Make Sure to Check Settings on Multiple Devices

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Computer Basics
overhead view of a desk with a laptop, iPad, and iPhone on it. superimposed over the devices are yellow circular-ish lines with arrows on both ends, indicating connections between each device.

We recently helped someone having trouble with 1Password requesting their password repeatedly on their iPad, but not on their iPhone. Since 1Password’s data syncs between devices, this person didn’t realize they needed to configure the app’s security settings separately for each device. It’s appropriate for 1Password to separate security settings—one device could be used in a much more sensitive environment than another—but it’s also easy to see how a user might be confused about the difference in behavior. All this is to say that if you are annoyed by an app or operating system behaving differently depending on the device you’re using, compare the settings and ensure they’re set appropriately for each device. Read More from “Make Sure to Check Settings on Multiple Devices”

Consider Business Cyber Insurance

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Security/Privacy
AI-generated. all blue. an open umbrella made of mosaic pieces. blue rain comes down above the umbrella.

When discussing digital security, we typically focus on preventive measures, such as using strong passwords with a password manager, enabling multi-factor authentication, keeping systems up to date, maintaining regular backups, and training employees to recognize potential security threats. While these practices are essential, they don’t guarantee complete protection. Read More from “Consider Business Cyber Insurance”

Use AirPlay to Mirror or Extend Your Mac’s Display

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Macintosh, Television
realistic AI-generated image of a conference room with a large screen mirroring the laptop screen on the table.

Apple’s AirPlay is one of those low-level technologies that’s more capable than many people realize. In addition to allowing you to stream video and audio from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to an Apple TV connected to a large-screen TV, AirPlay also enables you to use that TV as an external Mac display, either mirroring what’s on your Mac’s screen or extending the desktop. It even allows you to turn one Mac into a display for another. Read More from “Use AirPlay to Mirror or Extend Your Mac’s Display”

Why Every Business Needs an AI Policy

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Security/Privacy
AI generated illustration of a robot on a big screen holding windows with charts on them. a table with three workers sitting is on the bottom right. one worker stands on the left.

Are employees at your company surreptitiously using artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini for everyday business tasks? It’s likely. An October 2024 Software AG study found that half of all employees use “shadow AI” tools to enhance their productivity, and most would continue using them even if explicitly banned by their employer. Read More from “Why Every Business Needs an AI Policy”

With iOS 18.2 and Later, You Can Share the Location of Lost Items in Find My

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Computer Basics
a lonely black backpack sits on the front row of several rows of red airport gate chairs.

In iOS 18.2, Apple enhanced the Find My app, enabling you to create a temporary Web page that shares the location of a lost AirTag or other Find My-tracked item. You don’t need to know the person’s email address or share any other information, and the link automatically expires after a week. It’s a great way to enlist others in the search for a lost item, but the big win is sharing with an airline to help them track the location of misdirected luggage. Read More from “With iOS 18.2 and Later, You Can Share the Location of Lost Items in Find My”

Run a Business? Sign Up with Apple Business Connect

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Computer Basics
stock photo from Apple saying "Welcome to Apple Business Connect."

Every company today conducts business online, by sending email, if nothing else. That’s true even if your firm operates primarily in the physical world—customers undoubtedly find you by browsing in Apple Maps, searching in Spotlight, and asking Siri for directions. If you sell products, you probably take Apple Pay.

Apple Business Connect is a free program designed to help businesses enhance their brands everywhere they appear on Apple devices, including Maps, Wallet, Siri, Calendar, Messages, Spotlight searches, and more. Read More from “Run a Business? Sign Up with Apple Business Connect”

Keep Your Browsing Organized with Browser Profiles

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Macintosh, Web Browsing
AI generated photo. Looking at a woman with a straight ponytail from behind as she is working. The left half of the picture depicts an office environment and says "work", while the right side depicts a home environment and says "personal" At home there is a flower picture on the wall and a bunny stuffie on the desk.

As more of our lives shift online, it becomes increasingly important to establish boundaries between different aspects of our digital activities. Many people maintain separate work and personal email addresses for this reason. But you don’t have to stop there.

Modern Web browsers offer profiles, a powerful but often overlooked feature. Whether you’re juggling work and personal browsing or managing multiple projects, browser profiles can make your digital life more organized and efficient. Read More from “Keep Your Browsing Organized with Browser Profiles”

Working with Time Zones in Apple’s Calendar Apps

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Calendar Syncing and Sharing
translucent clock faces and calendars overlaying each other

Calendar events are usually straightforward. For instance, if you schedule a meeting for 3 PM on Thursday, an alert will remind you to leave 30 minutes beforehand.

However, since we live in an increasingly global world, we occasionally have to consider time zones when scheduling meetings. Business travelers have long needed to keep track of meeting times as they move across time zones, and the number of online meetings spanning the globe has skyrocketed since the pandemic. Whether you’re scheduling appointments on the other side of the country or collaborating with a remote team, it’s essential to be able to work effectively with time zones on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Here’s what you need to know. Read More from “Working with Time Zones in Apple’s Calendar Apps”

Apple Says More Personalized Siri Will Be Delayed

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Computer Basics
bright solid yellow background. man standing in front with his left hand over his face and holding an iPhone straight out in front of himself. the text on the phone screen shows Apple's announcement about a "more personalized Siri"

As we’ve been covering Apple’s staged rollout of Apple Intelligence, one announced feature that has remained tantalizingly in the future is the enhanced version of Siri that would have onscreen awareness, understand your personal context, and be able to interact with apps. The company has quietly admitted that this new version of Siri isn’t ready yet and now says it anticipates rolling it out in the coming year. Read More from “Apple Says More Personalized Siri Will Be Delayed”

Share Wi-Fi Network Passwords Using QR Codes

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Macintosh, Passwords
picture of the torso of a person holding a cell phone in front of an open laptop computer. superimposed is a QR code with text of "scan here to get the access code" above and below the code.

A neat feature built into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS is that when you are connected to a Wi-Fi network, your devices will offer to share the Wi-Fi password if others near you try to connect to the same network. However, for this feature to work, they must be in your Contacts, and at times, it doesn’t activate as quickly as you’d like. Apple’s new Passwords app on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac provides a manual alternative that may work better. Tap the Wi-Fi collection to see all your remembered networks, select the desired network, and tap Show Network QR Code. When others scan the QR code using their phones, they will instantly join the network. Read More from “Share Wi-Fi Network Passwords Using QR Codes”

Create Links to Selected Text in Long Web Pages

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Macintosh
AI generated image with the word "information" appearing multiple times in a way to convey information moving through wires and cables quickly

If you have Control- or right-clicked on text in a Web browser in the last year or two, you may have seen an oddly named command: Copy Link to Highlight. When you choose it, it puts a URL on your clipboard, not just to that page, as Copy Link Address would, but also to the selected text. You can use this URL to make a link or share it directly, and when someone follows it, their browser scrolls to the selected text, simplifying navigation on a long page. For example, compare this link to Apple’s long Apple Watch faces page with this one that points directly to the Unity watch face most of the way down. All Web browsers can follow these links, but Google Chrome was the first to let you make them, and you’ll also find the feature in Arc, Microsoft Edge, and Vivaldi. Apple recently got on board with Safari 18’s Copy Link with Highlight command. The Link to Text Fragment extension adds the feature to other Chromium browsers and Firefox. Read More from “Create Links to Selected Text in Long Web Pages”

HomePods Can Alert You of Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Computer Basics
smoke detector mounted to ceiling with obvious smoke and fire around it

Although we think about HomePods as being useful for playing audio and responding to Siri commands for HomeKit devices, they can do more. HomePods can send a notification to your iPhone if their built-in microphones recognize the piercing squeals from smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. If you are away from home, that notification could help you alert neighbors and call 911, shaving minutes off response times. To turn the feature on, open the Home app, tap the ••• button in the upper-right corner, navigate to Safety & Security > Sound Recognition, and turn on the switches for Smoke & CO Alarm and any HomePods you have. Read More from “HomePods Can Alert You of Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms”

In Times of Uncertainty, Increase Your Digital Privacy and Security

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Email, Passwords, Security/Privacy
blurred surveillance image with digitally drawn boxes surrounding each head in the picture. all but one of the boxes are green. the other one is red

With so many troubling things happening in the world, some clients have inquired about ways to enhance their security. While we don’t want to encourage paranoia, there are many legitimate threats, and everyone will have their own levels of worry about each one. Read More from “In Times of Uncertainty, Increase Your Digital Privacy and Security”

You Can Now Migrate Purchases from One Apple Account to Another

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Macintosh
AI generated image of a woman in a white shirt with shoulder-length black hair holding an iPhone in each hand. a green arrow goes from her left hand over her head to her right hand. she is looking at her right hand.

Ever since Apple launched the iTunes Store in 2003 with online accounts known as Apple IDs—now referred to as Apple Accounts—many users have ended up with multiple accounts. This situation arose partly because the early Apple IDs were tied to accounts users created with iTools and its successor, .Mac, which later evolved into MobileMe and then iCloud. Especially after Apple introduced the App Store in 2008, it was common for individuals with several Apple IDs to have their purchases scattered across different accounts. Read More from “You Can Now Migrate Purchases from One Apple Account to Another”

Never Save Your Work in These Locations

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Email, Macintosh, Security/Privacy
blurred background of a person typing at an open Mac laptop. digital overlay of Mac folder and file icons in a grid pattern. half of the folders have a red X over them and half have a green check on them.

In every job that involves interaction with the public, amusing “Can you believe…” stories about customers abound. They’re often triggered by seemingly reasonable behaviors that experts recognize as problematic. A well-known example from the early days of personal computing is a college student who kept track of his floppy disk by attaching it to his fridge with a magnet, not realizing that magnetic fields could disrupt the disk’s magnetic patterns and corrupt files. The advice from tech support? “Don’t do that.”

No one is sticking floppies to their fridge anymore, but we still occasionally see the modern equivalent: saving data or documents in places that are likely to disappear. Read More from “Never Save Your Work in These Locations”

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 Offer Better PDF Handling in Mail

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Computer Basics
hand of a man signing his signature on an iPad using an Apple Pencil

You can now work directly with PDFs received in the Mail app using a little-known feature in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18. Tap a PDF attachment in a message and use the Markup and Form Fill buttons at the bottom to access the PDF markup and filling tools. After modifying your PDF, tapping the Done button gives you options for what to do with the PDF: include it in a reply, create a new message with it, save it to Files, or discard the changes. Read More from “iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 Offer Better PDF Handling in Mail”

Apple Updates Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips

Posted on by Tim Hannon in Hardware, Macintosh
dimly lit room with a woman in a green shirt sitting in front of three large monitors and a Mac Studio computer in the middle, along with two keyboards and a mouse.

In the first update to the Mac Studio since 2023, Apple has refreshed its professional powerhouse with new chip options and support for speedy Thunderbolt 5 peripherals. Previously, the Mac Studio was powered by the M2 Max and M2 Ultra; Apple has now replaced them with the M4 Max, which debuted last year in the MacBook Pro line, and the new M3 Ultra, which melds two M3 Max chips for the ultimate performance. Read More from “Apple Updates Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips”