 iTandCoffee Club member Sarah mentioned a very strange problem that was driving her crazy with her new Mac and its keyboard. We wondered if it might be a fault with the keyboard.
Her problem was that, as she typed, the cursor would suddenly jump from her current typing position to some other random place in the document/email. And certain letters just weren't working. Sarah did some further Googling about this problem after our appointment and found a solution to her problem. It was an Accessibility feature that had been inadvertently switch on.
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 I love this feature, which arrived as part of iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.4. It is called Universal Control.
If you use both a Mac and an iPad (see below for supported models), you can set up your devices so that your mouse and keyboard work across both screens. This means you don't need a separate keyboard and mouse for your iPad when you are using your Mac. Of course, you could also connect a mouse and keyboard to your iPad using bluetooth, or you could use a supported Apple or third-party keyboard that directly connects to your iPad without Bluetooth. But this Universal Control feature is great for when you are using your iPad as a second screen while using your Mac (which I do every day - in fact, my iPad is my third screen, as I have a MacBook Pro with a big monitor as the main screen). 28/6/2022 0 Comments Could your MacBook be eligible for free service or replacement of its troublesome keyboard? Last week, I visited an iTandCoffee client who was having problems with her 2018 MacBook Pro's keyboard. Certain keys were sticking and it was driving her crazy.
I remembered that, about three years ago, I was having the same problem with my own 2017 MacBook Pro. I had discovered during a visit to an Apple Authorised Repairer that my computer was eligible for the keyboard service program, which Apple had put in place after acknowledging deficiencies with the keyboard on that model of MacBook Pro. The entire keyboard of my own MacBook Pro had been replaced. So we checked if that service program was still available, and whether her MacBook Pro qualified.  I have been regularly making use of a really handy feature of iOS 12 - available on iPad and iPhone. It is a feature that was previously only available to those who had an iPhone 6s or newer, and wasn't previously available at all on the iPad.
Watch this short video to find out more.
This week we have a bit of a 'shortcuts' theme in our blog articles. In another article, we looked at a great 'keyboard shortcut' for Mac. Let's look here at a great shortcut that saves time - and typing - on the iPad and iPhone.
There are some phrases - words, sentences, ID codes, email addresses - that we need to type over and over - sometimes more than once each day.
Wouldn't it be easier to just type two or three letters, and have the longer phrase automatically appear, saving you all that typing effort? When I travelled overseas, I lost count of how many times I had to enter my email address, my Qantas Cash account number, passport number and overseas mobile phone number. More recently, I have to frequently provide bank account details, and can never remember the account number and BSB. And we also find ourselves entering our email address and mobile phone number over and over. I do have my Qantas Cash and bank account details stored away in password safe on my iPhone, but it is tedious and takes time to look them up each time. No longer do I have to look up these details. I simply type a few letters, and the numbers/details magically appear.  If you have one of the newer iPhones - the iPhone 6S or 7 (including the Plus versions), then you have a great feature that makes editing text so much easier. You can use your iPhone's keyboard as a trackpad, to move the cursor position more easily than the using the usual 'insertion point' method (touching the screen until you see the 'magnifying glass' and then moving your finger over text). Watch a demonstration of this handy feature in this week's Handy Hint for iPad and iPhone users. Members of The iTandCoffee Club can view this tip any time. Not yet a member? Find out more about the iTandCoffee Club here » Related Handy Hints and Articles
Handy Hints (for iTandCoffee Club Members only - find out more here »)
 Sandy W asks: "I've lost the microphone to dictate texts on my iPhone. Can u help please?" Sandy had previously made frequent use of the dictation feature of the iPad and iPhone, to dictate emails, texts and even documents. This had saved her a LOT of typing. (Have you discovered this wonderful feature? We cover this and other great tops in the 'Typing and Editing on the iPad and iPhone' user guide, available in digital or printed format.) Sandy had found that the the keyboard microphone that she had previously always found on the left side of the Space bar was no longer present. Nothing she tried seemed to bring it back. Try these solutions ...There are a couple of places to check if your keyboard's microphone disappears.
If this doesn't solve your problem, it may be that your Restrictions are turned on, and that microphone is turned off in Restrictions.
Related Handy Hints and ArticlesHandy Hints (for iTandCoffee Club members only - find out more here)
Blog articles (all readers)
 Have you ever wondered how to quickly access symbols like £ and ¢ on your iPad and iPhone keyboard? Or how you can include a º sign when describing the temperature? This was the first handy hint published by iTandCoffee, way back in August 2013. So, it is about time it was updated to reflect the lastest iPad and iPhone screens. iTandCoffee Club members can view this members-only Handy Hint here. It includes a short video, as well as text instructions (for those who prefer that format). (Some of you will notice that I have also removed that incredibly annoying music at the start and end of the video. Seemed really clever at the time, but is now just plain annoying!) If you are not yet a member of The iTandCoffee Club, find out more here. Related Handy Hints (for iTandCoffee Club Members only - find out more here)22/11/2015 0 Comments An emoji for every occasion in iOS 9
The 'Introduction to the iPad and iPhone' class series will run again in January 2016. If you are interested in attending, or would like to enquire about this or other classes, please email [email protected].
Related articles and handy hints
 In the last blog post, I found myself wanting to type a cent symbol - but couldn't, for the life of me, remember where to find it on my Mac keyboard.
So, of course, I Googled it! For those out there who might also need this symbol in future, it is found by typing Option-4. |
What's on at iTandCoffee ?Below is our list of videos, classes and other events that are coming up soon.
Videos shown are offered for eligible members of the iTandCoffee Club. If you have questions, why not join fun and informative 'user group' meetings, held once a month. All iTandCoffee classes are run as online classes (using Zoom), which means you can attend from anywhere. |
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(also located in Daylesford)
(also located in Daylesford)
Call +61 444 532 161 or 1300 885 420
to book an appointment or class, or to enquire about our services and products
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