How-To Guides about Apple

This guide gets you to three decisions: which robot vacuum fits your specific home, whether Matter integration is worth paying for in your situation, and how to wire everything into a maintenance system using Apple Home, the vendor app, and a few targeted utilities. The best robot vacuum for Apple Home is not necessarily the one with the best Apple integration and that distinction shapes every recommendation below.

Close your MacBook mid-download and it goes to sleep. Open it again and the task is dead. Most people's first response is to install a "keep awake" app, and most of those apps won't help, because they're solving the wrong problem. If you're searching for how to keep MacBook awake with lid closed, the answer depends on which of three distinct problems you actually have: open-lid idle sleep, Apple's supported closed-lid desk mode, or an unsupported battery-only workaround.

If you want to keep using an Apple Time Capsule after upgrading to macOS 27, you have three options: stay on macOS 26, install a community tool called TimeCapsuleSMB, or replace the hardware. This guide covers all three, including step-by-step setup for TimeCapsuleSMB, so you can make the right call before the upgrade window closes.

By the end of this guide, you'll know how to create a shortcut using the iPadOS 27 shortcut builder's new plain-English prompt tool, how to inspect what Apple Intelligence generates, and how to decide whether the result is safe to run unsupervised. That last part is where most coverage stops.

iOS 26 lets compatible AirPods control the iPhone Camera app directly from the stem or Digital Crown. No Apple Watch, no tripod remote, no extra hardware. This guide covers enabling Camera Remote, picking the right gesture for your shooting style, taking photos and recording video hands-free, and routing mic input through your AirPods while you shoot.

The WWDC 2026 keynote is today, Monday June 8, at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET. No Apple ID, developer account, or paid subscription required. The stream is free and publicly accessible across multiple platforms, per AppleInsider. You'll need at least 8 Mbps for HD, or 25 Mbps if 4K becomes available on your chosen platform. That's it for prerequisites.

If menu bar icons are vanishing on your notch-equipped Mac, two Terminal commands can recover the hidden space by reducing the gap between icons from the default 16 points to 8. No third-party software required. This guide walks through that fix, the revert path, why the problem exists, and what to try if tighter spacing still isn't enough.

This guide covers three ways to disable Apple Intelligence notification summaries on your iPhone: a global off switch that stops them across every app, a category-level setting that targets news apps specifically, and how to turn off AI notification summaries on iPhone before you've ever opted in. All three paths run through Settings > Notifications > Summarize Notifications.

Apple released the first developer beta of macOS Tahoe 26.5 on March 30, less than a week after macOS 26.4 shipped to the public. Build 25F5042g arrived alongside iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 betas, making it a simultaneous push across Apple's core platforms. Developer beta access opened that day. Public beta availability through beta.apple.com has not been confirmed in sourced reporting at the time of writing, so this guide is written for the developer beta path. If you're on the free public beta...

iPhone users often find themselves in a frustrating situation: their device storage is maxed out with photos, but they don't want to pay for additional iCloud storage. The good news? You have several powerful alternatives that can handle your photo backup needs without requiring Apple's ecosystem at all.

iPhone users experiencing Outlook calendar sync issues often find themselves missing important meetings or double-booking appointments. These problems typically stem from authentication conflicts, background app refresh settings, or account configuration errors that can create frustrating gaps in your productivity workflow. Whether you're dealing with events that won't sync, duplicate entries, or calendars that simply refuse to update, most Outlook calendar problems on iPhone can be resolved...

The Ultimate Mac Showdown: Maxed-Out MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air vs Mac Mini

While Apple has made significant improvements to battery technology over the years, the reality is that our phones work harder than ever, juggling everything from always-on displays to background app refreshes and location tracking.

21 Quick Apple Music Tips That Will Instantly Upgrade Your Listening Experience

If you own an iPhone 8 or newer, there's a gesture trigger hiding on the back of your phone that most people never find. Apple filed it under Accessibility settings, which most users have no reason to open. The feature is called Back Tap. Two or three quick taps on the back glass fires whatever action you assign: a screenshot, the flashlight, Control Center, or any automation built in the Shortcuts app.

Choosing between Apple's M5 MacBook Air and M5 MacBook Pro isn't just about picking a laptop—it's about finding the perfect balance between performance, portability, and your specific workflow needs. With Apple's latest M5 silicon architecture pushing both machines to new performance heights, the decision has become more nuanced than ever.

How to Tell if an AirTag Is Tracking You (And What to Do About It)

The next time you pop in your AirPods for a long listening session, there's a simple guideline audiologists want you to know: the 60/60 rule. It's not complicated—listen at no more than 60% volume for no more than 60 minutes at a time—but it's one of those recommendations that can make a real difference in protecting your hearing over the long haul. With in-ear headphones becoming our constant companions for work calls, music, podcasts, and everything in between, understanding how to use them...

If you've been frustrated by the hassle of manually entering credit card details on your iPhone, iOS 26 just made your life easier. Apple's latest update brings a powerful new AutoFill capability to the Wallet app—one that works across any app or website, not just Safari. Let's break down what this means for your daily routine and how to get started.

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

The iPhone 4 is making an unexpected comeback on TikTok, where creators are celebrating this retro device as a stylish throwback to simpler times. There's something genuinely charming about pulling out that sleek, rectangular piece of tech history with its distinctive steel frame and tiny 3.5-inch screen. But here's the thing: while the nostalgia is absolutely real, using a decade-old device for modern social media creates a perfect storm of security vulnerabilities that most people haven't...

Gift cards have evolved far beyond simple plastic rectangles collecting dust in wallets. Modern digital gift cards have become sophisticated tools for consumer engagement and brand loyalty, with research from Bank of America showing that 81% of consumers purchased a gift card in the past year—a 6% increase from the previous year. For Apple users, gift cards represent one of the most flexible ways to navigate the company's extensive ecosystem. But here's the thing: understanding exactly what you...

If you're still running iOS 18, you've probably noticed Apple getting a bit more insistent about that iOS 26 upgrade lately. The company has recently started positioning iOS 26.1 as the primary recommended update for users still running the older software, according to MacRumors. This shift represents a significant change in Apple's update strategy, moving iOS 26 from an optional upgrade to the featured choice in Settings. But here's the thing—if you're determined to stay on iOS 18 for now, you...

When you're digging through your music library looking for that perfect song but can't quite remember the artist or title, here's where ChatGPT's new Apple Music integration comes in handy. This represents a significant shift in how AI interfaces with music discovery—moving beyond keyword matching to understanding the context and nuance of how we actually think about music.

You might not know this, but you can use Apple Wallet to store your driver's license right on your iPhone. It speeds up airport security, adds an extra layer of protection with Face ID or Touch ID, and lets you verify your age or identity quickly without handing over your physical card.

Apple's annual Swift Student Challenge has become a launching pad for the next generation of innovative developers, with students from around the globe showcasing their creativity through original app playgrounds. This year's competition drew participants from 38 countries and regions, showing just how far Apple's coding initiative reaches. The challenge invites students as young as 13 to harness Swift programming language to tackle real-world problems, with 350 winners selected from thousands...

Ever found yourself needing a clean macOS installation or wanting to upgrade multiple Macs without downloading the OS repeatedly? Creating an external bootable drive for macOS Tahoe is your answer. Apple launched macOS Tahoe on August 15, 2025, with its public Beta becoming available in mid-July, according to EaseUS. This latest iteration brings some impressive new features that make the upgrade effort worthwhile, especially when you are dealing with beta software where having a reliable...

iOS 26 finally brings a feature messaging enthusiasts have been requesting for years, the ability to customize conversation backgrounds in the Messages app. Instead of staring at that familiar white backdrop that's defined iMessage since the beginning, Apple has finally introduced the ability to personalize text message backgrounds. Your chats look more engaging, and you can spot the right thread at a glance.

Reviewed by Meg Flores

Halloween season is upon us, and if you're like me, you've probably got a yard full of decorations that need to be plugged in every night and unplugged every morning. No more shuffling across a cold driveway at sunset. The folks over at HomeKit Weekly have mapped out exactly how to automate this seasonal chore using Apple's smart home framework, and honestly, it's a game-changer for anyone tired of trudging outside to flip switches.

Apple's Visual Intelligence just got a major upgrade in iOS 26, and honestly, it's about time. The original feature launched in iOS 18.2 as a Camera Control button that could describe your surroundings and translate text. Now Apple has extended Visual Intelligence in iOS 26 to work with content that's on your iPhone. Not a minor tweak, a shift in how you act on what you see, from shopping finds to event planning.

Apple's Live Translation feature for AirPods is one of the boldest attempts yet to chip away at language barriers with everyday tech. Curious if this sci‑fi idea actually works in the wild? You're in the right place. Here's what to know, from setup to the feel of a real conversation.

Ever find yourself drowning in repetitive tasks, jumping between apps, and wondering why your expensive Apple devices can’t just work smarter? You’re not alone. That nagging feeling when you’re manually doing the same routine for the hundredth time isn’t just frustration, it’s your productivity trying to tell you something important.

Let's face it—staying motivated with your fitness goals can be tough. You start strong, hit the gym for a few weeks, then life gets busy and suddenly your Apple Watch is just a fancy timekeeper again. But here's something interesting: research shows that sharing your activity can boost your resolve to achieve that ideal weight or improve your fitness. The Apple ecosystem offers some powerful built-in tools for fitness accountability that most people never fully explore. Apple's official data...

Reviewed by Corey Noles

Reviewed by Corey Noles