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.

FAQs about Apple’s Messages App and What Can Go Wrong When Using It

Posted on April 3, 2023July 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in iOS and iPhone/iPad Apps, macOS (formerly OS X), Software

Most of us rely on Messages every day to text with family, friends, and colleagues. Not surprisingly, we’ve fielded numerous questions surrounding common confusions with this popular app. We hope our answers here will help you use Messages more effectively and work around problems.

What’s the Difference between Removing and Deleting an App?

Posted on March 30, 2023March 20, 2023 by Tim Hannon in iOS and iPhone/iPad Apps, Software

There are many reasons you might want to get rid of apps from your iPhone or iPad. To begin, touch and hold on a blank spot on a Home Screen to enter “jiggle mode.” Then tap the ⊝ icon for any app to see the question about whether to delete the app entirely or merely remove it from the Home Screen. Delete the app if you don’t want to use it anymore or need to reclaim the space it occupies. (You can download it from the App Store again.) Remove the app from the Home Screen if you want to reduce clutter, keep the app on your device, and don’t mind opening it from the App Library (swipe left past all the Home Screens) or from Search (swipe down from the middle of the screen).

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

A Practical Guide to Identifying Phishing Emails

Posted on March 27, 2023July 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Passwords, Security/Privacy

Phishing is becoming an ever more common way for people to get in trouble when using the Internet. A phishing attack is some communication, usually an email, that tries to lure you into revealing login credentials, financial information, or other confidential details.

Learn About Digitizing Photos and Movies In A Free Zoom Tutorial

Posted on March 24, 2023March 23, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Photo

How To Digitize Photos with a Forever Box

Do you have photographs, negatives, slides, home videos and 8mm film you’d like digitized, but you don’t know how to start? Then join Mirja Heide, a certified photo organizer for her free Zoom tutorial on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 from 1:30-2:00 PM Pacific. She will show you how simple it is to digitize your photos and movies with a FOREVER Box. Her tutorial will guide you through the steps and provide helpful tips along the way. Registration closes on Monday, March 27.

Is Your Wi-Fi Network a Security Risk?

Posted on March 23, 2023July 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Encryption, Networks, Security/Privacy

With Wi-Fi security, it’s easy to fall into the “out of sight, out of mind” trap. Your Wi-Fi router probably lives in a corner or closet, and of course, Wi-Fi’s radio waves are invisible. But the ease of connecting your devices to your Wi-Fi network means it’s equally as easy for a hacker to connect to your network and eavesdrop on your traffic. Or rather, it’s easy unless you take advantage of the security options available in every Wi-Fi router.

How To Upgrade BackBlaze

Posted on March 13, 2023March 12, 2023 by Tim Hannon in BackBlaze, Backup

Do you use Backblaze to backup your Mac? It’s a great way to create an off-site backup of your Mac’s data.

Backblaze tends to automatically install minor updates but it won’t install major upgrades on its own. Here are instructions on how to manually install a major upgrade of Backblaze on your Mac, such as upgrading from version 7.x to version 8.x or version 8.x to version 8.5

It’s Time to Try Dictation in iOS 16 and iPadOS 16

Posted on March 12, 2023February 13, 2023 by Tim Hannon in iOS and iPhone/iPad Apps, Software

Apple has long provided a microphone button in the keyboard to invoke dictation on the iPhone and iPad. But, it wasn’t always easy to hit, and you had to switch back to the keyboard to fix the inevitable mistakes. (Apple’s dictation is a huge timesaver but far from perfect, particularly with homonyms and proper nouns.) With iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, Apple made the microphone button larger and repositioned it to make it easier to tap. More importantly, the keyboard remains available while dictation is active, enabling you to work with text manually during dictation. You can fix mistakes, reposition the insertion point, select and delete text, and so on. For instance, if dictation inserts the wrong word, double-tap the word to select it and speak the replacement. Or, if you want to add something, tap in the text to move the insertion point and start speaking again. Dictation can even add punctuation for you, but it’s a little haphazard at that, so you might want to disable that option in Settings > General > Keyboard.

(Featured image by iStock.com/fizkes)

Six Ways of Making It Easier to Browse Your Favorite Websites

Posted on March 5, 2023July 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Computer Basics

Everyone—or at least everyone reading this article—knows how to use a Web browser. But just because you can click links, search for websites, and type URLs doesn’t mean that you’re surfing the Web as smoothly and effectively as you could. We all have sites that we visit regularly—a local newspaper, perhaps, or a social media service that’s the only place to connect with far-flung family members. Plus, the rise of Web apps like Google Docs means that we may spend hours every day in a Web browser at a particular site.

Here then are six ways that you can make it easier to use the same sites every day. This list is far from comprehensive, but we hope it gets you thinking about how you can spend less time typing URLs and searching for sites. We’ll focus on Safari here, but similar features are available in most Web browsers.

What Is Google Web & App Activity, and Should You Leave It Enabled?

Posted on February 26, 2023February 13, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Companies, Google, Security/Privacy

Earlier this year, some of my clients received an email from Google reminding them that they have Web & App Activity turned on. Those with a healthy dose of caution were concerned that it might be a phishing attack, but no, it’s legitimate. Their next questions were often, “Wait, what is Web & App Activity, and do I want it enabled?” Here are some answers.

An Amazingly Convenient Way to Scan Documents Using Your iPhone or iPad

Posted on February 19, 2023January 3, 2025 by Tim Hannon in iOS and iPhone/iPad Apps, Scanning, Services, Software

On occasion, we all need to scan a document—an invoice, a recipe, instructions from a book—but far more people have an iPhone or iPad than a hardware scanner. Luckily, Apple has built a scanning capability into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS for some years now. The next time you’re faced with a piece of paper that you need in digital form, follow the instructions below.

Upgrade to macOS Ventura If You’d Like

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

When upgrading to a new version of macOS, I err on the side of caution, at least in my recommendations. I regularly tell people that you typically don’t want to be the first kid on your block to upgrade to a new version of the Mac operating system (macOS). Upgrading is easy, but if you upgrade too soon, the new macOS version could make key apps inoperable, create workflow interruptions, or cause other negative consequences. On the other hand, waiting too long can cause problems—it’s important to stay in sight of the cutting edge for security reasons and to take advantage of Apple’s advances. Upgrading is not an if question; it’s a when question. Since Apple recently released their second update to macOS 13 Ventura, feel free to upgrade, if you’d like as long as you have a current Time Machine backup and you know your applications are compatible. I discuss both of these topics below.

What Is Advanced Data Protection for iCloud? Should You Enable It?

Posted on February 5, 2023February 13, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Encryption, iCloud or AppleID, Security/Privacy, Services

In early December, Apple made a surprise announcement: Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. It’s not as though iCloud’s standard data protection is problematic, but it hinges on one architectural decision that makes some iCloud data theoretically vulnerable: Apple holds the encryption keys necessary to decrypt iCloud data. Because Apple controls those encryption keys, an attacker or rogue Apple employee who could gain access to them could theoretically steal iCloud data. (There are many more safeguards; it’s not like there’s a big printout of keys anywhere.) Plus, since Apple has the technical capability to read that data, law enforcement agencies could legally compel Apple to hand it over.

Protect Your Hidden and Recently Deleted Albums in Photos

Posted on January 29, 2023January 18, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Software

Photos has long provided a hidden album you could use to hold images you wanted to keep a little more private. Until this year, however, it was security through obscurity: anyone who knew to reveal the album in Settings > Photos on an iPhone or iPad or by choosing View > Show Hidden Album on the Mac could see its contents. Now you can protect it—and the Recently Deleted album—with Face ID or Touch ID on an iPhone or iPad, or Touch ID or your password on a Mac. You can enable this feature in iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 using Settings > Photos > Use Face ID/Touch ID; in macOS 13 Ventura, choose Photos > Settings > General and select “Use Touch ID or password.” From then on, opening those albums will require authentication.

(Featured image by iStock.com/Kenishirotie)

Master The Photos App On Your iPhone

Posted on January 22, 2023January 21, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Photo

Do you use the Photos app on your iPhone? Would you like to feel more comfortable using it? If so, check out Mirja Heide’s four week class at Edmonds College. Thursdays February 16th — March 9th from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM. Cost is $99. Register with Edmonds College Continuing Education.

This is a hands-on course. You will have the opportunity to organize your digital photos using your iPhone during class as well as between classes via take-home assignments. Class handouts with step-by-step instructions will be provided.

Apple Released New Mac mini and MacBook Pros With M2 Chips

Posted on January 21, 2023February 13, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Hardware, Macintosh

With a handful of press releases buttressed by a 19-minute video, Apple unveiled its new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips and announced updated Mac mini and MacBook Pro models that rely on the new chips. There are no significant design or feature changes with these updated models, just faster performance, enhanced external display support, and support for the latest wireless connectivity standards. The new Mac mini and MacBook Pro models are available to order now, with units in stores and orders starting to arrive on January 24th.

Then, in another surprise announcement, Apple announced the second-generation HomePod, which updates the full-size smart speaker with a few new features and likely makes it more cost-effective to produce.

How 1Password Is Designed To Keep Your Data Safe, Even In The Event Of A Breach

Posted on January 19, 2023January 19, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Passwords, Security/Privacy

In the wake of LastPass’ security incident in December 2022, clients have asked me how vulnerable their 1Password password vaults would be, if the vault were stolen. The short answer is that the vault would be very secure. For more details please check out 1Password’s recent blog post about how 1Password protects your data. Additionally, check out 1Password’s article about their security model.

Upgrade Past macOS 10.15 Catalina to Keep Getting Microsoft Office Updates

Posted on January 15, 2023January 9, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Software, Spreadsheets, Word Processing

We aren’t quite ready to recommend that everyone upgrade to macOS 13 Ventura, but if you use Microsoft Office with macOS 10.15 Catalina, you should start planning for an upgrade. Microsoft has announced that current versions of its productivity suite—Office for Mac 2019, Office for Mac 2021, and Microsoft 365—will receive updates only if your Mac is running macOS 11 Big Sur, macOS 12 Monterey, or macOS 13 Ventura. If you keep using Catalina, your Office apps will continue to work, but they won’t receive enhancements, bug fixes, or security updates past October’s 16.66 updates. Contact us if you have questions about appropriate upgrade paths.

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

LastPass Security Breach: Here’s What to Do

Posted on January 9, 2023January 9, 2023 by Tim Hannon in Passwords, Security/Privacy

Do you use LastPass‘ password manager? If so, here’s what you need to know about the two recent data breaches. Password management company LastPass has announced that it suffered a security breach in which attackers stole both unencrypted customer account data (which is bad) and customer vaults containing encrypted usernames and passwords (which is much, much worse). On the positive side, the data of users who abided by LastPass’s defaults and created master passwords of at least 12 characters in length will likely resist cracking attempts.

Although 1Password is the most popular password manager for Apple users, and it’s the one that we use and recommend, LastPass is an alternative. Here’s what happened and how LastPass users should react. For those who don’t use LastPass, we also discuss ways your organization can improve its online security by learning from LastPass’s mistakes and misfortunes.