Learn to Identify and Eliminate Phishing Notifications

Posted on July 16, 2023July 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Security/Privacy, Virus/Malware

Have you received odd notification messages in the upper right corner of your Mac’s screen? If so, these could be phishing attacks. Email may be the most common form of phishing, but it’s not the only one. Modern Web browsers support a technology that enables websites to display system-level notifications just like regular apps. These push notifications have good uses, such as letting frequently updated websites inform users of new headlines, changed discussion threads, and more.

Which Should You Use—a Mac, iPhone or iPad, or Web App?

Posted on July 9, 2023November 3, 2023 by Tim Hannon in iOS and iPhone/iPad Apps, macOS (formerly OS X), Software

Apps are everywhere these days, but it can be hard to remember that many exist in multiple versions. You can often run the same app on a Mac, an iPhone or iPad, and in a Web browser, each of which has benefits.

What to Do If You’re a Mac User Who Needs Some Windows Software

Posted on July 5, 2023March 29, 2024 by Tim Hannon in Miscellaneous

For the most part, the days of Mac versus PC are over. Common apps now exist on both platforms, and when they don’t, there are plenty of alternatives in nearly every app category. Plus, many apps either run entirely on the Web in any browser. Large organizations now regularly run “employee choice” programs that allow people to pick the platform where they’re the most comfortable.

Avoid Confusion by Setting iPhone Password Autofill to Only One App

Posted on July 2, 2023July 5, 2023 by Tim Hannon in iOS and iPhone/iPad Apps, Software

Let’s say you use 1Password (or another third-party password manager) on an iPhone or iPad. When that’s the case, it’s easy to end up in a situation where your device will present passwords from both 1Password and iCloud Keychain, possibly along with another app. That won’t break anything, but as you can see in the screenshot below, dueling password managers can be confusing, particularly if one doesn’t have up-to-date passwords. To make logging in easier, go to Settings > Passwords > Password Options and select just one app in Allow Filling From. For instance, if you’re using 1Password, turn off iCloud Passwords & Keychain and all the other apps.

(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/Kostiantyn Filichkin)

Need to Mask Nearby Noise? Try Ventura’s Background Sounds

Posted on June 28, 2023June 12, 2023 by Tim Hannon in macOS (formerly OS X), Software

Do you have trouble concentrating at work because of a loud office environment? Or do you work at home and want to block out the sounds of kids or appliances? In macOS 13 Ventura, Apple added background sounds you can play to mask what’s going on around you. Go to System Settings > Accessibility > Audio and enable Background Sounds. You can pick a sound, set the volume, and select an option to turn the sound off when your Mac is inactive. Next time you’re mentally stewing over it being too loud to work, try this feature. A pair of AirPods (Pro or Max, in particular) might be helpful, too. If you find background sounds helpful but want more variety, look for websites like A Soft Murmur or apps like Noizio.

(Featured image by iStock.com/Apiwan Borrikonratchata)

New Apple Card Savings Accounts Offers 4.15% Interest

Posted on June 25, 2023June 12, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Apple, Companies

Apple is continuing its forays into the financial world with the introduction of Apple Card Savings, a new savings account from Goldman Sachs that offers 4.15% interest with no fees, no minimum deposits, and no minimum balance requirements. The Savings account is designed to hold your Daily Cash rewards from using the Apple Card, but you can transfer as much as you want into it, up to $250,000. Given the woefully low interest rates offered by many local banks, the Apple Card Savings account may be compelling. It’s easy to manage in Apple’s Wallet app, but it doesn’t integrate with other personal finance apps right now.

(Featured image by iStock.com/brookebecker)

Pay Attention to Unsolicited Facebook Password Reset Messages

Posted on June 21, 2023June 12, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Email, Security/Privacy

We’ve seen an uptick in attacks on Facebook accounts that generate email messages like the one below. It’s saying someone is attempting to reset your Facebook password in order to access your account. If you didn’t ask to reset your Facebook password within the past 5 minutes, do not enter the provided code! In fact, do nothing with a message like this, since you can’t easily tell if it’s a legitimate message from Facebook or a phishing attack. As long as your email account hasn’t been compromised, you have nothing to worry about, but consider any such messages as encouragement to have strong, unique passwords for your email account and any social media services. Also, we highly recommend turning on two-factor authentication for these accounts. Of course, if you get a second message saying that your password was reset, immediately secure your account.

(Featured image by iStock.com/Nicholas77)

Make Apple Watch Apps Easier to Find with List View

Posted on June 18, 2023June 12, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Apple Watch, Hardware

With the original version of the Apple Watch, Apple introduced “grid” view, which shows tiny icons for each app in a random circular pattern, making them difficult to find for most people. Happily, at some point, Apple relented and gave us the more sensible list view, which shows all the apps—with their names—sorted alphabetically. If your Apple Watch shows apps in grid view when you press the Digital Crown, fix it by opening the Watch app on your iPhone, tapping App View, and selecting List View. You can also do this on the watch itself in the Settings app.

(Featured image by Adam Engst)

Apple Starts Releasing Rapid Security Responses for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Posted on June 14, 2023July 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Security/Privacy

By now, you’ve probably seen a new form of update for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS: the Rapid Security Response. Early in May, Apple released the first instances of these updates, which the company had promised for iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS 13 Ventura when those operating systems were first announced. Let’s answer some of the questions we’ve been hearing.

Apple Is Shutting Down My Photo Stream—Switch to iCloud Photos

Posted on June 11, 2023November 2, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Photo

Apple has quietly announced that it is shutting down the My Photo Stream service, the company’s first iCloud-based effort at helping users sync photos between devices. My Photo Stream had numerous limitations but was free and didn’t count against iCloud storage quotas. If you’re still using My Photo Stream, note that photos will stop uploading as of June 26, and all My Photo Stream photos will be removed from iCloud on July 26; they’ll remain on your individual devices. Apple is encouraging all remaining My Photo Stream users to switch to iCloud Photos, which is more capable in every way but might require you to pay for additional iCloud+ storage to hold your photo library. Those who don’t want their photos in the cloud might check out Mylio Photos+. Contact us if you need assistance migrating to iCloud Photos or ensuring all your various photos are backed up securely.

(Featured image by iStock.com/mpiokpee)

At WWDC23, Apple Releases New Macs, Previews New OS Features, and Unveils Vision Pro

Posted on June 10, 2023July 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Apple, Companies, Hardware, Macintosh

Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference keynote (full video or 2-minute recap) is primarily an opportunity for Apple to give developers a first look at new features coming in its operating systems, and this year was no exception. However, Apple sandwiched those feature reveals between announcements of new Macs and the unveiling of its mixed-reality Vision Pro headset, due next year. Here’s what you should know.

Prevent Quick Screenshots from Cluttering Your Photos Library on the iPhone and iPad

Posted on June 4, 2023June 12, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Computer Basics, Maintenance

By default, when you take a screenshot (instructions for iPhone and iPad), it saves to Photos. But what if you don’t want something like a quick image of a map for a friend to clutter your Photos library? In iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Apple has added new options. When you tap the screenshot thumbnail that appears briefly after pressing the capture buttons, you can crop and mark up your image. Or not. The key is that when you’re ready, tap Done to get an option to Copy and Delete, which is great when all you want to do is paste the screenshot into a Messages conversation or Mail message. You can also save to Photos, Files, or Notes, or just trash the screenshot if you’ve changed your mind.

(Featured image by iStock.com/simona flamigni)

How to Turn Mail’s Rich Website Previews into Plain Links

Posted on May 21, 2023July 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Email, Software

Sometimes apps can be too helpful. Apple’s Mail on the Mac likes to turn pasted website addresses into graphically rich previews, and sometimes that’s OK. But other times, the preview is confusing or takes up too much space. Or you may want to send a plain link so the recipient can see its text. There are three ways to avoid rich link previews:

Reveal Your Desktop Quickly with a Keyboard Shortcut

Posted on May 14, 2023June 12, 2023 by Tim Hannon in macOS (formerly OS X), Software

The Mac’s Desktop is a remarkably useful place. It’s a good spot for in-progress documents, screenshots, images dragged out of Web pages, and more. However, app windows tend to obscure the Desktop, making it harder to use. There are two quick ways you can temporarily hide windows, making it easy to access icons on the Desktop. In macOS 13 Ventura, in System Settings > Desktop & Dock, click the Shortcuts button at the bottom and assign a keyboard shortcut to Show Desktop (we like the Right Option key). Or click Hot Corners and choose Desktop for one of the corners. (In macOS 12 Monterey and earlier, look in System Preferences > Mission Control.) Then, press that keyboard shortcut or put your pointer in that corner to move your windows aside temporarily. When you’re done, press the key or move the pointer there again to put the windows back.

(Featured image based on an original by iStock.com/AmnajKhetsamtip)

Create Your Photo Legacy Course

Posted on May 7, 2023May 6, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Photo

Would you like to create a curated collection of your photos, letters, recipes, audio files, text messages and other documents that you can share with family or friends? If so, consider taking Mirja Heide’s four-week course at Edmonds College starting Thursday May 18th from 6-8 PM. The course costs $99. In this course, you will learn how to set up a permanent online home for preserving your memories. You will be able to start to build a collection of your most cherished items.

Bring your Windows PC or Mac laptop to class if you’re able.

Instructional handouts will be provided and take-home assignments given each week.

Visit Edmonds College Continuing Education to register for the course.

For more information about Mirja, please visit her RefreshFotos website.

Make Sure to Back Up iPhone Photos on Your Mac

Posted on May 1, 2023July 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Backup, Macintosh, Security/Privacy

If your iPhone were to be stolen or suffer an unfortunate accident, would you lose all your precious photos? Those using iCloud Photos are probably shaking their heads smugly, thinking that all those baby and vacation photos are backed up securely in iCloud. iCloud Photos does indeed store a copy of all your photos, but you shouldn’t assume that everything in it is completely protected. Although it’s extremely unlikely that Apple’s systems would fail so that you’d lose anything, the contents of your iCloud account aren’t as safe as would be ideal.

How Often Should Macs Be Replaced?

Posted on April 24, 2023November 20, 2024 by Tim Hannon in Computer Basics, Hardware, Macintosh, Maintenance

It’s a question as old as the personal computer. When should you replace your current Mac with a new model that’s faster and more capable? If money were no object, the answer would be easy—whenever you feel like it. For the rest of us, and particularly for organizations with multiple Macs and limited budgets, the question is harder to answer. But answer it we must because most of us can’t do our jobs without a Mac.

What to Do If Your iPhone Takes a Plunge

Posted on April 17, 2023July 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Hardware, iPhone and iPad

No one intends to drop their iPhone in a pool or fall off a boat with their iPhone in a pocket. But accidents happen. Happily, Apple has designed the iPhone with significant levels of splash and water resistance, so brief exposure to rain or even a quick dunk might not cause any problems. If your iPhone does get wet, follow our advice below to dry it out before calling for more help.

Protect Your iPhone Passcode by Using Face ID or Touch ID

Posted on April 10, 2023July 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in iOS and iPhone/iPad Apps, Software

This is troubling. Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen of the Wall Street Journal have published an article (paywalled) and accompanying video that describes attacks on hundreds of iPhone users in major cities throughout the United States. Some attacks involve drugging people in bars or even violence, but the most avoidable involve the thief or a confederate surreptitiously observing the iPhone user entering their passcode before snatching the iPhone and running.