iPhone 101
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iPhone 101: How to request a refund from the App Store for mistaken purchases
We've all done it -- you are browsing through the App Store and inadvertently purchase an app that you really didn't intend to buy. It's one of those costly fat finger moments that you wish you could take back. Thankfully, Apple provides a way to for you to request a refund in these circumstances. It's not an immediate return and the restoration of your funds is subject to Apple's approval, but it is nonetheless helpful when you've made a mistaken purchase. To request a refund for an app, you can find the original email and click the "Report a Problem" link to streamline the process as described in this Apple support document. If you don't have the email, you can find the purchase in iTunes and request a refund following the steps below: Open iTunes on your Mac or Windows machine and select "App Store" to open the main page for the App Store Open your iTunes account by selecting the "Account" link in the Quick Links section in the right sidebar (Alternatively, you can select "Store">"View Account" in the menu bar) Type in your iTunes password, if prompted, to open your account page Scroll down your account page until you see the "Purchase History" section Select the "View All" link to list all your purchases Select a purchase to view its details In the purchase details, select "Report a Problem" and follow the prompts to select the app Select the reason for your problem (Didn't mean to purchase this item, Meant to purchase a different item, etc) and hit "Submit" Apple will then review your request and either grant you the refund or deny your request. This policy is meant for the occasional mistake and is not be used as way to rid yourself of those regretful app purchases.
iPhone 101: Add labels to your On/Off toggles in iOS
iOS is filled with toggles that allow you to turn a feature on or off. In iOS 7, the state of a toggle is indicated by color with green meaning "on" and white meaning "off." If you need an additional visual cue either because of vision problems or personal preference, you have the option to turn on labels that add an On/Off indicator symbol to each switch as shown above. Accessibility Settings with On/Off Labels disabled(l) and enabled(r). This secondary visual cue is hidden in the Accessibility menu, and you can turn it on as follows: Open the Settings app in iOS Tap General > Accessibility Scroll to the option to "Turn on On/Off Labels Swipe or tap the toggle to turn it on, with green indicating that the feature is enabled View another toggle to confirm the addition of the labels iOS uses the standard power button label that is used on electronic devices -- a circle represents the "on" state and a line represents "off." Between the color and the label, you should have minimal difficulty in determining whether an option is enabled or disabled in the settings. Besides its functional purpose, the added labels also look nifty in each switch icon.
iPhone 101: How to view your Safari browsing history on your iPhone or iPad
Like most modern web browsers, Safari for iOS stores your browsing history so you can call up web pages that you previously visited on your iPhone or iPad. The feature is easy to access and works with any open Safari page on your device. Open Safari for iOS on your iPhone or iPad. Press and hold the back arrow button on the far left hand side of the bottom tool bar. Your browser history menu will appear on the screen. From here, you can tap on a link to open it. If you use iOS 7 and have multiple windows/tabs open, you can view each window's browser history by tapping the "multiple pages" icon in the bottom right of the tool bar and then selecting the target page to open it. When it is open, you can press and hold the back bottom to view the history of that particular session. This only works for open tabs that originate on your device. If you use iCloud, you may be able to see pages that are open on another iOS device or Mac. Opening an iPad window from your iPhone, for example, does not allow you to view the history of that iPad browsing session.
iPhone 101: Status bar symbols and what they mean
Similar to the Mac's menu bar, iOS has a status bar at the top of the screen that contains symbols with useful information about your iPhone or iPad. With just a quick glance, you can view which settings are enabled on your device, the strength of your cellular connection and more. Below you will find a table with the most common status symbols and their meanings.
iPhone 101: What those icons mean when you are downloading apps
App downloads on the iPhone or iPad are usually fast and easy, with the app appearing on your device shortly after you hit the "purchase" or "download" button. Most of the time, you don't even notice the download process, but if you happen to hop to the home screen right after an app purchase, you may notice a series of unfamiliar icons that Apple uses to indicate the download status of an app. Here is a list of common app icon status messages and what each one means. Waiting: This icon appears when an app is in a queue to be download. This blank icon is often seen when you have downloaded multiple apps. In these cases, some apps will be actively downloading while others will be waiting for their turn to download. Loading: This animated icon appears when an app is actively downloading to your iOS device. The circular progress bar increases in a clockwise direction as the app download progresses. Paused: If you start an app download, you can tap on the "Loading" icon to temporarily pause the download until you are ready to resume it. Icon with a blue dot: The blue dot indicates a new app download. It will appear when a new app or app update is finished downloading and has not been opened yet by the user. Cleaning: Though not strictly associated with app downloads, you will sometimes see an icon with a "Cleaning" label. This appears when iOS is clearing the app's cache, which is used as a temporary storage area for documents and other data. This cleaning occurs more often when a device is running low on space.
iPhone 101: Always show walking directions in iOS Maps
Occasionally, I will travel to Boston, where it is much easier to get around by foot than by car. Apple's default Maps application will provide you with walking directions, but you have to switch from the default driving directions to walking directions by tapping the "walking person" icon in the navigation section of the Maps app. I don't mind switching between directions on occasion, but if I walked around the city every day, I would get irritated by this extra tap that is needed to jump from driving to walking directions. You can save yourself save some time and possibly a bit of frustration by changing the default directions from driving to walking. To change the default directions, just open the iOS Settings app, scroll down and then tap on Maps. Scroll to the bottom of the Maps settings and look for "Preferred Directions." The default option is "Driving," but you can select "Walking" if you travel primarily by foot. The next time you fire up Maps to navigate from one location to another, the app will show the walking directions first. Sweet!
iPhone 101: Quickly change camera modes in iOS 7 without accidentally snapping a photo
One of the main reasons why I love my iPhone is its outstanding camera that allows me to capture a photo at a moment's notice. As noted when iOS 7 was released last year, Apple's latest version of iOS significantly improved the camera app, providing options for panorama mode, square photos and slow-mo video on select models. When you are shooting with the default iOS 7 camera app, you can swipe to switch between the modes to select the one you need for the moment. Most people instinctively swipe on the small bar where the modes are labeled in the iOS app. This small area can be difficult to tap especially when you are in a hurry, leading you to accidentally take a photo, choose a filter or open the thumbnail view. There is an easier way to switch between modes -- instead of swiping on the labels, swipe anywhere on the screen. Swiping anywhere on the screen will cycle you through the modes. If you are lazy with your swipe, you may accidentally activate focus, but if you are prompt, you will be able to select your photo mode in just a few seconds.
Ransomware worries? Turn off Find My Mac/Find My iPhone
Note: Here's how to enable 2-step authentication for your Apple ID. It's been a rough day Down Under; several iOS and Mac users have found their devices held "ransom" by a hacker leveraging Apple's Find My iPhone and Find My Mac services. Australia's The Age reports information acquired by recent security breaches, combined with the human tendency to reuse security credentials across services, may have led to the lockouts. The normally-helpful (or at least benign) Find My X services can indeed be used for ill, as Wired's Mat Honan learned last year to his regret. It's noteworthy that iPhone users who have a passcode in place should be able to recover access, as long as the passcode was created outside of setting up Find My iPhone. In this post, I'll explain how to disable Find My iPhone/iPad and Find My Mac, as well as how to create a passcode on your iOS device. First, let's disable those services. Note that you must know your iCloud account information to turn off either of the Find My X services -- that's the point, really, as a thief presumably would not know your password and wouldn't be able to unlock or reinstall your purloined device with FMx turned on. Disable Find My iPhone/iPad This is quite easy to do. Just follow these steps: Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. Tap iCloud. Scroll to the bottom of the list, and move the slider labeled "Find my iPhone" to the Off position. You'll need to authenticate with your iCloud password. That's it. On the Mac, the process is just as simple. Disable Find My Mac Launch System Preferences. Click iCloud. A new pane appears. Scroll to the bottom of the list on the right. De-select Find My Mac. (If you aren't using it, best to uncheck Back to my Mac as well -- if your iCloud password was compromised then BTMM could also be a security risk.) Again, you'll need to authenticate with your iCloud password. Create an iOS passcode Just to be sure that you can unlock your device locally if you do re-enable Find My iPhone, it's a good idea to set a passcode. (If you have an iPhone 5s and you enabled the Touch ID feature, iOS forced you to create a passcode, so you're all set.) These screenshots are for iOS 7, but the iOS 6 process is similar. Open the Settings app. Scroll down to Passcode. If you've never created a passcode before, toggle Turn Passcode On. You'll be prompted for a short (4-digit) numeric "simple passcode" or a longer/complex alphanumeric passcode. Pro tip: Even if your employer or educational institution requires a complex passcode via MDM, you can still access the "quick entry" numeric keypad for your passcode... just create an all-numbers passcode of the minimum length or longer, and you won't have to peck out the unlock code on the full keyboard.) Once your passcode is enabled and verified, you can set the timeouts for passcode access, which apps can be accessed from the lock screen, and more. In general, Apple's recovery/security services like Find My iPhone are a very good thing, and beneficial to have up and running -- as long as you observe reasonable password hygiene with your iCloud credentials, which are the "keys to the kingdom" for iOS app purchases, iTunes music, your iCloud email and iWork online documents... well, you get the idea. But turning off Find My iPhone is a reasonable temporary measure if you're concerned about this kind of hack attack, or worse things that could happen with a compromised iCloud password. Michael Rose contributed to this post.
iPhone 101: Five useful Clock app tips for iPhone and iPad owners
Since the beginning, Apple has always included a Clock app in iOS, providing iPad and iPhone owners with a world clock, an alarm clock, a stopwatch and a timer. You likely are familiar with the basic functions of the app, so here are five tips to help you get even more out this simple, yet handy utility. 1. Tap on the clock in World Clock to change the clock style (iPhone only) If you tap on the clock face in the World Clock on the iPhone you can switch between an analog clock and a digital clock. I prefer the analog version because its shows night and day, with a black clock face for locations where it is night and a gray one for daytime areas. 2. Tell the time down to the second using the Clock icon (iPhone and iPad) Did you know that the iOS 7 clock icon on your home screen is dynamic? It displays the current time and even has a red hand that ticks off the seconds. The seconds feature is useful when you need to time something for less than a minute and don't want to open a dedicated timer app. 3. View weather around the world (iPad only) Add your favorite cities to the Clock app in iOS 7, and you can quickly view their weather by selecting the World Clock tab. Only on the iPad, the World Clock displays a map that locates each city and highlights its time, temperature and weather conditions. 4. Drag to change the time for an alarm (iPad only) The iPad version of the Clock app displays each alarm on a calendar grid, allowing you to see your alarm schedule quickly and easily. If you want to change the time for an alarm, just tap, hold and drag it to a new time. You can adjust the alarm time in 15-minute increments using this method. 5. Use the timer to play music until you fall asleep (iPhone and iPad) You can use the timer in the iOS 7 clock app as a sleep timer that plays background music as you fall asleep. Just open the Clock app, choose timer and set the amount of time you want the music to play. Tap on the "When Timer Ends" option, choose "Stop Playing" from the list and then tap on "Start" to begin the countdown process. Now open the Music app, select your favorite "fall asleep" music and relax knowing that your music will stop playing when the timer ends.
iPhone 101: Turn off read receipts to hide the fact that you've read an iMessage
Apple's iMessage app provides message status updates that let you know when a message has been delivered. It also has a handy feature called Read Receipts that lets you know when someone has read the message. This status update can be a blessing when you want someone to know automatically that you have viewed their time-sensitive response. Apple handles the status update so you don't have to do anything other than open the message. Just read the iMessage and the sender will see the "Read" timestamp in their timeline. As useful as the Read Receipts feature may be, it also can cause angst both for the sender and recipient. You can imagine the following scenario -- a wife discovers she is pregnant and sends an excited message to her husband. She sees that he read the message an hour ago and is upset because he never responded. On the other end is the husband, who viewed the message right before an important meeting. He now is agonizing over how to respond while his boss is breathing over his back, knowing that his wife is aware of the fact that the message has been read. If you wish to avoid such complicated message relationships, you can easily turn off read receipts, which hides the fact that you have read a message from the sender. The sender will still see the "delivered" status, so they can be assured the message arrive on your handset. They just won't know if or when you have read the message. Follow these steps to turn off Read Receipts: Open the settings app in iOS Scroll down to "Messages" and tap on it to view the Messages settings Find "Read Receipts" and make sure it is toggled to the off position (in iOS 7, green is on and clear is off) Resume your normal messaging behavior Once this option is toggled off, other people will not be alerted when you read their message.
iPhone 101: How to easily combine multiple iMessages into a single message
Have you ever received a series of iMessages with important information that you need to share with someone else? You could forward each iMessage separately and spam your recipient. You also could copy and the contents of each message and then paste them into another message, but that is time consuming. Or you could use our tip below to quickly combine multiple messages into a single message that can be forwarded to a third party. Here is how you can combine several iMessages into one message that is ready to be sent to someone else: 1. Tap and hold the first iMessage that you want to forward and then select "More" from the popup menu as shown above. 2. Tap on the checkmark bubbles to select the messages that you want to forward. Each selected message will have a white checkmark inside of a blue circle as shown below. 3. Tap on the arrow in the bottom right corner of the screen. 4. This will open the "New Message" window, as shown above, with an iMessage that contains the text from the messages that you selected in step 2. You can edit the text as needed and also enter the name, email address or phone number of the recipient(s). 5. Hit the "Send" button in the right corner to send along the message. If you have any particularly helpful tips or tricks for iMessage, please share them in the comments.
iPhone 101: How to use Control Center when the keyboard gets in the way
When you are writing an email or typing a note in iOS, the iOS keyboard takes over the bottom part of the screen, making it impossible to access Control Center. This singular focus on the keyboard is useful for entering text, but it is not so handy if you need to switch quickly to Control Center to brighten your screen or switch to the next track of your background music. There is a workaround, shared by reader Mark Ducoff, that allows you to access Control Center even when the keyboard open. As a refresher, Control Center is an excellent addition to iOS as it makes it easy for you to access commonly changed settings such as WiFi, brightness, volume and more. You can open Control Center by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, and you can close it by swiping down. These swiping gestures work remarkably well, as long as you don't have the keyboard open. Opening the keyboard interferes with the opening upward swipe -- instead of registering the swipe, iOS picks up a space bar press. When you want to open Control Center and not exit from your typing session, you can just double tap the Home button to open the iOS app switcher. The switcher places the keyboard into the background, allowing you to swipe up from the bottom to bring up the Control Center drawer. To get back to your typing, just tap the Home button once to close Control Center and then tap it again to return to the original app. Easy peasy. If you have any other Control Center tips, please share them in the comments.
iPhone 101: Control Center getting in the way? Here's how to disable it
Apple introduced Control Center in iOS 7, making it easier for users to access commonly changed settings such as WiFi, brightness, volume and more. You can open the Control Center drawer by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, and you can close it by swiping down. Though incredibly easy to use, Control Center can be an annoyance when it interferes with apps, especially games that use a similar swipe-up gesture. If you find yourself accidentally pulling up the Control Center drawer when you mean to swipe in for a kill, then you should take a few minutes and learn how to disable Control Center when you want it out of the way and enable it when you want to restore the feature. Open the Settings app. Scroll and then tap on Control Center. Click the toggle to enable or disable "Access Within Apps." If the toggle is green, then the feature is enabled. While you are in the settings, you also can decide whether you want Control Center on your lock screen. (I leave it enabled because I often use the flashlight feature and don't want to unlock my phone just to turn on the light.) Keep in mind that this method removes Control Center from opening when you are working in an app. The feature is still available when you are viewing your home screen.
iPhone 101: How to use Lost Mode to find a missing iOS device
We lost an iPhone a few weeks ago while hiking and had no idea where on the trail it had dropped out of our bag. It was only partially configured -- iCloud was enabled, but not location services. I thought I was out of luck and had to re-hike the entire trail while looking for my phone, but then I remembered "Lost Mode." Lost Mode is a feature of Find My iPhone that is available in iOS 6 or later. It locks your device, displays a custom message and turns on tracking so you can see its location, even if location services was originally disabled. Here is how to use Lost Mode to find a missing device: Sign in to icloud.com/#find with the Apple ID that you use with iCloud. This will launch the Find My iPhone feature that is available in Apple's iCloud service. Click All Devices at the top of the interface and then select the device you want to track and lock. Click the center "Lost Mode" button (iOS 6 or later) as shown in the image below. Follow the onscreen instructions to lock the device, add a custom message and enable tracking. Note that if your iOS device already has a passcode, that passcode will be used to lock the device. If you don't have a password, you may be asked to enter one and that passcode will be required to unlock the device. Don't forget this passcode! You also may enter a phone number where you can be reached and that number will appear on the device's lock screen. Lastly, you may enter a message that will appear on the device's lock screen. If your device is online, it will lock itself and tracking will begin. If Location Services was turned off on the device, it will be temporarily enabled to allow your device to be tracked. If your device is offline, the passcode lock and tracking will go into effect the next time it connects to the internet Once detected and locked, a confirmation email with your phone's location details will be sent to your Apple ID email address. Besides email location alerts, you also can view your device's location on the map in iCloud. Once you have recovered your device, you can login to Find My iPhone on iCloud and click the "Lost Mode" button and then "Stop Lost Mode" to unlock your phone and stop tracking.
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.
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.
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: What model of iPhone do I have?
When you purchase a new iPhone, it's pretty easy to know exactly what you bought. But what about the situation where someone gives you an iPhone and they're not really sure what it is? Apple doesn't help out, as they don't label the phones with stickers that say "iPhone 4" or "iPhone 3GS". Since the model of iPhone can make a difference on what version of iOS will run on it and what kind of case will fit it, it's kind of an important thing to know. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to find out. There's an area on the back of your iPhone that contains text -- things like "Designed by Apple in California" and an FCC ID. There you will find the model number. For my iPhone, that number was A1533, which still doesn't help me too much. Apple has a web page to help in the translation between this model number and the actual kind of phone I have in my hand. Point your web browser to http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3939 and you'll find a sliding list of every iPhone model ever made along with the model numbers. Look until you find your model number, and then you've also found out what kind of iPhone you've inherited. That A1533 of mine is an iPhone 5s, but then I already knew that...
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.
