The Calendar App on the Mac (and the iPad and iPhone) allows for the creation of multiple Calendars, each that can have a different colour.  I use this feature to segregate my business, personal and family events.

Here are some previous Handy Hints about to topic of multiple Calendars:

• Creating and using multiple calendars on the iPad and iPhone 
• Sharing Calendars from your iPad and iPhone

For many people, the Calendar app has unnecessary Calendars that they would rather just merge  - perhaps to have a single Calendar.

This has previously been quite a tricky exercise.

In MacOS Sierra, merging of Calendars has become a very easy thing to do.

Find out how you can Merge Two Calendars in this week's Handy Hint for iTandCoffee Club members.

• Merging two Calendars in MacOS Sierra

If you are not yet a member of The iTandCoffee Club, find out more here.

Macworld's recent edition included news of a battery replacement offer from Apple for anyone who has an iPhone 6S that is unexpectedly shutting down.

If you are suffering this problem, it would be worth visiting your local Apple Store and seeing if you qualify for this replacement.  

​I suspect you will have to make a Genius Bar appointment, but the article doesn't specifically say this.

Here is the article if you need further information: Apple offers new battery for iPhone 6s phones that suddenly shut down - Macworld Australia                                                                

The Notes App underwent a major overhaul in iOS 10 - with some nice formatting options, the ability to scribble or hand-write a note, sorting options, the ability to set a password and more.  

On the iPad, these options are on the Predictive Text bar.  To reveal these options on the iPhone, just tap the + symbol above the predictive text bar, on the right.

For some people, however, these options do not appear in their Notes app, even though they have  'Upgraded' their Note app to the latest version.

Why is this?

The answer is quite simple.  The new options are only available for iCloud Notes, not for Notes that you store in your Hotmail, Live, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Exchange or any other account.

If you haven't yet enable your iCloud Notes option, you will need to turn on the Notes option in Settings -> iCloud (assuming you have actually signed in to iCloud).

Any Notes that you create in a Folder under the iCloud account will then have access to the new features.

Since updating my iMac to MacOS Sierra, I have suffered constant freezes and crashes - which have gotten worse and worse, to the point where I have had to restart my Mac several times a day.

I have been nearly tearing my hair out - something that I can't afford to do!

I had tried everything I could think of to diagnose the problem.  The hard drive is fine, there is no hardware issue, no sneaky malware hijacking my computer, and I have been monitoring ingoing and outgoing network traffic using a handy app called Little Snitch.  

Nothing I tried seem to help resolve my problem.

I was on the verge of wiping my Mac and re-installing Sierra when I decided to try one last thing.

At the Free Friday held last Friday (18/11) for iTandCoffee Club members, we covered part 2 of the Exploring the features of iOS 10 topic.  

(Here is the video from that Free Friday session - for iTandCoffee Club members only.)

While going through all the great new features of iOS 10, there were some attendees who found that they did not have all the features that we were exploring.

For anyone with an iPhone 5 or 5C, certain features of iOS 10 are not available.  Here is an article on this topic for anyone who has one of these iPhones.

• iOS 10 Features That Are Not Available on iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C

​
Here is a useful article from Macworld with lots of information about iOS 10 - installing it, which devices are eligible to run iOS 10, and which of the older devices may struggle a bit with it.

• Here's how to try the new version of iOS.                                                                ​                                                               

As someone who is often sorting through my mail early in the morning, late at night and at weekends, I sometimes send emails that I would prefer don't reflect the ridiculous hour that I am working.  

While I want to get them sorted and sent right then and there, I would sometimes rather set a delay so that they send during business hours!

The Mac's Mail app does not currently have a built-in feature that allows for a delay to be set on when an email is sent. 

Another feature not included in the Mac Mail app is the ability to 'defer' an incoming email, so that it pops up in my Inbox - at the top of the list of incoming messages - at a later time.  

The good news is that these features - plus several other great features - can be added to your Mac's mail.

Find out more about how to add these Mail features in this week's Mac handy hint for iTandCoffee Club members.

• Adding some great extra features to your Mail app on Mac​

If you are not yet a member of our club and would like to access a huge range of great tips like this, find out more about The iTandCoffee Club here.

Dianne S asks:  "Would you recommend we renew our Trend Micro internet security, or do you believe there is a better one?"  

Dianne had initially used the anti-virus product that came with her Windows 10 computer, but now wonders if that is the best one to use - and pay for - in future.

When it comes to anti-virus protection on your Windows computer, the product you choose really depends on who is using the computer, the sort of things you/they are doing on the computer, whether you have kept your Windows and browser software up to date, and whether you have any nasty browser plug-ins like Java.

Please consider your friends when setting up your iCloud and iMessage!  If you are already using iCloud and iMessage, please, please check the Apple ID that you are using, and whether any other members are using that same ID.

If you have your Messages app set up incorrectly on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, your friends may be inadvertently sharing their deepest secrets with other members of your family when they send you a message via the Messages app.

For the sake of others who send texts to you, and who would like to think that they are only corresponding with you, please make sure that you are not using a 'shared' Apple ID for Messages.

​Let's look at how you can check this.

A client this week asked how he could stop a Netflix subscription that was not really being used and was no longer needed.

He had logged into his Netflix account, and tried to cancel it from there, but found that it gave him a message saying that the subscription was managed by iTunes, so it had to be cancelled there.

This has been covered previously in this blog.  Here is a link to the relevant iTandCoffee Handy Hint that shows how to turn off such iTunes subscriptions:  How to turn off subscriptions from your iPad and iPhone.

This is a members-only Handy Hint for iTandCoffee Club members.  Find out more about The iTandCoffee Club here.

In past versions of iOS 10, it was very easy to save one or more images that were attached to an email.  

You simply pressed the 'Reply/Forward' symbol, and chose the Save Image option.  Here is how it used to look.

I had not noticed until this past week that this Save Image option no longer appears in the 'Reply/Forward' list of options.

So how do you now save photos that you receive in your Mail to your Photos?

Just touch and hold on the image in the body of then email until you see the 'Share' menu pop up.

In the list of options along the bottom, you will see 'Save Image'.

If there are (say) 3 images you will also see 'Save 3 Images'. 

Tap either of these options to save your photo (or photos) to your Photos library on the iPad or iPhone.

You will find that the saved image/s will be in your Photos app, and will be the last photo/s in your Camera Roll album (or in your All Photos Album, if you have turned on iCloud Photo Library).

If you ever find that you Inbox has gone missing - something that happening in the Mail app of an iTandCoffee client just this past week - don't stress.  It is still there.

It has just been hidden away, but can be made visible again very easily.

This topic has been covered previously and is available for iTandCoffee members in this handy hint:  How to get back your Inbox when it goes missing in Mail!

If you are not yet a member of The iTandCoffee Club, find out more here.

I am regularly asked for suggestions on printers, especially those that have Wi-Fi capability and that work with iPhones and iPads (ie. that have the Airprint feature).

Having only just sent the below list of articles on this topic to a client, I figure the list is worth sharing with other iTandCoffee Newsletter subscribers.
​

• Standard printer reviews - CHOICE  (you need to be a Choice subscriber to see the relative 'scores' of the printers and their features)
• ​The Best All-in-One Printers of 2016 - Printer Reviews (PC Mag)
• Best printers of 2016 - CNET

If you have like to keep your mail organised - by filing your mail in your own set of Mailboxes - iOS 10 has made your task just that much easier.

But let's rewind first, for those who have not yet discovered the joy of being able to organise all those emails.

iOS Mail includes the capability to set up folders/subfolders for mail, and to then move/file mail messages in this set of folders (known as Mailboxes).

We have previously covered how to do this in the handy hint for iTandCoffee Club members:

• Managing mail on your iPad and iPhone             

iOS 10 has now added a really handy new feature that I have found a great help when filing messages that are in my Inbox - making this task much quicker.  

A new short video that shows how to create Mailboxes (and Mailboxes within Mailboxes), and highlights the new iOS 10 feature, has now been added to the members only area for iTandCoffee Club members.

See this new Handy Hint here:

• Organising your mail in iOS 10

Have you ever seen a message like the one shown in this image, when looking at posts on Facebook on either your iPad or iPhone?  

​I got the message shown here just recently, when looking at an article about The Bachelorette (yes - confession time - I watched it!).

I DEFINITELY don't want to tap OK, as I know that a message such as this is a scam.

​However, there appears to be no way to get rid of the message other than pressing OK, as any other navigation options in Facebook are not available until I clear this message.

So what do I do?

I simply close the app from the Multi-tasking screen.  

To bring up the Multi-tasking screen, I double-press (quickly) on the Home button to see a screen that shows all the apps that I have been running recently.

I then find the Facebook app (swiping left-to-right to bring it to the centre of the screen), then swipe it upwards to close it.

Once I have done this, I can re-open Facebook and continue browsing normally - that suspicious screen has disappeared.

If such a screen appears when you are browsing in Safari, a different set of actions is required.  

​Check out another iTandCoffee article on this topic for further information about what to do in this case.

• ​What to do when Safari is locked up by a nasty screen             

Imagine what it would be like to lose all your family's digital photos and other important documents that are stored on your computer, especially those relating to a recently departed loved one.

Sadly, this is what has happened to an iTandCoffee client just this week.

This poor woman, who is an AGL customer, was caught out by the AGL Email Scam - a scam email that look very legitimate, and that has been 'doing the rounds' for months now, catching out tens of thousands of people.

Don't be caught by the AGL Email Scam (or others like it)

The AGL scam email is particularly nasty.  I looks like a real AGL monthly bill notification.

Those who click on the mail message's attached .zip file on their Windows computer (as this lady did) will find that all their files suddenly become inaccessible, locked up by a 'ransomware' virus called 'Cryptolocker'.  (This .zip file does not work on Macs, iPads, and iPhones, so does not cause the same damage.) 

A message appears, asking that a ransom be paid - an amount of around $800.  This will supposedly then release all the files and allow the victim to continue using their computer.

Unfortunately, even if the ransom is paid and the files are unlocked, the computer may still be infected with the virus and the criminals will be able to continue monitoring the computer and tracking keystrokes - meaning that further theft of money and private information could occur.  

Here is an article about this AGL scam, for anyone who has not heard of it and the damage that it does.

What can be done if you are caught out by this ransomware?

For those who are 'stung' by this nasty virus, the best solution is to restore from a backup.  Unfortunately, so few people actually do backups of their computers - including this particular lady. 

So, what can this lady do to retrieve all her precious photos and files if she has no backup?  Sadly, it is unlikely that she can if she does not pay the ransom.  

Her best bet before she does anything is to consult an IT professional who can advise on whether there is any chance of retrieving her precious files.  

If she decides to pay the ransom and gets access again to her data, her photos and files should be saved to an external hard drive.  Her best bet then would be to have her computer wiped and the operating system re-installed, to start with 'a clean slate'.

iTandCoffee can assist with this - just call 1300 885 420 to find out more.

Are you backing up your computer?

If you are not doing a regular backup of your computer, you are putting yourself at serious risk of losing everything that is stored on that computer.

Just this week, iTandCoffee has seen two clients who have suffered computer problems and have not had backups.  The stress that this causes is enormous - especially when it comes to lost photos.

Don't put it off!  Start backing up the precious data on your computer, iPad, iPhone or other device today.

If you don't know how, it's time to arrange an appointment at iTandCoffee.  We can advise on the options and help you set up this essential protection for your valuable data.

Book an appointment online or call 1300 885 420.

This one is for my Aunty V, who had been finding that her iPhone was not ringing for long enough before switching through to voicemail. She was sick of running for the phone, only to find that she did not make it in time.

We fixed Aunty V's problem by extending the number of seconds that the phone rings, using a series of numbers and symbols on the phone's keypad.

Here are the instructions for each of the main Telcos:

• Telstra: **61*101** (number of seconds: 15, 20, 25 or 30) #.  Then press the call/send button.
• Optus: **61*321** (number of seconds: 15, 20, 25 or 30) #.  Then press the call/send button.
• Vodafone:  **61*61414121000** (number of seconds: 15, 20, 25 or 30) #.  Then press the call/send button.

Examples:  
   To extend Telstra rings to 30 seconds, enter         **61*101**30#  then the call/send button
   To extend Optus rings to 30 seconds,enter           **61*321**30#  then the call/send button
   To extend Vodafone rings to 30 seconds,  enter   **61*61414121000**30#  then the call/send button

If you have different mobile phone service provider to those listed, just try entering a Google search phrase like "extend the ring time for your mobile vodafone” (replacing 'vodafone' with the name of your mobile service provider) and find an answer to this question in the listed Google results.

For those of you who have been waiting for the go-ahead on iOS 10, it might now be time to think about updating.  

On Oct 27, Apple released a 'major' update to iOS 10, iOS 10.1. 

Then, hot on the heals of this iOS 10.1 release, Apple released a 'fix' for iOS 10.1 this week - so the latest version of iOS 10 is now (as at 5/11/16) iOS 10.10.1.

For those of you who had already installed iOS 10, 10.0.1, 10.0.2, 10.0.3 or 10.1, please do go ahead with this latest update, as there will be fixes for lots of little issues with the earlier releases of iOS 10 - as well as the new features described below.

For those who had not yet updated to iOS 10, I think that the upgrade and its updates have now 'bedded down' sufficiently for you to feel quite safe in going ahead with the update.   

Below we look at some of the features that  are worthy of mention in iOS 10.1 (and 10.1.1).  

For anyone who is an iTandCoffee Club member, our next Free Friday on Nov 18th at 9am will be part 2 of 'Discovering the new features of iOS 10', where we will look at more of the great new features of iOS 10, and answer questions relating to iOS 10.   Book here to reserve your place - seats are filling fast, so don't delay.

The video from the October Free Friday (where we looked at part 1 of 'Discovering the new features of iOS 10') is available here, for viewing by any iTandCoffee Club members who couldn't attend or who would like to refresh what we covered.

Are you a member of The iTandCoffee Club yet?  It's easy to join - find out more here.

When you upgrade (or are thinking of upgrading) an iPhone, iPad or Mac, it is often tricky to work out what to do with the device that you have replaced, especially if you don't have someone to whom to 'hand down' the device.  

If you are looking to save some money by buying a 'pre-loved' device, where do you go?  How do you find someone who might have a device to sell?

Of course there are options like Ebay and Gumtree for buying and selling second-hand devices, but many iTandCoffee clients and subscribers lack the knowledge or confidence to utilise these online buying and selling services.

For a while now, I have been toying with the idea of setting up a mechanism through which clients and subscribers can sell and buy second-hand devices - where iTandCoffee would provide the means by which buyers and sellers can find each other. 

With a newsletter subscriber-base now of well over 1000, it seem like there's no time like the present for iTandCoffee to kick off this idea, to see whether it 'has legs'!