How to Use Your iPhone as a Magnifier

Years ago, in the early days of our iPhones, the flashlight feature was introduced and I was in love. I don’t know why, but I seem to continually find myself looking in dark corners, and to have a flashlight readily available in my pocket has “saved the day” many, many times.

And now, I think we have been given another “tool” that once used would be hard to do without. It’s a magnifier!!

Ok, maybe it’s only a great discovery for ‘those of a certain age,’ but hey, we all run into small print sometimes, and how extraordinarily convenient to have a magnifier in your pocket. 🙂

To enable your magnifier, go to:
Settings > General > Accessibility > Magnifier

Turn the Magnifier “ON”

That’s it!!!

To use your Magnifier, just click your Home Button THREE times!

Magic!

and ………Notice that you can move the slider to adjust the size of whatever you’re trying to see.

Have fun!

(To access your magnifier, I believe you must have iOS10+ on your iPhone. If someone discovers that an earlier OS has this feature, please let me know to adjust this post)

Quick Access to your iPhone Camera

Sometimes you need to take a picture…. quickly. You don’t have time to go through the steps of unlocking your phone and finding your way to your camera icon.

Apple gave us a shortcut a while ago, with the camera icon available from the lock screen. However, I noticed in recent iOS updates, this shortcut was gone. But that’s ok ….. because we have a new improved way to quickly get to the camera.

How to get to the camera (one step!) from your lock screen:

From your lock screen, simply swipe LEFT. From the right side to the left side.

That’s it. There’s your camera!!!

Really quick and easy, and perfect for capturing that photo that just won’t wait.

Handwritten iMessages in iOS 10.2

I believe the handwritten messages option actually started with iOS 10. But since I leapt from iOS 8 directly to 10.2, the lines and ‘newness’ of things are kind of blurred for me.

(If you’ve been around for a while, you know I HATE updating. However, this time it was so painless, I do believe that I may be getting a bit better about it. I know my reaction is a kind of PTSD holdover from the ‘blue screen of death’ in the 80’s. Maybe Time does indeed have healing qualities. 🙂 )

But I digress!

Here is how to send a Handwritten iMessage in iOS 10+:

1. Open your Messages app

2. Select the person you want to send the message to…..

3. Now, turn your iPhone SIDEWAYS

4. Poof!! New screen!!! You can write/draw on this screen, or select one of several pre-‘handwritten’ messages that you see lined up on the bottom of the screen. For this post, I tapped on “thank you”

5. You’ll see a ‘clear’ button and an ‘undo’ button if you want to edit your handwritten masterpiece.

6. When your message is complete, tap ‘done’ and just turn your phone back to the regular way and hit Send.

This is an iMessage thing, going from iPhone to iPhone. If you send your message to someone using an Android phone?????? … well, things can get garbled. It might show up, or it might not.

Emergency Bypass …. Part Two

Thanks to an inquiry by KDKH, I looked a bit deeper into this option. To my, well, horror, if you have the Emergency Bypass option checked, that person’s call can get through even when your phone is on silent.

This does not seem like a good thing in many situations. There are times when you need to put your phone on silent and a call is simply unacceptable … a work meeting, a movie, a doctor visit. So it appears as though the Emergency Bypass is just that …to be used for EMERGENCIES.

Maybe you’re in a meeting, but you want that call from the doctor. You can enable Emergency Bypass for the doctor’s number, and it will get through, even with your phone on silent mode. That’s a good thing. A great thing.

BUT ….Just because you want a call from Aunt Agnes to get through at 3 in the morning (because she would NEVER call then unless there is an emergency) …. you don’t want to accept a call from her during your promotion meeting. So Emergency Bypass would not be a good choice for her.

So use the Emergency Bypass with care and thought. A great feature when used wisely.

again, thank you KDKH!!

I double checked, and selecting contacts as Favorites still lets them break through your Do Not Disturb, but they will NOT break through the silent mode. So for now, I’ll use both as needed.

Emergency Bypass Allows Important Calls To Get Through

I know. I know. I’m slow. I take my time to update my devices. I prefer to let “others” discover bugs and issues.

But I finally pushed the update button, and my iPhone is now sporting a fresh new operating system, 10.2.

One of the first new things I learned was: the “Emergency Bypass” option. This is a feature that has been important to me all along. It allows selected phone numbers to break through even with the Do Not Disturb option actively on.

I use Do Not Disturb daily. I have it set to come on automatically each night. (This prevents notifications and phone calls during sleeping hours)

But this is concerning because there are certainly SOME numbers that I would absolutely want to get through no matter what time of night. Close family and close friends, of course.

Previously, in earlier iOS’s, you could achieve this by classifying a contact as a ‘favorite’. But now, in iOS 10.2, the opportunity to do this is much more direct.

Here is how to set up an Emergency Bypass in iOS 10.2:

Go to your Contact and tap Edit.

Tap on your ringtone choice.

You will see the screen below. Just toggle on “Emergency Bypass”

All done!

Now you have no worries. If your loved ones need to reach you during “do not disturb” time, their calls will bypass the setting, and ring through. Problem solved!

***** Important information: Thanks to an inquiry by KDKH, I looked a bit deeper into this option. To my, well, horror, if you have the Emergency Bypass option checked, that person’s call can get through even when your phone is on silent.

This does not seem like a good thing in many situations. There are times when you need to put your phone on silent and a call is simply unacceptable … a work meeting, a movie, a doctor visit… So it appears as though the Emergency Bypass is just that …to be used for EMERGENCIES. Maybe you’re in a meeting, but you want that call from the doctor. You can enable Emergency Bypass for the doctor’s number, and it will get through, even with your phone on silent mode. That’s a good thing. A great thing.

BUT ….Just because you want a call from Aunt Agnes to get through at 3 in the morning (because she would NEVER call then unless there is an emergency) …. you don’t want to accept a call from her during your promotion meeting. So Emergency Bypass would not be a good choice for her.

So use the Emergency Bypass with care and thought. A great feature when used wisely.

again, thank you KDKH!!

I double checked, and selecting contacts as Favorites will still let those calls break through your Do Not Disturb, but they will NOT break through the silent mode. So for now, I’ll use both as needed.

Holidays!

Because I’ve been absent from this blog for so long (all’s well, thanks for the inquiries 🙂 )… I’ve missed posting Holiday things! So I’ll correct that now, by adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

There are so many Christmas apps! One favorite type, going strong for the last couple of years, can be summed up as: “Catch-Santa-in-your-Living-Room-to-prove-to-your-kids-that-he-is-real.” (Thanks to Kerry for reminding me of this one)

There are several of these available, and they are kind of fun. You just take a picture of your own tree, or fireplace or some other known-to-your-kids spot. Then use the app to place Santa right there. Through the magic of filters, it looks incredibly real.

One of these apps is: Snap Santa. It’s free, and the photos look quite good, but you’ll have to work your way around the ads. Just press the ‘x’ in the game ad to close it, and away you go. You’ll be presented with one Santa when you start, but you can scroll your way through quite a few others (also for free).

***

I know that many of you enjoy Simon’s Cat as much as I do. Happily we have a new one for Christmas this year. It’s called “Little Box.” Enjoy!

***

And, since this is a tech blog, I’ll include another video featuring the “Simon’s Cat” artist, Simon Tofield. You’ll catch a glimpse of the artist’s studio and watch as he sketches and colors in a Christmas picture using his computer. A little “behind the scenes” look at Simon’s … uhhh… Tech. Yes. Simon’s Tech. 🙂

***

And for all my friends who celebrate Hanukkah, this is a great video. I guarantee your feet will be tapping! (Thanks to Trudi for sharing this)

To all my friends in the Blog-o-sphere, Best wishes for a wonderful Holiday season and a most happy and healthy New Year! See you in 2017!

Why is it called “Bluetooth”?

Bluetooth technology gives us a wireless connection within a short distance. Small speakers and many headsets, for example, often use Bluetooth to connect with our iPhones and iPads. But, think about it. This wireless technology isn’t blue. And it certainly doesn’t resemble a tooth ….. so …… ?????

The answer is that Bluetooth technology is named after a Scandinavian King.

Of course.

Wait.

….. What????

Back in the 1990’s, the technology world was looking for a way to unite various devices with a wireless system. This meant uniting devices made by different companies.

(Note the key word: UNITE)

One of the inventors of this wireless technology just happened at the time to be reading a book about Vikings. He learned that the 10th century King of Denmark, King Harald Bluetooth, was famous for uniting Scandinavia.

Ahhh…… there we go. They were inventing a uniting technology. King Bluetooth was a famous uniter.

And so they cleverly called this new wireless connector “Bluetooth”.

One more thing: The Bluetooth symbol? It’s King Harald’s initials, in ancient Scandinavian Runes.

Unwanted Phone Calls? Try this……

My daughter-in-law does a lot of her work through her iPhone. Unfortunately, she has recently been receiving a great number of spam calls and of course these are unwanted, annoying and distracting.

So …. what to do?

We found a work-around, and I think it’s good enough to share. (I’ll be sure to report back later to let you know if this actually works for her over time.)

The fix she tried is this:

Settings > Do Not Disturb > Allow Calls From > All Contacts

So, basically, she is using the Do Not Disturb function 24/7 on her iPhone, and this setting will only allow calls from numbers that are currently in her contacts list.

Problem solved?

We’ll see!

No Earphone Jack in the New iPhones

You recognize the picture above as the bottom edge of your iPhone. Way over on the left is the place where you connect your earphones. But say goodbye to that spot ….. it’s gone in the newest model.

The rumor has been around for a long time. And now that rumor is confirmed. The newest iPhone (the 7) will be released with NO earphone jack. The iPhone 7 will be earphone-jack-less.

Huh? I am an earphone jack user. When I walk for exercise, I am connected to my iPhone with my earphones. I have not gone wireless (outside of the house) …. I still connect the old fashioned way.

Although I will not be getting the iPhone 7 (my 6 plus is a wonderful phone), and so I personally don’t have to fret about the change …… it did make me wonder about the whole switch to no-jack. What? How?

I realize that many folks connect to their phone through a wireless connection (bluetooth). So for them, this is a non-issue. But what to do for those of us who still go the “wired” route?

If you are getting the new iPhone, you should know that you will be getting new earphones packed with your phone. These will plug into your iPhone, but in a new connecting spot. You will plug these earphones into the CHARGING port of your phone. Obviously the connector end of these new earphones is specially made to fit into that spot.

Happily, you have another thing packaged with your new iPhone, and that is an ADAPTOR for your old earphones. If you have a set of earphones that are dear to you, you can still use them by plugging into the adaptor, and then plugging the adaptor into the charging port.

So it’s really ok…. but this is a change that will require you to bring that little adaptor with you for plugging in your favorite earphones.

And don’t lose it. A new one will cost you $9.00. 😯

The Newest Craze …. Pokemon Go

I’ve been debating whether or not I should address this phenomenon in this blog. I decided not to mention it. Just a silly game (I thought).

And then, this morning I went to our local library. There is a big concrete area in front of our library, an area used for festivals, holiday decorations and concerts. As I walked through it, I was astounded to see many (MANY!!!) folks wandering around the area with their phones in front of their faces. What a sight. And so, for all of you (us) of-a-certain-age folks who don’t know what’s going on with all these zoned-out phone-holders, I thought I’d best sum it up here on this blog.

If you have anyone in your life under the age of 35, just go ahead and ask them. Chances are they are playing, and if not they will certainly know all about it.
It’s Pokemon Go, and it’s e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e.

What’s it all about? Well, it’s a game that you do out in the world (rather than on the couch). It’s kind of a combination GPS geo-caching thing / scavenger hunt / video game, all rolled into one.

If you’ve ever participated in geo-caching (THAT I’ve done!), you’ll find it is fun and strangely addicting. You learn of a ‘prize’ hidden at a coordinate, and you locate that spot with your phone’s gps. Geo-caching is like a treasure hunt, with a gps treasure-map.

Pokemon Go yanks this up a notch or two. Just as in geo-caching, you go out hunting for particular spots, but this time the prizes are virtual little Pokemon characters. They aren’t “really” there, of course, but if you get yourself to the appropriate coordinate, and look THROUGH the app on your phone, you’ll see the critter. And then you ‘catch’ him with a ball.

This screenshot shows you what a player sees. YOU …. the you without the app….you just see a tree. The player, looking THROUGH the app on their phone, sees this little orange fellow.

Got it? There’s not much more. Except you want to catch as many as you can. The more you catch, the more you rise through the levels. After that it gets more complicated than I care to learn. (Something about fighting if you’re high enough in the game.)

So now you know. Keep your eyes peeled and you’ll see them. Pokemon Go players are everywhere. In parks, downtown, most public areas. You’ll recognize them as they intently walk with their phones right in front of their faces. Sometimes they’re in a group. Surrounding….. nothing (to you). But they see a critter. Crazy, huh?

Although I can’t address this first hand, it seems all consuming. There have been reports of people being injured as they are completely distracted staring at their phones. Even while driving. Yes. You read that right. Even while driving.

If you want to know more about this game just google “Pokemon Go”. You’ll learn everything you want to know.

And if you want to try it yourself, you can download it from the iTunes store. It’s free.