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.

nIf you have a web page that you access on a regular basis, a great feature on your iPad and iPhone is that you can make that web page appear as a App on your Home Screen.

Then, whenever you want to access that web page, all you need to do is to tap on that App - and you will be taken straight to that web page in the Safari App.

Does your iPad or iPhone have the correct name? Or does it have the generic name of iPad or iPhone?

When you use features like Airdrop and Personal Hotspot, it is essential that your device is named so it can be distinguished from other devices.

A generic name for the device could make it hard to identify it if you are in a crowded place where lots of other iPhones and iPads are 'broadcasting' their names.

A very low-key announcement was made by Apple overnight about some new products.  There was not the usual 'event' to make the announcement, indicating that these products are perhaps nothing significant in the scheme of Apple product evolution.

Here are today's articles about the announced products - a replacement iPad for the iPad Air that will be a bit cheaper (but faster); a special edition red iPhone 7/7Plus; some new Apple Watch watchbands; and some iOS App news.

• Every new product Apple just announced: iPad, red iPhone 7, Apple Watch bands, and more

A new iPad model

A new, cheaper iPad will be available to order online from 25/3/17, and available in store in early April.

This new iPad will be a upgrade from the iPad Air 2, but will not support the Apple Pencil or keyboard - these will still only work with the new, more expensive iPad Pro.  

While they new iPad may not support these 'add-on' accessories, the price of the new iPad is significantly less than those iPad Pro models - and the new iPads will do nearly everything else that an iPad Pro can do!   

The new iPad will come in 32GB and 128GB models.  In Australia, the following retail prices will apply:

• 32GB Wi-Fi only: $469   ($569 for cellular version)
• 128GB Wi-Fi only:  $599.  (799 for cellular version)

As you can see in the above pricing, you will add another $200 to each of these models if you want to have the cellular capability (i.e. you want a SIM card in the iPad so that you can use mobile data 'on the go' on the iPad).

The iPad Pro of the same size retails for $849 for the 32GB Wi-Fi only model ($1049 with cellular), and $999 for the 128GB WiFi only version ($1199 with cellular).                        

That's quite a difference in price!  

Most iTandCoffee clients and subscribers would are not 'power' users of their iPad would find the new, cheaper model perfectly adequate for their requirements. 

It will also be interesting to see the price that will apply to the 'now old' iPad Air 2 that retailers currently have in stock - these may end up being quite a bargain, and also worth considering for those on a budget.

If you need further advice on which iPad to buy, iTandCoffee can assist.  Just call 1300 885 420 to make an appointment.                                                   

There is such a long list of things to do when setting up your child's school iPad, and I always wonder how he average parent can possible complete this list of setup tasks without assistance!.

Last year, I put this list in writing while setting up my son's school iPad.  I am including it again here just in case others might find it useful at the start of another school year.

(Please note that this is intended as a checklist, and does not include the 'how to' of every step.  iTandCoffee can help with this if anyone gets stuck!)

Don't forget to do the same setup on their iPhone (and iPod touch) too.

First, get the iPad (or iPhone) up to the latest iOS

• The current version of iOS on the iPad and iPhone is iOS 10.2.1.  
• Check in Settings -> General -> About to see what Version the device is currently running.
• If it is not up to 10.2.1 go to Settings -> General -> Software Update and download and install the latest version.

Does your child have their own Apple ID:

• ​Each child MUST have their own Apple ID for iCloud - DO NOT set them up with your 'family' Apple ID, or any other 'shared' Apple iD.  This will create a major mess.
• If child does not already have an Apple ID and is under 13: Go to Family on parent's iPad or iPhone - Settings -> iCloud -> Family - and create a child's Apple ID
• If your child does not already have an Apple ID and is 13 or over: The child can create their own Apple ID from Settings -> iCloud.  (Or you can create this Apple ID for them from Family Sharing, by creating child's Apple ID).
• If your child already has an Apple ID of their own, there is no need to set up a new one.  They can continue using the existing Apple ID.

Set up Family Sharing and link the child's Apple ID

• Link each child's Apple ID to a parent's iCloud ID through iCloud -> Family 
• Put the parent in charge of authorising purchases 
• Turn on tracking of their devices, just in case they get lost.
• Make sure Mum has Find my iPhone set up so that she can locate 'mislaid' iPads (and iPhones)

Set up iCloud on each device

• Sign in to iCloud on each of the kids' iPads using the child's Apple ID (if they are not already signed in).
• Turn on iCloud Drive so that the kids' school work would saved to iCloud, and would be available at icloud.com if they leave their iPad at school!  (Note.  Each device they use will need to have the same settings turned on.)
• Don't turn on iCloud Photo Library and iCloud Keychain unless you really understand these features (won't go into why here, but I generally recommend leaving these off for the kids).

Sign in to iTunes and App Store on the child's device

• For iTunes and App Store, sign in using the child's Apple ID.
• Make sure that iTunes password and parental authorisation is required for every iTunes/App download and that In App Purchases is disabled.

Set up security and privacy

• Set up a strong Passcode on each device (preferably 6-digit) and, in the case of newer models, also set up fingerprints.  Consider setting up parent fingerprint as well.
• Make sure the parent knows each of the passcodes, in case of need to access the devices.
• In Privacy settings, make sure that Location Services is turned on for Find My iPhone and essential apps and features only - turned if off for Camera, so that the kids' photos would not include their location.
• Check all other Privacy settings to ensure child's privacy is protected

Do you want them messaging and video chatting?

• Decide on whether you want child to have access to iMessage and Facetime on these school-use devices.
• I personally don't want my early secondary child using the iPads for messaging/video chatting instead of studying
• Turn off iMessage and Facetime from Settings (if this is your choice).

​
Set up the Parental Controls

• Go to Restrictions area in Settings->General and set up Parental Controls for the device.  
• A couple of essential restrictions for younger kids are to 'Limit Adult Content' for websites and ensure only age-appropriate media and apps  is allowed.  ('Limit Adult Content' also ensures they can't clear their web browsing history, so you can do spot checks if needed.)
• Restrict 'explicit' language
• Lock down all Privacy and Account settings once they have been established, to prevent changes (deliberate or inadvertent) by the kids. (This stops them turning on iMessage, adding Facebook, adding email accounts, allowing apps to use their location, etc.
• Make sure that the 'Restrictions passcode' set by the parent is a code that the kids will never guess (and that Mum/Dad won't forget!)

Safely store all those passwords

• Make sure all of the ids and passwords for the kids devices are known by the parent/s and stored in a 'password safe' app on parent's iPhone
• I recommend using the iOS app 1Password for this - free from the App Store
• Get the kids to install this app as well, for storing all the passwords they generate over time.

Stop them destroying their hearing!

• Limit volume on i-Devices when the child uses earphones
• This is done by setting the maximum volume in Settings -> Music
• Then go to Restrictions and 'prevent changes' to music volume.

Ensure each device backs up to iCloud

• It is essential to ensure that the child's device is backed up
• The easiest way to ensure this occurs on a regular basis is to back up to iCloud
• Turn on iCloud Backup, and make sure they will enough storage in their iCloud for all their school work.
• This may mean purchasing additional storage - cost is $1.49 per month for 50GB of storage.

Who can be their friend in Game Centre?

• If you allow games on their school iPads, decide if you want them playing games with friends via Game Centre.
• In Restrictions, decide whether to restrict their ability to play 'multiplayer games' and add friends

Over the holiday break, I finally took some time to attempt to tidy up my Photos library, which is currently sitting at around 28,000 videos and photos.

When doing a clean out, the first area I look at is my Videos album - and get rid of anything that I don't need to keep.

But another area that can contain a large amount of wasted storage is the Bursts album - showing the sets of photos that were taken on your iPad or iPhone by holding down (instead of tapping) the white button in the Camera app.

By simply clearing out all the additional photos hidden by these bursts, I managed to claw back about 1GB of storage!

If you are not sure how to sort out all these hidden space wasters in Bursts, check out these members-only Handy Hints for iTandCoffee Club members:

• Clearing out Bursts of Photos that are not needed on the iPhone and iPad
• Cleaning out Bursts of Photos on your Mac

​
Not yet a member of the iTandCoffee Club?  Find out more here ›

Early this year, I purchased an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil - figuring that I needed to trial these new products, to determine whether it is worth recommending them to others.  

I really didn't think that I needed this new iPad.  I loved the idea of the Apple Pencil, but worried that I wouldn't make enough use of it to justify the cost.  I was wrong!

I very quickly fell in love with my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, using them every day to take client notes and draw diagrams for classes.  I have the larger version of iPad Pro, and love its size as well.  I love looking at photos on its stunning screen.

My app of choice for hand-writing my client notes on my iPad Pro is Evernote. 

All my client notes are in a 'Client Notes' Notebook in Evernote, meaning that these Notes are accessible from all of my devices - iPhone, iPad, iMac, Macbook, Windows laptop, and Android device.  (Yes, I have all of these! Crazy, I know).  I can view notes in alphabetical order, date created or updated order, and I can even search for words or phrases in these hand-written notes.  Yes, Evernote can recognise text in handwritten notes and images.

​(If you want to find out more about Evernote, we have a class for that - click here for details!  If you can't get to iTandCoffee, but are interested in this class, we have an online video of the class - here are details of how to access this Evernote class video)

I find being able to hand-write notes during appointments with clients is so much more natural (and less 'obtrusive' during the appointment) than typing.  The ability to describe what I am teaching with diagrams is also an amazing aid.  'Rubbing out' mistakes makes it easy to keep my notes nice and tidy, and I can even add colour and highlighting to emphasise areas of the notes.  At the end of the appointment, I print and/or send the notes to the client - something that my clients have loved.

Now, all of my client 'files' are paperless and accessible from any device, and from anywhere.  

Do you know the name of your iPhone or iPad?  Is it correctly named?

So often, I see clients who are puzzled to see that, when they look for their device on 'Find my iPhone'. in iTunes or connecting to their 'Personal Hotspot, their device seems to be identified with another family member's name.

Quite often, this is symptomatic of family iCloud issues (where a device is, incorrectly, signed in to iCloud with an Apple ID that belongs to another family member - oops!).  Does each member of your household have a different Apple ID for iCloud?  They should.  (See below for articles about this topic.)

Regardless of what has caused the issue with your device name, it is quite easy to change the name of your iPad or iPhone.

Just visit Settings -> General -> About to see the Name of your device.

If it is not correct, tap on the name shown, and just change it to the correct name.  Easy!

From that point on, you will see that your device is correctly identified.

Have you been told by a helpful family member or friend that it is ESSENTIAL that you regularly 'close' your apps on your iPad or iPhone, to avoid draining your battery or over-using your internet data?

Every week, I see clients who, while they may know only a limited amount about their iPad or iPhone, will show me this key 'trick' that their kids or grandkids have shown them.

Well, here's one you can tell those kids and grandkids!  

​It is NOT necessary to do this.

While it is definitely necessary to keep the number of 'open' apps under control on a computer, iPads and iPhones (and other mobile devices) are quite different in how they manage your Apps.

When an app is not in use, it goes into a 'suspended' state, and is not consuming data or battery.

Instead, the kids and grandkids should be telling you to check that other more important settings, to ensure that you don't unexpected consume battery and data.

Find out what setting to adjust to conserve data and battery in these past iTandCoffee articles.  You will see, this topic features regularly in this blog!

• The myth about closing your iPad and iPhone apps regularly ..
• That regular article about how to improve your iPhone battery life!
  
• A change I made on my iPhone that has made a massive difference to my battery life             
• Apps that drain the life out of your iPhone and iPad battery ...             
• Yet another tip for how to improve your battery life      
  
• View your battery usage by App