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MacRumors

How Tos, Guides, and Tips for New AirPods Owners
Since their launch in 2016, Apple’s AirPods have become wildly popular and are an oft-gifted item. This year, Apple debuted both the AirPods 2 and the AirPods Pro, offering more choice for consumers this holiday season.

If you received AirPods as a gift, make sure to take a look through all of the how tos in this guide, because there are plenty of AirPods and AirPods Pro tips and tricks worth knowing.

Basic Features

Must-Know Tutorials

Connectivity With iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac

Tips and Tricks

Troubleshooting

Just for the AirPods Pro

AirPods Guides

Videos














More Info

Know a super useful ‌iPhone‌ tip that other MacRumors readers might not be aware of? Make sure to share it in the comments below.

For more info on Apple’s latest iPhones, and the ‌iOS 13‌ operating system, make sure to check out our detailed roundups: AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro.

Related Roundups: AirPods 2, AirPods Pro
Buyer’s Guide: AirPods (Neutral), AirPods Pro (Buy Now)

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Useful Tips, Tricks, and Walkthroughs for New Apple Watch Owners
If you got a new Apple Watch for the holidays, this is the article for you. We’ve collected all of our Apple Watch-related how tos and guides to help you learn the ins and outs of your new wrist-worn device.

Even if you’ve had an Apple Watch before, the newest Series 4 and Series 5 models have updated features like ECG functionality that lets you take a quick electrocardiogram right from the wrist, and with the Apple Watch Series 5 specifically, there’s a new always on display.

Below, we’ve organized our Apple Watch-related how tos into quick access categories, so browse through to see if there’s something new to learn.

For Beginners

Useful watchOS Tips

Hidden Features

Advanced Tricks

Apple Music and Apple Watch

Using Apple Watch with AirPods

Must-Watch Videos

We’ve created a selection of useful videos that highlight tips, tricks, and other information that’s useful if you’re a new Apple Watch owner. Make sure to check them out!


More Info

Do you have useful Apple Watch tips and tricks that we’ve missed in our how tos and that new Apple Watch owners should know? Make sure to share them in the comments!

If you want to know more about the Apple Watch Series 5 and watchOS, the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch, make sure to check out our Apple Watch Series 5 and watchOS 6 roundups.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 6
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

This article, “Useful Tips, Tricks, and Walkthroughs for New Apple Watch Owners” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Helpful Tips, Tricks, and How Tos for New iPhone Owners
Did you get a new iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max for the holidays? If so, make sure to take some time to browse through this article, which is packed with helpful tips, tricks, and guides for the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, and earlier iPhone models.

Whether you’re new to iPhone or have upgraded to a new model, there’s likely to be something in here for you. There are hundreds of features and hidden tricks available on the iPhone, so it can be easy to forget the full range of what the iPhone can do.

Below, we’ve rounded up our most useful iPhone-related how tos and tutorials, both for general iPhone usage and for getting used to iOS 13.

Tips for Beginners

Using iOS 13

For iPhone 11 and 11 Pro Owners

Must-Read Security Tutorials

Hidden Tricks

In-Depth Guides

We have in-depth guides on many of the features found on the iPhone as well as Apple’s services and iOS features, so make sure to check those out if there’s a particular aspect of the iPhone that you’re interested in learning more about.

Selling Your Old iPhone

If you’re planning to sell or give away your old iPhone now that you have a new model, make sure to check out our detailed guide on how to cleanly erase your old devices to get rid of all your data.

Videos

Over on our YouTube channel, we’ve shared quite a few videos filled with useful tips and tricks related to the iPhone, all of which are well worth watching to get acquainted with features you might not know about or might have forgotten. We’ve also got some great comparison videos comparing the cameras of various smartphones.


















More Info

Know a super useful iPhone tip that other MacRumors readers might not be aware of? Make sure to share it in the comments below.

For more info on Apple’s latest iPhones, and the iOS 13 operating system, make sure to check out our detailed roundups: iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and iOS 13.

Related Roundups: iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro
Buyer’s Guide: iPhone 11 (Buy Now), iPhone 11 Pro (Buy Now)

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Track Santa’s Journey From the North Pole Using Google’s Santa Tracker
MacRumors readers with children who still believe in Santa Claus may be interested to know that Google today launched its annual Santa tracking feature, allowing Santa to be tracked in real time on his journey to the North Pole as he prepares to deliver presents to kids around the world.

Google has provided its Santa tracking feature for a total of sixteen years now, giving children around the globe access to a little digital magic.

Santa can be tracked using a web browser on iPhone, iPad, or Mac by visiting Google’s official Santa Tracking website. The site offers up a live map of Santa’s current location, his next stop, a live video feed of his journey, and the estimated time that he will arrive in each specific location.

The Santa site provides pictures of locations that Santa has already visited, a live count of gifts that have been delivered, and Santa’s current distance from your location. There are also a selection of games to play and videos to watch.

Other Santa tracking services are also available, such as the NORAD Tracks Santa Claus app and website, but Google’s site is often the most interactive and detailed.

Tag: Google

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How to Use the YouTube App’s New Voice Search Feature When Casting to a Smart TV
The official YouTube app for iOS has gained a new voice search feature that aims to make searching for content easier when you’re casting YouTube video to a smart TV.

Once you’ve connected your iPhone or iPad to a smart TV, you can search with your voice via the mobile app, as well as use it to pause, play, and adjust the volume on your TV. Here’s how it works.

  1. Download and launch the YouTube app on your ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌.

  2. Tap the Cast button at the top of the Home tab.

  3. Launch the YouTube app on your smart TV.

  4. If you haven’t connected your iOS device to your smart TV before, select Link with TV code and then tap LEARN NOW under “Learn how to get a TV code.” Otherwise, tap YouTube on TV to connect.

    youtube
  5. When your iOS device is connected to your TV, you’ll see an overlay on your device’s screen with a volume slider, a Remote button, and the new Voice search button – tap it.

  6. Tap the red microphone icon, and when you hear the audible prompt, say the word or phrase that you want to search on YouTube.

    youtube

You should see the results of your voice search appear on your TV. And don’t forget, you can use the Remote option in the YouTube app’s mobile interface to navigate and select the content that shows up on your TV.

According to German site SmartDroid, YouTube is currently working on improving the remote interface for controlling YouTube casting. The updated controls are said to include quicker access to captions and playback quality settings, but there’s no word on when we can expect them to roll out for the iOS YouTube app.

Tags: YouTube, TV

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Twitter Bans Animated PNG Image Files After Attackers Target Users With Epilepsy
Twitter has banned the use of animated PNG image (APNG) files on its platform, after attackers targeted the Epilepsy Foundation’s Twitter account using images that could potentially causes seizures in photo-sensitive individuals.

The company said it had discovered a bug that allowed users to bypass its autoplay settings and enabled several animated images to be attached to a single tweet using the APNG file format.

“We want everyone to have a safe experience on Twitter,” the company said in a tweet sent from its Accessibility account on Monday.

“PNGs were fun, but they don’t respect autoplay settings, so we’re removing the ability to add them to tweets. This is for the safety of people with sensitivity to motion and flashing imagery, including those with epilepsy.”



The attacks on the Epilepsy Foundation’s Twitter account occurred in November, which was National Epilepsy Awareness Month. Twitter said that it was not aware that APNG files had been used, but the bug meant that they had the potential to be harmful, so it had decided to ban them on the social media platform.

It’s unknown how many people may have been affected by the animated images, which exploited strobing light effects with malicious intent. The Epilepsy Foundation said it had filed criminal complaints against the accounts believed to have been responsible.

In addition to the seizure risk, Twitter said the APNGs also used up a lot of data and in some cases could be a direct cause of app crashes. As such, from now on only GIFs will be able to animate images.

Twitter also said that it would look into building a similar feature in the absence of APNGs, such as adding alt-text to GIFs, which will help make them more accessible to people who depend on screen readers to navigate the internet.

Tag: Twitter

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Apple Promotes Holiday Bonuses in Games like Fortnite and Minecraft
Apple this evening sent out emails promoting holiday content in a selection of games that include Fortnite, PUBG, Candy Crush Saga, Minecraft, Homescapes, and Clash of Clans.

Some of the available bonuses are free, while others appear to be holiday-themed in-app purchases, as outlined below:

  • Fortnite – Get an exclusive holiday outfit pack for a limited time, starting December 24.

  • PUBG – Limited-edition Santa suit and supply crates are now available.

  • Candy Crush Saga – Get extra-special items that last two times longer than normal.

  • Minecraft – Claim 1 free skin and 1 free world right now.

  • Homescapes – A free small-size pack of coins and items is all yours!

  • Clash of Clans – Receive 5 times more goodies with limited-edition Christmas bundles.

Apple’s promotional email also highlights other games, such as Pocket City and Knights of Pen & Paper 2, though there are no specific holiday bonuses in these games.

Apple is going to be offering a separate bonus on December 24, as discovered in Australia and New Zealand this morning. In those countries, Apple is highlighting “surprises” from December 24 to December 29, with the first two being a discounted in-app purchase bundle for Looney Tunes World of Mayhem and a three-month subscription for the price of one month in Canva.

The “Surprise” bonuses will likely be live in the United States when December 24 rolls around.

Tag: App Store

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Apple Requiring Notarization for Non Mac App Store Apps Starting February 2020
Apple this afternoon announced that developers who create Mac apps outside of the Mac App Store will need to submit them for the notarization process starting on February 3, 2020.

Apple temporarily relaxed the notarization requirements for non ‌Mac App Store‌ apps in September after the launch of macOS Catalina, and at the time, said developers would have until January 2020 to get used to the new rules.

The January 2020 deadline has been extended to February 2020, but at that time, developers will need to adhere to Apple’s requirements.

Apple suggests that developers upload their software and review the developer log for warnings, as these warnings will become errors starting on February 3. Apple says that all errors will need to be fixed by that date for software to be notarized.

In June, we announced that all Mac software distributed outside the ‌Mac App Store‌ must be notarized by Apple in order to run by default on ‌macOS Catalina‌. In September, we temporarily adjusted the notarization prerequisites to make this transition easier and to protect users on ‌macOS Catalina‌ who continue to use older versions of software. Starting February 3, 2020, all submitted software must meet the original notarization prerequisites.

If you haven’t yet done so, upload your software to the notary service and review the developer log for warnings. These warnings will become errors starting February 3 and must be fixed in order to have your software notarized. Software notarized before February 3 will continue to run by default on ‌macOS Catalina‌.

As a reminder, all installer packages must be signed since they may contain executable code. Disk images do not need to be signed, although signing them can help your users verify their contents.

Apple has been requiring new software distributed with a Developer ID outside of the ‌‌Mac App Store‌‌ to be notarized in order to run since macOS Mojave 10.14.5, with the notarization process designed to protect Mac users from malicious and harmful apps.

For the notarization process, Apple provides trusted non ‌‌Mac App Store‌‌ developers with Developer IDs that are required to allow the Gatekeeper function on macOS to install non ‌‌Mac App Store‌‌ apps.

Notarization is not required for apps that are distributed through the ‌‌Mac App Store‌‌. More information on notarization can be found on Apple’s developer site.

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Anker’s Latest Sale Has Discounted Portable Batteries Perfect for Holiday Traveling
On Amazon, a new Anker sale has kicked off today and it’s offering solid discounts on a range of Anker’s best portable batteries. You can get everything from the PowerCore 5,000 mAh to the 26,800 mAh model at a discount this week.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Most of the accessories will remain on sale through December 29, making this a perfect opportunity to purchase a reliable portable battery for anyone preparing for a trip over the holidays.

Anker Sale

Head to our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more discounts on Apple products and related accessories.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

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Apple Offering an App Store ‘Surprise’ From December 24 to December 29 [Updated]
Apple is planning to offer some kind of holiday App Store promotion that may see the company giving away free apps and games.

In Australia, where it is December 24, ‌App Store‌ users are waking up to an App Store story that mentions a “surprise” for Tuesday and explains that users can expect a treat every day from December 24 to December 29.

Tuesday’s surprise isn’t live yet, but it will be shortly! Make sure you come back soon to check it out.



Have you seen today’s goodies? Look for the unwrapped presents on the ‌App Store‌’s Today, Games, and Apps tabs.

From December 24 to 29, you’ll find a new surprise every day on the ‌App Store‌. Come back daily to discover which treat we have waiting for you!

The wording of the story suggests that Apple is planning to give away free apps and games in a promotion similar to the 12 Days of Christmas promotion that the company used to run several years back.

We don’t know yet what app or game Apple plans to give away on December 24, but we should find out soon from Australian users. ‌App Store‌ users in other countries like the United States can expect to see the same promotions when December 24 rolls around.

Update 10:39 a.m.: The surprises have gone live in New Zealand, and MacRumors readers tonyduffe and @Ldeverell report that the deals include a special in-app purchase bundle Looney Tunes World of Mayhem and a three-month subscription for the price of one month in Canva. We’ll have to see if offers are the same around the world.

Tag: App Store

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