This is a question that we get asked so regularly. What are the steps that are involved in downloading and installing software like Adobe Flash on the Mac? iTandCoffee Club member Sandra F asked this question this week in relation to Adobe Flash, which needed updating so that she could watch an ABC iView program on her Mac.

In writing the new version of the iTandCoffee guide The Safari App on the iPad and iPhone (iOS 11), we found ourselves describing a feature of the Safari app that we figured was well worth sharing in this blog.

It is such a handy feature - one that is simple to access and use, and just as easy to deactivate.

It is called Safari's Split View and it allows for the seamless use of two Safari windows at one time - just like having two devices side-by-side using the Safari app. I'll definitely be using this one a lot in future.

I was on a website yesterday that started one of those annoying videos that automatically plays. 

I really dislike the intrusion of the noise of these videos, and the waste of my internet data that goes with streaming them.

While I can simply 'mute' the autoplay video - by clicking the little speaker symbol that appears in the Safari address bar (on the right) - I would rather completely stop these videos from playing automatically.

In MacOS High Sierra, there will be a setting that makes it easy to turn off this 'autoplay' for each page you visit.

But if you can't wait for High Sierra, there is a way to turn off 'autoplay' on earlier versions of MacOS (or OS X).

Here is an article that describes how to do this.  

• ​Disable annoying autoplaying videos online and on Facebook

​It definitely works!  I have enjoyed the peace and quiet it has brought to my own web browsing!                                                               

A question asked at a recent 'Keeping your Kids safe on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch' session at a local primary school was "What effect does the limiting of Safari content in Restrictions on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch have on 'Private Browsing'".

The question relates to the feature of Safari that allows you to put your Safari browsing into a 'private' mode', where the history of your web browsing is not retained, and no 'website data' or 'cookies' are allowed.  

A change that seems to have arrived as part of MacOS Sierra 10.12.1 has been causing me lots of grief on a couple of the websites that I use day in, day out.

On my booking and account system websites, there has always been 'autofill' functionality that cleverly fills in the details of clients and suppliers based on information already stored in those two systems.  The client/supplier information that it fills in is specific to each system, and is not necessarily stored in my Contact data.

However, a new 'autofill' feature in MacOS Sierra and iOS 10 has enabled the filling in of these fields using my Contacts data instead.  This is making it hard to get to the built-in autofill details that are displayed by the system I am using, as the Contacts suggestions are displaying on top of the system autofill details.  Below shows an example of what happens on my booking system's website. 

Has anyone else been having issues with this?

Luckily, there is a solution - one that allows you to tell your Mac to stop offering Contacts suggestions for fields that represent names.

Find out how to do this on your Mac in this weeks' handy hint for iTandCoffee Club members.  

• Stop Safari from auto-filling fields with Contacts

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Not yet a member of The iTandCoffee Club?  Find out more here.

A look at MacOS Sierra - at the November Mac User Group

For anyone who is interested in coming along to a one-hour 'Mac User Group' session where we will look at the features of MacOS Sierra, the next Mac User Group will be held on Tuesday November 15th at 1pm.  

We need a minimum of 6 people for this session to proceed, so get your booking in ASAP if you are interested.  If you need more information, just call 1300 885 420.

In another recent article on the blog, I told the story of a young man whose Mac Safari session had appeared to be under attack - locking up and preventing him from doing any web browsing.

Even if he closed Safari, even when he restarted his Mac, he could not stop this nasty screen taking over his browsing session.

This is a form of Malware, and to stop it occurring, it is necessary to access Safari Preferences and Remove Website Data ...

However, how do you get into the Safari preferences if this screen keep taking over and preventing any selection of Safari options?

Find out how to resolve this sort of problem in this week's Handy Hint, for iTandCoffee Club Members.

This week, I met with an iTandCoffee Newsletter subscriber and iTandCoffee Club member who had been having issues when clicking on links in iTandCoffee newsletters.  He was finding that, even though he entered his login details an told Safari to 'remember' is details, each time he click on a 'members-only' link, he was being forced to enter his login details again. 

This was making it almost impossible for him to read iTandCoffee articles.

Well, it turned out that the problem was that his Safari app was in 'Private Browsing' mode, and that this was causing his problems.

What is Private Browsing Mode?  

If the background behind your Safari search bar (at top) is black, it means you are in 'Private Browsing' Mode.  If not, you are in 'Normal Browsing' mode.

The first image below shows a Safari session in Private mode, whereas the next shows normal browsing.

But, what does it mean to be in 'Private' vs 'Normal' browsing mode?

Find out more in this week's Handy Hint for iTandCoffee Club members ​by selecting the below button.  If you are not yet a member, why not Join Today?  Membership only costs $30 per year.
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I have lost count of how many times recentlyI have seen clients who have Macs and are running Chrome as their web browser.

Most of the time, when I ask them why they are using Chrome, they tell me it is because their kids told them that it is so much better than Apple's built-in web browser, Safari.

These clients have no real reason to prefer Chrome over Safari - the are just taking the advice of the supposedly tech-savvy younger generation.

Well, guess what?!  The younger generation don't always know best on technology matters.

I do not use Chrome on my Mac.  I use Safari. 

Why?

My Mac is an Apple device, and Apple has built Safari to work on my Mac - so I am happy to use Safari.  

I have never found Safari limiting and, since it closely matches the Safari App on the iPad and iPhone, it offers a consistent 'experience' between the Mac and the iPad/iPhone.

Chrome is a very 'power hungry' app and can drain you Macbook battery more rapidly than Safari.  As an intensive user of my web-browser on my Macbook, I do not want to see my battery usage wasted.

Quite often, IT suipport people who are not familiar with Mac will blame Safari for issues that they can't resolve - and recommend the Mac owner download and use Chrome instead of Safari.  Personally, I have never found a website that does not work with Safari.

For the majority of iTandCoffee clients, I would recommend sticking with Apple's standard Apps for Mac, and therefore sticking with Safari - despite what the kids (or Grandkids) and 'Windows-only' people say.

For those interested in reading more, here are some articles comparing web browsers.

• 10 Reasons You Shouldn’t Use Chrome on a MacBook
• Find the Best Web Browser for Your Devices: A Review of Chrome, Safari and Edge                                                                

This question comes up at every iTandCoffee class about Safari.  

What are those squares that appear when you tap the 'Search or Website Address' bar at the top of the Safari screen on you iPad or iPhone (or even on your Mac).

Well, these are your 'Favourite' websites.

If you see the set that are shown on in the image here, you may think "They are not my favourites!".