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7 Reasons Why iPhone is The Best Smartphone in The World

by GeeksModo Staff

When purchasing a new smartphone, people usually have to choose between two of the most popular operating systems. Here are 7 reasons why iPhone is the best smartphone.

Why iPhone is the best smartphone

Here are the reasons why iphone is the best phone in the world:

1. Information security

Information security companies unanimously agree that iPhones are more secure than Android devices. According to a report by Forbes, 97 percent of smartphone malware targets Android phones.

Android phones get malware and viruses particularly from app stores. Apple’s App Store has fewer apps to offer than the Android phones’ app store, but the number of available apps is not the most important element of app stores. Apple is very careful with selecting which app developers gain access to the so-called Apple ecosystem – a network of devices, apps and developers. Getting apps that contain malware into the App Store is practically impossible.

In comparison, Google’s app store, Google Play, is an ad-supported and free environment where anyone can put their apps on display. Android allows the user to install apps from outside the Google Play store as well – making it impossible to monitor apps possibly containing malware and viruses.

In addition to the app store, un-updated operating systems also cause security threats. Because several phone manufacturers use the operating system provided by Google, not all of them get the updates at the same time and are thus exposed to massive security threats. iOS devices are made only by Apple, so the corresponding problem doesn’t exist.

2. The Apple ecosystem

The range of Apple products has grown notably in recent years. Apple started out making computers and has since added music players, tablet computers and smart watches to their product selection. Today, Apple provides a wide range of products and services for various purposes.

The devices work seamlessly and effortlessly together. You don’t need to download or install separate applications to link them together, it’s enough when you sign in to the devices with the same Apple ID. Photos, emails, notes and calendars can be shared to all the devices. You also don’t have to pay twice for apps, movies or books – they can be found on all your devices.

The closed ecosystem also guarantees the user safety. The operating environment is secure when devices, users, manufacturers and app developers are all in the same ecosystem.

The situation is different for Android phones. Several different manufacturers produce phones and tablets based on the same operating system, so a safe ecosystem and using the devices together seamlessly cannot be guaranteed.

3. Ease of use

iPhones are known for their ease of use. Their usability comes from simple operating logic: all the apps are launched from the home screen. All the settings, for example, can be found under one menu. And even if you upgrade your iPhone to the newest model, the operating system still works the same way and taking it into use is easy.

An android phone can be modified and customised in various ways, but the basic features of its operating system are much more complicated and confusing than the iOS system. If you value an easy to use and good smartphone for basic use, an iPhone is the obvious choice.

4. Get the best apps first

The developers of the best and highest quality apps still favour Apple and this explains why iPhone is the best phone in the world. Most apps use Apple’s App Store as their launch platform and release their apps there much earlier than they do in the Android phones’ Google Play store. This has been the case with some of the most popular apps of recent years, such as Super Mario Run and Snapchat.

Some apps may not be released at all for Android phones. It’s much harder for app developers to create games and apps for Android phones, as there is a wide range of them and many unique features of the phones should be taken into account in the development. The App Store’s revenue model also serves the developers of high-quality apps better, which will guarantee safe and good apps for iPhone users in the future as well.

5. Apple Pay

Apple Pay is Apple’s payment service, which enables making credit and debit card payments using your phone. Paying works the same way as contactless payment with a plastic card, i.e., by placing the phone by the card reader. The card is protected with Face ID, Touch ID or the phone’s passcode, which let you keep your payment information safe.

Apple Pay can also be used to make purchases in apps: reserving a hotel room, shopping for clothes or ordering a pizza couldn’t be easier. Google Pay is not yet available in many countries, so users in need of a simple and easy mobile payment method should opt for the Apple iPhone.

6. Family Sharing

The Apple iPhone is a good choice for children, especially if the entire family is using Apple devices and phones. Phone use is safe because parents can easily keep track of what their children are doing with their phones.

Apple’s Family Sharing makes family life easier. Up to six family members can make, for example, shared music, film or app purchases and share photo albums, calendars and reminders. There is no risk of children downloading inappropriate or paid apps, as Family Sharing enables parental approval for their children’s apps.

And when children start to go to school by themselves, for example, parents can keep track of the journey with the Find My feature.

7. iPhones hold their value

Since new smartphone models with attractive features are published often, people constantly want to upgrade their phones to newer models. When people stop using their phones and buy a new one, they often want to sell their still functional old phone at the best possible price.

Apple phones keep their resale value far better than Android phones. iPhones are made of high-quality materials, which goes a long way in helping them maintain their resale value. Apple phones also remain as flagship models and up-to-date longer, as there is only one manufacturer and new and better phones aren’t launched as often as Android phones.

Tag: iPhone Products
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What to do if your iPhone 12 charges slowly

by GeeksModo Staff

If you’ve ordered a new iPhone 12, we know the anticipation of getting it in your hands must be killing you, but don’t forget that the iPhone 12 doesn’t come with a charger in the box. You’ll want the best iPhone 12 charger you can find for the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The cable that does come with the phone will be a USB-C to Lightning cable and you’ll also want a USB-C charger to go with it. If your iPhone 12 Pro charges slowly, don’t worry! There are tons of great charging options already out for the iPhone 12 and the best iPhone 12 chargers will have a USB-C port that will let you take advantage of fast charging.

iPhone 12 charging slowly? Fix

If your iPhone 12 is taking a long time to charge, get any of the following chargers.

Small, but mighty

:

Anker Nano iPhone Charger

Anker’s newest wall charger is specifically made with the iPhone 12 in mind. Its 20W of power will give your iPhone 12 the fastest charge it can handle, all while remaining in a small footprint, which means you can carry it anywhere you need to go.
$20 at Amazon

Keep it compact

:

AUKEY Omnia Mini 20W USB-C Charger

If you want to keep your chargers as small as possible, the Omnia Mini 20W USB-C Charger is the perfect fit. It’s just a tiny little cube that delivers lots of power (20W), meaning you can quickly charge your new iPhone 12, with a charger not much bigger than the standard 5W charger Apple used to ship.
From $15 at Amazon

Apple’s solution

:

20W USB-C Power Adapter

Apple obviously launched its own 20W charger for the launch of the iPhone 12. If you want to stick with Apple because you feel like it’s the safest bet, this is the USB-C charger to get for your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro.
$19 at Apple

Over-powered for multiple devices

:

AUKEY Focus USB-C Charger

With a 30W USB-C port — which is more powerful than you really need — and a 12W USB-A port, the AUKEY Focus USB-C Charger is perfect for charging two devicessimultaneously. Charge your iPhone 12 really fast with the USB-C port, and then charge your Apple Watch with the USB-A port. It’s a win-win.
$16 at Amazon

Plenty of power x2

:

Anker 30W 2-Port Fast Charger

They say two ports are better than one, and when one port is a 30W USB-C, and the other is an 18W USB-A, it’s hard to disagree. If your iPhone 12 Pro charges slowly, the USB-C port on the Anker 30W 2-port fast charger is more than capable of juicing up your phone quickly, and the 18 W USB-A means your Apple Watch, iPad, or any other device will charge up fast as well.
$23 at Amazon
$24 at Walmart

Two fast-charging ports

:

RAVPower 30W 2-Port Fast Charger

If your iPhone 12 pro Max charges slowly and want lots of power, the RAVPower 30W 2-Port Fast Charger is a great option. Not only is the 30W USB-C port more than enough juice to quickly charge your iPhone 12, but the 18W USB-A port is plenty of power to charge other devices you may have!
$14 at Amazon

A little less power

:

CHOETECH 18W PD Fast Charger

Although it’s only 18W of power, you likely won’t notice much of a difference in charging speed, even though it’s a little less powerful than a 20W. If your iPhone 12 Pro charges slowly, the CHOETECH 18W PD Fast Charger is a great option if you’re looking for a USB-C charger for your iPhone 12.
From $14 at Amazon

Great for traveling

:

Native Union Smart Charger

The Native Union Smart Charger will sit flat against the wall when it’s plugged into a socket, making it perfect for tight space behind desks or hotel room tables. Its USB-A and USB-C ports both put out 18W, so your iPhone 12 will charge up quickly. Plus, it includes a UK and EU wall adapter, making it perfect for trips overseas.
$40 at Amazon
$40 at Walmart

Power is the key to fast-charging

Apple states that all models of the iPhone 12 can take advantage of fast charging, citing that each model can achieve a 50% charge in about 30 minutes. So if your iPhone 12 charges slowly, you need to make sure that the charger is 20W or more. Any less and fast charging doesn’t appear to work — although there is more than meets the eye to that situation. The best iPhone 12 chargers will give you that 20W power and let you charge up your phone regardless of which iPhone 12 case you choose to slap on your phone.

What about charging with MagSafe?

The MagSafe charger is a neat little Qi wireless charger that snaps nicely on the back of your iPhone 12; however, to use it to its full ability, you will want to pair it with a 20W charger.

The MagSafe charger can charge your iPhone 12 with 15W of power if you pair it with a 20W USB-C charger. Wireless charging is always a little less efficient than charging directly via the lightning port, but 15W charging through a wireless charger like MagSafe is pretty dang fast.

You’ll only get these speeds using a 20W charger, any less, and MagSafe will charge much, much slower.

So why even mention 18W chargers?

Officially, the iPhone 12 models can only fast charge connected to a 20W charger; however, in our own testing, and 18W charger had pretty similar results.

Our initial testing of charging an iPhone 12 using an 18W charger instead of a 20W charger shows that you can charge an iPhone 12 from 2% to 59% in about half an hour. This was using the 18W charger with a USB-C to Lightning cable directly plugged into the Lightning port on the iPhone 12.

So, while you may not be able to use MagSafe to its full potential, an 18W charger will likely yield similar results to a 20W when charging your iPhone 12 directly via the cable. There are many great 18W chargers out there, which is why we’ve chosen some for this list.

Bottom line: If your iPhone 12 charges slowly and want to make sure that you have the fastest charging speeds, no matter what on the iPhone 12, get a 20W charger — especially for MagSafe. But, if you’re going to charging your iPhone directly via a cable most of the time, an 18W charger likely won’t leave you waiting for much extra time.

Our recommendations

Our favorite iPhone 12 charger is the Anker Nano iPhone Charger. Due to its 20W power output, you’ll get the fast charging Apple is talking about, and its small design makes it easy to carry around in your bag, purse, or jacket pocket.

If you often travel, you may want to take a look at the Native Union Smart Charger. It comes with both U.S. and EU (and the U.K.) plugs, meaning you can charge up using USB-C in many more countries. Yes, it only puts out 18W of power, which means it won’t fast-charge the iPhone 12; however, it is will be faster than chargers with less output.

Lastly, it’s hard not to recommend the RAVPower 30W 2-Port Fast Charger due to just how useful and powerful it is. The 30W USB-C port is more power than you need to charge up your iPhone 12 as fast as possible, but the 18W USB-A port offers incredible charging speeds to other devices as well. If you want a charger to pull double duty for you, this is the one.

Tags: Battery, iPhone Tips
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Why i’m skipping the AirPods Max and keeping my AirPods Pro

by GeeksModo Staff

When Apple pushes a product onto the market, especially something that is their kind of first attempt at, they usually bring out something that is difficult to compare to the other players. They don’t just make clones of the other products, they tend to just make something that’s slightly different and they tend to focus on characteristics and features that other people aren’t, and in this case they focused well.

AirPods Max do not look like your standard pair of headphones; they just don’t. They’re very Apple like and when you look at them, you compare them to other popular active noise cancellation headphones. AirPods Max just look distinctly different, and then you combo that with different colored, ear cups and the ability to customize the different colors of ear cushions, they are just built differently. This is a completely different type of headphone look compared to everything else on the market. Now that doesn’t make it worth 550 dollars?

If you love Apple products like I do, you’ll agree that product releases are like your own mini Super Bowl. The pomp and circumstance that accompanies each new entry in the ecosystem can be magical. From the production value of the release films to the whirlwind of influencer opinions, every release manages to be special in its own unique way. Unfortunately, something feels different about AirPods Max. Consequently, I don’t see myself being interested in these toys anytime soon.
Don’t get me wrong, I have been waiting on Apple headphones for some time now. As an avid AirPods Pro user, I was genuinely interested in seeing what The Cupertino-based company could do with a larger form factor. All of that interest was lost, however, when I saw a price tag of $549. Though the price isn’t the only reason that AirPods Max lost me, we can start there.

Has Apple Tax Gone Too Far?

$549 absolutely feels like a blatant attempt to grab as much cash from their loyal fan base as possible. Feeling very reminiscent of the original HomePod, the cost of the product just doesn’t seem to offer much benefit in return. At the time, HomePod couldn’t really do anything that Alexa and Google Home weren’t already doing. Actually, HomePod arguably did them worse at a higher cost. Likewise, AirPods Max doesn’t seem to offer much more than the AirPods Pro other than being able to sit on top of the ear rather than in it. They also don’t offer much more than the other outstanding choices in the already saturated over-ear audio market. I do realize that the Pro’s were $249 at their time of release, but even that didn’t seem as outrageous because of the increased capabilities compared to the original AirPods. I also realize that AirPods Max will offer Spatial Audio unlike the rest of their over-ear competitors, but even the newest over-ear options in the Beats by Dre lineup have the ever sought after Apple integration. I’m sure there are people out there who see the value for the price, but I would be willing to bet that most people will look at these and pass. Personally, I fall into the second category.

Do They Even Care?

It’s also safe to say this is a product release that Apple doesn’t actually care about. Yes, they have the typical high production value release video, the carefully thought out product page on their website, and the influencer reviews to boot. However, one would think that if they expected this to be the next big entry in their product lineup, Apple would have at least given it a few minutes of stage time during their One More Thing keynote. Heck, even the $700 Mac Pro Wheels made an appearance in the background a few times. It all just makes the AirPods Max release… uninspiring.
We won’t even start on the design of the carrying “case”

Faulty Release Strategy

I know I’m probably being more pessimistic than I should, but it’s disappointing from a company like Apple. The AirPods lineup has become something of a household name in previous years. In part, that is because they released the original AirPods with many awe-inspiring features at a somewhat affordable price. They followed it with an even better product at an understandable price hike. If they wanted to create a similar buzz in the over-ear market, they should have released an initial set that was closer to $399. Then, after creating a fan base, they could have released a premium set at $549 or even $600 at that point.
Instead, they opted for the method of the HomePod. Release a high-end product that not many people will buy because it doesn’t offer much more than what is already available. Then, they will probably release a more affordable unit, like HomePod Mini, that more people will purchase. I do see the HomePod mini being substantially more successful than its older brother, but don’t you think it would have done better if it was the one released first? Would HomePod be more successful if it came out after Mini created a dedicated fan base? Likewise, do you think Apple would have done better if they released a more affordable over-ear headset before offering a top of the line unit?

Conclusion

Maybe I’m off base here, but I trust that the AirPods/AirPods Pro releases should have set a precedent moving forward. Please feel free to combat my opinion on this one. I’m genuinely interested in knowing what others in the Apple community think on the matter. Regardless, thank you for taking the time to read this article!

Tag: AirPods Max
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Apple ID: Your Account has been locked for security reasons? Fix

by GeeksModo Staff

This article explains how to unlock if your Apple ID has been locked for security reasons.

It’s save to say that security is a top priority for Apple, and if your account has been hacked it gets suspended. If this happens, you might see a notification indicating that your account has been ‘locked for security reasons’. This is terrible since your Apple ID and password are required to access Apple services. Continue reading to know how to unlock disabled Apple ID for security reasons.

How to Unlock disabled Apple ID for Security Reasons

It’s quite frustrating if your Apple account gets locked, particularly if you wanted to download a nice app from the App Store or trying to reply to an email. However, this does mean someone tried to access your Apple account, and Apple blocked them. The Apple ID gets locked when someone repeatedly enters a wrong password on an Apple device

Apple ID Disabled – Your Apple ID has been disabled for security reasons

In this article, I’ll show you what you can do to unlock a disabled Apple ID and account that was locked due to security issues.

See also: My Apple ID is Greyed Out in Settings, Check the Fix

How to know if your Apple ID is locked?

If your Apple ID got locked, you should see one of these messages on your Apple device:

  • You can’t sign in because the account was deactivated for security reasons.
  • Your Apple ID has been disabled for security reasons.
  • This Apple ID is locked for security reasons.
  • Your iCloud account has been locked for security reasons.

Here is what you can do if your Apple ID was locked:

Unlock Apple ID account that was locked for security reasons

  1. On your Mac, open Safari.
  2. To unlock your Apple ID, navigate to ‘iForgot’ Apple’s website.
  3. Type in your email, first name and last name -> click ‘Next’.
  4. If two-step verification was enabled you need to enter the recovery key. If this was not enabled proceed to the later step. Then you should print out the recovery key and save it somewhere. Type in the key number and hit ‘Next’.
  5. Next on, select the phone number that was used for two-step verification and click continue. Enter the Verification Code and select ‘Continue’.
  6. Type in the new password and confirm password field -> choose Reset Password.

And that’s all you need to do to resent your Apple ID’s password. This unlocks the disabled Apple ID / account. However, you need to use the latest password with accounts on your Apple devices

For unlocking a disabled Apple ID: Update the password on your iDevice.

Here is how you can update the password on your iOS device:

  • Go to Settings -> your profile -> Password & Security -> Change Password.

And for updating the Apple ID password in Mac OS

  1. From the Apple menu, launch System Preferences.
  2. Select iCloud -> Sign Out.
  3. Type in the new password and choose Sign In.

You would also need to enter the new password as needed in App Store, iTunes, FaceTime, and other Apple offerings. These should request the password as needed and then for later, remember the new password.

that’s all folks. Now you know what to do next time you see a message saying -“your Apple ID has been locked for security reasons”

Tags: Apple ID, iCloud
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How to Recover Deleted iMessages on PC/Mac: Review

by GeeksModo Staff

There is nothing more frustrating than losing precious data like the iMessages you exchanged with your family or loved ones. The reality is, however, it happens now and then due to accidental deletion, sync-up failure, or MacOS update error. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to recover deleted iMessages on Mac or PC using a third-party software.

How to retrieve deleted iMessages on Mac or PC

Recovering iMessages you have deleted on Mac can be quite challenging. If you’ve backed up your machine with iCloud or iTunes you may be less concerned but still unsure about how to recover deleted iMessages on Mac without losing other precious data.

If you haven’t got an iCloud or iTunes backup for your device, you may be wondering how to restore deleted iMessages on Mac or Pc. In this article, I’ll show you how to recover deleted iMessages on your Mac or PC in a few simple steps.

Why might I need to recover deleted iMessages on Mac or PC?

The vast majority of people will have deleted precious data from their Mac or PC at some point. It’s easy to inadvertently hit ‘delete’ when highlighting messages or conversation threads. Even an MacOS update can sometimes lead to data loss.

iMessages are often throwaway pieces of communication, but sometimes they are extremely valuable. Imagine erasing a precious conversation thread from the beginnings of a relationship, or deleting the address your contact sent you for a job interview.

If you are in a situation where you just have to know how to restore deleted iMessages on Mac or PC then continue reading. We’ll walk you through the options and methods that will help you to recover iMessages to your Mac or PC with, or without, a backup file.

How to get back deleted iMessages on Mac or PC

There are two main methods to consider when looking at iMessage recovery on Mac or PC. The first method is for those with iTunes or iCloud backup. The second is the best solution for those who have not backed up their Mac or PC to either iCloud or iTunes. It uses third-party software to quickly scan your device for the lost iMessages, which are still in the back-end memory of your device despite being deleted. They remain there until the space is needed for fresh data, so it’s best to retrieve the deleted iMessages as soon as possible after erasing them.

Part 1: How to recover Deleted iMessages on PC/Mac Using iCloud

If you have iCloud or iTunes backups, then you can use them to restore your machine to an earlier state before those messages were deleted.

There are several problems with this method, however. If your backups don’t go back very far, they may not have the information you want. For instance, if you want to restore a conversation from three months ago, but your backup file only goes back three weeks, that conversation won’t be available.

The major problem, however, is that in order to apply a backup to your Mac, you have to erase your machine and restore it with older data from an earlier point in time. This means you will lose any newer data between now and the time the backup was made (not to mention waste a lot of time waiting for the Mac to restore from backup).

To recover iMessages from iCloud:

Step-1: Start by signing out of iMessage on your Mac and quit the app
Step-2: Launch Finder
Step-3: Click Go from the Finder menu
Step-4: Locate your library
Step-5: Find a file named ‘messages’ from an iCloud backup date that is before the day the files you are looking for is deleted
Step-6: Open this messages folder
Step-7: Click restore

It’s safe to say that this method is far from ideal, as few people are going to want to wipe their devices clean and spend the time restoring from backup for messages that might still be there (while removing any new data in the process). This begs for a less destructive, more elegant solution.

Part-2: How to recover deleted iMessages On PC/Mac with no backup

If you want to recover deleted iMessages on your Mac or PC quickly, use a third-party data recovery tools. These software not only scans your iCloud backups and iTunes backups but they can also “deep scan” the device itself to find deleted but not-yet-overwritten data.

We tested a range of data recovery tools but settled on iBeesoft Data recovery and FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery. They were the fastest and had reliable results.

Recovering deleted iMessages Using iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac

What is iBeesoft Data recovery? Why should you download it

iBeesoft Data Recovery is a data recovery software program that allows us to recover permanently deleted iMessages even after they have been deleted from our Mac or if we don’t have a backup. The iMessages are still there, but we just can’t see them.

iBeesoft Data Recovery Features

  • Support different types of file recovery from Mac
  • Offers two scanning modes to recover deleted files
  • Offers an option to preview before recovery
  • Offers an option to selectively restore data
  • Easy to use
  • Available on windows and PC

Please follow these steps to recover iMessages with iBeesoft Data Recovery software:

Step 1: Download and launch the iBeesoft Data Recovery software for Mac.

By default, all file types are selected. You will need to only check the file type you intend to recover. This will accelerate the scanning process for deleted iMessages on Mac.
Next, click on Start.

Step 2: Select the appropriate disc where your iMessages were saved. Now, click on Scan.

Step 3: When the scanning process is complete, you can filter out the useful files by deleting file types, then the file extension on the left side. When finding the “chat.db”, “chat.db-shm”, or “chat.db-wal”, select them all and click “Recover” to save them on your Mac.
Copy the recovered files to the ~/Library/Messages directory and restart iMessages to find deleted messages on Mac.
Now, my deleted iMessages were recovered within no time and pricing was also cheap and affordable.

How much does iBeesoft Data Recoverycost?

iBeesoft Data Recovery is available as a free download on Windows and Mac. The free version, however, won’t let you recover deleted iMessages. It only give you the ability to performing a scan and preview lost iMessages.

You can buy the full version at $55.95 for 1 Mac or $45.95 for 1 PC.

should I buy iBeesoft Data Recovery?

iBeesoft Data recovery for Mac is trusted by millions of users around the world and has also received tons of praise from reputable media outlets. Their product is easy to use; above all, it does the job very well.

iBeesoft Data recovery for Mac is a brilliant software . Actually, it might just be the best in its class in that respect.

How Do I Download iBeesoft Data Recovery?

The Windows and Mac versions of iBeesoft Data Recovery are available for download on iBeesoft website. Download iBeesoft Data Recovery and do give it a try.

Recovering deleted iMessages Using FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery

What is FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery? Why Should You Download It?

FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery is a professional tool that lets you recover lost data from any iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac. This software has so many features and is one of the most user-friendly apps out there. With FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery, you can recover lost data from iDevices directly, iTunes Backup, or iCloud Backup. Let’s take an overview at all the FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery software features.

FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery Features

  • Support 30+ File Types Recovery from iOS devices
  • Offers three modes to recover lost files
  • Offers an option to preview before recovery
  • Offers an option to selectively restore data
  • Simple to use
  • Available on windows and PC

Below we’ll walk you step-by-step on how to recover deleted iMessages on Mac using FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery. Let’s get started.

Here’s how to retrieve deleted iMessages from Mac or PC when you don’t have a back-up file.

Step-1: First, you need to download the FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery software on your Mac or PC.

Homepage of FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery

Step-2: After installing the FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery, choose the data type and the location of lost data you want to recover. For deleted iMessages, choose “Other”. And select the hard disk drives that possibly store the deleted iMessages to continue.

Step-3: Click on “Scan” located at the right bottom to scan for files that contain deleted iMessages.

Step-4: FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery will automatically start the quick scan. It also offers a “Deep Scan” mode for more data search on the computer. But if you don’t want to use this option, simply jump to the next step.

Step-5: Once the scan process is complete, find the file named “chat.db”, “chat.db-shm “, and “chat.db-wal “. Make sure the iMessages files are created before your iMessages are deleted. Select the files and click on “Recover” to the path of “Library/Messages” on the Mac.

Next, launch Messages app on your Mac and sign in using your credentials. The deleted iMessages should be restored and seen.

View iMessages:

Using an app like FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery is far more convenient, less time consuming, and less risky than wiping your device and restoring from a backup—though it is paid for. The cost may very well be worth it if it means you can recover an important conversation, photos, or contacts without resorting to the more nuclear option.

How much does FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery cost?

FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery costs $59.95 for the Windows version and $69.95 for the Mac version.

Should I Buy FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery?

If you need to recover deleted photos, WhatsApp messages, iMessages, videos, or any files that maybe have been accidentally lost,FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery is a great choice. FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery is incredibly user-friendly — at any point in the process, you’re only just a few clicks away from recovering data of your choice.

Furthermore, FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery software retrieves deleted iMessages on Mac very quickly. Each time I initiated the recovery process, it was finished in seconds. If you’re in need of a fast solution to recover lost iMessages, FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery is a great option.

How Do I Download FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery?

The Windows and Mac versions of FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery are available for download on FonePaw website. Download FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery and do give it a try.

Recover deleted iMessages on PC/Mac Made Easy!

FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery and iBeesoft Data recovery are great softwares that makes it easy to recover deleted iMessages on Mac or PC. If you’re looking for an intuitive and powerful Solution that can help you to recover lost data on iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Mac, FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery and iBesoft Data Recovery are the best options.

We are sure that these data recovery softwares are the best software to recover deleted iMessages on Mac. Did you like this? Share your feedback with us in comment box below.

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The 7 Best GarageBand Alternatives You Can Use in 2024

by GeeksModo Staff

Garageband is used to create the music and by today it is superlative. This is only present in the reach of iPhone and Mac users. Windows & Android users belong to a modern music world who don’t want an Apple loop then here are some GarageBand alternatives which can be used by Windows Android users. Scroll down to read more about GarageBand for windows.

There were not too many opportunities to perform live recording and overdubbing. In short, the legendary Fab Four recorded every song in the first shot so a single mistake can cost them huge financial loss if any mistake occurs.
Today’s generation of kids sparse all the recorded sessions into their smartphones without any musical instruments. Through mobile apps now anyone can take music bands in their pockets.

Best GarageBand Alternatives in 2024

1. Magix Music Maker Jam

This app generates music with a cluster of loops. They are made of small music parts out of which it plays over in a loop. There are around 8 channels to combine and 100 variable styles which promotes creativity.
This app can be used for outer voice recordings like singing, rapping, and some other sounds and also add your own singing. After you are done with recording, share that through apps.

2. n-Track Studio Music DAW

This app claims to shoot the phone into the music studio. It permits recording within audio and MIDI tracks. You can also merge sounds and put audio effects to enhance quality.
It has the benefit of built-in MIDI featuring 128 general MIDI other instrumental music. It includes different effects such as reverb, echo, chorus, and tremolo. This app can easily be searched on android.

3. Walk Band

This is one of the best Garageband replacement apps among the others for the android. These characteristics are packed such as synthesizers, musical instruments, studio-quality recording, and many more. You will get around 50 musical instruments on this app.
Walk Band was also awarded as the best editor’s choice on the Google Play store. From piano to drum pad you will find every instrument available on this app. You can also connect your keyboard through USB MIDI through your smartphones. you can also record your own voice and mix it with synthesizers.

4. Band Lab

Band Lab is the trendy application on android which used to create music from rhythm. It permits you to edit records and create multi-track music with different creative beats, vocals, loops.
If you are a big fan of EDM, dubstep, etc then it has the option to build your own music in the trailblazer. It works on networking sites where you can publish your own track records.

5. Song Maker

It is all about creating new tracks for pre-recorded music, beats, and rhythms. Garageband became the biggest part of Apple’s music studio to create and edit modern music. It also allows you to make your own songs and mix them with different sounds, rhythms, and beats.
It is recommendable for people to use song maker apps if they like EDM and hip hop kind of music.

6. FL Studio

This app is designed for android devices for multi-track recording studios. It is also available on PCs. It has various instruments with 133 high quality such as drum kits, sliced loops, and more.
It is used to import or export midi files which can be transferred through mails, or some other services like cloud storage services. It gives high-quality audio as well as does not sustain much battery too. The music dormancy is dependent on the processing of the device. It is capable of providing the ultimate features.

7. Audio Evolution

It is similar to a walking band. It is a multi-track system used for recording purposes but is more advanced. It consists of a recording option in which you can record external voices such as singing, live concerts while using instruments, and with a microphone. it also allows you to play midi pianos to record your own songs.
Summary:
Although Garageband is made for iPhone & MacBook, there are some alternative to Garageband run on android devices. Some apps work on multi-tracking sound systems while in some apps you can create your own songs with the help of musical instruments such as drum, piano, guitar, etc. These apps are very efficient and must be tried once by music lovers who want to explore their talent of music and want to showcase their talent to the world.

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iPhone 12 Pro Max Battery Drain Fast? Fix

by GeeksModo Staff

This article explains how to fix iPhone 12 Pro Max battery drain issue and improve battery life.

iPhone 12 Pro Max is probably the best smartphone around in its price range. And there’s a good reason for it. If you just bought yourself a new iPhone 12 Pro Max, you may be wondering, “why is my iPhone 12 Pro Max battery draining so fast?”, “why is my iPhone 12 Pro Max dying so fast?”, or even wondering, “should i return the device and ask for a refund?” Before you start searching for the best iPhone charger and battery case on the internet, learn how to improve battery life on your iPhone 12 Pro Max.

See also: iPhone 12 mini Battery Drain Fast? Here’s How to Fix it

How to fix iPhone 12 Pro Max battery drain issue

If you’re wondering, “why is my iPhone 12 Pro Max battery draining so fast?” the first thing you want to do is figure out whether or not you’re using your device differently. That could account for some of your iPhone 12 Pro Max battery problems, but if you’re confident it’s more than that, we’ll help you fix the new update problems and save that battery life. If you bought the iPhone 12 Pro Max and your battery is dying fast, read on to learn about 18 great tips to fix iPhone 12 Pro Max battery drain issues.

Without any further ado, let’s find out why your new iPhone 12 Pro Max is dying so fast and how to fix the issue!

1. Limit When and How Often Apps Access Your Location

The first thing you should do is to check your location settings to limit apps accessing your location for privacy reasons, but it can also be beneficial to your battery health. Follow these steps to access your Location Services settings:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Tap Privacy.
  3. Choose Location Services.
  4. Review the list and edit settings by tapping on the name of each app in the list.

You have 4 possible choices for location settings for each app thanks to some updates introduced in iOS 13, though not all four choices will always be available for every app depending on what it does. You can select the following: Never, Ask Next Time, While Using the App, and Always.

  • Never will prevent an app from ever accessing your location, and unless there’s a specific need for an app to know where you are, such as a mapping app, setting location access to Never is the best choice.
  • Ask Next Time will prompt an app to ask you with a popup the next time that it wants your location, so you can temporarily approve it. With this setting, location access is off until expressly allowed via the popup.
  • While Using the App, as the name suggests, allows the app to detect your location only when the app is open and being actively used. If you close the app or switch over to another app, location access ends.
  • Always allows an app to have access to your location at all times, regardless of whether it’s open or closed. This will result in the most battery drain and should be limited to only the apps that you need the most.

Many apps will ask for location information that don’t really need it to function (for example, a banking app might want location access to show nearby ATMs, which is also available through entering a zip code), so clearing the cruft here will ensure no apps are accessing your location without express permission.

You can also turn off Location Services all together, but most people probably aren’t going to want to do so because it can interfere with apps like Maps.

2. Limit Apps Using Bluetooth

iOS offers a feature that lets you know when apps have requested Bluetooth access, and there are a surprising number of apps that want to use Bluetooth for things like location tracking with Bluetooth beacons or scanning for Chromecast devices.

This is a good list to review to make sure you don’t have a sneaky app in the background connecting to Bluetooth sources without your permission as that can strain battery. It’s totally fine to allow Bluetooth access to apps that need it for Bluetooth-enabled accessories, but nixing access for retail stores is probably a good idea. Follow these steps to access Bluetooth settings:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to Privacy.
  3. Choose Bluetooth.
  4. From this list, shut off any app that doesn’t require a Bluetooth connection to work. It’s best to be liberal with the toggling off — if you disable access and then a feature within an app stops functioning properly, you can just turn Bluetooth back on.

Bluetooth can also be turned off completely, which can perhaps save a bit of battery life, but it’s not convenient for most users because Bluetooth is used for AirPods, Apple Watches, and other accessories.

3. Turn on Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode has been around for a few years now, and it’s the number one best setting to enable if you’re concerned about battery life. It cuts down on background activity like behind the scenes downloads and it lowers the brightness of your display after inactivity more quickly.

A popup to enable Low Power Mode will appear when battery life on the iPhone is at 20 percent, but you can enable it at any time through Control Center by tapping on the battery icon or ask Siri to turn it on. Alternatively, it’s available in the Settings app:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to Battery.
  3. Enable the Low Power Mode toggle.

With Low Power Mode turned on, your battery icon at the top of your iPhone will turn yellow, which lets you know when it’s active. Some people like to keep Low Power Mode on at all times, but know that it does need to be enabled regularly because it automatically turns off when the iPhone is charged.

4. Use WiFi Whenever Possible

WiFi uses less power than a cellular connection, so to maximize battery life, Apple recommends connecting to WiFi whenever possible. At home or work, for example, WiFi should be activated, saving cellular data and battery life.

5. Activate Airplane Mode in Low Signal Areas

When you’re in an area with no cellular coverage or a low signal, your iPhone is draining battery looking for a signal or trying to connect. If you’re experiencing poor cellular coverage, it’s a good idea to activate Airplane Mode since you probably can’t do much with low signal anyway.

Airplane Mode will prevent your iPhone from endlessly searching for a signal, saving the battery until you can get to a place with a solid connection.

6. Turn on optimized battery charging

To make sure your iPhone battery stays healthy longer, it’s recommended to turn on Optimized Battery Charging under the Battery Health section. Optimized Battery Charging allows the iPhone to learn your charging schedule so it can wait until you need it to charge past 80 percent.

For example, if you put your phone on the charger at night, the Optimized Battery Charging setting might hold the iPhone at an 80 percent charge, filling it up close to when you wake up to reduce battery aging.

Apple also recommends avoiding extreme temperatures to prevent permanent battery damage due to heat or cold, as well as removing certain cases when charging. If your iPhone gets warm while charging, it’s best to take off the case to keep your battery healthy for a longer period of time.

You can turn on optimize Battery Charging by following these steps:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to Battery.
  3. Tap on Battery Health.
  4. Turn on the switch next to Optimised Battery Charging

In the Battery Health section, there’s a listing for “Maximum Capacity,” which is a measurement of battery capacity relative to when it was new.

If the capacity is under 80 percent, it may be worth seeking out a battery replacement. Apple will replace a battery that is below 80 percent capacity under the one-year warranty plan or under AppleCare+ for free.

Otherwise, replacing the battery will cost between $49 and $69 depending on which iPhone you have.

7. Manage Apps That Are Draining Battery

If you find your iPhone battery maximum capacity dropping, you should check your apps. The iPhone tells you which apps are eating up the most battery so you can make sure nothing is secretly draining your battery without your knowledge. You can check your battery usage statistics by opening up the Settings app and tapping on the Battery section.

There are charts here that displays your battery level over the course of the last 24 hours or the last 10 days, as well as the apps that have consumed the most battery life. If there’s any app that you don’t need that seems to be consuming an excessive amount of battery, you can delete it.

For apps you do need, you can moderate how often you’re using the app to cut down on battery drain.

This section will also show you how much time apps spend using Background App Refresh.

8. Limit Background Activity

Apps, both inbuilt and third-party, use background app refreshing features to update even when they’re not open to do things like load mail messages and download updates so they’re ready to use at all times.

Background App Refresh can impact battery life, so turning it off can help make your battery last longer. You can turn off Background App Refresh all together or choose which apps can refresh in the background.

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to General.
  3. Tap Background App Refresh.
  4. From here, you can tap the Background App Refresh option again to turn Background App Refresh off all together or choose to have it activate only when connected to WiFi, which doesn’t drain battery as much as downloading over cellular.

You can also choose to turn Background App Refresh on just for your most used apps by tapping on the toggle next to each app in the list.

9. Adjust Mail Fetch Settings

On top of turning off Background Refresh, adjusting when and how often the Mail app checks for new emails can save some battery life.

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap Mail
  3. Tap Accounts
  4. Scroll down and tap “Fetch New Data”
  5. From here, you can turn off Push (which lets you know immediately you receive a new email message and adjust Fetch settings on a per account basis for accounts that don’t support Push (like Gmail accounts).

Adjusting the Fetch settings to have longer intervals before checking for new messages can help save battery life, as can turning off Fetch all together in favor of manual checks that will download new messages only when the Mail app is opened.

You can choose the following settings: Automatically, Manually, Hourly, Every 30 Minutes, and Every 15 Minutes.

10. Limit Notifications

Cutting down on the number of notifications that apps are sending is a good way to save a little bit of battery life. If you have apps inundating you with notifications, it’s going to drain battery every time your screen illuminates and your iPhone makes a connection, plus a glut of notifications is just plain annoying.

Follow these steps to adjust your notification settings in the Settings app:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to Notifications.
  3. Go through each app and adjust whether or not an app can send you notifications by tapping on the toggle.

If you do allow notifications, you can choose to allow apps to show on the Lock screen, in the Notification Center, as banners, or all three.

Apple also has this nifty feature that allows you to modify your notification settings right from the notification itself on the Lock screen. Just long press on a notification and then tap the three dots (…) to get to options that include Deliver Quietly or Turn Off.
Deliver Quietly allows notifications to appear in Notification Center but not the Lock screen, while Turn Off lets you turn off notifications for that app entirely.

11. Disable Automatic Downloads

and App Updates

If you’re often low on battery, you may not want your iPhone doing things that you’re not explicitly initiating, such as automatically downloading apps downloaded on other devices and downloading software and app updates.

Apple has a feature that is designed to sync apps between all of your devices by downloading apps that were downloaded on one device on the other devices as well. So if you download an app on an iPad, for example, Automatic Download will also download the app on your iPhone.

If that’s a feature you need, leave that enabled, but if it’s not, you can disable it by following these steps:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Tap on your name
  3. Tap on iTunes & App Store.
  4. Toggle off Music, Apps, and Books & Audiobooks.

If you also don’t want apps to update on their own, make sure to toggle off App Updates as well. Leaving this on allows iPhone apps to update automatically when new updates are released in the App Store.

You can also turn off automatic iOS updates if desired by following these steps:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to General.
  3. Tap Software Update.
  4. Tap Automatic Updates.
  5. Tap the toggle to turn updates off.

12. Activate Dark Mode

Apple in iOS 13 implemented a long awaited Dark Mode feature, which is available across the operating system, including Apple’s built-in apps and third-party apps as most have implemented support.

On devices with an OLED display like the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, 11 Pro,, 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, Dark Mode can save a bit of battery life, so it’s worth enabling. Here’s how:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to Display & Brightness.
  3. Tap the “Dark” option.
  4. If you tap on the toggle for “Automatic,” Dark Mode will turn on or off with the sunset and the sunrise each day, allowing you to toggle between dark and light mode.

Dark Mode can be toggled on through the Control Center too, which is a convenient way to activate it if your device isn’t in automatic mode.

13. Turn Down Device Brightness

If you’re in a bright room or direct sun, you probably can’t help but have screen brightness turned all the way up, but if you don’t need a super bright display, dimming it down can save battery life.

You can Control brightness through the Control Center on the iPhone using the brightness toggle or through the Display & Brightness section of the Settings app. It’s a good idea to turn on the auto-brightness setting to make sure your screen isn’t overly bright in darker rooms by default, but some manual adjustment may be necessary in brighter rooms and in the sun.

14. Adjust Auto-Lock and Turn Off Raise to Wake

It’s a good idea to set the Auto-Lock on the display as low as you can tolerate, which will cause the iPhone’s display to turn off after a short period of inactivity.

You can choose options from 30 seconds to never, but the lower end of the spectrum will help preserve battery life by cutting the display when it’s not needed.

If you really want to save battery, turning off Raise to Wake can help, though it may make features like Face ID less convenient. Raise to Wake is a rather convenient option, so this should be a last resort.

15. Make Sure Everything’s Up to Date

If you’re running iOS 14, make sure you have the latest version installed because Apple has been making improvements and refinements to the operating system since it was released. Here’s how to check:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to General.
  3. Tap Software Update.

From here, the iPhone will let you know if your software is up to date or if there’s a new version available.

You should also make sure all of your apps are up to date, which you can do in the App Store.

  1. Go to the App Store.
  2. Tap on your profile located in the upper right.
  3. Swipe downwards to refresh everything.
  4. Tap on Update All.

The update section of the App Store is also a great way to cull apps. If you see an update for an app you don’t use often, swipe to the left on it and you can delete it right then and there.

16. Don’t Close Apps

Many battery life guides will suggest manually closing apps by using the App Switcher to prevent them from running in the background, but this doesn’t save battery life and can in fact drain more battery.

Apps in the background are paused when not in active use and aren’t using battery life. Closing out an app purges it from the iPhone’s RAM, requiring a reload when it reopens, which can have a bigger impact on battery.

17. Restart

Sometimes an app can act up or a background process can go wonky, and the best solution is to simply restart your iPhone. Follow these steps to restart:

  1. Hold down the Volume Down button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time.
  2. Continue holding until the screen turns dark and you see the Apple logo on the display.
  3. Release the button.
    After the Apple logo appears, it will take a minute or so for the iPhone to start back up.

18. Restore as New

If you’re at your wits’ end and nothing is helping to improve iPhone 12 Pro Max battery life, you can try restoring your iPhone and setting it up as new to eliminate any potential behind-the-scenes problems. This should be a last resort, as starting from scratch can be a hassle.

First and foremost, make sure you have an iCloud backup.

  1. On a Mac running Catalina, open Finder. On a Mac running Mojave or earlier, launch iTunes. On a Windows PC, launch iTunes.
  2. Build a connection between your iPhone and your computer.
  3. If you’re asked to enter a device passcode or to click a Trust This Computer prompt, do so.
  4. Select your device from the side bar in Finder or the side bar in iTunes.
  5. Click on the Restore open. If you’re signed into Find My, you’ll be prompted to sign out.
  6. Click Restore again to confirm.

After restoring, you can set your device up as if it was a new device. You can restore from the iCloud backup that you created prior to the restore, but you might want to try starting fresh to prevent any possible problems.

Other Tips

There are a lot of tips for how to keep iPhone battery health at 100 on the internet, and there were some other questionable tips that people recommended that may or may not improve much battery health. It’s difficult to tell, but it’s not terrible idea to consider some of these options if they’re features you don’t use.

These tips should be employed judiciously and after the tips above because turning off every feature on the iPhone may not be the most desirable way to improve battery health.

  • Disable “Hey Siri” so the iPhone isn’t listening for the wake word.
  • Turn off Siri entirely.
  • Turn off Screen Time.
  • Turn off Siri Suggestions.
  • Turn off motion effects.
  • Turn off AirDrop.
  • Turn off vibrate.
  • Use Safari content blockers.
  • Don’t use Live or Dynamic wallpapers.
  • Turn down volume.
  • Turn down the brightness level of the Flashlight feature in Control Center.

Know of a great tips for how to fix iPhone 12 Pro Max battery drain that we left or, have questions about iPhone 12 Pro Max battery life or want to offer feedback on this guide? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tag: Battery
Show Full Article

iPhone Battery Health Dropping Fast? Fix!

by GeeksModo Staff

is your iPhone battery health dropping fast? You are not alone. iPhone battery health drops due to the huge battery consumption of the application. If you notice your iPhone battery maximum capacity dropping, you have come to the right place. In this article, I’ll show you exactly how to keep iPhone battery health at 100.

In most cases, your iPhone battery health will never drop below 80 percent unless ur charge cycle has surpassed 500 cycles. However, sometimes your iPhone battery health percentage goes down fast and you don’t know what to do. The good news is that there are steps you can take to maximize your iPhone battery health and cut down on hidden sources that might be causing excess drainage.

Note: information in this article apply to iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 12,, iPhone 11, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, iPhone six, and iPhone SE.

Fix iPhone battery health dropping fast

1. Limit When and How Often Apps Access Your Location

The first thing you should do is to check your location settings to limit apps accessing your location for privacy reasons, but it can also be beneficial to your battery health. Follow these steps to access your Location Services settings:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Tap Privacy & Security.
  3. Choose Location Services.
  4. Review the list and edit settings by tapping on the name of each app in the list.

You have 4 possible choices for location settings for each app thanks to some updates introduced in iOS 13, though not all four choices will always be available for every app depending on what it does. You can select the following: Never, Ask Next Time, While Using the App, and Always.

  • Never will prevent an app from ever accessing your location, and unless there’s a specific need for an app to know where you are, such as a mapping app, setting location access to Never is the best choice.
  • Ask Next Time will prompt an app to ask you with a popup the next time that it wants your location, so you can temporarily approve it. With this setting, location access is off until expressly allowed via the popup.
  • While Using the App, as the name suggests, allows the app to detect your location only when the app is open and being actively used. If you close the app or switch over to another app, location access ends.
  • Always allows an app to have access to your location at all times, regardless of whether it’s open or closed. This will result in the most battery drain and should be limited to only the apps that you need the most.

Many apps will ask for location information that don’t really need it to function (for example, a banking app might want location access to show nearby ATMs, which is also available through entering a zip code), so clearing the cruft here will ensure no apps are accessing your location without express permission.

You can also turn off Location Services all together, but most people probably aren’t going to want to do so because it can interfere with apps like Maps.

2. Limit Apps Using Bluetooth

iOS offers a feature that lets you know when apps have requested Bluetooth access, and there are a surprising number of apps that want to use Bluetooth for things like location tracking with Bluetooth beacons or scanning for Chromecast devices.

This is a good list to review to make sure you don’t have a sneaky app in the background connecting to Bluetooth sources without your permission as that can strain battery. It’s totally fine to allow Bluetooth access to apps that need it for Bluetooth-enabled accessories, but nixing access for retail stores is probably a good idea. Follow these steps to access Bluetooth settings:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security.
  3. Choose Bluetooth.
  4. From this list, shut off any app that doesn’t require a Bluetooth connection to work. It’s best to be liberal with the toggling off — if you disable access and then a feature within an app stops functioning properly, you can just turn Bluetooth back on.

Bluetooth can also be turned off completely, which can perhaps save a bit of battery life, but it’s not convenient for most users because Bluetooth is used for AirPods, Apple Watches, and other accessories.

3. Turn on Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode has been around for a few years now, and it’s the number one best setting to enable if you’re concerned about battery life. It cuts down on background activity like behind the scenes downloads and it lowers the brightness of your display after inactivity more quickly.

A popup to enable Low Power Mode will appear when battery life on the iPhone is at 20 percent, but you can enable it at any time through Control Center by tapping on the battery icon or ask Siri to turn it on. Alternatively, it’s available in the Settings app:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to Battery.
  3. Enable the Low Power Mode toggle.

With Low Power Mode turned on, your battery icon at the top of your iPhone will turn yellow, which lets you know when it’s active. Some people like to keep Low Power Mode on at all times, but know that it does need to be enabled regularly because it automatically turns off when the iPhone is charged.

4. Use WiFi Whenever Possible

WiFi uses less power than a cellular connection, so to maximize battery life, Apple recommends connecting to WiFi whenever possible. At home or work, for example, WiFi should be activated, saving cellular data and battery life.

5. Activate Airplane Mode in Low Signal Areas

When you’re in an area with no cellular coverage or a low signal, your iPhone is draining battery looking for a signal or trying to connect. If you’re experiencing poor cellular coverage, it’s a good idea to activate Airplane Mode since you probably can’t do much with low signal anyway.

Airplane Mode will prevent your iPhone from endlessly searching for a signal, saving the battery until you can get to a place with a solid connection.

6. Turn on optimized battery charging

To make sure your iPhone battery stays healthy longer, it’s recommended to turn on Optimized Battery Charging under the Battery Health section. Optimized Battery Charging allows the iPhone to learn your charging schedule so it can wait until you need it to charge past 80 percent.

For example, if you put your phone on the charger at night, the Optimized Battery Charging setting might hold the iPhone at an 80 percent charge, filling it up close to when you wake up to reduce battery aging.

Apple also recommends avoiding extreme temperatures to prevent permanent battery damage due to heat or cold, as well as removing certain cases when charging. If your iPhone gets warm while charging, it’s best to take off the case to keep your battery healthy for a longer period of time.

You can turn on optimize Battery Charging by following these steps:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to Battery.
  3. Tap on Battery Health & Charging.
  4. Turn on the switch next to Optimised Battery Charging

In the Battery Health section, there’s a listing for “Maximum Capacity,” which is a measurement of battery capacity relative to when it was new.

If the capacity is under 80 percent, it may be worth seeking out a battery replacement. Apple will replace a battery that is below 80 percent capacity under the one-year warranty plan or under AppleCare+ for free.

Otherwise, replacing the battery will cost between $49 and $69 depending on which iPhone you have.

7. Manage Apps That Are Draining Battery

If you find your iPhone battery maximum capacity dropping, you should check your apps. The iPhone tells you which apps are eating up the most battery so you can make sure nothing is secretly draining your battery without your knowledge. You can check your battery usage statistics by opening up the Settings app and tapping on the Battery section.

There are charts here that displays your battery level over the course of the last 24 hours or the last 10 days, as well as the apps that have consumed the most battery life. If there’s any app that you don’t need that seems to be consuming an excessive amount of battery, you can delete it.

For apps you do need, you can moderate how often you’re using the app to cut down on battery drain.

This section will also show you how much time apps spend using Background App Refresh.

8. Limit Background Activity

Apps, both inbuilt and third-party, use background app refreshing features to update even when they’re not open to do things like load mail messages and download updates so they’re ready to use at all times.

Background App Refresh can impact battery life, so turning it off can help make your battery last longer. You can turn off Background App Refresh all together or choose which apps can refresh in the background.

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to General.
  3. Tap Background App Refresh.
  4. From here, you can tap the Background App Refresh option again to turn Background App Refresh off all together or choose to have it activate only when connected to WiFi, which doesn’t drain battery as much as downloading over cellular.

You can also choose to turn Background App Refresh on just for your most used apps by tapping on the toggle next to each app in the list.

9. Adjust Mail Fetch Settings

On top of turning off Background Refresh, adjusting when and how often the Mail app checks for new emails can save some battery life.

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap Mail
  3. Tap Accounts
  4. Scroll down and tap “Fetch New Data”
  5. From here, you can turn off Push (which lets you know immediately you receive a new email message and adjust Fetch settings on a per account basis for accounts that don’t support Push (like Gmail accounts).

Adjusting the Fetch settings to have longer intervals before checking for new messages can help save battery life, as can turning off Fetch all together in favor of manual checks that will download new messages only when the Mail app is opened.

You can choose the following settings: Automatically, Manually, Hourly, Every 30 Minutes, and Every 15 Minutes.

10. Limit Notifications

Cutting down on the number of notifications that apps are sending is a good way to save a little bit of battery life. If you have apps inundating you with notifications, it’s going to drain battery every time your screen illuminates and your iPhone makes a connection, plus a glut of notifications is just plain annoying.

Follow these steps to adjust your notification settings in the Settings app:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to Notifications.
  3. Go through each app and adjust whether or not an app can send you notifications by tapping on the toggle.

If you do allow notifications, you can choose to allow apps to show on the Lock screen, in the Notification Center, as banners, or all three.

Apple also has this nifty feature that allows you to modify your notification settings right from the notification itself on the Lock screen. Just long press on a notification and then tap the three dots (…) to get to options that include Deliver Quietly or Turn Off.
Deliver Quietly allows notifications to appear in Notification Center but not the Lock screen, while Turn Off lets you turn off notifications for that app entirely.

11. Disable Automatic Downloads

and App Updates

If you’re often low on battery, you may not want your iPhone doing things that you’re not explicitly initiating, such as automatically downloading apps downloaded on other devices and downloading software and app updates.

Apple has a feature that is designed to sync apps between all of your devices by downloading apps that were downloaded on one device on the other devices as well. So if you download an app on an iPad, for example, Automatic Download will also download the app on your iPhone.

If that’s a feature you need, leave that enabled, but if it’s not, you can disable it by following these steps:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Tap on App Store
  3. Toggle off Apps.

If you also don’t want apps to update on their own, make sure to toggle off App Updates as well. Leaving this on allows iPhone apps to update automatically when new updates are released in the App Store.

You can also turn off automatic iOS updates if desired by following these steps:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to General.
  3. Tap Software Update.
  4. Tap Automatic Updates.
  5. Tap the toggle to turn updates off.

12. Activate Dark Mode

Apple in iOS 13 implemented a long awaited Dark Mode feature, which is available across the operating system, including Apple’s built-in apps and third-party apps as most have implemented support.

On devices with an OLED display like the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, 11 Pro,, 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, Dark Mode can save a bit of battery life, so it’s worth enabling. Here’s how:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to Display & Brightness.
  3. Tap the “Dark” option.
  4. If you tap on the toggle for “Automatic,” Dark Mode will turn on or off with the sunset and the sunrise each day, allowing you to toggle between dark and light mode.

Dark Mode can be toggled on through the Control Center too, which is a convenient way to activate it if your device isn’t in automatic mode.

13. Turn Down Device Brightness

If you’re in a bright room or direct sun, you probably can’t help but have screen brightness turned all the way up, but if you don’t need a super bright display, dimming it down can save battery life.

You can Control brightness through the Control Center on the iPhone using the brightness toggle or through the Display & Brightness section of the Settings app. It’s a good idea to turn on the auto-brightness setting to make sure your screen isn’t overly bright in darker rooms by default, but some manual adjustment may be necessary in brighter rooms and in the sun.

14. Adjust Auto-Lock and Turn Off Raise to Wake

It’s a good idea to set the Auto-Lock on the display as low as you can tolerate, which will cause the iPhone’s display to turn off after a short period of inactivity.

You can choose options from 30 seconds to never, but the lower end of the spectrum will help preserve battery life by cutting the display when it’s not needed.

If you really want to save battery, turning off Raise to Wake can help, though it may make features like Face ID less convenient. Raise to Wake is a rather convenient option, so this should be a last resort.

15. Make Sure Everything’s Up to Date

If you’re running iOS 14, make sure you have the latest version installed because Apple has been making improvements and refinements to the operating system since it was released. Here’s how to check:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Go to General.
  3. Tap Software Update.

From here, the iPhone will let you know if your software is up to date or if there’s a new version available.

You should also make sure all of your apps are up to date, which you can do in the App Store.

  1. Go to the App Store.
  2. Tap on your profile located in the upper right.
  3. Swipe downwards to refresh everything.
  4. Tap on Update All.

The update section of the App Store is also a great way to cull apps. If you see an update for an app you don’t use often, swipe to the left on it and you can delete it right then and there.

16. Don’t Close Apps

Many battery life guides will suggest manually closing apps by using the App Switcher to prevent them from running in the background, but this doesn’t save battery life and can in fact drain more battery.

Apps in the background are paused when not in active use and aren’t using battery life. Closing out an app purges it from the iPhone’s RAM, requiring a reload when it reopens, which can have a bigger impact on battery.

17. Restart

Sometimes an app can act up or a background process can go wonky, and the best solution is to simply restart your iPhone. If you have an iPhone 8 or later, follow these steps:

  1. Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
  2. Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
  3. Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears, and then release the Side button.

If you have an iPhone 7 or earlier, follow these steps to restart:

  1. Hold down the Volume Down button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time.
  2. Continue holding until the screen turns dark and you see the Apple logo on the display.
  3. Release the button.
    After the Apple logo appears, it will take a minute or so for the iPhone to start back up.

18. Restore as New

If you’re at your wits’ end and nothing is helping to improve significant iPhone battery health drop, you can try restoring your iPhone and setting it up as new to eliminate any potential behind-the-scenes problems. This should be a last resort, as starting from scratch can be a hassle.

First and foremost, make sure you have an iCloud backup.

  1. On a Mac running Catalina, open Finder. On a Mac running Mojave or earlier, launch iTunes. On a Windows PC, launch iTunes.
  2. Build a connection between your iPhone and your computer.
  3. If you’re asked to enter a device passcode or to click a Trust This Computer prompt, do so.
  4. Select your device from the side bar in Finder or the side bar in iTunes.
  5. Click on the Restore open. If you’re signed into Find My, you’ll be prompted to sign out.
  6. Click Restore again to confirm.

After restoring, you can set your device up as if it was a new device. You can restore from the iCloud backup that you created prior to the restore, but you might want to try starting fresh to prevent any possible problems.

Other Tips

There are a lot of tips for how to keep iPhone battery health at 100 on the internet, and there were some other questionable tips that people recommended that may or may not improve much battery health. It’s difficult to tell, but it’s not terrible idea to consider some of these options if they’re features you don’t use.

These tips should be employed judiciously and after the tips above because turning off every feature on the iPhone may not be the most desirable way to improve battery health.

  • Disable “Hey Siri” so the iPhone isn’t listening for the wake word.
  • Turn off Siri entirely.
  • Turn off Screen Time.
  • Turn off Siri Suggestions.
  • Turn off motion effects.
  • Turn off AirDrop.
  • Turn off vibrate.
  • Use Safari content blockers.
  • Don’t use Live or Dynamic wallpapers.
  • Turn down volume.
  • Turn down the brightness level of the Flashlight feature in Control Center.

Know of a great tips for how to increase maximum capacity of iPhone battery that we left or, have questions about iPhone battery health percentage or want to offer feedback on this guide? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tag: Battery
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Why are Apple Products so Expensive in other Countries?

by GeeksModo Staff

We all know Apple is an American company and enjoys making a large chunk of their revenue domestically. But Apple sells their products in many international markets and even has retail stores in 24 foreign countries. Some of those markets, like Japan, have access to Apple products at a price comparable to the US. For example an iPhone 12 Pro Max (128GB) costs 117,800 yen in Japan, which is about 1,099 USD. And when you consider the country’s 8% sales tax is included in that price, it actually makes the iPhone 12 Pro Max about $20 cheaper than in the US. Although this fluctuates depending on the conversion rate. But not every country is lucky enough to pay comparable prices for Apple products.

So why are Apple products so expensive in these countries? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to find out in this article.

Why are Apple products overpriced?

one of the biggest reasons why Apple products are so expensive overseas is because of taxes. And the perfect example of this is the Value Added Tax or VAT, which exists in over 140 countries around the world. But despite its prevalence, it isn’t something that exists in the US.

In Brazil for example, the iPhone 12 Pro Max with 512GB of storage will cost you a whopping $2,535! Yup, for those living in Brazil, they will be paying more than $1,000 more than those who are living stateside. This doesn’t really come as a surprise due to the high taxes in the country for certain tech-related products.

Other countries outside the US aren’t faring that well either, where over in India, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is priced at $2,159, which is rather ironic given that these are supposed to be emerging markets, so it’s odd that Apple would price their products well out of reach for a lot of customers living in the region.

Countries like Brazil tend to levy a huge tax on products that aren’t made in the country, and even though Apple has shifted some of its production over to the country, there could be other reasons as to why Apple products are so expensive.

So let me explain how it works.

In places like the European Union a VAT is a consumption tax added to the price of goods and services. Products exported abroad aren’t typically subject to the Value Added Tax, but imported goods, like Apple products, are. And depending on the country, prices of these goods can increase up to 25%. And unlike the US, consumption taxes in most countries abroad are included in a product’s retail price. So when you notice the iPhone 12 Pro Max 500GB selling for $2,535 in Brazil compared to $1,400 in the US, that isn’t really a fair comparison, since US prices don’t include local sales tax. Now if you’re doing the math, you’ll find that iPhone prices in countries like Brazil still don’t add up. Because if their Value Added Tax is 25% on a $1,400 phone, they should be paying $1,775. But instead, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is priced about $760 higher. And that’s because taxes is just one part of the complex equation companies like Apple use when calculating retail prices.

Another factor to consider are any associated costs with importation. Things like import duties, shipping, insurance costs, and tariffs all contribute to price inflation when selling products overseas. India is a great example of this. They’ve enacted something called the Foreign Direct Investment policy which punishes foreign companies who don’t source at least 30% of their products components from Indian suppliers. And since Apple doesn’t meet that standard, they’re restricted from opening retail stores in the country in addition to being hit with a 20% tariff. There’s also an 11.4% custom duty on imported products in addition to the Value Added Tax that we discussed earlier. And when you add all that up, it isn’t surprising that customers in India pay a 28% premium for products like the iPhone. Now Apple is taking steps to not only price their products more competitively in India but also to open their first retail store in the country. I’ll talk about that in more detail near the end of the article.

Now you may imagine import costs only being a factor in foreign markets, but they can also effect customers in the US. Recently President Trump planned to implement a 10% tax on Chinese imports which would effect tech companies like Apple. Now that deadline was pushed back to December 15th, but Tim Cook would like to see the tax eliminated altogether. In fact, he met with Trump and apparently made a convincing argument since Trump told reporters, “Tim was talking to me about tariffs and … he made a good case … that Samsung is their number one competitor and Samsung is not paying tariffs. I thought he made a very compelling argument so I’m thinking about it.” Now if the decision isn’t reversed and Apple has to pay the 10% tax, they’d have to make a decision: Increase prices in the US by 10%, or keep prices the same and allow their profit margin to take a major hit. Both of which are dangerous for the company. If Apple raises prices it would exacerbate the issue of slowing of hardware sales, but if they allow their margins to fall 10%, it would severely damage their profit potential. So depending on how this story plays out, US customers made soon be feeling the effects of tariffs that foreign countries have been dealing with for years.

Something else that may contribute to high prices are legally binding consumer guarantees that exist in places like the EU. For example, when you buy an Apple product in the US, you receive a standard one year limited warranty that covers faulty parts, product defects, or other conditions that the manufacturer is responsible for. But the problem is companies are free to define their warranty terms as they see fit. That’s why only certain components may be covered, or you may have to pay a fee to ship the product back to the manufacturer. And that’s exactly why the EU established a consumer guarantee that offers customers much more protection than a standard warranty. Customers in the EU are entitled to a minimum two year warranty in addition to the standard manufacturer’s warranty. And this adds quite a bit of liability for companies like Apple who typically offset the risk by increasing the price of their products.

But when it comes to foreign markets, a major concern is the volatility of each country’s currency. Just take the UK for example. When Brexit happened, there was a 19% drop in the value of their currency compared to the dollar, which caught a lot of companies off guard and caused them to quickly adjust their prices to keep pace with the UK’s currency fluctuation. Apple understands which foreign markets are most susceptible to this volatility and preemptively raises their prices. You can see this clearly with South Africa. Notice how the value of its currency has fluctuated over the past five years compared to the EU, Australia, and Mexico. And that volatility is a major reason why Apple inflates their product’s prices in South Africa beyond what’s typically seen in other foreign markets.

But in order to truly understand Apple’s pricing overseas, we have to consider the American market. Because consumer behavior in the US can be quite different than those in other regions, mainly because American society is very consumption-based. We have the most credit cards issued per capita in the world, with each person charging an average of $4,000 annually. Compare this to other countries like the UK or France, who opt instead for Debit Cards and therefore charge less than $300 on their credit cards every year. You can see companies like Apple capitalizing on America’s “buy now, pay later” mindset by offering monthly payment plans for their products. And all of this amounts to US customers buying a higher volume of products more frequently, allowing Apple to charge less than other countries which don’t have a comparable level of consumerism.

Now up to this point we’ve discussed pretty concrete reasons why Apple prices their products higher in some foreign countries. But there’s one last factor I want to discuss that’s less easy to prove with hard facts, and that is brand image. Apple is considered a premium brand in countries like India where the average smartphone selling price is $200. So when it comes to the iPhone XS price of $1,285, it makes sense that only the wealthy class in India could afford them. And if Apple knows their product will only be accessible to the upper class, why not charge as much as you can? It’s an approach taken by many luxury clothing brands, whose customers have no problem overspending on items that ultimately serve as a status symbol. And you can find evidence of this when comparing the iPhone’s price to other flagship smartphones. For example, the Galaxy S10 retails for $900 in the US, and $935 in India. An increase of just $35. The LG V40 retails for $900 in the US, and $700 in India. That’s a discount of $200. And when you compare those prices to the iPhone’s $285 premium in India, it supports the idea that Apple is simply extracting as much revenue from customers in India as possible, since they know people with money with pay any price for their premium phones anyway. It would also make sense then that iPhones have only captured about one percent of India’s smartphone market, which is a shame considering India’s sizable population.

But Tim Cook has made it clear that Apple has an aggressive plan to grow their presence in the region and make India one of their biggest sources of revenue. It all started earlier this year when Foxconn began trial runs of iPhone production in India, setting the foundation for Apple to one day manufacture their smartphones in the region and satisfy the 30% local sourcing rule. This would allow Apple to avoid India’s 20% tariff in addition to opening their own retail stores in the country for the very first time. In fact, Apple has already finalized a list of several locations in the country where they might build their store. But they’re went a step further by saying they’d overhaul the company’s relationship with independent retailers, and improve apps and services aimed more closely at Indians. So while Apple is known for being a pricey brand in the US, their products are typically even more expensive abroad. Perhaps they can take measures like those in India to reduce their tax burden and drop prices, but it’s more likely that customers in foreign markets will have to continue biting the bullet and shell out the extra money for their favorite products.

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How to install 2 WhatsApp on iPhone without jailbreak

by GeeksModo Staff

This article explains How to install 2 WhatsApp on iPhone without jailbreak.

This guide applies to all iPhone models including iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Continue reading to learn How to install 2 WhatsApp on iPhone without jailbreak.

Why have two Whatsapp on iPhone?

It is quite common these days to have multiple mobile numbers. Most people have one number for personal use and one for business use. People these days prefer to communicate on the internet. One of the most famous platforms for communication over the internet is Whatsapp. 1.5 billion users in 180 countries make WhatsApp the most popular messaging app in the world. The main drawback with whatsapp is that it is only designed for single number use. It is not designed to support multiple numbers at the moment. As we all know most smartphone manufactures are offering devices with multi-sim support. Apple also started E-sim support from iPhone Xs.
Android devices have features like cloning applications for years now. This cloning feature allows users to use the same applications with different accounts simultaneously. While on the iOS side, it is quite challenging to clone applications. One method that is difficult and only a few people use is they jailbreak their iPhone/iPad and then clone applications. But this method is cumbersome and not many users prefer to jailbreak their devices.
There is still an easy method for iPhone and iPad users to get two WhatsApp accounts running at the same time on their devices. Read on to learn how to install 2 WhatsApp on iPhone without jailbreak.

How to Use Two Whatsapp accounts on your iPhone and iPad

Whatsapp is not designed to use two different numbers simultaneously. But Whatsapp realized this problem that many people these days use different numbers for their personal and business use. So Whatsapp released a separate application for their business users. Now you can get one Whatsapp for personal use and one Whatsapp for your business use on your iPhone running iOS 10 or later.
The method is pretty simple. Follow these steps to get two Whatsapp accounts on your iPhone and iPad:

  1. Assuming you already have normal Whatsapp installed on your device, head over to AppStore and search for Whatsapp Business.
  2. Next, be sure to Activate whatsapp with a secondary number you have. The secondary number you use should be able to receive texts.
  3. Once you get a verification text, simply activate whatsapp on your iPhone.

The Whatsapp Business app is the same as the normal Whatsapp app but it also allows you to set different tasks related to business like setting up auto-reply text messages, Organize your contacts or chats with labels, so you can easily find them again, etc.

Tag: iPhone Tips
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