🖥️ New Macs on the block: The new Mac Studios ($1,999) are here. You can choose between the M4 Max or the faster M3 Ultra. The new MacBook Air ($999) starts $100 cheaper than before. It has MagSafe 3 charging, a new webcam that centers you during video calls and fresh colors. Preorders are live and ship on March 12.
⌚ Watch for noise: Your Apple Watch’s built-in Noise app can check if the sounds around you are too loud. Open the app on your watch and tap Enable to start tracking. To see how often you’re in noisy spots, go to the Health app > Browse (bottom right) > Hearing > Environmental Sound Levels. Now your watch can judge your eardrum choices, too.
⌨️ iPad typing trick: Did you know you can use the space bar as a trackpad? Just tap and hold the space bar, wait for the keys to fade out and you’ll be able to move the cursor through text easily. Trying to select text? While still holding down, tap once on the keyboard with another finger, then let go. You can now highlight the text you want.
Cmd + spacebar: This Mac shortcut opens Spotlight, an incredibly powerful tool for finding documents quickly, opening apps or searching the web right from your desktop.
⚡️3-second tech genius: Find your iPhone with Siri by saying, “Hey, Siri, where’s my phone?” to your Apple Watch or HomePod, and it will instantly ring your device.
✨ Drag and drop like a boss: On your iPhone or iPad, no more copy and paste. Move text, images, files, links and photos between apps with just your finger. Press and hold on something, like a photo in Safari or a chunk of text in Notes, until it lifts slightly. Let go where you want it to land (like Mail, Messages or Files), and boom! There it is!
📸 Zoom and crop: This shortcut makes cropping your iPhone photos easy. Pick an image, then zoom in with two fingers. You’ll see Crop pop up in the top right corner. Crop or adjust using the editing tools, then tap Done. Cutting out your ex has never been easier.
📱“Can I use your iPhone?” Sure, but let’s keep it to a single app, no snooping around. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access to toggle it on. Open the app, triple-tap your right-side button and press Start. When they’re done, triple-click the side button again to enter your passcode or Face ID to unlock it.
Tag, you’re it: Keep your files organized in Finder on your Mac by using tags. You can make tags for work, family, projects or anything you like. Just select a file and press Control + number (1-7) to add a tag. You can see the order in your Finder settings. To remove it, select it and hit Control + 0.
Need to sign a document on your Mac? Open a PDF in Preview, click the Markup icon (a little pencil), and select Sign. You can sign using your trackpad, your mouse or even hold up a piece of paper to your Mac’s camera. Easy peasy!
Want to improve Apple Maps? A new app called Maps Surveyor lets you take pictures of street signs and roadside details on assigned routes. But there’s a catch: You’ll need to have the Premise app installed first. That’s a platform that rewards people for completing small tasks. So yes, you might get paid!
📱 Your iCloud’s will: Setting up a Legacy Contact lets a loved one access your Apple ID after you pass. If you don’t name a contact, everything will be locked forever. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Sign-in & Security > Legacy Contact > Add Legacy Contact. Choose a contact and press Continue. Send an Access Key via text or print it out. Keep it safe.
Got an iPad? Drag an app from the dock and place it alongside another open app. They’ll run side by side in Split View. Slide down to convert it to Slide Over mode. Super useful.
Size matters: Find and delete large files to free up space. On a PC, open File Explorer and type “size:>100MB” in the search bar. Any files bigger than that will pop up. For a Mac, click the Apple menu icon in the top left. Then, go to System Settings > General > Storage > Documents > Large Files tab.
🎧 Drown out distractions on your Mac: If you’re in a loud place, turn on background sounds to mask unwanted noise. Go to Accessibility > Audio > Background Sounds > Choose, then pick from Rain, Ocean and more. Pair this with noise canceling earbuds (like the Apple AirPods Pro 2) for an even better experience.
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Save battery on your iPad: By default, most apps run in the background and drain power. Social media and messaging apps might need this, but many others don’t. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh, check what’s important, and turn off the ones you don’t need.
Add a mouse to your iPad: All you need is a Bluetooth mouse. (This one rules.) On your iPad, go to Settings > Bluetooth, find your mouse under Other Devices, and tap to Pair. Once connected, a circular cursor should appear. FYI: You’ll need iPadOS 13.4 or later for this to work.
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🔍 What the heck does that say? You can magnify a Mac app. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Zoom and toggle on “Use scroll gesture with modifier keys to zoom.” Set your modifier key to Control. Now, with an app open, hold Control + Scroll Up with your mouse.
Pump it up down: Your iPhone’s speaker goes a lot louder than what’s good for your ears. From Settings, pick Sounds & Haptics > Headphone Safety > Reduce Loud Audio. This one’s good to adjust for the kids, too.