulty closing.
