There's a good chance that if got an iPhone or an iPad for Christmas, you've probably still using Siri's default voice settings — but as AppleInsider can show, there are a few ways to personalize Siri's sound and functions in iOS 11 [now with video].
Installing iOS 11 also updates the functionality of connected AirPods, giving users the ability to set separate, customizable controls for each wireless earpiece.
Some names can be hard for Siri to pronounce, and if you don't correct the matter won't be accurately retrieved by Apple's voice-powered assistant. Here's how to fix them.
If you exercise with an Apple Watch, you'll want to load some music onto it. Thankfully with watchOS 4, Apple now lets you load multiple playlists and albums onto the wrist-worn device. AppleInsider explains how to do it.
Starting with macOS Sierra and above, Apple implemented the ability to unlock your Mac when you are in proximity, and wearing your Apple Watch. Sounds simple enough — but there are a few pre-requisites to fulfill before it works reliably. AppleInsider spells it all out.
One of the advantages of Apple's iMessage system is the ability to see and respond to iPhone texts across multiple Apple devices. AppleInsider shows you how to set up the feature and get messaging on your iPad, Mac and more.
The expansion of Movies Anywhere to new studios and services has, in a roundabout way, enabled a new capability: You can now scan physical DVDs and Blu-rays that you own, and for a small fee convert them into authentic, legitimate iTunes Store purchases. AppleInsider explains how to do it.
Sure, you can get a network attached storage device, or rely on somebody's cloud — but, I've run a Mac-based home server for a very long time. Why have I kept one running, and why should you start one? Read on.
Among the lesser known features included in Apple's latest iOS 11 is a new software function that lets users turn off their device without touching a physical button, handy in the case of random hardware failures and other glitches.
One of the nice touches of iOS 11 is the ability to exercise more control over notification previews, which also applies to all first- and third-party apps. Here's how to switch up your settings for more (or less) privacy.
Bungie's "Destiny 2" isn't coming to the Mac or the iPad, but an iOS title called R-Play will allow you to take advantage of Sony's Remote Play feature to play the game on your mobile device at home or away from your console. AppleInsider tries it out, after the weekly reset.
Apple recently caught flak from the Electronic Freedom Foundation for misleading consumers by incorporating "off-ish" Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings in its iOS 11 operating system, a byproduct of decisions that favor user experience. We show you how to completely turn off the radios.
AirPlay is great, but problematic if it stops working — because it doesn't generally toss any user-decipherable errors. If your stereo gear crashes while playing some tracks from your iTunes library, here's how you can probably fix it.
Apple has included an incredibly easy to use screen recorder with macOS High Sierra, contained inside the QuickTime Player utility. AppleInsider shows you how to use it.
An unexpected side effect of Apple's new Smart Punctuation feature in iOS 11 has manifested and is causing some problems with apps that use Core Data to store strings. Here's how to turn off Smart Punctuation, and why you might want to for now.
The Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE has a bug related to how it decides to stay on shoddy Wi-Fi, or shift to LTE. This can be remedied somewhat by cleaning up your known networks and not connecting to the some bad Wi-Fi hotspots in the first place — here's how to do it.
Although most recent iPhones aren't as friendly to one-handed users as the iPhone SE, Apple's new iOS 11 does offer a special one-handed keyboard that compresses buttons into one corner of the screen. Here's how to use it.
The Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular features a unique aesthetic decision, placing a large and noticeable red dot on the Digital Crown, that may not be appealing to all buyers. Thankfully, there are a few decent options for covering it up with a decal.
As default capacities have grown on the iPhone over the last year, the immediate pinch of space has been eased somewhat for new iPhone users — but, over time the digital cruft accumulates and stacks up. Here's how to use the iCloud Photo Library to shunt your valuable pictures to the cloud without deleting any forever, and how to prune down lightly used apps automatically.
In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and with Irma approaching, word is spreading about "push to talk" iPhone app Zello. However, downloaders should be aware that the app requires not only a solid internet connection, but connectivity to Zello's servers to function.
Strength training may not be well-supported on iPhone or other Apple accessories, but there are a few options out there. We'll run through the three main paths: standard fitness accessories, specialized devices and a purely app-based approach.
On August 21, for the first time since 1918, a total solar eclipse will trace a coast-to-coast path across the U.S. Here's some tips on how to capture it with your iPhone.
Reports have circulated that miscreants are sending unsolicited, inappropriate images to people in public venues. While Apple's default settings prevent this, AppleInsider shows you how to check the setting, and lock it down, if you've changed it for some reason.
A lesser-known but theoretically life-saving feature of Apple's iOS Health app is Medical ID — a quick guide for nurses, doctors, ambulance crews and others in an emergency. Here's how to set it up on an iPhone running iOS 10.
Nothing can beat having the iPhone's camera with you but many, many tools can better how that camera shoots documents and what you can do with them later. AppleInsider staffers show you what apps and hardware we use to scan everything from single receipts to the contents of a history archive.
Apple's Health app for the iPhone can be a useful way of tracking fitness and medical data — so long as everything is configured and used just the right way. Here's the essentials to get going.
Picture this — you've got a family member who changes the password on a device that you've given them, and promptly forgets it. Or, maybe, a child has locked a device with a passcode that didn't have one before, and either denies it or just doesn't remember the code. What do you do?
If you're looking for an ephemeral video sharing app, limiting the recipients to two people who must both consent to viewing the recorded video, iOS-exclusive app Rumuki fits the bill.
If you've had an iPhone for a very long time, there is a pretty decent chance that you're also still on AT&T — and you get battered with spam phone calls. AT&T has an app to help deal with that, and AppleInsider has taken a look at it.
The new addition of "Theater Mode" to watchOS can be combined with the Apple Watch Series 2 feature "Wake Screen on Crown Up" to check the time on your watch in an extremely discreet, unobtrusive low-light fashion. Here's how to combine the two features.
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Roger Fingas
Neil Hughes
Mike Wuerthele
AppleInsider Staff
Mike Wuerthele and William Gallagher
