Are you getting the most out of your Apple gadget? I mean really getting the most out of it with great little-known tricks?
Sure you use it for sending messages and emails, but there are little hidden features spread throughout iOS 7 and Mavericks that you might not know about that can make your life easier.
I've showed you awesome Siri tips and tricks in the past, along with an entire set of fun things you can do with the iPad.
Guess what? I'm not stopping there. There's even more fun and useful things you can use your Apple gadget for.
1. Activation lock
If you've been paying attention to my Happening Now page, you know that it's never been more likely to have your phone stolen.That's why Apple, along with other major players, has made a "voluntary commitment" to have a mandatory kill switch built into all smartphones made after July 2015.
However, Apple users already have a kill switch in the form of Activation Lock.
The first thing any smart thief is going to do once he snatches your phone is go in and turn off Find My iPhone. Activation Lock stops them from doing this, or just wiping the gadget and reactivating it. In other words, it's useless to them.
Fortunately, Activation Lock is easy enough to turn on. In fact, it's tied in to Find My iPhone, so as long as that's on, you're good. If you aren't sure whether or not Find My iPhone is turned on, here's how to check. Go to Settings>>iCloud. Enter your AppleID and then turn on Find My iPhone.
2. iCloud Keychain
Also available for Macs, iCloud Keychain is a handy feature that stores and syncs your website usernames, passwords, credit card and Wi-Fi network information, so it's up to date and protected across all of your approved devices. It even encrypts all this information, so you won't have to worry about hackers stealing your info.To set up iCloud Keychain, make sure your operating system is up to date. You will need iOS 7.0.3 for iPhones and iPads, and Mavericks v10.9 or later.
For mobile gadgets, of to Settings>>iCloud and turn on Keychain. From here, you will need to enter your Apple password and create a Cloud Security code to activate it, if you haven't done so already.
You will do the same for Macs, however the path to get there is a little different. Go to the Apple menu>>System Preferences>>iCloud and select Keychain.
3. Get more from your messages
You might have noticed that in text messages, if you say tonight, or tomorrow, the text is underlined. Why?If you click on the underlined word, that date will automatically be imported into your calendar. How handy!
Just click on the date. You will see a menu open up with the following:
Bonus Tip: You may have noticed that the new version of iOS eliminated time stamps from text messages ... or were they? The time stamps didn't get eliminated, they just found a new home.
In order to see the time stamp of your messages, simply open the message window and swipe the entire conversation to the left.
4. Get a panoramic wallpaper
Did you know you can set a panoramic background to your iPhone or iPad?First, you will need to take a panoramic photo. Open the camera and swipe the bottom options over until you see panorama and take the photo.
Then, go to settings>> Brightness and Wallpaper>> Wallpaper>> Panoramas and set your photo as the wallpaper.
From here on out, when you move your phone back and forth, the photo will move with your motions. Neat!
See the Vine below to see one of these dynamic backgrounds in action.
5. A handy camera trick
The Camera app in iOS 7 boasts a few nifty features too.You can focus your photo by hitting the volume down button on the side of your phone. Then, press the volume up button to take the photo once it's in focus.
6. Another handy camera trick
Want to take a bunch of photos in a row to make sure you get the best shot? There's a thing called Burst Mode, and all you need to do is hold down the shutter button and it will take a burst of 10 photos at a time, one right after the other.7. Take a better screen shot
I've shown you how to take a screen shot on your iPhone and iPad before, which you can see by clicking here, but what about a screen shot on a Mac?8. App Store Wish List
There are so many apps in the app store, it can make your head spin. That's why I constantly scour the iTunes store for the apps I think you'll like the most. Click here to visit my App center.But, you might not always want to download or buy an app when you see it - the same goes for music. You can save this app or album for later with the App Store Wish List.
When viewing an app in the App store, click on the share button, which you can see below.
9. Hide your dock
Your dock can be extremely useful, but not in every situation. Sometimes it can get in the way.To hide your dock, press Command, Option and D at the same time. Use the exact same command to bring your dock back.
If nothing happens, you might need to turn this feature on. To do this, go to the Apple menu and select Dock, then Turn Dock hiding on.
10. Get help with online forms
Filling out online forms can be a bigger pain that it needs to be. Sometimes the autofill feature gets it wrong and other times when you hit the tab button to go to the next field, the one you wanted to go to gets skipped.Never skip over another input box again. On a Mac, go to System Preferences>>Keyboard and set Full Keyboard Access to All Controls.
