FYI ,You can lock certain notes on your iPhone

If you have some super top secret data that you want to keep from prying eyes, we got you! Or, more specifically, Apple got you.

Its not super commonly known, but the Notes app will let you lock any note with a single password. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac with Touch ID, you can use your fingerprint to open your locked notes. With an iPhone X, you can use Face ID.

But take note: You can’t lock notes if you’re signed in to iCloud with a Managed Apple ID.

So how do we perform this magic?

 
Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the latest version of iOS, and your Mac to the latest version of macOS.
Turn on Notes syncing in your iCloud Settings or System Preferences, or make sure that you use notes stored locally on your device.

Create a password, BUT! If you forget your password, Apple can’t help you reset it so be careful out there!

If you access your iCloud notes on more than one Apple device, you’ll use the same notes password to lock and unlock all of them.

Go to the ‘Notes ‘section in Settings, Tap Password. Enter a password, then give yourself a password hint .Tap Done.

Da Daa!

After you lock a note, it’s automatically protected with your password on all of your devices. If you want to use Touch ID or Face ID to unlock notes, you must enter your password and then turn on Touch ID or Face ID on the device you’re using.

Now, to lock specific notes, Open the note that you want to lock. Tap the Share icon, and choose Lock Note.

To view any locked notes, tap View Note. Enter your password, use Touch ID, or use Face ID.

Easy Peasy.

Apple maybe, accidentally, leaked photos of new products?

Oops. Apple has apparently accidentally leaked images of the new 2018 iPhones that will be announced during its just announced September 12 special media event. These images were then shared by 9to5Mac, giving perhaps the first official look at Apple’s upcoming iPhones and Apple Watch series 4 models.

The images seem to confirm the existence of two OLED iPhone models, both of which feature an edge-to-edge display with slim bezels and no Home button, available in gold as well as silver and space grey.

Allegedly, both the 5.8 and 6.5-inch OLED iPhones will be called the “iPhone XS.”

The new Apple Watch models, also leaked,  feature smaller bezels for more visible screen space, which allows for new complications arranged in a round configuration, on a new watch face.

There’s a new hole below the Digital Crown, which might be another microphone, and the Digital Crown has a red outline rather than a full red dot.

Apple will unveil the Apple Watch Series 4 models alongside new 2018 iPhones on September 12, at a 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time event that’s set to be held at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus.

You can watch it live on Apple’s website or through Apple TV. In the mean time, hop on over to 9to5 to check out their pics.

Apple welcomes Media to it’s September 12th Special Event

Apple has sent out invites for its annual special media event. The event will be held on Wednesday, September 12 at 10:00 a.m. at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park Campus in Cupertino, California.

The tagline is “Gather Round.”

What can we expect?

Apple is said to be introducing three new iPhone models this year: a second-gen 5.8-inch OLED device, a larger-screened 6.5-inch OLED device, and a lower-cost 6.1-inch smartphone with an LCD display.

Rumor has it they will all feature A12 processors, faster LTE, edge-to-edge displays, and Face ID integration. We can likely expect the phones to be tiered between $700 and $1000.

We can also expect to see the new Apple Watch Series 4, with a larger display likely implemented through a reduction in bezel size. Longer battery life and improved health monitoring capabilities have also been features circling the rumor mill.

We may see new iPad Pro models and new Macs in the near future, but probably not at this particular event.

New AirPods with “Hey Siri” support and the AirPower charging mat, may also be seen on the 12th.

You can watch the keynote on the Apple website and on Apple TV.

So wait – is there one more thing? We’ll just have to watch to find out!

New iPhone X and iPhone X Plus might Support Apple Pencil

According to Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News, the upcoming 2nd Gen iPhone X, and a purported 6.5-inch model ‘iPhone X Plus’, will apparently both come with Apple Pencil Compatibility.

The Apple Pencil will only work with the OLED models, not the lower cost LCD model. The Pencil, released in November 2015, currently works  all iPad Pro models and the 6th Gen iPad, which is generally targeted at educational use.

If the reports are true, we’re hoping that they will be releasing a smaller Apple Pencil for use with the mobile devices, as the current rendition would be rather large.

We’ll likely see at the September Apple ‘big reveal’ event. Would you like to see a mobile version of the Apple Pencil?

Siri could offer multiuser support

Apple has a newly granted patent for “User profiling for voice input processing,” which may be used for Siri. Siri can currently distinguish an iPhone owner’s voice from other people, but it can’t provide customized responses for different users.

The patent (broadly, if used) could allow a device to identify different users, through a variety of means,  including username and password, recognizing specific commands, or biometric voice print. The Siri could refer to a specific user’s content preferences, requests, and phrasings to make Siri more accurate.

Oh hiiiii Siri!

iOS 12 Fourth Public Beta Released

Apple has seeded the fourth public beta of iOS 12 to public beta testers today!

If you want to join the beta testing program can sign up on Apple’s beta testing website, which will give you access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas. BUT! Beware, as it’s a Beta, there can and will be bugs.

Case in point: today’s iOS 12 beta introduces several new bugs that testers should be aware of:
After restarting a device, paired Bluetooth accessories might not function correctly or might be displayed using the device’s address instead of name.
Using Apple Pay Cash to send or request money via Siri may result in an error.
When using CarPlay, Siri can’t open an app by name. Shortcuts that involve opening an app won’t work, and Shortcuts that require confirmation might not work.
Some Shortcuts requests might not work.
When multiple ride-sharing apps are installed, Siri might open an app instead of providing an ETA or location when asked. Apple suggests asking again as a fix.
Users might not see custom UI when using Siri Suggestions Shortcuts with built-in intents.

But, what about the good stuff?

The iOS 12 update brings changes like Group FaceTime, (YAY!) local multiplayer shared AR experiences, new Animoji, and a Memoji feature that’s designed to let you create a personalized Animoji that looks just like you, WHICH, alongside stickers and text, can be used in FaceTime and the Messages App with the new Effects camera.

New Do Not Disturb features make it easier to manage notifications, as do interactive notification options and notification grouping on the Lock screen.

Siri is better with more information available, as well as Siri Shortcuts that work with third-party apps to create voice-activated automations, and Siri is also smarter and able to provide info on motorsports, food, and celebrities.

The camera will launch up to 70 percent faster and the keyboard will appear up to 50 percent faster.

The revamped Maps app (Available for now only in Northern California) displays foliage, pools, buildings, pedestrian pathways, and other map elements more accurately, and it brings improvements to traffic, real-time road conditions, construction notices, and more.

iOS 12 will be available to developers and public beta testers as a beta for the next two months to allow Apple to work out said bugs ahead of a Fall launch alongside their shiny new iPhones.

Apple’s Back to School Promotion

Apple has been running it’s Back to School promotion since July 12th, but not to fear – you’ve got more than a while to make use of the perks if you’re a student in the market for a new Apple product!

So what’s the deal?

Similar to last year, if you are a (verified) college student, a parent purchasing on behalf of higher-education students, or faculty/staff at either a higher-education or K-12 institution, you can get a free or discounted pair of Beats headphones with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad Pro. You can also qualify for up to $200 off a qualifying Mac with Apple education pricing, and 20% off AppleCare.

This offer will be available until Sept. 25.

The eligible Macs are iMac Pro, iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook, Mac Pro, or MacBook Air , which will get you either a free pair of Beats Solo 3 Wireless headphones, Powerbeats 3, or Beats X.

If you’re more in the market for an iPad Pro you get the the option of either Powerbeats 3 or Beats X, or you can pay an extra $100 to get the Solo3 Wireless headphones.

The promotion is available through Apple’s online store, but customers may also go directly to retail outlets, visit authorized campus stores or call 1-800-MY-APPLE.

The full terms and conditions are available on Apple’s website.

Apple Planning iPhones With Touchless Gesture Controls and Curved Screens

There have been unconfirmed reports that in an effort to stand out in the smartphone world, Apple is planning to incorporate “touchless gesture control” and curved screens into future iPhone models.

The touchless control feature would apparently let iPhone owners navigate iOS “by moving their finger close to the screen without actually tapping it.” This technology, if the reports are correct, would still be about two years away, unless Apple finds even better tech to come out with instead.

The curved iPhone display feature would curve inward “gradually from top to bottom,” unlike Samsung’s smartphones that curve down and away at the edges of the screen.

Along with these claims comes reports that Apple will expand OLED technology to more devices, releasing a larger model iPhone later this year with a 6.5-inch screen, up from the 5.8-inch size in the current iPhone X.

The company is also apparently working on an update to the iPhone X’s size and a new, lower-cost LCD model.

Apple to release an even bigger iPhone?

Apparently, Apple will release three new smartphone models this year, to be announced in the Fall.

What could they possibly be?

Well, we’re essentially, probably, maybe, looking at a more affordable iPhone X, an updated iPhone X, and one high-end model that could be the largest iPhone ever, featuring a nearly 6.5-inch edge-to-edge display. The body of the device will be roughly the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus, but the display will be about an inch larger.

The updated iPhone X will reportedly  feature a next-generation processor, maybe a gold color option, and maybe a dual-SIM card capability. Here’s hoping?

The cheaper iPhone X model would have an LCD screen, a glass back, and aluminum edges.

All of this, obvs, is rumorific. But, it always is. We kind of like the ideas in this particular batch of rumors, though.

Guess how many Americans own an Apple product

If you guessed a lot then bing bing bing! You’re a winner!

CNBC conducted a survey that found that SIXTY FOUR PERCENT of Americans own an Apple product! That’s a big increase on a survey done in 2012, when the number lay at 50%. Which is still a lot. 

Not only that, but according to the survey the average American household owns 2.6 Apple products.

All very impressive numbers, but keep in mind, and with a grain of salt, that this survey was a poll of just 800 people across America in September of last year.

Still, here’s the rest of the findings:

For Americans with incomes under $30,000, retirees and women over the age of 50, ownerships were below 50%.

The ‘wealthiest Americans own 4.7 Apple products per household, and the ‘poorest’ have one.

There was  3.7 devices per household in the West of the United States, while households in the South owned 2.2 devices on average.

64 percent claimed that the time they spend on an iPhone is “mostly productive and useful,” while 27 percent said that it’s “mostly unproductive.”

So many Apples.