iMessage is the messaging protocol that is limited to the Apple ecosystem – iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches – until now anyway. Thanks to Phone Link for Windows 11, you can now use iMessage on a Windows PC to text other iMessage and Android users back and forth, and you can even make phone calls through the PC using the iPhone too. It’s actually pretty easy to setup too, as we’ll show you.
Did you know that you can connect an external display to any modern iPad model? With any of the most current model iPads that has a USB-C connector, including newer models of iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, and iPad Mini, connecting the iPad to an external screen is really easy, and depending on the iPad model you have, it’ll either mirror your iPad display, or extend the display with Stage Manager.
For the purposes here, we’ll go with the simplest method of connecting an external display to an iPad by using a Warky USB-C to HDMI cable.
Modern versions of iOS and iPadOS have changed the way that beta system software is opted into on iPhone and iPad, abandoning the usage of profiles, and instead using a simples settings adjustment toggle on the device itself.
Your Apple ID must be associated with a beta program to be able to toggle and use these settings. If the Apple ID associated with your iPhone or iPad is not enrolled in either the developer beta or public beta program, you will not see these toggles available. Additionally, you will only see the developer beta or public beta, if you are only enrolled in one of those, or both, if you are enrolled in both programs.
The second beta versions of iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, and macOS Ventura 13.5 are now available to users who are actively participating in the beta testing programs for Apple system software. Typically dev betas roll out first and are soon followed by the same build as a public beta.
No major features or changes are expected in iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, and macOS Ventura 13.5, and the updates will likely simply include some bug fixes and security enhancements.
iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS 14 will debut next week at WWDC, so the amount of focus on the current generations of system software is probably not as significant as those major new releases.
Voice Messages are a great feature in Messages for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, that allow you to record yourself speaking and send that audio as a message. This can be fantastic for hands-free texting and communication (say, when walking, biking, driving, etc), if you simply prefer talking to texting, if you want to convey more emotion than what is possible through text, if you want to send an audio recording of whatever you’re currently doing (for example, if you’re at a concert), or any number of other situations.
The iPad Magic Keyboard is ultra popular for good reason, and it’s easily the best accessory available for iPad. With the excellent functionality of a full-size backlit keyboard combined with a great trackpad, Magic Keyboard brings productivity potential to the iPad that is otherwise missing for many users. Plus, Magic Keyboard looks great, with a unique floating design and adjustable viewing angles.
Check out these tips for using the Magic Keyboard with iPad, and you’ll be more productive with the iPad than ever before.
If you use git on the Mac platform, you likely have come across DS_Store files in a git repository. These can be annoying and clutter a git repo, and you may even run into unnecessary conflicts due to .DS_Store files being maintained in git repos, where you may see error messages like “The files .DS_Store and .DS_Store had a tree conflict”. Because .DS_Store files are not needed by the vast majority of git repositories and generally can just cause issues, it’s reasonable to want to remove .DS_Store files from git repositories.
You can now easily check your AppleCare warranty coverage right on the iPhone or iPad, for not only your device, but also any other devices that are paired to it, like AirPods or Apple Watches.
All Apple devices come with a one year limited AppleCare warranty, but many users opt to purchase the optional various AppleCare plans to extend warranty duration or coverage to things like accidents and theft.
If you want to see the warranty details and coverage of AppleCare on your iPhone or iPad, you can easily do that directly on your phone or tablet. We’ll show you how this works.
Many longtime Mac users continue to have old Macs laying around, and many of those old Macs continue to be used whether for specific use-cases, or simply outright nostalgia and retro computing fun. Whatever the case, if you’ve got an older Mac running Mac OS 9, and you wish it to have access to the powerful AI powered tool of ChatGPT, then LegacyAI is your friend!
LegacyAI is a frontend to ChatGPT that was designed for older Mac OS computers running Mac OS 9, and it offers some nice features like free use, save conversations/chats, customizable preferences, and more.
Mac OS 9 was the last version of classic Mac OS released before Apple transitioned entirely to Mac OS X and its underlying unix core, and if ever you’re feeling nostalgic for Mac OS 9 and all its goodness, you can now easily run the classic Mac operating system right in your web browser.
Because the emulation is done entirely in a browser, this means you can run Mac OS 9 on any modern device, whether it’s a new Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows PC, Linux PC, or Android, as long as you have a modern web browser you’ll be able to enjoy some Mac OS 9 goodness right away.
If you ever find yourself needing to know a history of a specific Macs assigned local IP addresses, you can find this potentially helpful networking information from the command line. This trick will report all local IP addresses which have been used by a Mac, and, very helpfully, it will also offer the specific date and time a given IP address was assigned to the Mac. Yes, this data spans networks and applies even if it’s no longer the active IP of the machine.
If you have some frequently used applications on the Mac that you routinely launch from the Finder, you can customize the Finder toolbar to include those apps.
This offers a helpful alternative to launch frequently used apps that is Finder specific, and can be particularly handy for apps that you only use for drag and drop from the Finder, and you don’t want in your Dock.
While AirPlane Mode for iPhone has been around since the earliest days of the device, many users still do not understand how the feature works, or why it is potentially useful. With that in mind, we’re going to review a variety of genuinely useful reasons you may wish to use AirPlane Mode on an iPhone.
For the unfamiliar, using AirPlane Mode on iPhone is easy, and it can be enabled or disabled through Control Center by tapping the Airplane icon, or through Settings > AirPlane Mode. When AirPlane Mode is enabled, the iPhone will disconnect network connections and cellular connections, basically taking the device offline, and preventing inbound and outbound calls or data transfers.
Used properly, AirPlane Mode can be a useful tool for specific purposes, and also as an alternative to turning off iPhone completely.
Knowing the number of CPU cores a particular Mac has can be useful for performance optimization, stress testing, compatibility, and to otherwise make informed decisions about system performance on a Mac. For example, maybe you want to make sure you have multiple cores available to run a virtual machine, or you want to spawn a number of processes that is equivalent to the number of cores on a Mac for a stress test.
We’ll show you several ways to determine how many CPU cores a Mac computer has, including finding this information from the GUI, and from the command line, and breaking down the CPU core count for performance cores versus efficiency cores on Apple Silicon hardware.
Amazon is once again hosting some excellent deals on select Apple devices, with big discounts on everything from AirPods, to AirTags, Apple Watch Series 8, to M1 iPad Air, iPad 9th gen, M1 MacBook Air, and more.
The Apple Watch Series 8 is discounted to $329, with $70 off in several color options. The Series 8 includes ECG, blood oxygen sensor, GPS, an always-on display, fitness tracking, and much more.
The iPad Magic Keyboard is arguably the best single accessory you can get for compatible iPad Pro or iPad Air models, offering an excellent keyboard and trackpad, and completely transforming the iPad Pro/Air into a much more productive device:
The 9th generation iPad is the last iPad with a Home button, featuring a A13 Bionic chip, 10.2″ Retina Display, 64GB of storage, 12MP front/8MP Back Camera, and Touch ID. At 18% off, this is a great price on an entry level iPad and the last of its kind.
For what it’s worth, the 10th gen iPad is also discounted by $50, but it’s a confusing model to recommend given the relatively high price even with a discount, so if you’re looking at the 10th gen, skip it and for the M1 iPad Air or an iPad Pro instead.
M1 MacBook Air at 20% off, for $799
The base model M1 MacBook Air is offered at a $200 discount from retail, a great price for a great Mac:
And if you’re shopping around for other Apple products, be sure to check out the Apple product page at Amazon where you’ll find plenty of other Macs, iPads, Apple Watches, and much more discounted.
FTC: OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.
iPhone and iPad users now have an official ChatGPT app they can download and use on their devices, giving full ChatGPT access directly from an app, without needing to use the web, any third party apps, wrappers, or tools.
And, because Apple Silicon Macs can run iPhone apps, this means that the Mac has access to an official ChatGPT app now as well, assuming you have an M1, M2, or better Mac anyway.
Gaia GPS is a popular app amongst outdoor enthusiasts, but one of the apps downsides is that it tends to drain a lot battery life on your iPhone.
If you wish to save battery life and optimize how long you can use Gaia GPS for on your iPhone when out on an adventure, whether it’s a hike, backpacking trip, camping, boating, kayaking, or whatever else you may be doing, here are some helpful tips to extend battery life with Gaia GPS.
Apple has released the first beta versions of iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, and macOS Ventura 13.5. Users who are actively enrolled in the beta programs can find the beta updates available to download now.
iOS 16.6, iPadOS 16.6, and macOS Ventura 13.5 are likely to be among the final major releases of this particular generation of operating systems, as Apple is undoubtedly focusing more on iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS 14, which will debut at WWDC in June.
