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iPhone

The iPhone is a smartphone from Apple that runs the iOS mobile operating system. Between its apps, communication features, the camera, mobile internet access, and other functionalities, the iPhone has quickly become an integral part of many peoples tech lives.

How to set separation alerts in case you leave an AirTag or item behind in Find My on iPhone

by Emily Long

In the Find My app, you can turn on separation alerts for an AirTag or other item so you don’t accidentally leave it behind. You receive an alert every time the device sharing your location separates from the item, unless you’re in a Trusted Location.

For separation alerts to work, notifications for the Find My app need to be allowed, and you can choose a suggested Trusted Location or add a new one on the map.

Important: In order to receive separation alerts, make sure you allow notifications for the Find My app.

  1. Start the Find My app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Items and tap the name of the item you want to set an alert for. Then tap the More button.
  3. Tap When Left Behind and then turn on Notify When Left Behind.
  4. If you want to add a Trusted Location, you can choose a suggested location, or tap New Location, select a location on the map.
  5. Tap the Done button.
Tag: Find My
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How to add or remove accounts in Reminders on iPhone

by Chris Smith

In the Reminders app, you can use multiple accounts—such as iCloud, enterprise-managed iCloud, Microsoft Exchange, and Yahoo—and keep all your to-do lists in one place. Your reminders stay up to date on all your devices that use the same accounts.

They appear on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac when you’re signed in to the same Apple Account. Reminders from iOS 12 or earlier may need an update in iCloud before you get features like attachments and flags.

Note: Some features aren’t available with other accounts. To use all the Reminders features described in this guide, you need updated reminders in iCloud.

Keep your reminders up to date on all your devices with iCloud

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap your name.
  3. Tap iCloud, tap See All, and turn on Reminders.

Sign in to the same Apple Account on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac, and your reminders stored in iCloud show up on each one, changes included.

Update your reminders stored in iCloud

Features such as attachments, flags, list colors and icons, and more may require an update to your reminders stored in iCloud if you’ve been using Reminders with iOS 12 or earlier.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap your name.
  3. Tap iCloud, tap See All, and make sure Reminders is turned on.
  4. Open the Reminders app.
  5. On the Welcome to Reminders screen, choose one of the following options:
    • Update Now: Begin the update process.
    • Update Later: A blue Update button appears above your lists; tap it when you’re ready to update your reminders.

Note: Updated reminders don’t work with the Reminders app in earlier versions of iOS and macOS, because they aren’t backward compatible.

Add other accounts

If your to-do lists are in other accounts, such as Microsoft Exchange and Yahoo, you can manage them in the Reminders app, too.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and tap Reminders.
  3. Tap Reminders Accounts and tap Add Account.
  4. Do one of the following:
    • Choose an account provider, then enter your account information.
    • If your account provider isn’t listed, tap Other, tap Add CalDAV Account, enter your account information, then turn on Reminders for that account.

Remove an account

If you remove or delete an account, the reminders in it stop appearing on your iPhone, but they remain in your internet account, such as iCloud.com or Microsoft Exchange, and on any other devices you had already set up.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and tap Reminders.
  3. Tap Reminders Accounts. Then tap the account you want to remove.
  4. Do one of the following:

    • Stop using Reminders on the account: Turn off Reminders.

      You can continue to use the account for other services, such as Calendar.

    • Stop using all services on the account: Tap Sign Out (for an iCloud account) or Delete Account (for other accounts).

Your account may be managed by your organization if you don’t see Sign Out or Delete Account. Ask an administrator for removal instructions.

Tags: iCloud, Reminders
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How to control iPhone with an external keyboard

by Moses Johnson

If you use Magic Keyboard or another physical keyboard with iPhone, you can use Full Keyboard Access to control your device with keyboard shortcuts instead of the touchscreen. Full Keyboard Access highlights the item on the screen that has focus.

You don’t need to memorize the shortcuts, either, because Full Keyboard Access can show you a list of the available commands. You can also customize the commands and the focus highlight.

Here’s how to control iPhone with an external keyboard.

Control iPhone using Full Keyboard Access

  1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, tap Keyboards & Typing and tap Full Keyboard Access. Then turn on Full Keyboard Access.
  2. Navigate iPhone using the following default commands.
Action Shortcut
View available Full Keyboard Access commands Tab-H
Move forward Tab
Move backward Shift-Tab
Activate the selected item Space bar
Go to the Home Screen Fn-H
Open the App Switcher Fn-Up Arrow
Open Control Center Fn-C
Open Notification Center Fn-N

Customize Full Keyboard Access

Full Keyboard Access commands come with keyboard shortcuts that you can change. And to customize the appearance of Full Keyboard Access, you can adjust the color, contrast, and size of the highlight.

  1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility and tap Keyboards & Typing. Then tap Full Keyboard Access.
  2. Do any of the following:
    • View a complete list of Full Keyboard Access commands and customize them: Tap Commands.
    • Change the look of Full Keyboard Access: Tap an option below Appearance.
Tag: Keyboard
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How to create an Apple Music profile on iPhone

by Moses Johnson

After you subscribe to Apple Music, you can create an Apple Music profile that features your favorite playlists and what you’re currently listening to. You can share your profile with friends you invite or with other Apple Music subscribers.

After you create a profile, you can choose the playlists you want to share. You can also follow friends. View profiles they’ve created, or request to follow them and see what they’re listening to.

Here’s how to create an Apple Music profile on iPhone.

Create a profile

  1. Open the Music app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the My Account button.
  3. Tap Set up Profile and then follow the onscreen instructions to create a profile.

With your profile set up, you can find friends whose music profile you’d like to follow. To show friends what you’re listening to, choose who you share music with.

Note: If you’re the organizer of a Family Sharing group, you can allow children ages 13 to 18 to create Apple Music profiles (or prevent them from doing so). Children under 13 can’t create Apple Music profiles. (Age restrictions vary by region.)

Edit your profile

  1. Open the Music app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the My Account button or your profile picture.
  3. Tap Music Profile at the top of the screen, then tap Edit to make updates.

To choose who you share music with, or which music to share with your followers, edit your profile.

Delete your profile

Deleting your profile means your playlists and music no longer appear in searches, and your followers can’t see your music or profile.

Note: You can delete your profile without affecting your Apple Music subscription, library, or playlists, but you’ll no longer see what your friends are listening to.

  1. Open the Music app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the My Account button or your profile picture.
  3. Tap Music Profile at the top of the screen and tap Edit.
  4. Scroll to the bottom, then tap Delete Profile.

Create your profile again within 90 days, and your previous information and followers are restored.

Note: Your profile might stay visible to your followers or in searches for several minutes after you delete it.

Tag: Music
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How to set up a Focus on iPhone

by Emily Long

Focus is a feature that helps you concentrate on a task by minimizing distractions. When you want to concentrate on a specific activity, you can customize one of the provided Focus options, for example Work, Personal, or Sleep, or create a custom Focus.

You can use Focus to temporarily silence all notifications, or allow only specific notifications, ones that apply to your task, for example, and let other people and apps know you’re busy. Focus filters are available, too, and your Focus settings can stay up to date across all your Apple devices.

Quick tip: Open Control Center, tap Focus, and turn on Do Not Disturb to silence all notifications quickly.

There’s also the Reduce Interruptions Focus, where Apple Intelligence shows you only the most important notifications.

Note: Apple Intelligence on iOS 27 or later is available on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 model or later. Apple Intelligence is not available in all languages or regions. Usage limits may apply.*

Set up a Focus

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Focus. Then tap a Focus—for example, Do Not Disturb, Personal, or Work.

    A screen showing five provided Focus options—Do Not Disturb, No messages during calls, Sleep, Personal, and Work. The Share Across Devices option is on, which allows the same Focus settings to be used across your Apple devices.

  3. Do any of the following:

    • Choose which people to allow notifications from during your Focus: Tap People.
    • Choose which apps to allow notifications from during your Focus: Tap Apps.
    • Choose whether to show silenced notification on the Lock Screen, darken the Lock Screen when the focus is on, and more: Tap Options.
    • Choose a customized Lock Screen or Home Screen page to switch to while the Focus is on to help limit distractions: Choose the Lock Screen or Home Screen.
    • Have the Focus turn on automatically at a set time, location, or while using a certain app: Tap Add Schedule.
    • Customize how your apps and device behave when the Focus is on: Tap Add Filter.
    • Use Apple Intelligence to allow important notifications to interrupt you: Turn on Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing. Any notifications specifically allowed or silenced will always be allowed or silenced.

Add Focus filters

When you set up a Focus, the app filters you add determine what information apps show during it. You can choose which calendar or mail account to use during the Focus, for example.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Focus. Then tap the Focus you want to add filters to.
  3. Scroll down to Focus filters and tap Add Filter.
  4. Tap an app or system filter. Then select the information from that app you want to use during the Focus.
  5. Tap Add to add the filter to the Focus.

Note: With Share Across Devices turned on, Focus filters don’t sync across devices. If you want to turn it off, go to the Settings app and tap Focus.

Create a custom Focus

Want to focus on an activity unlike any of the provided Focus options? Create a custom Focus.

A Focus setup screen for the additional provided Focus options, including Custom, Driving, Fitness, Gaming, Mindfulness, and Reading.

  1. Go to the Settings on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Focus and tap the Add button. Tap Custom.
  3. Enter a name for your Focus, choose a color and an icon to represent your Focus, and then tap Next.
  4. Tap Customize Focus. Then set up the options for your custom Focus.

Keep your Focus settings up to date across all your Apple devices

Your Focus settings can be the same on every Apple device where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Focus and then turn on Share Across Devices.

Note: If you turn on Share Across Devices and also turn on Share Focus Status, your Focus can let others know you have notifications silenced. Say you silence notifications when you Set up a Focus. Anyone who texts you then sees that your notifications are silenced. On a person’s contact card, you can change this setting for that person alone.

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions.

Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts.

Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.

Tag: Focus
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How to turn your Sleep Focus on or off on iPhone

by Stacey Butler

After you set up a Sleep Focus, you can quickly turn it on or off in Control Center. A Sleep Focus helps reduce distractions before and during bedtime. For example, it can filter out notifications and phone calls, and it can signal to others that you’re not available.

You can also choose to turn off the Sleep Focus for all of your sleep schedules. And when your Sleep Focus is on, you can quickly turn it off from the Lock Screen, too.

Here’s how to turn your Sleep Focus on or off on iPhone.

Quickly turn your Sleep Focus on or off

  1. Open Control Center on your iPhone.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Turn the Sleep Focus on: Tap Focus and tap Sleep.
    • Turn the Sleep Focus off: Tap Sleep, then tap Sleep again.

Quick tip: When your Sleep Focus is on, you can switch it off quickly from the Lock Screen: Touch and hold Sleep, then tap Sleep.

At your next scheduled bedtime or wake up time, your Sleep Focus turns on or off again.

To share your Sleep Focus settings with your other devices, make sure you have Share Across Devices turned on. Go to the Settings app, tap Focus, then tap Share Across Devices.

Turn off your Sleep Focus for all sleep schedules

  1. Start the Health app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Browse, then tap Sleep.
  3. Tap Sleep, scroll down to Your Schedule, and then tap Full Schedule & Options.
  4. Turn off Use Schedule for Sleep Focus.

Your sleep schedules remain in effect when this setting is off, but your Sleep Focus doesn’t turn on automatically. You can turn the setting back on at any time.

Tag: Focus
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How to use Contact Key Verification on iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

You can use Contact Key Verification to receive automatic alerts that help verify you’re communicating only with the people you intend. You can also generate unique codes that you and your contacts can compare simultaneously in the Messages app to further verify each other’s identities.

And you can post your Public Verification Code to a social media account, so other people can confirm that it’s you when they send you a message. You can save other people’s codes in the Contacts app, too.

Note: Contact Key Verification is designed to prevent highly sophisticated cyberattacks; it isn’t designed to prevent fraud such as phishing or other text-based scams.

Before you begin

Contact Key Verification works only when all of the following are true:

  • Your devices are passcode or password protected.
  • You’re signed in to iCloud and iMessage with the same Apple Account and you have two-factor authentication turned on for your Apple Account.
  • The person you’re trying to verify is in your contacts.

Turn on Contact Key Verification

  1. Open Settings, tap [your name], and then tap Contact Key Verification.
  2. Turn on Verification in iMessage and tap Continue.

Note: When you turn on Contact Key Verification, you’ll be asked to update all of your Apple devices to compatible software. Any device that can’t be updated needs to be signed out of iMessage before you can turn on this feature.

Share a Public Verification Code

To let other people verify your identity, you can post your Public Verification Code on a social media account or share it in a message.

  1. Open Settings, tap [your name], and then tap Contact Key Verification.
  2. Tap Show Public Verification Code.
  3. To share your Public Verification Code, tap Copy Verification Code, tap OK, and then paste the code wherever you want to share it.

Someone else’s Public Verification Code can help you verify their identity, too. Say someone shares a Public Verification Code with you, but it doesn’t match the code on their social media profile. In that case, hold off on sending them messages until you can confirm their identity.

Generate verification codes in Messages

You and your contacts can get a higher level of security by generating a verification code in Messages, then saving each other’s Public Verification Codes in Contacts. It helps when you want to verify each other simultaneously, or when the code your contact shares with you doesn’t match the Public Verification Code you received.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the person’s name at the top of the conversation, scroll down, and tap Verify Contact.

    When the other person taps Verify Contact on their device, a contact verification code appears.

  3. Compare the verification codes on both devices. Do one of the following:

    • If the codes match: Tap Mark as Verified and then tap Update to add the verification code to the other person’s contact card.
    • If the codes don’t match: You might not be communicating with the person that you intend. Tap No Match. Stop sending messages to the person until you can verify their identity.

Once you verify a contact, Messages shows a checkmark next to their name. You can check their verification status in the Conversation Details, too, or find their Public Verification Code in Contacts.

Tag: Messages
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How to create and edit events in Calendar on iPhone

by Tyler Stephen

Use the Calendar app to create and edit events, appointments, and meetings.

You can add alerts and attachments, find events in other apps, and copy and paste an event. With Apple Intelligence, you can even describe your event, like a soccer game on Saturday, and you can paste a FaceTime link in the Location field. You can edit or delete an event later, too.

Here’s how to create and edit events in Calendar on iPhone.

Siri: Ask Siri something like, “Set up a meeting with Gordon at 9.”

Add an event

  1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
  2. In Day view, tap the Add button.
  3. Enter the title of the event.

    Tip: With Apple Intelligence, you can also enter a description of your event—for example, “Soccer game on Saturday from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.” or “Vacation in Bahamas Mon-Fri.” Suggestions for filling in the event details appear in the event card.

  4. Tap Location or Video Call. Then enter a physical location or tap FaceTime to enter a video link for a remote event.

    You can also copy a FaceTime link you created or received and paste it in the Location field.

  5. Enter the start and end times for the event, the travel time, invitees, attachments, and so on. (Swipe up, if necessary, to enter all the meeting information.)
  6. Tap the Done button.

Note: Apple Intelligence on iOS 27 or later is available on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 model or later. Apple Intelligence is not available in all languages or regions. Usage limits may apply.*

Add an alert

To be reminded of an event beforehand, set an alert.

  1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the event, then tap Edit.
  3. In the event details, tap Alert.
  4. Choose when you want to be reminded.

    For example, “At time of event,” “5 minutes before,” or another choice.

    Note: If you add the address of the event’s location, Calendar uses Apple Maps to look up locations, traffic conditions, and transit options to tell you when it’s time to leave.

  5. Tap the Done button.

Add an attachment

To share an attachment with invitees, you can add it to a calendar event.

  1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the event, then tap Edit.
  3. In the event details, tap Add attachment.
  4. Locate the file you want to attach.

    To find the file, you can enter its name in the search field, scroll, tap folders to open them, tap Browse to look in other locations (such as iCloud Drive), and so on.

  5. Tap the Done button.

To remove the attachment, tap the event, tap Edit, swipe left over the attachment, then tap Remove.

Find events in other apps

Siri can suggest events found in Mail, Messages, and Safari—such as flight reservations and hotel bookings—so you can add them easily in Calendar.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Apps and then tap Calendar.
  3. Tap Siri and then turn on Show in App to allow Siri to suggest events found in other apps.

Turn on Learn from this App, and Siri can make suggestions in other apps based on how you use Calendar.

Copy and paste an event

Copy an event, and you can paste it to another date.

  1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
  2. Touch and hold the event and then tap Copy.
  3. On another date, touch and hold the time where you want to paste the event.

    When you release, the New Event screen appears and the copied event appears below Title with the date and time where you want to paste the event.

    Tip: You can also tap the Add button after copying an event.

  4. Tap the copied event below Title.
  5. Tap the Done button.

Edit an event

Besides the time of an event, you can change any of the other event details.

  1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
  2. Do any of the following:
    • Quickly change the event time or duration: In Day or Week view, touch and hold the event and then drag it to a new time, or adjust the grab points.
    • Change event details: Tap the event and tap Edit. In the event details, tap a setting to change it, or tap in a field to type new information.

Delete an event

  1. Open the Calendar app on your iPhone.
  2. In Day view, tap the event and tap Delete Event.

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions. Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.

Tag: Calendar
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How to make stickers from your photos on iPhone

by Stacey Butler

In the Photos app, you can make stickers from the subjects in your photos and animated stickers from the subjects in your Live Photos. Then use your stickers to decorate messages, photos, notes, and more.

It starts with the subject of a photo. Once you add it as a sticker, it shows up in your stickers menu, ready to use from the onscreen keyboard or Markup tools. You can delete a sticker later, too.

Turn a photo or Live Photo into a sticker

The main subject of a photo can become a sticker.

  1. Start the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap a photo to open it in full screen.
  3. Touch and hold the subject, then release.
  4. Tap Add Sticker.

    The sticker appears in your stickers menu, which you can access when you use the iPhone onscreen keyboard or Markup tools.

  5. Tap Add Effect to apply a visual effect such as Outline, or Comic, or turn the Live Photo animation on or off.

    The Photos app is open to a photo of a dog. The dog is selected, and the option Add Sticker is available in the menu above.

  6. Tap the Close button to close the stickers menu.

Quick tip: You can use stickers you’ve created to decorate a photo.

Delete a sticker

  1. Start the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Open a photo and then tap the Edit button.
  3. Tap the Markup button, then tap the Add button.
  4. Tap Add Sticker, touch and hold the sticker you want to delete, and tap Remove.

Since your stickers sync with iCloud, they’re available on any iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Vision Pro where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account.

Tags: iCloud, Photos
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