How to Setup and Use Text Shortcuts on iPhone and iPad →

September 4, 2014

Text substitution in iOS, while not comparable to something like TextExpander, does have the advantage of being available to use in any app. Even in iOS 8, TextExpander snippets will require using a custom keyboard.

Using iOS text substitution is still a great way to substitute abbreviations and characters for alternatives, and this guide over at iMore has some great tips.

If for nothing else, specifying that the phrase "eml" should be substituted with my email address is one of the best hacks I've ever used and makes it so much easier to log into websites and apps.

Using a Third-Party Remote Control with Apple TV →

September 3, 2014

While Apple's Aluminium Remote Control is decent, you can actually control your Apple TV from almost any other remote, especially universal remote controls, which can help de-clutter the coffee table.

If you aren't a universal remote like a Logitech Harmony which can be automatically programmed, Apple has published a support article explaining how to use some spare buttons on an existing remote to control your Apple TV.

Wi-Fi Tips from Former Apple Wi-Fi Engineer →

September 1, 2014

iStumber creator and former Apple Wi-Fi engineer Alf Watt shared a few great tips over at Mac Observer on getting the most from your Wi-Fi setup. While these may look trivial, these are often a topic of debate between technicians, so it's great to get the final word straight from the horse's mouth.

Remotely lock a Mac's screen with Launch Center Pro →

August 18, 2014

Rick Stawarz builds upon David Sparks' method of automatically putting a Mac to sleep using Drafts on iOS and makes uses of Launch Center Pro, offering a great one-tap solution to sleep your Mac.

Offsite: How to Free up Space on iOS →

June 21, 2014

Bradley Chambers has a bunch of great tips on freeing up some space on your iOS device, especially useful for those of us on 16GB devices who are frequently getting close to their capacity.

While some of the tips may seem rather obvious (for example, deleting apps), there's a lot of great information about spring cleaning to reclaim storage space that you may not even realise was missing.

Configure an AirPort Express as an Ethernet AirPlay Receiver

June 17, 2014

The AirPort Express is Apple’s pocket-sized 802.11n wireless router that features AirPlay connectivity via its 3.5mm Analog / Digital audio jack. You can connect it to an existing Hi-Fi or set of speakers and stream audio from any Apple device on your network without having to buy a whole new sound system. Many people (myself included) have taken to using a few of these devices solely as AirPlay receivers that have their wireless functions disabled and connect to an existing network over Ethernet - effectively they’re dumb AirPlay receivers.

Unfortunately, the terribly counterintuitive AirPort Utility app doesn’t make this obvious and, if you bought one with the sole purpose of adding AirPlay functionality to a Hi-Fi via Ethernet, it gives the impression that it isn’t possible as it must do something related to Wi-Fi. This isn’t the case and by delving into the AirPort Utility app we can configure an AirPort Express to suit our needs.

Tracking a Lost Device with Find My iPhone

June 9, 2014

Find My iPhone is a device tracking feature introduced in iOS 4.2. Since then, it’s evolved to include the Mac and iPad and provides iOS and Mac users the ability to track, find and even remotely wipe their device should it go missing.

It’s a feature that many of us will rarely, if ever, use. Even so, if ever a time comes that you might lose your iPhone or have your iPad stolen, it’s well worth knowing exactly how it works so that you can be reunited with it as soon as possible - or at least prevent any confidential information from being accessed.

Creating Launch Center Pro Actions for Fantastical Reminders

May 26, 2014

The natural language input of Fantastical for Mac and iOS has made the creation of reminders as simple as entering “Remind me to pick up milk tomorrow at noon”. If you make use of multiple lists then you can also choose which one to add a reminder to by including its name along with an additional modifier.

Rather than doing this every time you want to add a reminder to a different, we can leverage the power of Fantastical’s URL scheme and Launch Center Pro and create some actions that will automatically add reminders into a list of our choosing, either selecting it from a list of options or dedicating an action to a specific one.

Screencast: A Simple and Secure iOS Passcode

May 25, 2014

Using letters, numbers and symbols within a passcode offers the highest level of security, but it can get rather tiresome if you’re having to keep switching between keyboard layouts.

There is, however, a middle ground that offers all the convenience of a 4-digit PIN but with the benefit of increased security.

"The IOS Compendium, Volume 1" On Sale for 99¢ on the iBooks Store →

May 24, 2014

For a limited time only, you can purchase my latest ebook The iOS Compendium, Volume 1 on the iBooks Store for only 99¢.

The iOS Compendium, Volume 1 is an interactive iBook containing over 40 of the best tips and tricks that iOS has to offer, each with specially recorded narrated screencasts for you to watch, totalling over an hour of video.

Whether you’re a first-time iPad owner or have been using an iPhone since it was first released, any iOS user will find this book indispensable.

For anyone without access to the iBookstore, the PDF edition is also on sale for the same price.