iOS Today (Video)

In this episode of iOS Today, Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard discuss their experiences with Apple's newly released M4 iPad Pros and accessories. They cover the new features and improvements, including the OLED display, updated design, Magic Keyboard with function keys, and the new Apple Pencil Pro. Rosemary also addresses a listener's question about creating a shortcut to quickly access downtime settings on a Mac.

M4 iPad Pros:
• The new iPad Pros have an OLED display, offering improved contrast and color reproduction
• Storage options include 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB, with higher-tier models having more RAM and an extra performance core.
• The Magic Keyboard has been updated with a function row, haptic trackpad, and all-new hardware design.
• The Apple Pencil Pro introduces haptic feedback, a programmable squeeze gesture, and a "barrel roll" feature for adjusting brush/tool shape based on pencil orientation
• Apps like Freeform and GoodNotes are being updated to support the new Apple Pencil Pro capabilities
• Availability varies by model, and waiting for refurbished units or discounts may be beneficial

Shortcuts Corner:
• A listener asks for a way to quickly access downtime settings on their children's Macs
• Rosemary creates a shortcut using the Mac's System Preferences URL scheme to open the downtime settings directly
• She recommends adding the shortcut to the Mac's menu bar for easy access
• While it's not possible to toggle downtime automatically with a shortcut due to security concerns, this method still streamlines the process of adjusting the settings

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

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You can also contribute to iOS Today by sending an email to [email protected].

Rosemary and Mikah review the App Store Awards' best apps and games of 2021.

• Toca Life World: Build stories
• LumaFusion
• Craft - Docs and Notes Editor
• DAZN: Stream Live Sports
• CARROT Weather
• League of Legends: Wild Rift
• MARVEL Future Revolution
• Myst
• Space Marshals 3
• FANTASIAN
• Among Us!
• Bumble - Dating & Meet People
• Canva: Design, Photo & Video
• EatOkra
• Peanut: Find Friends & Support

Shortcuts Corner

• Simon needs help automating a parking app to open when arriving at a location in his car.
• Dominik wants to get a notification when his Apple Watch is charged to 80%.

Feedback:

• M.J. is looking for a good way to sync contacts between both Google and iCloud.
• Bill wants to search within text files stored in his iCloud account.
• Nigel needs help syncing his Audible (TWiT Sponsor) audiobooks with an Apple Watch.

App Caps

• Rosemary's App Cap: GoCube
• Mikah's App Cap: Google Photos Premium Print Series

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can contribute to iOS Today by leaving us a voicemail at 757-504-iPad (757-504-4723) or sending an email to [email protected].

Sponsors:

• Coinbase.com/IOS
• betterhelp.com/ios
• wealthfront.com/iostoday

In this episode of iOS Today, hosts Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard show viewers the powerful photo and video editing capabilities available on iOS and iPadOS devices. They explore both built-in editing features and third-party applications that can enhance one's photo editing experience.

• Built-in Video Editing Tools: Mikah demonstrates how iOS lets you quickly mirror, rotate, crop, and trim videos without needing third-party software, saving significant time compared to desktop video editors.
• Built-in Photo Editing Tools: Rosemary walks through editing photos with the Photos app, showing how to adjust Live Photos (turning them into loops, bounces, or long exposures), adjust styles, make exposure adjustments, and crop images.
• Live Photo Key Frame Selection: Rosemary demonstrates how to select the best frame from a Live Photo to ensure everyone's eyes are open or to capture the perfect moment.
• Clean Up Tool: The built-in cleanup feature uses Apple Intelligence to remove unwanted elements from photos, which Rosemary demonstrates by removing a clip from a keyboard image.
• Markup Tools: Rosemary shows how to use built-in markup tools to add shapes, text, and annotations to images when explaining something to someone.
• Copy/Paste Edits: A useful feature that lets you copy edits from one photo and paste them to others, especially helpful when selling items online and maintaining consistent white balance.
• Annotable App: Mikah showcases this powerful annotation tool that offers features like magnification loops with adjustable positions, redaction tools, text tools, arrows, and shapes for detailed annotations.
• Picsew App: Rosemary demonstrates this screenshot management tool that automatically stitches screenshots together, removes status bars and scroll bars, adds device frames, and helps keep a photo library organized.
• CleanMyPhone App: Rosemary mentions this app (formerly Gemini) that helps identify similar shots and duplicates to clean up the photo library.
• Pixelmator/Photomator: Rosemary highlights these powerful photo editing apps (recently acquired by Apple) that bring Photoshop-like capabilities to iOS and iPadOS, allowing for layer-based editing with advanced blending modes for just $4.99.

Shortcuts Corner

• Adding Country Codes to Contacts: Rosemary creates a shortcut to help Lauren, who had issues with text messages not showing contact names while traveling internationally.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

Contact iOS Today at [email protected].

Download or subscribe to iOS Today at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today

Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Rosemary and Mikah share ways to have fun with the family this holiday season.

• SketchParty TV
• Just Dance Now
• Jackbox Party Packs
• Sonic Racing
• SongPop Party
• Disney Melee Mania
• ElfYourself
• Monopoly
• Clue
• Ticket to Ride

News

• Swift Playgrounds 4 is now available

Shortcuts Corner

• Rosemary's Holiday Greetings demo.
• David wants to save links from Safari into OmniFocus.
• Another David is looking to automate the status in Microsoft Teams.

Feedback

• James recommends SyncGene to sync contact and calendars between different accounts.
• Michael is wondering why deleting an iMessage from the iPhone doesn't also delete on Apple Watch.

App Caps

• Rosemary's: Tickmate 1-Bit Journal
• Mikah's: Pixelmator Photo for iPhone

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can contribute to iOS Today by leaving us a voicemail at 757-504-iPad (757-504-4723) or sending an email to [email protected].

Sponsors:

• betterhelp.com/ios
• imperfectfoods.com promo code IOS

Rosemary and Mikah detail some of the most often overlooked or underestimated iOS settings.

• Enable Display Zoom to increase the Keyboard Size
• Custom Text Replacement
• Hide Sports Scores in the TV App
• Sleep Timer for Playback
• Scan QR Codes with the camera
• Search a Safari web page
• Hide People in the Share Sheet
• Offload Unused Apps
• Phone Codes for iOS
• Hide Notification Previews

News

• 20th Anniversary of the iPod
• iOS 15 brings new Announce Notifications feature for Siri, here's how it works
• Apple Music begins rolling out new mood and activity playlists; here's how to find them
• Apple updates App Store Guidelines in response to class-action lawsuit from developers
• EpocCam now lets you use your iPhone as a webcam with AR Snap Lenses
• Apple One Premier expanding to 17 new regions starting next week

Shortcuts Corner

• Daniel (the listener who asked for help setting up a Shortcut for automated audio playback in conjunction with the Books app) reported back with an update: Rosemary's Shortcuts suggestion worked wonders!
• Marshall wants to create a Work Focus that's tied to a specific Calendar event.

Feedback & Questions

• Edwin wants to disable AirPlay playback controls from automatically appearing on their iPhone.
• Steve has a 4th-generation iPad with 16GB of storage and wants to make use of the device in their home. Steve asks for suggestions to repurpose the older tablet.

App Caps

• Rosemary's App Cap: Elsewhen
• Mikah's App Cap: Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

You can contribute to iOS Today by leaving us a voicemail at 757-504-iPad (757-504-4723) or sending an email to [email protected].

Sponsor:

• Coinbase.com/IOS