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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 get notified about sounds in CarPlay

by Chris Smith

With Sound Recognition in CarPlay, you can have iPhone continuously listen for car horns, sirens, or baby crying, and recognize them using on-device intelligence. When these sounds are detected, a notification appears on the CarPlay touchscreen. It’s available with supported iPhone models, though you shouldn’t rely on it in high-risk or emergency situations.

Note: Sound Recognition in CarPlay is available with supported iPhone models. Don’t rely on Sound Recognition in circumstances where you may be harmed or injured, in high-risk or emergency situations, or for navigation. CarPlay isn’t available in all countries or regions.

  1. In CarPlay, open Settings and then tap Accessibility.
  2. Select Sound Recognition and turn on Sound Recognition.
  3. Turn on the sounds you want to be notified about.
Tag: carplay
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How to subscribe to Apple Music on iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

Apple Music is an ad-free streaming music service that lets you play millions of songs and your music library. As a subscriber, you can listen any time, online or off, and create your own playlists, stream and download lossless and Dolby Atmos music, get personalized recommendations, follow artists, and more.

You can subscribe to Apple Music or to Apple One, which includes Apple Music and other services. You can also share Apple Music with family members, and change or cancel your subscription.

Note: Apple Music, Apple One, lossless, and Dolby Atmos aren’t available in all countries or regions.

Subscribe to Apple Music

  1. Start the Music app on your iPhone.
  2. Follow the onscreen instructions to subscribe to Apple Music.

If you don’t subscribe to Apple Music when you first open the Music app, you can subscribe later—go to Settings > Apps > Music, then tap Join Apple Music.

As a new subscriber, you can start a trial and cancel at any time. End your Apple Music subscription, though, and you can no longer stream Apple Music songs or play the Apple Music songs you downloaded.

Qualified students can purchase a student subscription at a discounted price.

Share Apple Music with family members

Subscribe to Apple Music, or to Apple One Family or Apple One Premier, and Family Sharing lets you share Apple Music with up to five other family members. Once your family is set up, its members don’t have to do anything. They’ll find Apple Music available the first time they open the Music app after your subscription starts.

When you already subscribe and then join a family group that has Apple Music, Apple One Family, or Apple One Premier, your subscription isn’t renewed on your next billing date. You use the group’s subscription instead. Join a family group that doesn’t subscribe, and the group uses yours.

Note: If you want to stop sharing Apple Music with a family group, either cancel the subscription, leave a Family Sharing group, or remove a member from the Family Sharing group.

Change or cancel your Apple Music subscription

  1. Start the Music app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the My Account button or your profile picture.
  3. Tap Your Name and tap Subscriptions. Then follow the onscreen instructions.

Apple Music subscribers can also use the Ambient Music widget to play music from a playlist.

Tag: Music
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How to use the onscreen keyboard with VoiceOver on iPhone

by Emily Long

VoiceOver changes how you use the onscreen keyboard when you activate an editable text field. You can enter, select, and delete text, change the keyboard language, and more.

Once a text field is active, the insertion point and the onscreen keyboard appear. Standard typing is one way to enter text, and you can also edit text and change the keyboard settings.

Here’s how to use the onscreen keyboard with VoiceOver on iPhone.

Enter text with the onscreen keyboard

  1. Select a text field, then double-tap.

    The insertion point and the onscreen keyboard appear.

  2. To enter text, do one of the following:

    • Standard typing: Select a key by swiping left or right on the keyboard and then double-tap to enter the character. Or move your finger around the keyboard to select a key and, while continuing to touch the key with one finger, tap the screen with another finger. VoiceOver speaks the key when it’s selected, and again when the character is entered.
    • Touch typing: Touch a key on the keyboard to select it and then lift your finger to enter the character. If you touch the wrong key, slide your finger to the key you want. VoiceOver speaks the character for each key as you touch it, but doesn’t enter a character until you lift your finger.
    • Direct Touch typing: VoiceOver is disabled for the keyboard only, so you can type just as you do when VoiceOver is off.
    • Dictation: Use a two-finger double tap on the keyboard to start and stop dictation.

To enter an accented character, do one of the following:

  • Standard typing: Select the plain character, then double-tap and hold until you hear a tone indicating alternate characters have appeared. Drag left or right to select and hear the choices. Release your finger to enter the current selection.
  • Touch typing: Touch and hold a character until the alternate characters appear.

Edit text with the onscreen keyboard

  • Move the insertion point: Use the rotor to choose whether you want to move the insertion point by character, by word, or by line. Swipe up or down to move the insertion point forward or backward in the text. To jump to the beginning or end, double-tap the text. VoiceOver makes a sound when the insertion point moves, and speaks the character, word, or line that the insertion point moves across. When moving forward by words, the insertion point is placed at the end of each word, after the space or punctuation that follows. When moving backward, the insertion point is placed before the first character of the word.
  • Move the insertion point past the punctuation at the end of a word or sentence: Use the rotor to switch back to character mode. When moving the insertion point by line, VoiceOver speaks each line as you move across it. When moving forward, the insertion point is placed at the end of the next line. When moving backward, the insertion point is placed at the beginning of the line that’s spoken.
  • Delete a character: Use the Delete key.
  • Select text: Do any of the following:
    • Set the rotor to Text Selection, swipe up or down to choose Character, Word, Line, or Sentence, then swipe left or right to move backward or forward. (You may need to enable Text Selection—go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Rotor.)
    • Set the rotor to Edit, swipe up or down to choose Select or Select All, then double-tap. If you choose Select, the word closest to the insertion point is selected when you double-tap. To increase or decrease the selection, do a two-finger scrub (move two fingers back and forth three times quickly, making a “z”) to dismiss the pop-up menu, then pinch.
  • Cut, copy, or paste: Set the rotor to Edit, select the text, swipe up or down to choose Cut, Copy, or Paste, then double-tap.
  • Fix misspelled words: Set the rotor to Misspelled Words, then swipe up or down to jump to the previous or next misspelled word. Swipe left or right to choose a suggested replacement, then double-tap to use the replacement.
  • Undo: Shake iPhone, swipe left or right to choose the action to undo, then double-tap.

Change the keyboard settings

  1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, and then tap VoiceOver.
  2. Tap any of the following:
    • Typing Style: You can choose a new style. Or, set the rotor to Typing Mode and then swipe up or down.
    • Phonetic Feedback: Speak text character by character. VoiceOver first speaks the character, then its phonetic equivalent—for example, “f” and then “foxtrot.
    • Typing Feedback: Choose to speak characters, words, both, or nothing.
    • Verbosity: Tap Deleting Text. To have VoiceOver speak deleted characters in a lower pitch, tap Change Pitch.
Tags: accessibility, VoiceOver
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How to annotate email attachments on iPhone

by Tyler Stephen

In the Mail app, you can annotate email attachments to give feedback on a draft, decorate a photo, and more. You can draw and write on a photo, video, or PDF attachment, then save or send it back.

Markup’s drawing tools let you draw with just your finger. When you’re finished, you can reply to the sender, start a new message, or discard your edited attachment, and you can save the annotated attachment to your files.

In Mail, a PDF of an attachment has a sticker of an emoji. Below the webpage are the markup tools.

  1. Open the Mail app on your iPhone.
  2. In the message, tap the attachment. Tap the Markup button.

    Using the drawing tools, draw with your finger.

    When you’re finished, tap the Done button, then choose to reply to the attachment sender, start a new message, save the annotated attachment to your files, or discard your edited attachment.

Tag: Mail
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How to subscribe to Apple Arcade in the Apple Games app on iPhone

by Abigail Shilets

In the Apple Games app, you can subscribe to Apple Arcade to enjoy unlimited access to a curated collection of games on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K.

You can subscribe to Apple Arcade or to Apple One, which includes Apple Arcade and other services. You can also share Apple Arcade with family members, and change or cancel your Apple Arcade subscription. And you can play Apple Arcade games on your other Apple devices.

Note: Apple Arcade and Apple One aren’t available in all countries or regions. The availability of Apple Arcade games across devices varies based on hardware and software compatibility. Not all Apple Arcade games are available on Mac and Apple TV 4K. Some content may not be available in all areas.

Subscribe to Apple Arcade

  1. Start the Apple Games app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Arcade and tap the subscription button.
  3. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Share Apple Arcade with family members

When you subscribe to Apple Arcade or Apple One, you can share Apple Arcade with up to five other family members through Family Sharing.

Members of your family group don’t have to do anything. Once your subscription begins, Apple Arcade shows up for them the first time they open the Apple Games app.

Already subscribed and joining a family group that subscribes to Apple Arcade or Apple One? Your subscription isn’t renewed on your next billing date, and you use the group’s subscription instead. If the family group you join doesn’t subscribe, it uses your subscription.

Note: To stop sharing Apple Arcade with a family group, you have three options. You can cancel the subscription or leave the family group, and if you’re the family group organizer, you can stop using Family Sharing.

Play Apple Arcade games on your Apple devices

If you subscribe to Apple Arcade, you can access your game progress and play on every compatible device that’s signed in to the same Apple Account.

Change or cancel your Apple Arcade subscription

  1. Start the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap your name and then tap Subscriptions.
  3. Tap Apple Arcade or Apple One and then follow the onscreen instructions.

Cancel your subscription, and you can’t play any Apple Arcade games, even ones you downloaded to your device.

If you want to play Apple Arcade games again and get your gameplay data back, you can resubscribe. Wait too long, though, and some gameplay data may not be supported once you resubscribe.

Tag: Apple Games
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How to capture action shots with Burst mode on your iPhone camera

by Emily Long

Use Burst mode with your iPhone camera to capture photos of a moving subject, or when you want to take multiple high-speed photos so that you have a range of photos to choose from. You can take Burst photos with the rear and front-facing cameras.

iPhone suggests which shots to keep, and you save only the ones you want as individual photos. You can also take Burst shots with the volume up button, once that option is on.

  1. Open Camera on your iPhone.
  2. Swipe the Shutter button to the left to begin taking photos in rapid succession.
  3. Lift your finger to stop.
  4. To select the photos you want to keep, tap the Burst thumbnail. Tap Burst (number).

Gray dots below the thumbnails mark the suggested photos to keep.

  1. Tap the circle in the lower-right corner of each photo you want to save as an individual photo. Tap Done.

To delete the entire Burst, tap the thumbnail, then tap the Delete button.

Quick tip: You can press and hold the volume up button for Burst shots, too. To set it up, go to Settings > Camera and turn on Use Volume Up for Burst.

Tag: camera
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How to keep track of events in Calendar on iPhone

by Chris Smith

You can customize the notifications that let you know about upcoming calendar events, invitations, and more. You can also make sure your events and other calendar information are kept up to date on all your devices.

You can choose whether notifications appear for specific occasions, like upcoming events, and turn on customized notifications for specific calendars. iCloud keeps your calendar current on all your devices. If you don’t want to use iCloud for your calendar, you’ll sync your calendar information between your iPhone and your computer instead.

Customize Calendar notifications

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Notifications and tap Calendar.
  3. Turn on Allow Notifications.
  4. Choose how and where you want the notifications to appear—for example, on the Lock Screen, in Notification Center, as banners at the top of the screen, with an alert sound, and so on.

Turn on customized notifications for specific calendar events

When you’ve customized Calendar notifications, you can choose whether they appear for specific occasions, like upcoming events or invitee responses.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Notifications and tap Calendar.
  3. Scroll down and tap Customize Notifications.
  4. Turn the specific customized notifications on or off.

Keep your calendar up to date across your devices

If you’re signed in to the same Apple Account on all your devices, iCloud can keep your calendar information up to date on each one.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap your name, then tap iCloud.
  3. Tap See All next to Saved to iCloud.
  4. Tap iCloud Calendar and turn on Use on this iPhone.

Rather not use iCloud for your calendar? Sync your calendar information between your iPhone and your computer instead.

Tags: Calendar, iCloud
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How to log a workout in Fitness on iPhone

by Stacey Butler

On iPhone, you can log workouts you previously completed. You can also delete completed workouts.

You can add distance, workout duration, and an estimate of active calories burned, and choose a start date and time for the workout. With an Apple Watch, you can even rate your effort. The workout data is then added to the Sessions card in your Activity summary.

Here’s how to log a workout in Fitness on iPhone.

A screen in the Fitness app showing a logged workout. Metrics for the distance traveled, duration, date, and active calories burned appear below the list of workouts.

Log a completed workout

Workouts you previously completed can be logged, with metrics like an estimate of active calories burned, workout duration, and distance.

  1. Open the Fitness app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Workout, then tap the Compose button.
  3. Tap Select, scroll to a workout type, and then do any of the following to edit the details of your workout:
    • Choose the duration of the workout: Next to Duration, tap the time.
    • Choose a start date and time: Next to Start, tap the date and time.
    • Enter an estimate of active calories: Tap Active Calories and choose an option.
    • Rate your effort (Apple Watch required): Tap Effort, move the slider to a number. Tap the Done button.
  4. When you’re finished, tap the Selected button.

You’ll find the workout data in the Sessions card in your Activity summary.

Delete a workout

  1. Open the Fitness app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Summary and then tap Sessions.

    Note: You may need to add the Sessions card to your activity summary.

  3. Swipe left on a workout and then tap the Delete button.
  4. Do one of the following:

    • Delete the workout and health data: Tap Delete Workout & Data.
    • Delete the workout: Tap Delete Workout Only.
Tag: Fitness
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How to tap the back of iPhone to perform actions or shortcuts

by Abigail Shilets

You can double-tap or triple-tap the back of iPhone to perform actions such as taking a screenshot, turning on an accessibility feature, running a shortcut, and more. It’s called Back Tap, and you can choose an action for Double Tap and Triple Tap.

  1. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, tap Touch, and then tap Back Tap.
  2. Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap. Then choose an action.
  3. To perform the action you set, double-tap or triple-tap the back of iPhone.

To turn off Back tap, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap, choose Double Tap or Triple Tap, then tap None.

Tag: Shortcuts
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How to merge duplicate photos and videos on iPhone

by Stacey Butler

The Photos app identifies duplicate photos and videos in your photo library in the Duplicates collection. You can merge duplicate photos and videos to save space and clean up your library. It’s in Utilities. Got no duplicates? Then the Duplicates collection doesn’t appear.

The Duplicates screen, showing duplicate photos next to each other. On the right side of the screen are Merge buttons to merge each pair of duplicate photos.

  1. Start the Photos app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Collections.
  3. Tap Utilities and tap Duplicates.
  4. Tap Merge to combine a set of duplicates and tap Merge [number] Items.

The Duplicates collection doesn’t appear if there aren’t any duplicate photos or videos in your library.

Tag: Photos
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