How to Upload a File or Photo to Siri AI in iOS 27

1. Swipe down from the top center of the display to launch Siri AI.
2. Tap the plus icon inside the Siri AI chat screen.
3. Select the file, photo, or document you want to upload to Siri AI.
4. Locate the text field and type the information you want to know about the attachment.
5. Tap submit button.

An animation is displayed as the assistant is thinking, and then the Siri bubble expands into a short response. If you swipe down on a response, it brings up a text bar where you can provide clarification or ask another question.

Besides uploading files or photos to Siri AI, you can ask the assistant about what is on your screen. Siri can tell what you’re looking at, read text, and analyze images from any screen on your iPhone.

Siri can tell you where a photo was taken if there’s something recognizable in it, and you can ask questions about any app you’re in without having to provide specifics.

• Where was this photo taken?
• What is this?

Siri works in any app. You can select text or images, then ask Siri about the selection. If you see an image in Safari you want to know more about, you can long press it to select and then ask Siri whatever you want about it.

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• you can connect an SD card to an iPhone for file transfer or viewing by using a Lightning or USB-C to SD Card Camera Reader.
• To use SD or microSD memory cards with iPhone, insert the memory card into the reader, then attach the reader into the USB-C port on your iPhone.
• To view your SD card, go to the Files app on your iPhone, tap Browse at the bottom of the screen, then tap the name of the SD card.

While your iPhone doesn’t have a built-in microSD card reader, adding a plug-in memory card reader is easy. And it requires no additional software. The same goes for iPads.

Here’s what you need to do.

Removable memory cards are still useful

Even in the days of iCloud and portable SSDs, it can still make sense to give your iPhone the ability to read from and write to SD and microSD cards. They are still in common use. So much so that Apple brought the SD card reader back to the MacBook Pro in 2021.

The cards get used in cameras of many kinds: drone cameras, dash cams… just regular cameras. And many Androids have microSD card slots, making the cards an option for exchanging files between devices.

You might also consider using a backup application like OWC’s Copy That to make a backup of all the images on your iPhone or iPad to an SD card.

Fortunately, adding a reader is easy and relatively cheap.

How to read SD/microSD memory cards with your iPhone

Step 1 involves buying an SD and microSD card reader. Sorry, there’s no avoiding making a purchase — the best software in the world won‘t let an iPhone read a memory card without new hardware.

If you have an iPhone or iPad with a USB-C port, the reader is easy. You might even have one already. If you have a multi-port USB-C hub for your Mac with an SD card reader in it, just plug it into your iPhone or iPad.

If you need a reader, they’re available from reputable companies for under $20. If the reader has a USB-A connector you’ll need an adapter to plug it into your handset or tablet. But you should have that adapter already.

It’s a wee bit more complicated if your iPhone or tablet has a Lightning port, but you just need to know what to buy. A search on Amazon for “lightning SD card reader” turned up many possibilities. There are even cheap options.

And there’s a slightly alternative hardware option for Lightning-equipped devices. The GeeksChalk guide on how to use a flash drive with iPhone or iPad includes a section on using a USB-A adapter from Apple. This same adapter can be used with SD/microSD memory card readers designed to plug into a USB-A port.

Absolutely no additional software is required to use a standard USB card reader. The iOS Files application is all you need.

How to Connect SD and microSD memory cards to iPhone

1. Insert an SD memory card into a card reader.

2. Attach the SD card reader to the charging port on your iPhone.

3. To view the content of your SD card, open the Files app on your iPhone, tap Browse at the bottom of the screen, then tap the name of the SD card below Locations. If you don’t see Locations, tap Browse again at the bottom of the screen.

From there you can access everything stored on the SD card. Or move files around, play videos, whatever you need.

On the other hand, Lightning-enabled SD/microSD card readers are designed to use their own applications, not Files. These have their own file managers.

If you won’t want to put up with these third-party apps, go with a the Lightning to USB-A adapter from Apple I mentioned earlier along with a standard USB card reader.

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Well, there are a few potential reasons.

High Temperature

If your iPhone overheats, it can not only slow down performance and reduce screen brightness, but it can also stop charging completely in an attempt to cool down the device.

If these precautions fail, the phone will simply shut down.

If you’ve left your iPhone charging in direct sunlight or under a pillow where air can’t circulate, it may overheat and pause charging. This is even more likely to happen if you’re charging wirelessly, since it generates more heat than a traditional cable. Either way, you’ll know if your device became too hot to charge if you see a message that says that charging was put on hold due to high temperature. But when this happens, your iPhone will typically end up at a random charge level, like 74% or 87%, rather than 80% exactly.

Optimized Battery Charging

An iPhone that always stops at 80% likely has a battery protection feature enabled that can be turned off. It’s called optimized battery charging, which pauses your phone’s charge level at 80% until you’re likely to begin using it. That means iPhone will try to learn your daily charge routine and finish charging the battery past 80% right before you’re scheduled to take it off the charger. This feature was initially added to extend the battery’s limited lifespan, but in many cases it just annoyed users who wanted their phone to be fully charged as quickly as possible.

Optimized Battery Charging is on by default when you set up your iPhone. On iPhone 15 and newer, Optimized Battery Charging is available when Charge Limit is set to 100 percent.

When Optimized Battery Charging is active, a notification on the Lock Screen says when your iPhone will be fully charged. If you need to have your iPhone fully charged sooner, touch and hold the notification and then tap Charge Now. Optimized Battery Charging can be turned off completely in settings.

To change Optimized Battery Charging setting on iPhone 15 models and later:

1. Open the Settings app, then go into Battery.
2. Tap Charging.
3. Set charge limit to 100 percent. When the charge limit is 100 percent, Optimized Battery Charging is available.
4. Turn Optimized Battery Charging on or off.

To change Optimized Battery Charging setting on iPhone 14 models and earlier:

1. Open the Settings app, then tap Battery.
2. Tap Battery Health & Charging.
3. Turn Optimized Battery Charging on or off.

Note: Turning off charging optimizations can increase wear on your battery and reduce its lifespan.

Charge Limit

The iPhone 15 and newer models have their own charge battery limit that other models don’t. The feature is called Charge Limit. Charge Limit prevents the iPhone from ever exceeding 80%. This should help extend the battery’s lifespan even further.

Your iPhone will charge to within a few percentage points of your chosen limit and then stop charging. If the battery charge level drops more than 5 percent while connected to power, charging will resume, again charging to within a few points of your chosen limit.

If iOS determines that a charge limit will help preserve your battery’s lifespan, you’ll see a recommendation. For example, you might see “Based on your iPhone habits, a charge limit of 95% is recommended to help preserve your battery.”

If you have Charge Limit set to less than 100 percent, your iPhone will occasionally charge to 100 percent to maintain accurate battery state-of-charge estimates.

To change Charge Limit setting on iPhone 15 models and later:

1. Open the Settings app, then go into Battery.
2. Tap Charging.
3. Choose an option. You can choose a charge limit between 80 percent and 100 percent in 5 percent increments. When the charge limit is 100 percent, the feature is turned off.

While you can force your iPhone to charge to 100%, you’d be better off long term leaving it at 80% if it’s enough to get you through the day. I suggest that you check out this iPhoneArena article to learn if you are charging your iPhone correctly.

The post Here’s Why Your iPhone Stops Charging At 80% appeared first on nerdsmodo.

If Face ID is not working for the App Store, you will not see the double-click to install option. Instead, you will be presented with an Install button that you can tap to install the app.

If Face ID isn’t working for App Store transactions, it can create an inconvenience. Having to enter your Apple Account password can get annoying if you are downloading apps often.

I should note that this issue may also affect the iTunes Store; in other words, Face ID may not work with iTunes as well.

The first thing you should do if Face ID isn’t working on the App Store is to ensure that the App Store is allowed to use Face ID. You can check this by following these steps:

1. On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode.
2. Enter your passcode to continue.
3. Then ensure that iTunes & App Store is enabled.

If it is off, turn it on. After turning it on, Face ID will work again. If this was already on, then see the steps below.

Steps to fix Face ID not working in App Store issue

In this article, I provide two possible fixes. Please try Fix 1 first, and if that is not helpful, move to Fix 2.

Fix 1: Sign out of Media & Purchases and then sign in

Sign out and then back into your Apple Account for Media & Purchases. Follow these step-by-step instructions:

1. On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > [your name] > Media & Purchases.
2. Tap Sign Out.
3. Restart your device by turning it off and back on.
4. Return to Settings > [your name] > Media & Purchases.
5. Tap Sign In and enter your Apple Account credentials.

Fix 2: Reset Face ID

The steps here involve disabling Face ID, resetting it and then setting up Face ID again. Here is how:

1. On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode and then enter your passcode.
2. Disable Face ID for all apps and services: iPhone Unlock, iTunes & App Store, Contactless & Payments, Password AutoFill and others. Everything in the Use Face ID For section.
3. Now restart your iPhone or iPad, open the Face ID settings again and turn back on everything you just turned off. Check if Face ID can be used to buy or download apps. If not, continue.
4. Open the Face ID settings again and turn off everything again, everything under the Use Face ID For section. Then scroll down and tap the red Reset Face ID button.
5. After tapping the reset option, a new button will appear saying Set Up Face ID; tap that. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up Face ID again.
6. After setting up Face ID, turn on all of the features that you turned off.

The post Face ID Not Working for App Store? Here Is How to Fix It appeared first on nerdsmodo.

To transfer photos from an iPhone to an SD card, insert the memory card into the microSD card reader. Plug the reader to charging port on your iPhone, select photos in the Photos app, tap the Share button, and choose “Save to Files” to select the SD card as the destination.

With increasing file sizes as camera quality improves, iPhone’s internal storage space often proves insufficient in meeting the needs of daily users. SD cards can be a convenient and efficient solution to storage problems on iPhones. You can transfer photos you took on your iPhone directly to a memory card.

This guide shows how to transfer iPhone photos to SD cards, so if you need a backup of your media, or need to save your photos elsewhere before deleting them to clear space, read on to find out how to do just that.

What you need

• iPhone (obviously)
• SD Card (obviously)
• MicroSD card reader

Besides an iPhone and a SD Card, you also need a microSD card reader to transfer photos. Sorry, there’s no avoiding making a purchase — the best software in the world won’t let an iPhone read a memory card without new hardware.

If you have an iPhone or iPad with a USB-C port, the reader is easy. You might even have one already. If you have a multi-port USB-C hub for your Mac with an SD card reader in it, just plug it into your iPhone or iPad.

If you need a reader, they’re available from reputable companies for under $20. If the reader has a USB-A connector you’ll need an adapter to plug it into your handset or tablet. But you should have that adapter already.

It’s a wee bit more complicated if your iPhone or tablet has a Lightning port, but you just need to know what to buy. A search on Amazon for “lightning SD card reader” turned up many possibilities. There are even cheap options.

And there’s a slightly alternative hardware option for Lightning-equipped devices. The GeeksChalk guide on how to use a flash drive with iPhone or iPad includes a section on using a USB-A adapter from Apple. This same adapter can be used with SD/microSD memory card readers designed to plug into a USB-A port.

If you use iCloud Photos, make sure the original full-quality images and videos are downloaded to your iPhone or iPad. By default, your iPhone or iPad stores smaller optimized versions of these media, so head to iOS Settings > iCloud > Photos and select Download and Keep Originals.

Note: For photos that have been edited, the unmodified original version will be transferred.

Transfer photos from iPhone to a SD Card

1. Insert the memory card into the reader.
2. Insert the card reader into the Lightning or USB-C connector on your iPhone.
3. Go to the Photos app on your iPhone.
4. Select the photos you want to transfer to SD Card.
5. Tap the Share button, then tap Export Unmodified Original.
6. Tap your SD Card (below Locations), then tap Save.

It’s worth noting that photos in the Hidden album won’t be exported if the album is locked. To unlock the Hidden album, go to Settings > Apps > Photos, then turn off Use Face ID, Use Touch ID, or Use Passcode.

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We’re here to help you do just that with a ton of little tips and tweaks that will make sure you’re off and using that new iPad as quickly as possible. From backing up your old iPad (if you had one already) to getting up and running with a brand-new iPad from scratch, we’ve got you covered.

Prepare for setup

To make setup as smooth as possible,
have the following items available:

• An internet connection through a Wi-Fi network (you may need the name and password of the network) or cellular data service through a carrier (Wi-Fi Plus Cellular models)
• Your Apple Account and password; if you don’t have an Apple Account, you can create one during setup
• Your credit or debit card account information, if you want to add a card to Apple Pay during setup
• Your previous iPad or a backup of your device, if you’re transferring your data to your new device
• Your Android device, if you’re transferring your Android content

Tip: If you don’t have sufficient storage space to back up your device, iCloud will provide enough storage to complete a temporary backup, free of charge, for up to three weeks from the purchase of your iPad. On your previous device, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset [device]. Tap Get Started, then follow the onscreen instructions.

How to set up a new iPad

That first “Hello” screen when you fire up a new iPad is your invitation to turn a shiny piece of hardware into something that actually works for you. Whether you’re migrating settings and apps with Apple’s Quick Start, importing data from Android, activating cellular service, configuring Face ID/Touch ID and security, or organizing your Home Screen and apps just right, the choices you make during setup shape how fluidly your iPad fits into your life.

Our guide cuts through the initial prompts to show you how to get your tablet up and running the right way — fast, secure and personalized.

The best way to set up an iPad is via an older iPad, iPhone or Android device. Apple’s great migration assistant will copy everything over. But sometimes you want to start from scratch. It isn’t much harder — but you need to go through a few extra steps.

How to set up a new iPad

Getting started: Set up an iPad

Your iPad will probably come with enough battery charge to get started out of the box if you’re buying new. Turn it on by pressing and holding the top button until the Apple logo appears.

If you’re jumping ship from an Android phone or tablet, tap Set Up Without Another Device and continue. You’ll have to download the Move to iOS app on your old device. This app will guide you through the process of moving contacts, photos and more to your iPad.

The easiest way to set up a new iPad is to use Apple’s Quick Start feature, which quickly transfers settings and apps from your old device to your new one.

If you’re transferring from another iPhone or iPad, hold both devices next to each other to get signed in and set up. They should automatically detect each other. (If not, make sure your old device is connected to the same Wi-Fi network with Bluetooth turned on.) This is the way we recommend you do it. It’s easy, and fairly fast and painless.

Transfer your apps and data

You have a few different choices for how you want to move your stuff over. If you’ve never owned a smartphone or a tablet before, just tap Don’t Transfer Apps & Data.

If you’re coming from another iPhone or iPad, you can transfer directly from your previous device. This is hands-down the easiest way to move from an old device to a new one. All you have to do is keep your old and new devices close to each other and plugged in to power. All of your apps, photos and data will be transferred from your old device to your new one. Alternatively, you can download from iCloud, which lets your apps and data download in the background so you can start using your new iPad right away.

If this is a replacement iPad for one that is no longer of this world, you can tap Restore from iCloud Backup. This option will also set up your new iPad exactly as your old iPad, but you’ll need a reliable internet connection to download everything.

Pick the latest backup you have and wait. Your tablet will download all the essential data to restore it and continue with setup. After you’re done, stay connected — the iPad will continue to download apps, messages and photos in the background.

Set up a new iPad from an Android device

If you have an Android phone or tablet, you can transfer your data with the Move to iOS app when you first set up your new iPad.

Note: If you already completed setup and want to use Move to iOS, you must erase your iPad and start over, or move your data manually.

1. On your Android device, download Move to iOS from the Google Play Store. You can also tap the QR code button on your new iPad and scan the QR code using the camera on your Android device to find the app.
2. On your iPad, do the following:
   • Follow the setup assistant.
   • On the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, tap From Android.
3. On the Android phone or tablet, do the following:
   • Turn on Wi-Fi.
   • Go to the Move to iOS app.
   • Follow the onscreen instructions.

The post How to Set Up a New iPad appeared first on nerdsmodo.

• Random vibrations on your iPhone can be caused by app notifications, system alerts, haptic feedback, bugs, hardware issues, or out-of-date software.
• Restarting your iPhone, turning off vibrations in the settings, turning off haptic feedback, and updating your iPhone apps can help stop the random vibrations.
• If none of those fixes work, a factory reset or taking your iPhone for repair may be necessary to resolve the hardware issue causing random vibrations.

You’re not imagining things. The vibrations are real. iPhone vibrations are normal, but when they happen for no reason, they can become annoying. You don’t need to fret; there is a way out. With our easy fixes, you can stop your iPhone from vibrating randomly.

Why Does Your iPhone Keep Vibrating Randomly?

There is quite a number of possible reasons why your iPhone is vibrating randomly. The most common is incoming app notifications. When your iPhone gets an alert for messages and updates, your iPhone will vibrate if it is set to vibrate mode. If you have a lot of notifications coming in, it might feel like your iPhone is constantly vibrating.

Vibrations can also occur on your iPhone when you perform some actions, such as when you touch and hold any icon on the Home Screen thanks to Haptic feedback feature. Similarly, if you enable haptic for Keyboard Feedback on your iPhone, you will get vibrations when you type on your keyboard or use your keypad.

Finally, these random vibrations can also stem from hardware issues. If the iPhone’s motor that causes the vibrations becomes faulty, it can cause unending rogue vibrations.

How to Stop Random Vibrations on iPhone

To fix your randomly vibrating iPhone, try these solutions one after the other until the buzzing stops.

Restart Your iPhone

Restarting your device should be the first fix to tried if your iPhone vibrates randomly. Restarting clears your device’s memory, resets processes, and gets rid of bugs. Sometimes, this can fix a minor software glitch causing your iPhone to vibrate randomly.

To restart your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Shut Down. Drag the power button from left to right and wait for your iPhone to power off. Power on your iPhone by pressing the Side button. When it turns on, your iPhone should stop vibrating randomly.

Turn Off Vibration in Settings

If restarting your phone doesn’t fix the problem, you can turn off vibrations in the Settings app. Open the Settings app, and go to Sounds and Haptics.

Tap Haptics, then choose Never Play.

Now, the vibrations will stop, and you can use your phone normally.

Turn Off Keyboard Feedback Haptic

You can turn off Keyboard Feedback haptic in your Sounds and Haptics settings. Open Settings and go to Sounds and Haptics. Then, tap on Keyboard Feedback.

Turn off the toggle next to Haptic.

Now, there will be no vibration when you type.

Turn Off System Haptics

Similarly, you can turn off System haptics in your Sounds and Haptics settings. Open Settings and go to Sounds and Haptics. Then, turn off the toggle next to System Haptics.

Try to use your iPhone. The vibrations should have stopped.

Update All Apps on Your iPhone

Updating your apps might get rid of any bugs causing your iPhone to malfunction. To update your apps, open the App Store and tap on your account profile on the top-right corner of the screen.

If there are updates available, you can tap on Update All to start updating all apps. Doing this will activate all bug fixes and get your iPhone working optimally again.

Update iOS on your iPhone

Out-of-date software can pose problems for your device. Updating iOS on your iPhone can help get rid of these random vibrations, and will often have performance enhancements that help too.

To update iOS on your iPhone, go to the Settings app, tap on General, then tap on Software Update.

If your iPhone has a pending software update, select the Update Now option.

Wait a while for the software update to complete and then your iPhone should be rid of the random vibrations.

Factory Reset Your iPhone

If your iPhone software is up-to-date, and you have a random vibration problem, a factory reset might be all your phone needs to normalize it.

Take It in for Repair

If all the fixes above fail, the vibrations are most likely a hardware issue. It would be best if you took your iPhone to Apple or an authorized service provider to get it checked and fixed.

The post iPhone Vibrating Randomly? Here’s Why & How To Fix It appeared first on nerdsmodo.

But does this mean you should always quit your open apps? No, not at all.

Despite what you may have heard, quitting apps on iOS usually makes things worse, not better. It’s a myth that quitting apps will save battery life, make your iPhone run faster or free up memory. Overall, it negatively impacts your iPhone’s performance.

Here’s how to close iPhone apps — plus five reasons why you shouldn’t rush to do it.

How to close apps on iPhone — and why you probably shouldn’t

To close apps on an iPhone, you first need to open the App Switcher, which shows previews of recent apps you can tap to switch between.

Depending on your iPhone, the method to open the App Switcher differs. On an iPhone with Face ID, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause near the middle. For iPhone models with a Home button, double-click the Home button to open the App Switcher instead.

Once there, swipe left or right to look through your apps, then swipe up on an app’s preview to close that app and remove it from the list.

If an iPhone app you’re using becomes unresponsive or buggy, this will reset the software and might solve the problem. Unfortunately, a lot of people seem to have the bad habit of force-quitting all the open apps on their iPhones every time they use them.

You might start doing this, thinking that you’re saving your battery or boosting your iPhone’s performance. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Nonetheless, do this enough times and it becomes habitual. But here are five reasons you shouldn’t — and why quitting iOS apps does more harm than good.

5 reasons you shouldn’t close your open iPhone apps

Closing your iPhone apps all the time is counterproductive and goes against the way that iOS, the operating system that your iPhone runs, is designed.

Let’s review five reasons for this.

1. Apps Don’t Run in the Background

It’s a common misconception that every app in the App Switcher is currently running in the background and thus using your iPhone’s resources, but this isn’t true. Apple’s support page on switching iPhone apps states the following:

After you switch to a different app, some apps run for a short period of time before they’re set to a suspended state. Apps that are in a suspended state aren’t actively in use, open, or taking up system resources.

Thus, most of the apps that appear in the App Switcher don’t represent active processes. They appear in the switcher more as a matter of convenience (letting you switch back to apps you were using earlier) than as a list of all running processes.

The App Switcher is not like the Task Manager on Windows or Activity Monitor on a Mac. You don’t need to close apps manually to stop them from running.

2. Your iPhone Manages RAM on Its Own

This point continues from the above. iOS does a great job of managing the resources available on your device, and by closing apps all the time, you’re forcing it to work harder.

Like any computer, your iPhone has a limited amount of RAM, which it uses to store running processes. iOS regularly removes apps from RAM when they aren’t needed so that there’s always space available for new apps you launch.

Apps you haven’t touched for some time are automatically closed; when you open them later, they start up again. You can observe this yourself: open the switcher and scroll from left to right to reach an app that’s buried deep in the list. When you tap it, the app likely won’t pick up where you left off, since it was suspended a while ago to make room for apps you’re using now.

For apps that you stopped using recently, iOS freezes them, then unfreezes them when you reopen, to let you resume them quickly. You might not even realize that the app was frozen when you open it again, because this happens quickly.

When you force-quit an app, you’re stopping iOS from managing processes for you and losing the advantage of having frozen apps immediately available.

3. Closing Apps Forces Them to Reload

If you make a habit of closing iPhone apps, you’re making any apps you use often less convenient.

Let’s say you’re texting your friend in Messages and swipe to close the app after each response. Every time a new message comes in, you have to open Messages and select the conversation with your friend again. It would be faster to just leave Messages open so you can return to that conversation as soon as you unlock your phone.

While this isn’t a massive time difference, it adds up over the course of a day. But it’s not just time–this will also negatively affect battery life. By forcing your phone to close apps and then reopen them all the time, it has to do more work than if you just left them open.

Imagine turning off your phone every time you put it back in your pocket, then having to turn it back on when you needed it again. This would be inefficient and waste power–and it’s exactly what you’re doing on a smaller scale with swiping to close apps.

4. Closing Apps Makes the App Switcher Less Useful

The App Switcher becomes less useful when you constantly swipe all your apps closed. The point of the switcher is making it easy to access apps that you just had open. When it’s always empty, you have to launch apps through your Home screen or Spotlight search every time.

This wastes your time, especially for apps that aren’t on your primary Home screen or Dock.

5. Apple Says It’s Unnecessary

If you aren’t convinced by all of the above, perhaps confirmation from Apple itself will change your mind.

The lack of a Close All button on the App Switcher implicitly speaks to how Apple intends this feature to work. If the company recommended closing all your apps regularly, it would likely make this easier to do with such a button.

Apple’s support page on how to close apps states that “you should close an app only if it’s unresponsive.” If closing apps all the time helped your iPhone, Apple would make this clear.

Finally, in 2016, 9to5Mac shared an email that someone sent to Tim Cook, asking if closing iOS apps frequently is a good idea and necessary for battery life. Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior VP of Software Engineering, replied with “No and No.”

Obviously, the person who heads up the design of iOS has a good idea of how it works.

When You Should Close iPhone Apps

You should only close apps on iPhone if an app is buggy or unresponsive.

Once you learn how to close iPhone apps, you might mistakenly think it’s good for your phone to do it all the time. For the reasons outlined above, this is definitely not the case. Force-quitting your apps doesn’t save your battery or speed up your iPhone — it actually depletes your battery and slows down your phone.

When you finish using an iPhone app, just swipe up to the Home Screen and don’t worry about it.

The post How to close iPhone apps appeared first on nerdsmodo.

1. Turn on Haptic Alerts and optimize the strength

Before changing the sound and haptic settings as I describe below, you may also want to not only enable haptics but also adjust your haptic level so that you can be sure to feel the vibrations.

1. Open the Settings app on your watch.
2. Scroll down and tap Sounds & Haptics.
3. Find the Haptics section and ensure that Haptic Alerts are enabled. You will see that there are two Haptic Alerts options: Default and Prominent. Prominent options offer stronger vibrations. You can pick either one.
4. Then scroll back up and find the Alert Volume option which is the first setting on the page. Although this looks like a sound volume, it is also a haptic volume. You can increase or decrease the strength of the haptic alerts to your liking. Ensure that you won’t miss important calls or texts because the vibrations are not strong enough.

2. Turn on only haptic alerts (vibrations) for phone calls and alerts

After following the steps below, your watch will stop ringing when you receive calls:

1. On your paired iPhone, open the Watch app.
2. Select the My Watch tab at the bottom.
3. Scroll down and tap Phone.
4. From there, change these settings:

• Select Custom instead of Mirror my iPhone.
• Under the Alerts section, turn off Sound but ensure that Haptic is turned on if you do not want sound notification when you receive alerts.
• Under the Calls section, again turn off Sound and turn on Haptic if you want your watch to vibrate only when you get a call.

1. Then tap Back to go back to the previous screen and tap Messages.
2. Again select the Custom option and then ensure that Haptic is enabled while Sound is disabled. After doing this, your watch won’t make the chime sound when you get text messages, including iMessages.

Now your watch won’t chime when you receive calls, alerts or messages. It will only vibrate. How strong it will vibrate will depend on your settings. Ensure that you feel the vibrations. This is another option: You can also mute your Apple Watch using Silent Mode.

The post How to Set Apple Watch to Vibrate Only appeared first on nerdsmodo.

We’ll go over some of the best weather apps below, whether you just want to avoid getting wet or if you’re a total weather freak who can’t get enough data, visual or otherwise.

Best free weather apps for iPhone and iPad

1. Best free weather app with no ads: Apple Weather (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Apple Watch: Free)

Apple’s Weather app is the best free app with no ads. Because Apple’s Weather app for iPhone and iPad is a free weather app with no ads, we think it’s the best weather app overall. One of the main reasons it’s great is it incorporates many of the features from the beloved Dark Sky app, which Apple acquired in 2020.

One of the best features is how the app’s look changes with the weather while the underlying detail remains comprehensive. And Apple’s Weather app is a good choice if you prefer apps that don’t share your personal data.

You can peruse forecasts by the hour for up to 10 days (note: with forecasts, expect decreasing accuracy over time in any app). The app covers all the most important weather aspects, including temperature, wind, humidity, dew point, feels-like temperature, UV index, barometric pressure and visibility. It also offers severe weather alerts and surfaces weather news.

It also includes radar maps showing upcoming precipitation and temperature for the next 12 hours, wind for the next 24 hours, and air quality information. Plus, as the app is included with Apple devices, it’s familiar, and you’ll see the same weather presentations across your devices.

Note: This is also the only entirely free major weather app listed here besides Fox Weather, with no paid version setting apart premium features.

Hot alternatives:

• Fox Weather features a 3D radar view and links to a constant stream of weather news. And like Apple Weather, it’s completely free.
• AccuWeather shows precipitation minute-by-minute for the next 4 hours and offers proprietary RealFeel and RealFeel Shade Temperature readings. Free and premium versions available.
  

  2. Best weather app for iPhone: Weather Underground (Wunderground) (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Apple Watch: Free)

Weather Underground, also known as Wunderground, is the best weather app for iPhone because it has the most interactive weather maps on mobile devices.

The app puts 250,000 weather stations and their data at your fingertips. It once functioned more as a crowd-sourced weather resource, but now owned by The Weather Company (under Francisco Partners since 2024), it’s a good source for smart forecasting, with its proprietary forecast model, as well as well-rounded data like air-quality reports and even flu outbreaks.

The ability to choose different weather stations is especially useful if you live somewhere with microclimates, like a coastal area or a mountainous region. You can often find one or more stations in your town and switch to other stations nearby to see how different the weather can be.

One caveat: Given that many of these stations are private, you may notice oddities. I found one near where I lived recently that rarely agreed about wind speed with stations just blocks away. That station was probably set up in a place where the wind was blocked.

But another plus is this app is good for privacy, with easy opt-outs.

Hot alternatives:

• WeatherBug shows how far you are from lightning strikes in the past 30 minutes, an Outdoor Sports Index rates how good the weather is for activities and much more. This app is free.
• Windy.com’s pretty weather maps pack in 50 layers of data and other tools for the weather freak. Free and premium versions.
  

  3. Most accurate weather app: Carrot Weather (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Apple Watch: Free)

Funnily enough, the snarkiest weather app is also the most accurate weather app. Carrot Weather is known for its “hilariously twisted forecasts,” which deliver the weather with plenty of attitude.

But by default, Carrot’s forecasts are powered by Foreca, one of the world’s most accurate weather services. Foreca purchases high-quality weather data from a wide range of government and private weather services, combining them into a model that the company claims consistently beats other forecasters.

The award-winning app offers current, hourly and seven-day forecasts. They are delivered in five different personalities, from the “straitlaced ‘professional’ to the profanity-laden ‘overkill.’”

Recent improvements include a redesigned look for data surfaced on Apple Watch, Personal Voice use, new languages and some premium features like next-hour radar and new widgets for iPhone’s Standby Mode display and iPad’s Lock Screen. Also, Carrot tends to get high marks for not sharing personal data.

Hot alternatives:

• What the Forecast?!! can be even snarkier and sillier at times than Carrot Weather. Free and premium versions.
• Not Boring Weather — a beautifully designed minimalist weather app.

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