Apple has released macOS Monterey, versioned as macOS 12.0.1, to the general public. The build number is 21A559.

Any Mac that is compatible with macOS Monterey can download and install the update right now if they choose to. Users can also stay on their current macOS version if they prefer by simply ignoring the update. If interested, you can learn a bit more about preparing a Mac for MacOS Monterey.

MacOS Monterey includes various new features and changes to the Mac operating system, including a redesigned Safari experience with a new tab grouping feature and updated interface, FaceTime group chat grid layout, Quick Notes for jotting down notes quickly from an app, Live Text which allows for selecting and copying text from images, Notes tags, FaceTime screen sharing functionality, the ability to invite Windows and Android users to a FaceTime call via a web link, Universal Control for using a single mouse and keyboard across multiple Macs or iPads (coming in a later update), the inclusion of Shortcuts app on Mac, and updates to Photos, Music, Podcasts, Notes, and other built in apps, along with many smaller changes scattered around the operating system.

Separately, Apple also released updates for iOS 15.1 update and iPadOS 15.1 update for iPhone and iPad.

Read more »

iOS 15.1 and iPadOS 15.1 have been released for iPhone and iPad, the updates include SharePlay screen sharing through FaceTime, the addition of Live Text support in the iPad camera app, ProRes video capture for iPhone 13 Pro users, the inclusion of Covid-19 vaccination card pass in the Wallet app, along with bug fixes and security enhancements for the iPhone and iPad.

Separately, Apple has also released macOS Monterey for Mac, macOS Big Sur 11.6.1, tvOS 15.1 for Apple TV, and watchOS 8.1.

Read more »

Is your Apple Watch not accurately tracking your morning walks, workouts, and other fitness activities? This is something that can be resolved by resetting the fitness calibration data on your Apple Watch. This is pretty easy to do.

Read more »

Are you excited to install macOS Monterey on your Mac? The release date for MacOS Monterey is Monday, October 25, and whether you’re thinking of installing it right away, or after some time passes, you might want to take a few measures ahead of time to get your Mac ready for the new system software release.

We’ll run through some procedures and considerations before installing macOS Monterey (version 12) on a Mac.

Read more »

Have you ever wanted to change the default backup location where your iPhone or iPad backups are stored on your Windows PC? You’re not alone, and fortunately it is possible to change the iTunes backup location on PC.

Read more »

The Google Chrome browser address bar doubles as a search bar, and as you’ve probably noticed by now it will keep a history of your visited links, URLs, and searches. These URLs and searches then come up as suggestions when you access the Chrome search/address bar again, particularly when you type anything that is close to a match to a previously visited link. But what if you want to remove an entry from the Chrome link / URL history suggestions? That’s what we’ll cover here, and it’s pretty easy to do.

This is handled separately from clearing out Chrome history and other browsing data, but if you’re familiar with deleting Chrome autofill suggestions for other text input boxes in the browser, this may be a familiar process to you. We’ll cover how this works on the Mac, Windows PC, and Chromebook.

Read more »

Someone celebrating an event or birthday? Bored in the middle of an iMessage conversation? Not sure what to talk about or just want to make things interesting? Using iMessage screen effects can help to emphasize and spice up your conversation, and you can use these right from your Mac Messages app.

Read more »

The latest macOS Monterey RC release includes new four new wallpapers that also debuted on the newly redesigned MacBook Pro, but you don’t have to run macOS Monterey or get a new MacBook Pro to enjoy the desktop backgrounds.

Read more »

Apple has issued a second release candidate build for macOS Monterey, just days before the final version is to be available to all Mac users with a macOS Monterey compatible Mac.

The macOS Monterey RC 2 build is 21A559, and it’s reasonable to expect this will match the final version available next week for all users.

Separately, a new RC 2 build for iPadOS 15.1 is also available, but only for iPad Mini 6 users are this time.

Read more »

Have you ever wanted an easy way to share GIFs while texting your friends on iMessage from a Mac? As long as your Mac is a modern version of macOS, you can find and send gifs right within the stock Messages app, just like you can from iPhone and iPad.

Read more »

Some MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and MacBook users may have noticed their computers are draining battery even when the Mac is sleeping and not in use. This seems like a peculiar issue, but it turns out there there may be an explanation.

A simple way to diagnose this issue is by going to  Apple menu > System Preferences > Battery, then choosing “Usage History”. When you see the battery level drop but the ‘Screen On Usage’ is nonexistent, you know the battery is draining when the Mac is not in use. The screenshot above demonstrates this in a severe case, where a MacBook Air drained the entire battery when not in use.

Read more »

Do you use the built-in Voice Memos app on iPhone or iPad for recording your voice or other external audio? If you’re a regular Voice Memos user, you may want to back up all your recordings to make sure you don’t permanently lose them.

Read more »

Apple played a fun song leading into their October 18 redesigned MacBook Pro debut event which was composed entirely of sound effects captured from 45 years of Apple products.

If you’re a longtime Apple fan you’ll undoubtedly recognize many of the sounds, from boot chimes, alerts, ringtones, chargers plugging in, and so much more.

Read more »

The Files app for iPhone and iPad offers a file system for iOS and iPadOS, and though it’s limited, it does offer some advanced features like file paths. File paths may be familiar to Mac, Windows, and Linux users, as a file path points to exactly where to go find a file or folder in the file system. With Files app in iOS and iPadOS, you can find and get file paths.

Read more »

Apple has announced an all new redesigned MacBook Pro, available in either 14″ and 16″ mini-LED display sizes, and featuring new Apple Silicon processors, mini-LED display with ProMotion, a 1080p front facing web camera, an HDMI port and SD card slot, and the return of MagSafe for charging.

The new Mac models include powerful architecture aimed at professional users, including new Apple Silicon processors, which Apple calls the M1 Pro and M1 Max, ranging from an 8-core CPU on the lower end 14″ model, to 10-Core CPU’s on the higher end models, and up to a 32-core GPU. The new MacBook Pro can also be configured to have up to 64GB RAM and an 8TB SSD.

Read more »

Apple has issued Release Candidates for macOS Monterey for Mac, iOS 15.1 for iPhone, and iPadOS 15.1 for iPad.

The RC builds are available now, and the final versions of these system software releases are set to be launched next Monday, October 25, when the newly redesigned MacBook Pro is available.

Read more »

Resetting an Apple ID password can be annoying, though it’s made much easier if you have access to a device that you are already signed into. Without another device though, the process of resetting an Apple ID account login can be frustrating, but a Recovery Key makes this situation easier. You can generate a Recovery Key for an Apple ID on a Mac, similar to how you can from iPhone or iPad, and so we’ll be focusing on this with macOS here.

Read more »

Worried about using cellular data to stream Netflix content on your iPhone? Want to make sure you’re not burning through your allocated data within minutes? Well, Netflix allows you to do so with a dedicated low-data mode.

Read more »