Tips, Tricks and Articles about your Technology iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android, Office 365, Google services, iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, Apps, Social Media, Zoom, and more. |
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A friend contacted me this week asking for help in relation to a MacBook that had been dropped and, as a result, had a screen that wasn't working. The concern was whether it was just the display that had been damaged, or whether the Mac's hard drive had also been damaged.
When I asked whether there was a backup for the MacBook, my friend said that he thought that iCloud was backing up the Mac. This is something that I know many people have a misconception about - figuring that, because iCloud looks after backing up of Apple mobile devices and is also installed on the Mac, that it also does the backing up of the Mac as well. Here's the truth about iCloud and Mac backups.
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7/5/2020 0 Comments Does your iPad or Mac ring when your iPhone rings? Do you want to turn this off?
If it drives you crazy that your iPad and/or Mac rings whenever your iPhone rings, fear not - there is a very easy fix for this!
The Calls on Other Devices is a feature that allows any device (as long it is running a recent iOS version) that is signed in to your iCloud account to also make and receive phone calls. If you don't like this feature, just turn it off. 
One of the regular topics of discussion at our iTandCoffee User Group is 'the cloud' - and the various Cloud services that are available. What are they, why would you use them, and resolving issues with them.
During the special User Group held during filming of the Channel 9 News story, we looked at these topics. The video of this discussion and demonstration has been uploaded to the iTandCoffee Club members area, and is available for any members to view - just use the button below.  One of the great benefits of using Apple devices is their ability to 'talk to' each other.
Our Apple devices include a feature called Continuity. Continuity allows you to start something on one device and finish it on another - for example, start an email on your iPhone and finish it on your Mac. (We'll cover how this aspect of Continuity works in a future Handy Hint!) There is a particular Continuity feature that I use every day to save on typing, when signing in to apps and accounts on my Mac that need a two-factor authentication code from an Authenticator app on my iPhone. 14/1/2020 3 Comments How your kids can by-pass the 'Ask to Buy' requirement of iCloud Family Sharing While assisting a client to set up Parental Controls on her 12yo child's new iPhone this week, discussion turned to the topic of the 'Ask to Buy' setting in the Family Sharing setup of iCloud.
This setting allows a parent to remotely authorise (or not) a request from a child who is a member of their iCloud Family, to purchase/download content (even free apps). In this particular client's case, her child was very keen to get onto the social media platforms that her friends were already on. This mum was considering allowing her child on Instagram (as a Private account of course), so we installed it and set up the app so that it is a Private account. She was happy that she had control over what other social media Apps her child could download, through the Ask to Buy setting. But there is a catch to this setting that meant her child could have downloaded Apps or other content without having to ask for permission. All parents need to be aware of this 'back door'.
The topic of backups came up several times over the last couple of weeks, I have decided to re-publish the below article on this topic from November 2017, still relevant on today's iOS devices.
So many people that we see at iTandCoffee have never considered doing a backup of their iPad or iPhone. This puts them at great risk of losing their photos, messages, and lots of other information stored on their device.
While using iCloud can ensure that certain information is always protected from device loss or damage (through sync'ing of key information like Contacts, Calendar, Notes, Reminders, etc), not everything can be restored if a disaster strikes. These disasters could come in the form of a dropped or stolen device, a malfunctioning device, a forgotten passcode, or a failed update or upgrade. It is very easy to back up your iPad or iPhone - in fact, it can happen 'magically' each day, without you even thinking about it. This is done using a feature of iCloud called 'iCloud Backup'.
Have you been suffering from Photo Syncing problems on your iPhone, iPad and/or computer?
When you plug your iPhone (or iPad) into your computer, are you told that there are no photos to import - even though you know that you just took some new photos! Where are your photos? 8/6/2019 0 Comments Please check your iCloud setup - not just for your own sake, but for the sake of your friends!
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 family members are using that same ID. This article has been prompted by a recent visit to a client who discovered that, due to incorrect setup of devices in the household, her children (and perhaps husband) had been receiving some very private messages that were sent to her by a girlfriend. It was horrifying to think that the kids were privy to some very personal information shared between close friends. It highlighted once again that we all need to be aware of the fact that Messages we send to others may not just be going to that person! So be careful what you say! For the sake of others who Message 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. 
No sooner does one School Year finish and we’re thinking about the next.
For many parents with children heading off to secondary school for the first time, it is perhaps time to consider a first mobile phone for their child. It is also very common these days for even primary school children to carry a smartphone. It may also be the year that your child starts using an iPad, Mac or Windows laptop at school. Here are some things to think about before you hand over any of this type of technology to your child With our current program of school sessions for parents (teaching about parental controls on Apple mobile devices), we regularly come across families that suffer a nasty condition called 'iCloud Confusion'. So, here is a video that discusses this condition and give some quick tips about what to do to cure it. |
What's on at iTandCoffee ?Join us for a short, fun 'topic of the day' classes known as PTT sessions (Personal Training for your Technology fitness!).
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