iPhone

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iPhone Battery Tip

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Here's a tip that might be helpful in reducing the drain on your iPhone battery. In looking at the battery usage over the past 24 hours on my iPhone I noticed 74% of the drain was coming from the cellular app. Why's this, I wondered? Then it dawned on me.

We have AT&T cellular service, and there is virtually no signal at our house here in Scottsdale. We have to use wifi to make and receive phone calls. So the cellular app in my iPhone sits there all day searching for a signal from AT&T that it will never receive. This consumes battery power.

I turned the app off, checked battery draw a day later, and 'voila', the drain from that app had about disappeared. When we leave our house, I'll turn the app back on so we can receive and make phone calls when we're out and about.

Jim Hamm

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USB Restricted Mode

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iOS 11.4.1 update brought a new feature called USB Restricted Mode. What is this, you might ask? In a word -- security. Apple is trying to improve the security of your iOS device from being broken into by  hackers. It's a bit of a convoluted story, so to better understand what this is all about, here are two articles to read:

https://tidbits.com/2018/08/06/usb-restricted-mode-can-block-ios-device-charging/

https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/9/17549538/apple-ios-11-4-1-blocks-police-passcode-cracking-tools

Apparently some people haven't been able to charge their iOS device if it's been over 60 minutes since it was unlocked. I haven't noticed any charging problem, but in case you have, the articles explain what's going on.

The FBI, for example, would like for Apple to leave a 'backdoor' into iPhones so the FBI could view what a suspect's iPhone had been used for. So far Apple has refused to do this. If there's a 'backdoor' available, a hacker will eventually find it, and all iPhones will be at risk -- not just the one the FBI might want to get into. Arguments can be made for both sides of the issue, I guess. But I'm with Apple on this one.

Jim Hamm

Record Voice Memos on the iPhone

The article in the link below describes how to use 'Voice Memos' to easily record something on your iPhone. You don't even have to look to find the app on your iPhone. Pick it up, hold the Home Button till Siri opens, then say " Siri", "open Voice Memos." The app will open and you just tap the big red button and start talking.

This looks to be mighty handy to make a quick note of something you don't want to forget.

This works on the iPhone 6 and newer models. And it works on the iPhone 5 if it is running iOS 7.

Jim Hamm

https://www.lifewire.com/record-voice-memos-on-iphone-4148265

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iPad or iPhone Charging

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For your possible interest, here is part of an article written by Hadley Markoski of Small Dog Electronics (http://www.smalldog.com/) that provides info on the charging of your iPhone or iPad. Note especially the last paragraph.

Jim Hamm

"all devices with lithium ion batteries have on-board charge controllers that regulate the charging. Many modular lithium batteries have protection circuits built into them by default. So no matter how much charge current is available, the controller will always have the last say about how much of it hits the battery. This is why you can charge your iPhone with a larger iPad charger. Just because the larger charger is rated for 10-watts (2 amps) doesn’t mean it’ll be delivering that all the time. It means it can deliver up to that if necessary. There is some portion of the iPhone’s charging profile where the extra power can be safely used, but it’s only some portion of the charge process, not all of it. This is why your iPhone will charge faster, but not twice as fast.

Can you go the other direction and charge your iPad with the iPhone charger to extend it’s battery life by charging it more slowly? No. This will not work because the iPad’s larger battery requires the extra power to charge it. The battery cannot be properly charged without the full 10 watts being available. This is why you’ll often see USB chargers say that they can or cannot be used to charge tablets. All tablets, not just Apple’s, typically require 2 amps. USB ports on most computers follow the USB bus protocol which means they can only output 0.5 amps or 0.9 in some cases. USB-C can output up to 3 amps. This is why your iPad may not charge when plugged into your laptop (though it can still transfer data over USB).

These charging rules basically apply across Apple’s entire line of products. You can always charge a smaller device/battery with a larger charger, but not a larger device with a smaller charger. Obviously this only works if the voltages are the same. You cannot charge your iPhone with the charger for your MacBook because the voltages are different (as well as the plugs)."

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Final Apple iPhone 8 Schematics Allegedly Leaked by Foxconn Insider

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If you are interested in a rumor on what the next iPhone might look like, click on the link below. The phone is speculated to have an OLED screen, which consumes much less power, and is flexible. More info on OLED's  in this link: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/oled5.htm .

Jim Hamm

 

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Final-Apple-iPhone-8-schematics-allegedly-leaked-by-Foxconn-insider_id93157

iPhone Call History

FYI and possible interest, here is an article describing how Apple saves four months of call data of phone calls you made from your iPhone. While I don't care, some people might take exception to having certain metadata retained from their private iPhone calls. The article points out that Common Carriers -- At&t, Verizon, et al -- maintain a similar record for two months. Seems like, in this electronic age, Google or Apple or ?, all keep track of what you're doing. Of course, I'm sure you're already aware that Google tracks you, but may not have been aware of Apple's policy on the iPhone. I wasn't.

Jim Hamm

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iOS 10 reviewed: There’s no reason not to update | Ars Technica

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If you've updated to iOS 10, or plan to, the following article is quite comprehensive about all the changes incorporated therein. Although complete, it is lengthy and you might feel as though you've started a course of learning that will take a semester to read and comprehend. Jim Hamm

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2016/09/ios-10-reviewed-theres-no-reason-not-to-update/7/

Choosing to Skip the Upgrade and Care for the Gadget You’ve Got

Dave Rothgery found a great article on iPhone management, which is solid advice for both PCs and smart phones. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/21/technology/personaltech/choosing-to-skipthe-upgrade-and-care-for-the-gadget-youve-got.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share

As part of a movement against consumerism, more people are maintaining their electronics instead of constantly buying the newest, fastest model.

 

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9to5Mac: 13 tips for getting the best results from your iPhone camera

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While these tips are nominally for the iPhone, Jim Hamm suspects they will work equally well for the iPad.13 tips for getting the best results from your iPhone camera 9to5Mac

Tim Cook’s embarrassment at the Super Bowl seems a timely opportunity to put together something that’s been on my to-do list for a while now: a quick guide to getting the best results from your iPhone’s camera. As a keen photographer, I’ve been amazed just how far cameras have come in the past few years. Where I once used to carry a compact camera with me everywhere just in case, my iPhone has for several years now been my ‘always on me’ camera (currently the iPhone 6s). And where I used to... Read the full story

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How to make your iPhone run better

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If your iPhone becomes slow or seems to 'stutter' a bit as you try to open another app, here are two articles on how to quickly clear the memory on an iPhone and improve performance. Both articles tell the same story -- just in a different manner. http://www.iphonetricks.org/trick-to-instantly-clear-iphone-ram-memory/

http://www.cultofmac.com/399976/how-to-make-your-iphone-run-better-in-10-seconds/

Jim Hamm

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Why force quitting apps to save battery life is a terrible idea

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Jim Hamm found a very helpful and informative article on when/how to shut down apps in your iPhone or iPad.  Quick summary: it's best to just use the home button to shut down apps.  He was not doing this but was using the wrong procedure as outlined in the article. Shared from Zite: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2015/10/09/why-force-quitting-apps-to-save-battery-life-is-a-terrible-idea/

 

How to enable Wi-Fi calling on your iPhone 6s or 6s Plus | iMore

Jim Hamm said that although this article mentions turning on wi-fi calling with AT&T on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, it will work with the iPhone 6 as well. He turned his on, and said It will be interesting to see if he ever needs this feature.  He cannot see a downside by enabling this feature. http://www.imore.com/how-enable-wi-fi-calling-your-iphone-6s-or-6s-plus

AT&T's WiFi calling feature is now available

If AT&T is your carrier and you have an iPhone with iOS 9, here is an article you may want to read....Jim Hamm Shared from Zite: AT&T's WiFi calling feature is now available Engadget - It's been just a few days since the FCC granted AT&T's waiver request that allowed the company to finally turn on its WiFi calling feature, and now WiFi calling is officially live. AT&T confirmed as much in a blog on its site, and it works just as you'd expect. Right now, only an iPhone with iOS 9 will work, but as long as you're on a WiFi connection, your phone will route calls through that connection if your cellular signal is bad. It's a feature that T-Mobile and Sprint have provided for a while now, but regardless it's good news for a select group of customers on the USA's second-biggest wireless network. We're hoping that other phones besides the iPhone soon, but if you are among that select group of compatible customers, you can give it a try now.

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Wi-Fi Assist

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If you are running iOS 9 on an iPhone or iPad and have purchased a cellular data plan, here is an article you will want to read. There is a new "feature" in iOS 9 that automatically switches your device from wifi to cellular if iOS 9 deems the wifi signal to be too weak. It is called "wi-fi assist". Jim Hamm does not like this "feature".  He travels frequently, and wifi signals are often weak in hotels and RV parks.  He does not want his iPhone or iPad to switch to cellular without his OK since he could easily burn through his cellular plan data cap and not even realize it.  Fortunately, this "feature" can be turned off.

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iPhone 6S is HERE!

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Jim Hamm submits this news about the iPhone 6S. "Apple’s job every year is to bring out a new iPhone with enough improvements to justify an upgrade, a new purchase, or a switch from a competing phone. This year, the company has done it again with the iPhone 6S, adding core new features including a screen that detects the pressure of your touch and uses that knowledge to make navigation easier and faster.”

See the full article here.