Idea Of The Day. A new Idea Each Day. Some Don't Suck.



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Our Latest Posts About: iOS

Hey Apple... Real Rewards, Not Badges!

We Don't Need No Stinking Badges!


The Apple Watch is proof that Apple is committed to fitness. I think it's time they put their money where their mouth is.

Instead of offering cute little animation badges whenever you reach a fitness goal, why not give people something tangible... like an iTunes song? It would be a great motivation and also a great way to promote new artists and songs.

Why No Built-In QR Code Reader App on iPhone?

QR Codes are EVERYWHERE... so why doesn't Apple include a built-in QR Reader?

We Need Better iCloud Sharing

We need a better way to share files with friends, family, and co-workers.


I love the way iCloud lets me share my files between all my devices. I can create a file on my iMac, and the same file automatically appears on all my other Macs, plus my iPhone, and iPad. It's like magic.

The only problem is, it's not easy sharing files with other people. You can share individual files, but there's no way to share an entire folder.

Why Is There No Calculator App On The iPad?

Apparently, Apple does't think people with iPads need to do math.


Apple does a great job of integrating all their devices into one friendly ecosystem. Just about anything you can do on your iPhone, you can do on your Mac or your iPad. However, for some reason Apple still doesn't have a Calculator App on the iPad. Why is that?

This has bugged me for almost 10 years. Although there are a number of free or paid Calculator Apps in the App store, there's no reason for Apple to leave it out. The Calculator App is one of the few things that Apple has included in every platform since the original Macintosh in 1984, yet here it is nearly 10 years after the introduction of the iPad, and they still don't have a Calculator App.

Why Are There No Apps for Old Phones?

Upgrading your smartphone is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity, because there are virtually no App for older phones.


What happens to all the old smartphones whenever a new model comes out? Some people trade them in. Other people give them to a younger family member, but the bottom line is, as long as they're not broken, somebody else will use them. Unfortunately, they eventually become obsolete, but why does it have to be that way?

The word "Obsolete" seems strange when it comes to smartphones, because they were cutting edge only a couple of years earlier, and they still work, so why can't you keep on using them? The problem is is that you can't find Apps that work on older phones because the App Stores only include the latest Apps. That's just plain wrong.

There's... [More]

Continue...Why Are There No Apps for Old Phones?...

I Hate Mobile Apps With Ads

It's getting harder to find good apps these days that don't have any ads.


The other day I decided I wanted to play Roulette on my Amazon Kindle, so I went to the Kindle App Store and did a search. Unfortunately, I had a hard time finding one I liked, because most of the Apps were free, and I HATE free apps for one reason... they all have distracting ads.

Why is it so hard finding Apps without ads? When Apple introduced the concept of Mobile Apps, most of the Apps cost about $1, and none of them had ads. Eventually, developers realized they can make more money in ads than they could by selling Apps, so they focused more on free Apps than paid Apps. That's a shame, because I they're obnoxious and distracting.

Speaking of ads, another thing I hate is the way Amazon sells th... [More]

Continue...I Hate Mobile Apps With Ads...

Why iPhones Run Out of Space

It's Apple's fault that iPhones run out of space.


When people run out of space on their iPhone, the first thing they do is start deleting photos, videos, and Apps. While that may free up space for a while, it doesn't address the true cause for running out of space in the first place, and it's Apple's fault.

I created a popular video on the subject of fixing the problem, today I'm talking about the cause.

Photos and videos are definitely part of the problem, but what most people don't realize is that the real problem is WHERE those photos and videos are stored. That's because Apple stores photos and videos in two different places on your iPhone. The most obvious place is in the "Camera Roll" of your Photos App. That's where all the photos and videos you shot with your iP... [More]

Continue...Why iPhones Run Out of Space...

Automatic Shorthand Text Replacement

If an iPhone can substitute a Cake Emoji for the word "Cake", why not replace shorthand text with real words too?


I've never been a fan of texting. To me, it's a pain in the neck reading the screen and using a tiny keyboard to type. In fact, 99% of the texts I send are from my Mac, where I have the luxury of a full-sized keyboard. That said, regardless of whether I use my Mac or my iPhone, I never use shorthand text like "RU" in place of "Are You", because I think it looks sloppy.

While I completely understand that most of these shorthands started back in the time before smartphones, where people had to type messages using nothing more than a numeric keypad, I think it's pretty strange that people still use things like "CU L8R", instead of typing out "See You Later". It's... [More]

Continue...Automatic Shorthand Text Replacement...

You Call That Shuffle?

Apple doesn't understand the meaning of Shuffle.


One of the most misunderstood features of all music players is the concept of "Random" vs "Shuffle". To many people, they are interchangeable, but there's a big difference between the two, especially when it's done right.

The core idea behind "Shuffle" is to play your songs in a random order, so the order itself is a surprise to you. Sounds simple enough. You hit Shuffle, and the music player definitely picks a song at random, so what can be wrong with that? As it turns out, quite a bit.

Here's the problem. If you have 100 different songs, and you decide to shuffle them, you should hear each and every song exactly once, before any song repeats, but that's not what happens, because more often than not, you'll hear some son... [More]

Continue...You Call That Shuffle?...

Why iPad and Mac Should Never Merge

A lot of people would love to see iPad runs Mac Apps and vice versa. Here's why that's a bad idea.


One of the most talked about things in the Apple community is the potential for the Mac and iOS platforms to merge, After all, they both share the same foundation. It's easy for a Mac developer to port their Apps from the Mac to iOS, and vice versa, so why not make it official?

First, let me make one thing clear. There's absolutely no reason why a Mac shouldn't have the ability to run iOS Apps. After all, every App designed for iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, and even Apple Watch starts on a Mac. Mac developers create and test every App on a Mac using a simulator that can run every Mac App on the market. If Apple ever gets around to producing a touch screen Mac it would be a p... [More]

Continue...Why iPad and Mac Should Never Merge...

Apple FaceTime is Missing One Thing...

Why doesn't Apple's FaceTime have a way to leave a Voice or Video Message?


Ever since the invention of the telephone, people have dreamed of the day when video calling will replace regular calling as the most common way to communicate with friends and family. Although many companies have tinkered with various video conferencing platforms, Apple's FaceTime was the first one that caught on. The problem is they left out one important feature that is a central part of regular calling, the ability to leave a message when the other person doesn't answer.

There's no reason why somebody calling using FaceTime Audio, or even Video shouldn't have the same functionality as a regular phone, and be able to leave a voice, or even a video message.

A "Close All" Option

Don't you wish there was a quick way to close all your programs and documents at once?


At any given time, most of us have a lot programs, documents, and windows open at the same time. This can not only be distracting, but it can eat up a lot of resources, making your computer slower.

Sometimes the best solution is to shut everything down and restart, but that can be time consuming too. I think the best alternative would be for Microsoft and Apple to give people a quick option that simply says "Close All", that systematically closes every window, program, and document, just like it does when you select the Restart, Shutdown, or Power Down in Widows or MacOS, except that after closing everything, it keeps running. This saves the time waiting for it to re-boot.

The App Store is Missing a Critical Feature

Why doesn't Apple's App Store have an option to sell upgrades to existing customers?


Selling upgraded versions to existing customers has always been one of the most important sources of revenue for App Developers, but for some reason, Apple still doesn't have an option for selling upgraded versions.

While this may not seem like a problem for consumers, it's a deal breaker for a lot of software developers because it means that they won't be able to tap into their existing customer base to sell upgrades. This is one reason many software companies bypass the Mac App Store entirely and look for other ways to market and distribute their software, which isn't easy.

Without this critical feature, some software companies are forced to introduce alternate versions of their Apps wit... [More]

Continue...The App Store is Missing a Critical Feature...

Lockable iPad Apps

Whenever you allow your friends and family to use your iPad, you are also inviting them to read your email.


We all know Apple's iPhone and iPad are very secure. In fact, even law enforcement have a hard time unlocking them. There is, however one small problem. A lot of people unlock their iPads to let friends and family members play games, surf the Web or watch movies, and that means they also gain access to most of your private information such as email, photos, shopping and social media accounts.

The solution to this is pretty simple. Apple needs to create an option to assign a second Passcode to grant access to Apps that need an additional layer of security. This will allow people give friends and family access to less secure Apps without giving them access to more sen... [More]

Continue...Lockable iPad Apps...

Unlocking Better Siri

Siri should be able to launch certain Apps without unlocking.


When put on my headphones, the first thing I want to do is tell Siri to play something. So, I can say "Play The Beatles", and it will start playing my music without even taking my iPhone out of it's holster.

The problem is, Siri can't play anything else, such as Pandora, iHeartRadio or Audible, unless you unlock your iPhone first. This is a pain in the neck, especially if your iPhone isn't in your hands. For me, this is a big pain in the neck, especially when I'm out and about, and it may be difficult to access my iPhone.

Apple should give people an option to launch "Safe" Apps like Audible, Pandora, and iHeartRadio because they don't pose any security risks when you launch them from the lock screen.

This wo... [More]

Continue...Unlocking Better Siri...

How Apple Can Improve AirPods

I love my AirPods, but Apple needs to make a few changes.


Apple's AirPods look and feel just like Apple's original EarPods, with one major difference, there are no wires... or buttons. None of us miss the wires, but overcoming the lack of control buttons is a bit harder.

Apple's solution to the lack of buttons is to let you double tap the AirPod to answer the phone, activate Siri and do things like pause, resume, or adjust the volume.

There's also an option to change this default behavior by letting you pause and resume playback when you double tap, instead of launching Siri. To me, that's not an easy decision. I like the idea of pausing without talking to Siri, but there are definitely times when I need Siri to do something more complex, so I like the option of launchin... [More]

Continue...How Apple Can Improve AirPods...

iPhone Custom White Balance

Why doesn't the iPhone have a Custom White Balance option?


Whenever Apple releases a new iPhone, most of the improvements are related to the camera, because the iPhone is now the most popular camera in the world, yet it lacks one of the most important features that serious photographers need the most, custom white balance.

Custom White Balance isn't a new idea. There is a Custom White Balance feature in almost every camera made by traditional camera makers like Canon, Nikon, and Sony. The question is... why doesn't Apple include this critical feature?

Without a Custom White Balance option, the camera software is forced to guess the color of the light in the room, which isn't very reliable. It's virtually impossible for a camera to know whether it's looking at a slightly y... [More]

Continue...iPhone Custom White Balance...

How To Restore Files Deleted From iCloud

Why is it so hard to restore files you've deleted from your iPhone?


Ever since the first Apple Macintosh computer came out in 1984, it's been super easy to get back files you've deleted. All you need to do is look in the trash can. It was so easy Microsoft followed their lead when they put a Recycling Bin in Windows, but for some reason Apple dropped the ball when it comes to restoring files you've accidentally deleted from iCloud on an iPhone or iPad.

Even though iOS has an iCloud App, there is no functional equivalent of the Trash Can or Recycling Bin in it. The only way to get them back right now is from the iCloud website.

Steps:

1. Log into iCloud.Com, and look for a link at the top that says "iCloud Settings".

2. Scroll all the way to the bottom to find anoth... [More]

Continue...How To Restore Files Deleted From iCloud...

What BUGS Me About Apple's Contacts

Contacts is one of Apple's oldest Apps, but it hasn't been improved in years.


It drives me crazy when I use the Contacts App, and I see multiple versions of the same person. This is the result of merging contacts from Gmail, AOL, and Microsoft Outlook that took place over the years. Because of this, some of my contacts are listed 3 or 4 times with various combinations of information. Some have nothing but an email address, while others have a separate entry for their home, work, and mobile numbers.

It wouldn't be as bad if Apple gave us a quick way to merge contacts together. The best they can do is "Link Contacts", which isn't as useful as it should be. To me, there's no point in linking contacts when the better solution is letting you merge them together. In cases wher... [More]

Continue...What BUGS Me About Apple's Contacts...

What Bugs Me About iPhone...

Don't you hate when you can't find one of your iPhone Apps?


I've got a lot of Apps, and I do my best to try to organize them by moving as many as possible into folders organized by genre, and then I spend time trying to move them to other pages, but I still have a hard time finding my Apps.

Even if you take the time to put your Apps into folders, you can only see the first 9 in the folder, so you end up scrolling from page to page, then opening each folder and scrolling through 3 or more pages and you still can't find them.

Why don't they give you a simple option to view them alphabetically?


I'm not suggesting they get rid of the current system which lets you organize your Apps and create folders, I'm simply suggesting a second method to make it easy for those times... [More]

Continue...What Bugs Me About iPhone......

Safer Texting Buttons

Texting while driving is unsafe. Here's how to make it safer.


We all know how unsafe it is to text and drive, yet it's hard to entirely avoid the distractions because although we can try to resist the urge to type replies while driving, it's hard to ignore reading messages as they arrive.

The solution is to make it easier for people to quickly switch from reading and writing texts to simply talking (hands free) on the phone. To make this happen, smartphone makers like Apple and Samsung can show TWO easy buttons on the lock screen when a text message comes in.

One button sends a reply to the sender that says "Call me".

The second button says "Call Now". It doesn't send a reply. It just dials back the person who sent the text.

In both cases, the driver doesn't need... [More]

Continue...Safer Texting Buttons...

Tech Tip. How to Use Apple's Photo Search

One of the coolest features of Apple's Photos App is the ability to search your Photo Library.


As Photo Libraries get larger and larger, it becomes harder and harder to find specific photos when you're looking for them. It's like finding a needle in a haystack. Thankfully, there's a search option built into Apple's Photos App, but most people have no idea how powerful it is.

All you need to do is tap the search icon to open the search box, then simply type in what you're looking for. Believe it or not, it can find just about anything, and it doesn't matter if you've taken the time to create filenames, albums, or even tag keywords. Most of the time, you can find what you're looking for by using some of the built-in search categories.

Some of the search options are pretty... [More]

Continue...Tech Tip. How to Use Apple's Photo Search...

An App That Tells You When You're Speeding.

Don't you hate Speed Traps?


I recently received a speeding ticket in the mail that included a photo of my car taken by a traffic camera. What bothered me most was that I'm one of the slowest drivers you will ever see on the road. I make it a point to always go no faster than the speed limit, but in this particular case, I wasn't aware that the speed limit in that particular area was lower than normal. It was a classic speed trap.

If I knew about the lower speed in that area, I definitely would've slowed down, and avoided the ticket. That's when I thought about the idea of an App that runs in the background on your iPhone that could tell you when you are driving over the speed limit. If such an App existed, it could've warned me before I approached the speed trap.

An Instagram App For iPad

Why the heck doesn't Instagram have an iPad App?


Isn't it pretty strange that Instagram STILL doesn't have an iPad App? Ever since they were taken over by Facebook, they've got tons of resources, so why is it taking them so long to make a REAL App that works on the iPad.

Technically, you can use the iPhone App on the iPad, but that's pretty lame. It's not designed for a larger screen, so everything is distorted. When you think of it, Instagram is a photo sharing site, so doesn't it make sense to give people the best possible way to view their photos?

Apple's Maps App Needs an Intersection Feature

One thing missing from Apple's Maps App is the ability to get directions to an intersection.


One of my favorite features of a traditional GPS device is the ability to locate the intersection of two streets, because I often don't have an exact street address, but I know that it it's near an intersection.

So instead of guessing a number or name of your favorite Italian restaurant, it would be great to just tell the GPS to find the corner of Hylan Blvd and Benton Avenue.

Technically, you can specify an intersection manually, but there should be a specific feature with an icon that asks you for both street names.


This reminds me of other "Hidden" iPhone features, like Shake to Undo that should have a clear... [More]

Continue...Apple's Maps App Needs an Intersection Feature...

Did you know that Apple has a feature to show emergency contacts on your lock screen?


Most people don't know that Apple has a way to show emergency contacts on the lock screen, because it's buried inside the "Health App", where very few people even notice it. That's pretty strange, considering how important it is.

What Apple needs to do is either create a dedicated ICE App that is easy to find, or at the very least, give people an easy way to flag people in your Contacts List as being an "Emergency Contact". All you would need to do is check each contact you want to see in your lock screen and they will be available on the lock screen in the event that police, ambulance drivers, paramedics or emergency room staff need to reach your family in an emergency.

How Apple Can Improve The Voice Memos App

The Voice Memos App has great potential, but it's not as useful as a traditional voice recorder.


I've used voice recorders for more than 25 years because it's one of the best ways to take notes on the go. With a simple press of the button, you record your thoughts so that you can play them back when you find the time.

I stopped using a voice recorder when the iPhone came along, but there's one thing that really bugs me about using the built-in Voice Memos App, there's no way to just hit a REAL (External) button to pause and continue your recording. That's a real pain in the neck, because I would love to be able to launch the App, then use the volume buttons, especially on the headset to pause and continue the recording.

While you're recording, the volume buttons are usele... [More]

Continue...How Apple Can Improve The Voice Memos App...

Follow these steps to free up space on your iPhone!


One of the most common problems with the iPhone is running out of space. It's one of my most asked questions about the iPhone because it can be so tricky figuring out what to do when you don't even have enough room to take one more photo or video.

If you follow the steps in my video, you will be able to get back most of your space, without losing any of your photos or videos. The key is understanding where iPhone stores photos and videos sent via text messages, which isn't optimized, and how to move them to iCloud, where they take up very little space on your iPhone.

The main problem is that photos and videos take up a lot of space. Because of this, Apple has a great option to optimize space by storing your photos and v... [More]

Continue...How To Free Up Space on Your iPhone Without Deleting Photos or Videos...

Having only 4 digits for photo numbers is a real problem.


We take it for granted that whenever we take photos, our devices assign a unique filename. Most of the time, this consists of a prefix and a number. The iPhone for example uses the prefix IMG_, and a 4 digit number, for a total of 8 digits, including the underscore in the middle.

Sounds simple enough, but now that people can take hundreds of photos at any given event, that 4 digit number can cause a lot of problems down the road as we approach the 9999 mark.

To compensate for this, whenever you delete a photo, Apple takes advantage of the missing number and it will eventually re-use it, breaking the sequence. So when you bring your photos into your computer and sort by filename, the sequence of photos is completel... [More]

Continue...Photo Numbers on the iPhone Should Be At Least 5 Digits...

Shake to Undo? What the heck was Apple thinking?


Did you know you can shake your iPhone to undo something? From the surprised reactions of people who see me do it, I'm guessing there aren't many people who even know about this hidden feature, and that's one of the reasons Apple needs to re-think it.

What frustrates me is that sometimes you have to shake it pretty hard to get it to work, while other times it's too sensitive and it responds to every major bump in the road when it's mounted on my Jeep's dashboard. That's a problem on multiple levels. Since you need to shake it hard, there's always the chance that it will slip out of your hands... and when it's too sensitive, the popups asking you if you'd like to undo something drive you nuts.

What's even worse than the se... [More]

Continue...iPhone's Shake to UNDO is a STUPID Feature....

If your iPhone keeps running out of space... it may be because of photos and videos in the text / messaging app.


The iCloud Photos App does an amazing job of managing storage so that you can have potentially tens of thousands of photos and videos on a device with as little as 16 GB of storage. This is because the iCloud Photos App only needs to keep thumbnails or lower resolution versions of your media on your device until you tap them to get a higher resolution version.

I discovered this recently when a neighbor asked me to figure out why she couldn't take any photos, or read her emails on her iPhone. I checked her space, and she literally had zero bytes of space left. After digging further, I noticed she had almost no music, and didn't have many photos in her iCloud Photo... [More]

Continue...Why Photos and Videos Sent Via Texts Should Be Stored in iCloud Photos...

It's hard adding up multiple numbers without a tape, like an adding machine.


You should never use a calculator to add up a bunch of numbers, because there's a good chance you won't notice if you entered a wrong digit in one of the numbers. That's why accounting people use Adding Machines, because they have a register tape that you can use to confirm all the numbers.

Unfortunately, the iOS Calculator App doesn't have a "Tape Mode", to show you a history of all the numbers you've entered.

I think the easiest way to implement it would be to make it an option when you put the calculator sideways. Right now, rotating sideways turns on the Scientific Calculator, which most people will never use. Rather than eliminating the Scientific Calculator, there should be a button to swi... [More]

Continue...The iPhone Calculator App Should Have a Tape Option...

Siri Should Be Able To Take Voice Memos

I've given up on having Siri take notes and reminders because it never works.


When an idea comes to me, it's important that I record it right away. Most of the time, I don't have paper or pen, so I rely on my iPhone and Apple Watch to do it.

At frist I used Siri to take notes, but more often than not, it would mess up the voice recognition and I'd have to repeat the dictation again and again until it resembled what I asked for. Basically, I said something like "Remind me to get a case for my iPhone", and Siri would say "Okay, your reminder reads... Get a case of ice for home... Shall I create it?". If it got it wrong, I'd start over. It was frustrating, but at least the confirmation let me know when it finally got it right.

Then, for some reason Apple released an "Impro... [More]

Continue...Siri Should Be Able To Take Voice Memos...

I hate the way Apps are organized on the iPhone.


There's no rhyme or reason. When you download a new App, it just ends up at the bottom of your last screen that has space on it. That means that if you want it somewhere else, you need to drag it from that page to the page you want... and that's tedious.

It's bad enough doing it with whatever App you downloaded last, but when you want to organize more than a few Apps, the process takes forever.

What I'd like to see is an option to see a mini version every page in a scrollable area, then let you drag the icon directly to the page you want, instead of slowly dragging them from page to page.

An Option To Pre-Load Maps on iPhone

The biggest drawback of using a SmartPhone as a GPS is that it can use a lot of mobile data loading maps.


Every time you use your mobile phone as a GPS, it uses mobile data to load the maps, even though you've driven the same roads almost every time you use it. Unless you've got an unlimited data plan, that's a waste.

Doesn't it make more sense that Apple at least gives you an option to pre-load the maps for your area? This not only would use less mobile data, but it would save quite a bit on your battery.

Why does Siri ask me to unlock my phone when I ask to Launch harmless Apps like Audible?


Security is very important to Apple, so it's understandable why they don't allow you to launch certain Apps without unlocking your iPhone first, however there are quite a few Apps that are completely harmless that should be allowed to launch without unlocking.

For example, Audible, Pandora, Amazon Music, Shazam, Sirius XM, iHeartRadio and countless streaming Apps have no security risks whatsoever, yet you can't launch them from Siri without unlocking the iPhone first. That's a real pain in the neck when you're simply trying to launch your favorite audio Apps while running, walking, or driving.

All Apple would need to do to allow this feature is to confirm that the App has no potential... [More]

Continue...An Option To Launch Audio Apps Without Unlocking...

You can swap between the front and back camera when you use FaceTime, but they don't have an option to swap cameras while shooting video.


Wouldn't it be great to have an option to switch back and forth between the front and back camera while shooting video on the iPhone? This would be perfect for people who want to shoot a regular video, then switch back to a selfie and wave to the camera.

This biggest hurdle is the fact that the front camera still isn't 1080p HD, which means that until they eventually upgrade the front camera to full HD, the output file will likely end up being 720p. Of course, that also means that you won't be able to use some of the other more advanced back camera features like ultra slow motion, and 4K video.

UPDATE: Although you still can't do this

... [More]

Continue...Switch From Front to Back Camera on the Same Clip...

One of the things I miss most about old school camcorders is having a Pause Button.


Now that most people use their smartphone to shoot video, we no longer have a way to pause videos. Every time you hit the button, it starts and stops the video, but you end up with with a whole bunch of separate video files. Wouldn't it be great if you had a way to just pause the video, then continue using the same video file.

Right now, the only way to put together a video like that is to use a video editing program like iMovie, which is a lot more complicated and time consuming.

If nothing else, it would be great to have a second record button with a plus sign that essentially means "Add this to the last clip".


The main idea is to make it easier for people to tie together multipl... [More]

Continue...iPhones Need A Pause Button When Shooting Videos...

Why iPads Need User Profiles

Sharing an iPad with family members is a pain in the neck.


If you've ever tried to share your iPad with a friend or family member, you know the frustration with trying to keep your Apps, Email, settings, and Photos private.

Everyone loves taking Selfies. The only problem is the front camera isn't as clear as the back camera.


More pictures today are taken using an iPhone than any other camera, including traditional camera brands like Nikon, Canon, and Sony, which is why Apple spends a lot of time improving the primary camera on the back of the iPhone.

The latest iPhone can not only shoot stills that can rival some DSLRs, it can even shoot jaw dropping 4K video, which until recently, was only available in very expensive professional cameras.

With that in mind, it's hard to believe the front camera on the iPhone still can't even shoot in full 1080p HD. While this may not sound important to some people, the fact is a large number of photos and videos taken today are Selfies, taken with the front... [More]

Continue...iPhone Front Camera Should Be Full 1080p HD...

Making notes and reminders with Siri is like pulling teeth.


I don't know about you, but I'm fed up with talking to Siri like a two year old, just trying to get it to create a note or reminder.

Ever since Siri was introduced, I've been making notes and reminders whenever an idea hits me. Unfortunately, Siri has an absolutely horrible track record for (accurately) transcribing whatever I said. I say something like "Remind me to get cat food", and Siri is likely to translate that into something like "Get snack food". Making matters worse, when I get home to read back my reminders, I'll scratch my head and say "Why did I put that on my list?".

If your reminder or note has somebody's name in it, you might as well give up. Siri NEVER gets names right. Just try to tell Siri... [More]

Continue...Why iOS Should Save Your Voice Recordings When You Use Siri...

There's no reason to trigger notification alarms when you've manually launched the Mail App?


Alerts have a purpose... to let you know you should check your email. That's perfectly normal, but why does the iPhone buzz and send you an alert when you are already reading you email?

Think about it. Is there any reason whatsoever for your iPhone to buzz or make a sound while you are literally reading your email... at that exact moment? It's not only pointless, but it draws attention to the fact that you're reading your mail.

For some reason, this is the default behavior. It should be completely eliminated, or at the very least turned off by default.

Don't you hate when people shoot videos in portrait mode?


Everyone hates seeing videos that were shot in portrait mode, but some of the blame is on Apple, because they could easily make the camera shoot in landscape, regardless of how you hold your iPhone.

The main reason most people shoot videos in portrait is that it's a more comfortable way to hold your iPhone. While it's definitely useful to allow you to shoot still photos in portrait, there's very little reason why anyone would want a video in portrait mode.

Nothing is private when friends and family use your tablet.


Whenever you allow a friend or family member to use your iPad or Android tablet, you're giving them complete access to just about everything in your private life.

So when guests come over and you allow them to see your photos, or play some games, you are also allowing them to read your email, and even access things like your bank account apps. That's pretty scary.

While the tablet itself has a password option, once you unlock it, you are basically giving the person holding it the keys to everything. The only way to block people from accessing your private information that is to keep the entire tablet locked with a Passcode, so there is no way to allow people to use some of your apps, while blocking them from usin... [More]

Continue...Lockable, Password Protected Apps for iOS and Android...

Right now, the only way to reduce your mobile data usage is to turn off mobile data on data hungry Apps like YouTube. Why does it have to be all or nothing?


If you're like most people, your mobile phone plan has a limit on how much data you can use each month. The trouble is, today's high resolution screens use 4-5 times more data than older screens, especially for full HD video.

Most smartphones have a crude solution to the problem, they let you decide which Apps have access to mobile data, and which ones don't. That's pretty lame. Why should you have to turn mobile data off when using Apps like YouTube, just because your new higher resolution screen uses too much data?

Instead of turning off mobile data, wouldn't it be easier to configure Apps like YouTube to use 48

... [More]

Continue...An Option to Use Lower Resolution Videos While On Mobile Data...

There should be quick a way to temporarily block inbound texts while driving.


We all know how dangerous it is to send text messages while driving. Even people who don't send messages can be easily distracted if they receive a message while driving.

Most mobile devices already have a quick and easy way to enable "Airplane Mode", so device makers should add a button to disable texting too. After all, more people drive each day than fly.

It's surprising that there isn't already an option to disable texting anywhere in the settings menus on today's SmartPhones. Right now, the only way to disable texting is to turn the entire phone off or use Airplane Mode. While that seems like a simple solution, it also blocks you from using the GPS, and from making or receiving calls in the... [More]

Continue...Driving Mode. An Option To Block Inbound Texts While Driving....

Isn't it strange that some of the most popular iPhone Apps don't work in landscape mode?


It's bad enough that some of the smaller independent developers don't support it, but some of the most popular Apps such as Apple's own Music App, Facebook, and LinkedIn still don't support it.

I'm sure some developers feel it's easy enough to just flip the phone over and use the Apps in portrait mode, but that's missing the point. The fact is some people prefer landscape mode, especially if they mount their phones on their dashboards as a GPS.

As a programmer, I know it's not that difficult to design an App that uses both portrait and landscape mode. Even a novice developer can do that. A more seasoned developer can not only support landscape mode, but take advantage of the extra sp... [More]

Continue...Why Don't More iPhone Apps Support Landscape Mode?...

Have you ever printed an email using your iPhone?


If you print an email using any iOS device, you'll see that for some reason, Apple doesn't always put the date on top. Instead of the full date and time, as most email Apps do, Apple likes to use a more conversational approach for any date within the last week.

This means that a email received today or yesterday will say something like "Today at 8:52am", or "Yesterday at 12:02 pm" respectively. The other five days of the week will be spelled out like: "Tuesday at 7:05am". While that may sound less official than writing "Wednesday, January 5, 2016 10:27pm", it's infinitely more practical... WHEN YOU PRINT IT ON PAPER.

I discovered this when I read an email I printed that said "Today at 8:52am", on top. I had to stop for... [More]

Continue...Apple Needs To Print REAL Dates on Emails in iOS...

Why iPads Need User Profiles

There's one thing wrong with sharing your iPad with your family... nothing is private.


Most people today have their own email address and social media account. This means that a typical family of four will have at least four different email address, and at least as many social media accounts. In fact, each family member is likely to have multiple social media accounts for everything from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, so there's a pretty good chance that there could be 20 or more accounts to juggle on the typical iPad.

Unfortunately, since the iPad doesn't have a feature that lets each family member have their own User Profile, anyone who uses it will end up using the same email and social media accounts.


This can be particularly disturbing if a child acci... [More]

Continue...Why iPads Need User Profiles...

REAL Threaded Email on iOS / iPhone

Apple's Email App does a bad job of showing "Threaded Conversations"


If you've ever used Gmail, you're already familiar with "Threaded Email", which means that when you view any given email. you see all subsequent replies in chronological order, with the newest at the bottom.

Apple recently added what they consider Threaded Email to their iOS Mail App, but it's missing something very important. Emails you sent as replies are not included as part of the thread. What you end up with is only half a conversation.

By contrast, Google's Gmail App is fully threaded and it's easy to follow each conversation, which isn't surprising because Google was the first major email platform to support it.

Wy can't we lend, give away or sell our digital media?


Do you remember going to a flea market and exploring the second hand books, and records? Now that everything's digital, we've lost the ability to (legally) buy, trade or give away media.

As a result, millions of people are building libraries of music, books, and movies that they can never give away or sell to family and friends, without making an illegal copy. The solution is to build a system where ownership of any particular digital copy can be transferred to another person.

The main difference between transferring ownership vs copying digital media is that the media is removed form one account, and transferred to the second. Technically, this also includes the ability to transfer media between two of your own acco... [More]

Continue...P2P Media - We Should Be Able To Lend, Gift, or Sell Our Digital Media...

The Apple Reminders App Needs a Print Option

Why doesn't the Apple Reminders App have a print option?


The Apple Reminders App is one of the most popular Apps on the iPhone, iPad and Mac, yet it lacks the one of the most fundamental features of every other productivity App... the ability to print your lists.

Fans of David Allen's "Getting Things Done" (GTD) know the importance of a good system to track your notes and to-do lists. The idea of tracking your to-do lists is essential, however not everyone goes about it the same way. Some prefer digital tracking using Apps on computers, tablets and mobile devices, while others prefer a manual paper based system.

Regardless of your method to create your lists, the ability to put those lists on paper should always be an option, especially when you're on the go. For example... [More]

Continue...The Apple Reminders App Needs a Print Option...

Portable Music and Movie Purchases

When you buy something digital, it should be yours to use on whatever platform you like.


When it comes to digital media, the concept of "ownership" no longer means what it used to be. As the demand for digital media continues to grow, companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart are all investing heavily in building platforms to sell digital media. The question is... who owns it?

Before the digital revolution, you went to a store and purchased your copy of a book, magazine, movie or record. It was a simple transaction. As soon as you left the store, you could do whatever you wanted to with your purchase. It was your copy.

Unfortunately, buying a digital copy of your favorite media is an entirely different experience. For example, i... [More]

Continue...Portable Music and Movie Purchases...

I hate the way media is organized on my iPhone.


One of the great things about iOS devices is that they can store many different types of media. The trouble is Apple doesn't do a good job of organizing things.

There are dedicated Apps for Photos, Videos, Podcasts, Books, Magazines and Music. Sounds simple enough, but some media blurs the lines between categories making it hard to pin down.

For example, the Video App has buttons for Movies, TV Shows and Music Videos, but it doesn't have an option to show videos you made yourself, which are located inside the Photos App.

Although it seems to make sense that music videos are located inside the Music App, they really shouldn't be there. They're already in the Videos App, and doesn't make sense for the Music App to include... [More]

Continue...How Media Should Be Organized On Apple Devices (video)...

An Alarm Clock App That Factors In Traffic

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Everyone hates traffic.


Traffic conditions can make or break your morning commute, so why not get a head start on days when traffic is heavy?

One of the great things bout the iPhone is that it often anticipates your daily activities and offers suggestions. If you normally drive to the same place each morning, it will start off your day by telling you how long it will take to get there based on current traffic conditions.

Taken to the next level, if the phone knows how long it will take to get to work, it should also be able to anticipate when you need to get up early to compensate for a traffic jam. Conversely, if traffic is lighter than usual, why not let you get a few extra winks?

Why can't you use your iPhone upside down?


It's pretty strange that you can rotate an iPad in any direction, but you can't do the same thing with any iPhone. It doesn't make sense at all. Flipping an iPhone sideways is a lot more complicated for programmers to support because it changes the entire orientation from portrait to landscape, but a simple flip upside down should be a no-brainer. Everything is the same, except it's upside down.

This is particularly a problem for people like me who place their iPhone in the cup holder when driving. It's a real catch-22. If I place it in the cup right side up, the wire is crushed underneath and it eventually wears out, which can potentially damage not only the wire but the iPhone itself. If I place it in the cup upside down, the... [More]

Continue...The iPhone Should Work in Any Direction, Including Upside Down...
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There should be a way to mix your music by tagging more than one thing.


One of the most popular features of today's music players is the ability to shuffle your music. The trouble is you only have a few ways to do it. You can select an individual artist, album or category... or shuffle your entire collection. So in a nutshell, you don't have that much control.

Let's say you're in the mood for some Pink Floyd, but you'd also like to hear The Beatles and maybe Tony Bennett. Right now, you can shuffle any of them individually, but there's no way to create a mix that contains all three.

The solution is to offer a way to tag multiple items with a checkbox, then combine them on-the-fly into an instant mix. The only way to do that right now is to create a new Playlist, then i... [More]

Continue...Tag and Shuffle Multiple Artists, Albums or Playlists...

iOS Calculator Tape Display Mode

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Why doesn't the iPhone and iPad calculator have a tape display mode?


The Calculator App has been included in every version of the iPhone and iPad since the first iPhone in 2007. Other than changing the look and color of the buttons, it hasn't had any changes since then.

One of the things I'd really love to see is a Tape Mode option, which would be perfect for when you hold your device in landscape mode. A Tape Mode would work like a traditional desktop adding machine, allow people to see a tally of the most recent calculations.

To me, there's a huge difference between an adding machine and a calculator, especially when you want to add a large number of numbers in a row. The tape makes it easy to confirm that the entire list of numbers was accurate, so you know you didn't... [More]

Continue...iOS Calculator Tape Display Mode...

Merge Folders on iOS

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Why doesn't apple have an option to merge folders in iOS?


Organizing apps on your iPhone or iPad is a real pain in the neck, which is why Apple created an iOS option allowing you to create folders to group similar apps together.

Sooner or later you end at least a few similar folders that should merged be together. The trouble is, iOS doesn't have a quick way to do this.

The only way to merge folders is to take each app from the original folder and drag it one by one into the second folder. That's pretty crude, especially if the folders aren't on the same page. There should be able to just drag one folder onto the second to have the system merge them together.

Taken to the next level, dragging one folder onto the other should create sub folders, but at the very least, mer... [More]

Continue...Merge Folders on iOS...

Undo Shouldn't Be A Hidden Option

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Do you want to know why there isn't an Undo button on the iPhone?


A while back, I did a blog post about why iOS Mail Needs an Undo Option. I was venting about how much of a pain in the neck it was to undelete an email you accidentally deleted, because I hated having to leave my inbox, then look through my deleted folder every time I accidentally deleted something.

As it turns out, I was wrong. There already is an Undo option. All you have to do is shake your iPhone. What the heck? Yes. Shake your iPhone. How is anyone supposed to know that? Isn't it easier to just put an undo option someplace?

Look, I'm a big fan of minimalistic design. I love when developers remove options in order to distill them to... [More]

Continue...Undo Shouldn't Be A Hidden Option...

Close All Apps at Once on iPhone and iPad

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I like simplicity.


I often see people flicking at their iPhone screens to get rid of all the "Open" Apps. Foe some people, that takes a long time, because their iPhone shows them dozens of these apps whenever they double tap the home button. Technically, these Apps aren't necessarily running, but Apple shows all the recently used Apps, whether they're running or not.

We've all been conditioned to put out things away, so even a lot of technical people like me still get the urge to "clean up" their iPhone by closing each and every one, until there're all gone. For what it's worth, anything past the last 5 screens is completely redundant because it takes longer to scroll through the recently used Apps than it would to launch them from scratch, so it's pointless that Apple show... [More]

Continue...Close All Apps at Once on iPhone and iPad...

iOS Mail Needs an UNDO Option

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Everyone makes mistakes.


One of the best things about Apple is they know how to make things easy. Deleting an email couldn't be easier; all you have to do is swipe your finger on your email and it's gone in the blink of an eye. But what if you accidentally deleted something? Unfortunately, it's not easy getting it back.

It may not happen often, but when I accidentally delete an email, it's a real pain in the neck getting it back.

While it's not impossible, it's difficult and time consuming. You have to exit the InBox, then locate the message in the trash folder, and then move it back to the InBox.

If you've got more than one email address, first you have to figure out which mailbox the message was originally sent to, or you'll have to check the trash folder for eac... [More]

Continue...iOS Mail Needs an UNDO Option...

Tap Apple Watch To Unlock Your iPhone

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I hate passwords, especially on my iPhone.


I never let my iPhone out of my sight. It's either on my desk at home, or it's secured to my belt in a holster, so I never had any reason to set a passcode to turn it on. That changed when I decided to try Apple Pay on my Apple Watch, which doesn't work unless you secure your iPhone with a Passcode.

While I'm not thrilled with the idea of having to enter a Passcode every time I turn on my iPhone, I can understand why they require it for Apple Pay. It's still a pain in the neck, because you need to unlock the phone quite often.

I configured the Touch ID for at least four of my fingers, so I can unlock it without having to actually typing the password, but the problem is it doesn't work when I have wet hands or if I'm wearing glov... [More]

Continue...Tap Apple Watch To Unlock Your iPhone...
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Apple needs to create a dedicated library for audio recordings.


One of my favorite things about Apple is the way they pay attention to detail. They were the first to have dedicated places for photos, videos and music, making it easy for people to organize the most common types of media.

We take it for granted that when we take a photo or shoot a video, it's going to be in our photo library, or if we store our music, it'll be in our music library on iTunes, but what about the other media we accumulate?

The trouble is, there is no dedicated place for things like voicemail archives, voice memos and other audio recordings.

Without a library for audio recordings, Voice memos recorded using the Apple Voice Recorder App can't be accessed by other Apps. Ideally, any App that sa... [More]

Continue...Audio Library For iOS and Mac OS X. A Place For Voicemail and Voice / Audio Recordings....
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Isn't it strange that there isn't a way to save or forward voicemail on the iPhone?


The iPhone changed the way people use voicemail. It was the first phone to have "Visual Voicemail", giving you the ability to see a list of messages, rather than having to navigate through a series of voice prompts to play back and manage your messages.

Apple made this possible by downloading messages directly to the iPhone, rather than forcing you to call a number to hear them. This not only made it easier to select and play message, but even play them back without relying on over-the-air reception.

Since the iPhone already downloads messages for Visual Voicemail, saving it as an MP3 should be easy for them to implement.


Although you can save a message indefinitely on the iPhone i... [More]

Continue...Save or Forward Voicemail as MP3 Files on iPhones...
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Although there are plenty of iPhone QR Reader Apps available, I find it funny that Apple doesn't include a built-in App.


While it doesn't take long to download a third party App, there are a lot of people who don't have any idea what to look for. To them, these cryptic looking codes are a complete mystery, so they wouldn't even attempt to look for an App.

Those who decide to look for an App are faced with countless Apps that claim to read QR Codes, many of which are completely free. Choosing the best App could be a challenge, especially since most of them look alike.

The reason there are so many free third party QR Reader Apps is that each of the developers stands a chance to earn money whenever you use it. For example, many of them also read regular barcodes, so if you... [More]

Continue...Why Doesn't iPhone Have a Built-In QR Reader?...

These iOS Apps Are Missing From The Mac

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Apple has done an amazing job of integrating the Mac with the iPhone and iPad. Here are a few things they left out.


One of the great things about owning a Mac is that almost everything integrates perfectly with your iOS devices, especially after they introduced "Handoff", allowing you to start an activity on one device, and immediately hand off to another. For example, you can start working on a spreadsheet while sitting on a bus using your iPhone, then immediately pick up where you left off on your Mac when you get home.

Because of this, you take it for granted that there are some iOS Apps that don't exist on OS X on the Mac. For example, the Clock, i Tunes U, Activity, Weather and Videos.

Even without Handoff, these are all useful Apps that should exist on both platfor... [More]

Continue...These iOS Apps Are Missing From The Mac...

What Happened To Siri Confirmations?

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After a recent iOS update, Siri stopped offering confirmations before it saves reminders... Now it sucks.


Like most people, I have a love / hate relationship with Siri. I tolerate all the times that Siri misunderstands what I ask for because it at least gave me a chance to confirm what I asked for before it saved my reminders.

Confirmations of reminders are essential to people who use headsets to create reminders because you can't see the screen to make corrections if the dictation is wrong, which it frequently is.

Before the change, I said something like: "Remind me to get chips", and Siri said "Here's your reminder... it says Ketchup. Shall I create it?" If Siri was wrong, I said "Cancel" or "Change title" and I could fix it.

Now that Apple removed the confirmation... [More]

Continue...What Happened To Siri Confirmations?...

Undo Option in Apple's Mail Apps

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It drives me crazy whenever I accidentally delete an email using my iPhone.


Apple's Mail Apps for iOS devices makes it easy to delete unwanted mail. It also makes it easy to delete mail you intend to keep. To minimize the problem, they give you an option to turn on confirmations before deleting emails, but slows you down.

If you accidentally delete an email, you can still get it back, but it's a real pain in the neck. Assuming you have multiple InBoxes turned on, you first need to determine which mailbox it was deleted from. Then, you need to drill down to that particular mailbox and go to it's trash folder. Once you find the mail, you can move it back to the InBox.

If you ask me, that's way too many steps to undo something that you did in a split second. An easier ap... [More]

Continue...Undo Option in Apple's Mail Apps...
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Remember when Apple had a button on the lock screen to turn your iPad into a Digital Picture Frame?


I've been a fan of digital photography for quite a long time. When digital picture frames started to catch on, I was eager to pop one on my desk to see my favorite photos. As it turns out, it was too much work.

Digital picture frames seem pretty simple. You pop in an SD card full of photos, and turn it on. The trouble is, the hardware and software are slow and difficult to use, making it hard to constantly update the photos.

When iPad was introduced with a 9.7 inch screen, and the ability to automatically sync my photos, one of the first things I wanted to do with it was use it as a digital picture frame. For a while, all you needed to do was hit an icon on the lock scre... [More]

Continue...Rediscovering Picture Frame Mode, While Charging Tablets....

FaceTime For Android (and Windows)

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FaceTime is fantastic, unless your friends have Android devices.


Before Apple released FaceTime, very few people used video calling on a mobile device, so it quickly became the first true standard for making video calls on iPhones and iPads. Since it was also compatible with the Mac, the standard grew even faster.

This reminds me of the crossroads Apple faced when they decided to release versions of the iPod and iTunes for Windows. Before that, they only worked on a Mac. At the time, they felt that some Windows users would switch a Mac just to use iTunes and iPods.

By opening their platform to Windows, they knew they would potentially lose some Mac sales, but the payoff was a complete domination of the digital music market, which eventually led to even bigger success wit... [More]

Continue...FaceTime For Android (and Windows)...
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Smart Albums are missing from the iOS and iCloud versions of the new Apple Photos App.


One of the biggest problems with digital photography is that it's getting harder and harder to organize and find photos. That's why I get excited whenever I find a new way to organize my photos and videos.

Before Apple's new Photos App came out, one of my favorite tools for organizing photos was using Smart Albums in iPhoto, which allows you to automatically organize photos without spending hours sorting them by hand.

Unlike regular albums, where you have to manually add each photo to the album, all you need to do to make a Smart Album is set up a series of rules and filters and the Photos App does all the work.

For example, you could set up a rule that says "Month is July and Day is... [More]

Continue...Smart Album Support in Apple iCloud and iOS / iPhone Photos Apps...

Siri Should Be Able To Record Voice Memos

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Sometimes, Siri has no idea what I'm saying.


One of the most popular uses for Siri is to create reminders. I love pushing a button and telling Siri whatever I want to remember and there it is... on my to-do list. Just a few years ago, that would've been science fiction.

My problem is if say something like... "Remind me to buy Tostidos, Salsa and Queso for Ray's party.", Siri will say "Here's your reminder. It says ... Buy toasty so Sal's ankle sorrys party... Shall I create it?" I say no, then I say it again and again and it never gets it right.

Instead of struggling to get Siri to understand you, Siri should give you an option to simply store the actual recording into the to-do list.


Technically, since the to-do list doesn't currently store or play audio, they w... [More]

Continue...Siri Should Be Able To Record Voice Memos...
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The iPhone Contacts App does a horrible job of letting us organize contacts into groups like Family, Friends, or Business.


My contact list is way too big... and growing.

If you're like me, you've got a contact list that contains a mixture of family, friends and business contacts. I've had a smart phone since 2004. That's 3 years before the first iPhone came out, so my list has grown quite a bit in 14 years, and many of those contacts are older that that, because I had a PDA years before that.

Luckily, Apple has a feature called Groups that lets you place your contacts into groups, so you can see just the people in the groups you want when you go to the contact list. The trouble is that feature is completely half-baked. Frankly, it stinks.

First, you can only assign n... [More]

Continue...Contact Groups Should Be Editable on iPhones... And Easier to Select...
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No matter where you go, there you are.


One of the most popular features of smartphones is the way they can tell you the local weather, even while traveling. Thanks to GPS and other location services, you don't even need to tell it where you are.

Checking the weather was so popular, Apple made it the first thing you saw in the "Notification Center". Before Notification Center, you had to launch separate Apps to get the same information.

As time went on, Apple improved this feature by adding more functionality. For example, every Sunday morning, when I check my iPhone, it tells me it will take 14 minutes to get to the address of my church. Keep in mind, I never told Apple or my iPhone I had plans to go there, or that I needed to be told how long it takes to get there. It... [More]

Continue...A Built-In "Local App" That Updates Based On Where You Are...
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I hate forgetting where I put things.


The more I use Siri, the more love it. When I'm out and about, I constantly tell it to remind me of appointments, notes and my to-do lists. I think another thing it should track is... stuff. More specifically, I think the iPhone should have a personal inventory feature that lets you track the people, places and things in our daily lives. For any given item, we should be able to describe various attributes, and the most important feature is where we put it.

It's time for Spring Cleaning. For many of us, that means moving your stuff around to make room for new stuff. In my case, that means there's a pretty good chance I'll forget where I put whatever I move.

So, if the iPhone could track your personal inventory, you could say things... [More]

Continue...Stuff Tracker - Let Siri Remember Where You Put Your Things...
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Me: "Launch Pandora"
Siri: "You'll need to unlock your iPhone first"

If I could unlock my phone, I wouldn't need to use Siri in the first place.


One of the great things about Siri is that you can tell it to do things without even touching your phone. This is perfect for running or driving, because you can't easily reach for your phone.

The trouble is, Apple doesn't let you launch third party Apps without unlocking the phone first. That's pretty pointless. There are plenty of Apps like Pandora, Audible, iHeartRadio and Amazon Music that are completely harmless to launch without unlocking the phone first.

They already have a section in the Settings Menu to designate which features Siri can access while in the lock screen. The trouble is they don't allow any thir... [More]

Continue...Siri Should Let You Launch Some Apps Without Unlocking The Phone...
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I hate when I can't read the text on my iPhone and I don't have my glasses.


Sometimes the fonts on an iPhone screen are simply way too small, even with the super-sized iPhone 6 Plus Retina screen. It's frustrating, because I bought the larger model specifically because I had a hard time reading emails on my previous phone, which I got because it was larger than the one before it.

After tinkering a bit with the settings, I managed to find a setting that lets you boost the size of the fonts, but sometimes the text was perfect, and sometimes the fonts were literally on top of each other in a big blob of text. So, I had to lower the default size again. Then most of them were hard to read again. Eventually after going back and forth, I ended up putting it back close to the orig... [More]

Continue...Font Zoom Using Headset & Volume Controls When Sounds Are Not Playing....

Run iPad Apps On The Mac

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Wouldn't it be great if you could run many of your iPad Apps on your Mac?


The technology to run iPad Apps on a Mac isn't actually new. Developers have used iPhone and iPad emulators to test Apps before they install them on physical devices since the first iPhone came out.

Emulating an iPhone or iPad on a Mac is actually pretty easy, because technically, they share a lot of the same software under the hood. These emulators run so well, it makes you wonder why Apple doesn't include an iPad emulator with every Mac sold. It would be a great next step for people who enjoy their iPads, but would like a larger screen and keyboard from time to time.

This wouldn't turn your Mac into an iPad. It just lets you run your iPad Apps in a separate window or secondary desktop.

Techni... [More]

Continue...Run iPad Apps On The Mac...

Answer FaceTime Calls With Just Audio By Default

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What if you accidentally answered a FaceTime call while you were in the bathroom, or even while... naked?


Now that everyone has a mobile phone, and they have it with them 24/7, the idea of answering the phone while on the toilet or while laying in bed naked isn't that far fetched. People answer the phone out of instinct, even while enjoying some quality time on the ceramic throne.

But what would happen if you didn't realize you just answered a FaceTime (video) call... and you aren't exactly decent?

If you're lucky, you've got about 1-2 seconds to turn the camera away or try to hang up. Even if this has never happened to you by mistake, I'm sure there are times when a FaceTime call comes in, that you are simply not quite ready for your closeup.

Right now, when a FaceTi... [More]

Continue...Answer FaceTime Calls With Just Audio By Default...

3 Ways Apple Can Improve the Clock App

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The Clock App is one of the hidden gems on the iPhone and iPad... here's how it can be made even better.


The Clock App doesn't get any headlines and it's never the subject of any big Apple events, but the Clock App is one of the most commonly used features of the iPhone and iPad.

The Clock App was one of the first Apps included with the original iPhone and it soon became the perfect replacement for an alarm clock, especially for frequent travellers, because it was always accurate, and you could easily configure multiple wake times and sounds.

Apple didn't just re-invent the Alarm clock, the Clock App also included slick timers and stopwatch features that are popular for timing speeches, sports and cooking.

Here's a few ways to make the Clock App even better.


... [More]

Continue...3 Ways Apple Can Improve the Clock App...
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I don't know about you, but I HATE the way kids write. They come across to me as ignorant buffoons.


I understand why somebody would want to abbreviate as much as possible using an old touchtone dialing pad. I never felt the need to use texting on those kinds of phones, but I could understand why those who did used abbreviations.

Here's the problem. Many of today's kids use that ridiculous way of writing when they are using a full scale word processor, and even when they write on paper with a pen. Teachers are reporting that students often use TextSpeak / Text Slang when they do school work.

The problem is not just with excessive use of abbreviations with strange combinations of numbers and... [More]

Continue...Autocorrect Should Translate Text Slang into English... Because Kids Actually Think It's Correct Grammar ...

Apple Should Add User Accounts to iOS

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Do you share your iPad with other family members?


If you do... how do you keep your kids from reading your email?... you can't.

What about Apps... do you hate sorting through screen after screen of Apps about Justin Bieber just to find the Weather App?


Here's an easy fix.

Apple needs to add User Account to iOS, just like on a regular computer.


By creating a User Profile for each person who will use your iPad, they can have their own password, Apps and settings. This not only makes it easier for you to find and arrange your Apps, but it also keeps your data private.... so your teenager won't read your email... and you won't read hers.

It boggles my mind that after all these years, Apple hasn't introduced User Profiles to iOS devices.
LARGE-95 It's great that iOS devices have passwords that protect your information from strangers. However, they don't offer a way to control access by friends or family to individual Apps like Mail.

Have you ever handed your iPad to a toddler?


There's a great joy that comes from handing a toddler your iPad so they can learn the alphabet, draw some pictures or play a game. The only trouble is you just hope they don't accidentally open your eMail App and start deleting your mail.

There's an easy solution... give people the ability to put Mail and other private Apps into a folder that has a separate password, so they can't accidentally access your sensitive information.

Another bonus... it'll keep your teens from reading your emails too.


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Swipe Right to Mark Read or Archive


This sounds so obvious to me, but for some reason Apple only gives you one option when you swipe right... Mark as Read. Why is there no quick option for archiving?

My Inbox is stuffed is because I configured my left swipe for "Deleted Mailbox" (so I can delete Spam). Now, I have no quick way to archive the other messages using my iOS devices... so the Inbox keeps growing.

I'm fully aware I can change the "Trash" setting to "Archive Mailbox" which will make a left swipe say "Archive" instead, but that means I will also be archiving Spam, Facebook notifications and tons of things I want gone for good... not archived.

The bottom line, some messages you want to delete, some you want to archive. Just give us the choice and we'll clean up... [More]

Continue...Apple Should Give You the Choice to Archive or Delete Emails on iPhones / iPads...

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* Note: The ideas on "Idea of the Day" were posted without any formal research into existing inventions.

In some cases, patents may already exist for these ideas, in other cases, there may not be any existing patents and you are free to develop and explore the viability of developing and patenting the ideas.

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