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1 week ago | 
cultofmac.com | D. Griffin Jones
Apple’s Freeform app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro is a digital whiteboard you can use to brainstorm or gather ideas in one infinitely scrolling canvas. You can use Freeform to throw together ideas with a colleague. You could build a presentation using Freeform’s scenes, kind of like using Prezi. Or, you can use Freeform as a drawing app with your iPad and Apple Pencil.
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1 week ago | 
cultofmac.com | D. Griffin Jones
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1 week ago | 
cultofmac.com | D. Griffin Jones
Collecting old video game consoles and vintage computers is a fun hobby, but keeping all that hardware working can quickly become an expensive, never-ending task — not to mention all the space you need just to store the gear. You might instead (wisely) opt to play your favorite games and software using emulators for your Mac.
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2 weeks ago | 
cultofmac.com | D. Griffin Jones
Adopting a few smart habits can preserve your iPhone battery health, greatly extending the device’s useful lifespan. By simply tweaking how you use and charge your device, you can keep your battery from going bad, which is often cited as a reason to upgrade to a new iPhone. Just make these easy lifestyle changes, and your iPhone should last longer in the long term. Keep reading or watch our video to find out how to boost your iPhone battery health.
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2 weeks ago | 
cultofmac.com | D. Griffin Jones
If you forgot your new iPhone passcode, you can reset it with your old one for up to three days later. This can save you hours of trying to remember the new passcode, or worse, resetting your phone from a backup. You just have to tap Forgot Passcode? on the Lock Screen after you enter it several incorrect times. Keep reading for a detailed walkthrough. And don’t worry — if you change your passcode intentionally to keep someone out, you can instantly expire your old one.
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2 weeks ago | 
cultofmac.com | D. Griffin Jones
There are a bunch of not-great apps like Spotify and Slack that suck battery life, because they basically run a full copy of Google Chrome inside each window. Chrome is a notorious energy hog, and running multiple copies of its Blink engine inside four different apps can take unnecessary memory and resources. But you can create your own, much better versions using web apps based on Safari. Web apps are easily made in Safari and live in your Mac’s Dock.
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2 weeks ago | 
cultofmac.com | D. Griffin Jones
You can easily hide photos and videos on your iPhone to keep secret and/or illicit images out of your main Photos library library. Hiding items from the camera roll makes sure nobody except you can see your embarrassing pictures, salacious nudes or old selfies with your ex. Apple introduced the Hidden photo album years ago in iOS 8. But after Apple redesigned the Photos app in iOS 18, you can no longer find it at the bottom of the Albums tab — because the tab bar is gone.
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3 weeks ago | 
cultofmac.com | D. Griffin Jones
What does the orange dot on your iPhone mean — and while we’re at it, how about the green dot? These mysterious dots can appear in the Dynamic Island of newer iPhones, or in the upper right corner of older models, near the battery icon. The dots are part of Apple’s vast system of privacy and security features built into the iPhone. Of course, these privacy features only work if you know what they mean and how to use them — so keep reading for the answer below. Orange dot on iPhone? What’s the deal?
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3 weeks ago | 
cultofmac.com | D. Griffin Jones
The next major update to visionOS could include eye scrolling, for navigating long lists and webpages entirely hands-free. The Vision Pro already uses eye- and hand-tracking for navigating its interface; if true, this would take it to the next level. Scrolling is one of the most fundamental interactions with a smartphone. But it hasn’t translated as well to the Vision Pro, where you need to pinch two fingers together and move your hand.
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3 weeks ago | 
cultofmac.com | D. Griffin Jones
Due to an Apple Siri class action lawsuit, most Apple users are entitled to receive up to $100 thanks to a settlement over data privacy. You just have to fill out a form online before July 2nd, 2025. You’re eligible for a settlement if you live in the United States and used Siri between September 17, 2014 (when Apple released “Hey Siri” in iOS 8) and December 31, 2024.
