Getting Ready for Fall

Watch this page for our newest information to share before our class begins in November. 

From Tom: iOS 16 Cheat Sheet: Complete Guide for 2023 so you can be ready for iOS 17 in October. 

From Barbara: iPhone Life - Daily Tip - click the red box labeled "Free Daily Tips" and enter your email address. Good things will come to your Inbox. 

From Melissa: Ellen's Tips for iOS - Even if you are not a techie once a week tips arrive to spark your creativity and productivity. 

From Melissa: iPhone Photography School Start Here - has many free tutorials in addition to in-depth online classes. Scroll down the page to click Send Me The Tips and enter your email address. Occasional emails with links to short video tutorials. 

... more to come

Fresh Eyes Wanted!

Do you have questions about how to use your iPhone or iPad? Do you share with friends what you learn about your mobile device? Think about teaming up for 6-weeks to offer your vision on the creative ways to use Apple devices. 

Our team is available to assist you to present your ideas on Zoom or in a classroom on campus. 

Fall 2023: Mastering Your iPhone

Seminar Dates: Nov 1, 8, 15, 29, Dec 6 on Zoom Wednesday mornings

Seminar Description: In this class, you'll learn how to get the most out of your iPhone, whether you're a beginner or an experienced user. Each week, we'll cover a specific topic, such as setting up your device, managing contacts, taking and editing photos, using apps, and more. 

We will lead you through hands-on exercises and demonstrations to show you the tips and tricks that can help you be more productive, organized, and creative with your iPhone. You'll also have the opportunity to ask questions and share your experiences with other learners. 

At the end of each session, we'll reserve time for troubleshooting and Q&A, so you can get help with issues you're having with your device. 

P.S. Not bad. This description was written by ChatGPT! 

Meanwhile use this checklist to discover learning at your fingertips: 

1. explore this website for the Resources and Video Tutorials offered
2. visit the Apple Support Channel on YouTube 
3. search for topics posted by the many other YouTube content providers by typing something like: "iPhone 8" and calendar app 
4. pick up a public library card and check for the LinkedIn classes offered on many tech topics - best to search for "iPhone" to see the range of topics. 

Fall 2023 - Think About It!

Hey! Get together with a few friends and think about offering a "Discover your iPhone" or "Now you have an iPad - what to do with it" fall semester sessions. Think of FOUR or SIX meetings and what you might share. Members are curious about iPads and iPhone and are excited to learn more. The past team would be available to answer your presentation preparation questions. 

iOS Basics has been offered on campus and via Zoom with this website as a resource. You might want to offer content through email lessons (that's what Carol does with Android Basics). You and your team get to design the activity in the way that make sense to you and your audience.  

Application to Teach for the Fall semester opens April 3rd and closes May 1st. You must be a current Renaissance Society member to offer a Seminar or SIG in the fall.

Because she asked

I sent an email hoping to help a wannabe iPhone user after we talked on the phone. No response yet on whether she's explored the provided links, but by posting this info to you all, it will be easier to share with the next wannabe: 

Kay - good to talk with you today about RS classes for iPhone and iPad users. I’d like to make a few suggestions about where to find help since the iPhone/iPad Basics team is taking a semester (or more) off.  

The public website for iOS Basics is still available and is best viewed on an iPad or computer. (This website!)

On the right sidebar you will see links going back to 2013! The most recent posts are on the Home page and include a new find - Ellen’s iOS Tips - For Mature Adults. The Resources page has many other links to information resources. A local support source is the Sacramento Apple User Group - MacNexus and you would get personal attention from The All Things Apple Class is on the third Saturday of each month on Zoom at 9:00 am. The format is class members bring questions and instructors teach and solve problems. The instructors are Karen Downs, Zulay Frost and Richard Applebaum. 

Please, go to the Basics site and explore - take it in small doses, there is a lot of history there. Use the Search to find past topics and notes.

Find a couple friends with iPhones/iPads and set aside time to meet, eat, explore and learn together. Use the Basics site as a starting point, or attend Sessions at the Apple Store or watch YouTube videos and then play or download the Libby app for Sac Public Library access to online course from Linked-In. Like my scuba diving instructor always warned: “Don’t dive alone!” and this is great advice for learning about iPhones too - invite friends on the journey with you.

One of my favorite conversations from the iPad Basics class on campus was with Eva. She faithfully attended all the classes on Friday mornings and then on Saturday, met her friends at Burger King for lunch and repeated the lessons she just learned. For me, she was attentive, engaged, shared new info with friends and was practicing what she learned in class. Wow.

Recommended apps for your iPhone and iPad - click the link to open the Apps app directly to these convenient resources
Support - https://apps.apple.com/app/id1130498044
Apple Store - Sessions tab for workshops, attend the same session over - ask your questions!, assert yourself https://apps.apple.com/app/id375380948
Tips - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tips/id1069509450

You might not replace your iPhone as often as I do (every 24-30 months) but next time consider purchasing AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss coverage. Since the iPhone is a mobile device the chances of dropping or losing it or having it stolen is real. You can also call them for HELP and a walk through when other resources are not available. Read more at https://www.apple.com/support/products/iphone/

Your Apple ID username and password are critical to remember. They open all resources at Apple.

As I mentioned, Tom might offer an iPhone/iPad Pop-Up session over Zoom this semester. Read the Wednesday email blast to see when and how to participate. I would not expect the session to be recorded, again, we use/demonstrate using our personal devices. If you know Tom, reach out and suggest this would be a good topic for members.

Feel free to share this email with your iOS friends -- Melissa

Basics Teams' Hiatus

The iPhone Basics and iPad Basics teams are taking a well deserved break for Spring 2023. Maybe longer. 

We would be happy to help a new team discover how appreciative the Basics participants are for shared skills and mobile tech in-real-life. Since technology continues to evolve, there is an opportunity for a fresh approach to using mobile tools. 

---

Thanks to iPhone iPad Teams: 

Tom Holt

Carol Dabrowiak

Jennifer Kerr 

Melissa Green

Barbara Beddow

Pat Turner

James Evans-Brown

Jane Hunter

New Resources

The Internet is always changing and people are often opening up and sharing their love of technology. Recent discoveries include: 

• Ellen's Tips for iOS - Help for Mature Adults 

Check back for other finds but also check our Resources page for the online help sites recommended through our classes. 

iOS 16 Overview

Not everyone has updated to the latest iOS on their iPhones and iPadOS 16 will be released later in October. Tom will give us a preview of what he has discovered and found by reading online articles and reviews. 

Hoping to do Pop_up settings in Nov-Dec. Will send email to participants and include details in the Wednesday Blast. 

Not a follow along session - DEMO only 

Years back iPhone and iPad separated operating systems > iPadOS & iOS 

iPadOS moving towards laptop-esse uses, iOS camera heavy 

iOS 16 on iPhone - Home Screen custom designs, add widgets; tap to cycle through my photos. Spotlight Search is now a button. Battery percentage 

iPadOS - no widgets, font choices; shows same Notifications as in iPadOS 15. 

Stage Manager - added to operating system - Control Center has new button to invoke SM, open Safari, to see left thumbnails for other apps; prior iPadOS used Split Screen instead; drag and drop to reposition two windows; shrink size to show two and sidebar options. 

Universal iPhone & iPad 16 OS features - 

• Email - Undo Send > lasts 10 seconds … bottom left corner has Unsend. Check Settings > Mail > Unsend > for timeframe options 
• Email - Touch and HOLD blue send button to SCHEDULE when to send email. 
• Messages - After sending message - Touch and HOLD blue bubble to see options - Undo Send or Edit. Recipient must be on iOS16/iPadOS16 (not previous iOS or Android). 
• Contacts - Under All Contacts > Duplicates Found > View Duplicates > view individually or Merge All/Ignore All. 
• Contacts - Groups have been renamed Lists. Create email distribution lists in Contacts. 
• Photos - Library > Utilities > Find Duplicates > Merge. Small text shows size of each image. What is under the ( … ) ? 
• Photos - open a photo with a definite subject; Touch and HOLD on subject to see mask around subject. Move subject to a Note, or other app. Also > Share Sheet to Save Copy or Send Email … 
• Gestures to practice - (moving a photo subject to an email message) touch and hold > drag across to new window > pause while holding on screen > lift screen 
• Turn on Stage Manager as needed from Control Center. 

Add a dash of Notes and Control Center

Carol gave us a quick review of the Notes app and the Control Center. 

Notes 

Settings Recommend

- iCloud

- most recent first

Create new Note page  - use box with pen to open a new Note

Add title

Start typing note.

For example: Places to travel

Three Dots …

- scan, Pin, Lock, Delete

- share or send a copy

Markup…

-pen, highlighter, pencil, lasso, ruler

-Create Note and use pen icon to draw freehand

Camera

-Create note and Scan/take photo (PDF VS. JPEG)

Create note with checklist

For example: Packing for travel 

Pin a note-swipe right or Lock a note swipe left

Quick notes…right bottom corner swipe up to center screen 

Control Center- quick access to features 

Swipe down from upper right corner (face ID iPads) 

or center of bottom screen (Home button iPads) 

Press and hold button icons for options

WiFi 

Airplane Mode

Screen Mirroring to Apple TV or Zoom

Focus - be careful accidentally turn on or LEAVE on

Brightness of the screen (lower saves  battery)

Audio Volume 

Paddlelock - Screen orientation will stick in portrait or landscape 

SETTINGS > Control Center 

- add or remove Control Center buttons 

- edit list to move buttons up or down 

Questions from Chat

Questions from Chat

Recover Space on your iPad - Are you sure? Open Settings > General > iPad Storage > look at this list for big storage hogs. Scroll to Messages > Videos > then tap to view a video. Tap Edit > tap circle to select any videos you do not want! Then tap the Trash icon to delete. Continue clean up of Messages > Photos > Edit. You want to save photos and videos to your Photo Library if they are important. Once saved, you can delete from Messages in the original conversation. 

Notes

Notes on my phone sometimes migrate to my email. How can I stop that?  I'd like to keep the stuff in notes/" I've never experienced this issue. Are you using Gmail by chance? Or another email service. Read about organizing Notes in the online guide. I wonder if you have multiple "accounts" where Notes are enabled in Settings > Notes > Accounts ... If so, you can move individual notes from one account to your iCloud designated account (then turn off the other accounts in Settings . Notes > Accounts). 

Create a Quick Note on iPad from bottom right corner of the screen, swipe towards the center of the screen. Read about Quick Notes on iPad.

Markup Tool in Notes, Email, Photos and Files or PDF documents to draw in colors with pen, pencil and highlighter, add circles, rectangles and lines, add text and add your signature. Read about Markup in the online user guide. 

Email 

Be kind to others when sending several photos by sending photos at a reduced size. This is obvious on iPhone as there is a prompt before the mail message is sent. On the iPad there is a HIDDEN button! Experiment by creating a new mail message and add three photos. On the Cc/Bcc, From line you will see "Images: 50 KB" - this is the hidden button. Tap the word Images to expand all the fields and show the Image Size options: Small, Medium, Large and Actual Size. Each size option is shown with the amount of storage/data required to send the photos. Small is recommended. If the recipient wants to print a larger version of the photo, send just one photo per message and set the size to Large or Actual Size. This is not a feature mentioned in the online user guide! 

Deleting mail messages might be easier if you use a computer rather than your iPad or iPhone. Read about deleting mail in the iPad online user guide. 

iCloud / Apple ID 

Read about iCloud in the online user guide. 

Read about how to Share Your Location with other Apple users. 

If your Notes, Mail and Photos are NOT available to all your devices, make sure all devices are logged in to the same Apple ID account in the Settings app. 

Photos can take up lots of room in your iCloud and on your device. Consider turning on Optimized Storage. Open the Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Photos > Optimize iPad Storage. Same for iPhone. Subscription to iCloud+ includes documents, videos and photos - on my 200GB subscription ($3/mo) easily allows me to have 21,800 photos using 130GB with room for other documents and more. 

Sending Photos to iCloud will be automatic if your enable it - Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Photos > iCloud Photos > ON. 

Android users and Find My Friends ??? Really? Try Googling this question. 

Read about Shared Photo Albums in the online user guide. 

Control Center 

Read about Control Center in the online user guide. Lower screen brightness to save battery power. Raise brightness as needed throughout the day. Organize features of Control Center using Red and Green circles. 

Focus is the new "do not disturb" feature. Read about Focus in the online user guide. 

Love to Learn!

Over the years this class and the team have taught me so much about my iPhone and iPad! Thanks team! And thanks to all the participants who ask questions and force me (this is a good thing) to look closely at details and ... touch every button! 

There are features hiding behind every corner of our devices. On a computer you might have held down the Option or Control keys while doing something but on our touch devices it is often touch+hold and a menu of options will pop up. 

Thanks, again, for opening my eyes! 

Markup - Pencil, Highlighter, Text & Signature

The Markup tool working in Notes, Mail, Messages, Photos, Books and other apps to annotate or draw or add text. It is also how you create a signature for use in adding to documents without printing signing and scanning. 

• Draw in apps with Markup on iPad 
• Add typed text, shapes, and signatures with Markup on iPad 

Make a screenshot and look for the Markup tool to draw attention to a setting you are about to change. Save the screenshot to your Photos Library. Look for the list of Photos > Media Types > Screenshots to find past references. 

Open Notes app and create a new Note page. Add a title as the first line and then some text below. Add Markup drawing under the text. Use the Highlighter tool to highlight something in your drawing. (The Highlight tool cannot interact with "live text" that can be edited, only something from the Markup tool.)

I am struggling to add Text from the Markup ( ... ) menu on a Notes page!  

More info on Markup 

Mac Monterey OS Mark up attachments in your notes on Mac 

... more to come, distracted for a day or three