How to Get Rid of Split Screen

Apple has added a Split Screen feature to iOS that allows you to show more than one application at a time on the iPad. This comes in various flavors in different releases of the software and on different generations of the iPad, and includes both Split View and Slide Over. And it can be handy if you are doing some pretty intense work on the iPad. However, for the vast majority of more casual, recreational users of the iPad, it mostly causes consternation when you accidentally manage to turn it on! This recently happened to a friend of mine, and only when she sent me some screen shots did I realize she was in Slide Over mode.

If you are curious and would like to learn more about using Split View and Slide Over, here are a couple links that will show and tell you what it’s all about.

from Apple: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207582

Cult of Mac: https://www.cultofmac.com/534731/how-to-use-split-screen-on-ipad/

iPhone Life: https://www.iphonelife.com/content/complete-guide-to-ipad-multitasking-split-screen-slide-over-picture-picture

But for the majority of us who find these features more trouble than they’re worth, it’s simple to disable the feature. You can always re-enable it in the future.

Briefly, you just need to go to the Settings app, then under the General tab (chosen on the left), depending on your iPad, tap on “Multitasking” or “Multitasking & Dock” on the right hand side of the screen. At the very top of this screen, turn off “Allow Multiple Apps”. That’s it!

The following link, from iPhone + iPad Life Magazine, goes into detail for both the iPhone and the iPad:

https://www.iphonelife.com/blog/5/tip-day-how-turn-split-screen-iphone-6-plus

How about you: are you using this feature, and if so, what do you find it useful for?

Are there topics you’d like to see covered on this blog? If so, let me know in the comments!

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Do Not Disturb

Do you make good use of the Do Not Disturb feature of your iPhone or iPad? I think it is too often overlooked, so let’s take a quick look at it today.

A friend of mine recently almost missed her 6:30 am event (a sunrise meditation) because her three live-wire young boys had worn her out the previous night, and she fell asleep before she had a chance to set Do Not Disturb on her iPhone. During the night her husband got tired of the notifications and buzzes, and completely turned off her phone! So no alarm in the morning. Luckily her toddler still got up before the sun and saved the day.

But this could all be avoided by setting a standard time for Do Not Disturb.

First, let’s be clear about what is affected by Do Not Disturb. In this mode, the phone will still collect all your alerts, but will do so silently. And only calls and notifications are affected — alarms will still go off as usual. But if you are worried about missing an important call, you can go to the Settings app and customize what happens with different phone calls.

To turn Do Not Disturb on and off on the spur of the moment, you can still use the Notification Center (swipe up from the bottom of the screen, or down from the upper right corner, depending on what version of iOS you are using).

But if you know you don’t want to be disturbed on any night from 10 pm until 6 in the morning, you can schedule that in the Settings app.

So head over to the Settings app, scroll down to the Do Not Disturb section, and check out the options. Check out this article by iMore for all the details, including screenshots. And start getting some undisturbed sleep, without missing your important phone calls or your alarm!

Transferring Data From an Android Phone to an iPhone

Are you one of the many people who has owned an Android smartphone, and is now switching to an iPhone? Just upgrading from an older iPhone to a newer one can be very easy and straight forward. But switching your digital life between ecosystems, such as between Android and Apple, can be more daunting.

Apple offers assistance with the “Move to iOS” Android app. Yes, Apple has an app in the Google Play Store! This app will help you port your essential data from your Android phone over to your new iPhone.  (Note that there is also help for going from an iPhone to an Android smartphone, but that’s a topic for a different blog!)

The initial setup process on the iPhone can be quite easy, until you start wondering about all your data, such as contact lists, messages, and extensive photo collections.

So Apple helps with the app, “Move to iOS“.  While it won’t move everything you have on your Android over to your iPhone, it will take care of essential items, which may be considered some of the trickier items to shift.

The Move to iOS app must be used at a specific stage of the initial setup process, so it’s a good idea to take a look at the links below, and plan ahead before you start the process. During setup of your iPhone, the iPhone will offer you four options: choose “Move Data from Android.”

This article from AppleInsider goes into more detailed information, including screenshots.

And this article from iMore includes explanations and a very nice video of the setup taking place, so you know what to expect. Nice!

Since I have been an iPhone user for a couple generations, I cannot tell you from personal experience how well it works. If you’ve tried it, what was your experience with it?

Photos For You in iOS12

Have you updated your iPad to iOS12 yet? Are you a frequent user of the Photos app? Then you probably noticed some changes.  The most noticeable  is the new tab titled “For You.” It replaces the outgoing “Memories” and “Shared” tabs and combines both of those categories as well as additional content.

Briefly, this includes the following:

First up, at the top of this tab, is all the Shared Album Activity. I particularly noticed this, as it is where my family shares photos and conversations.

Below that is the Memories section, which has been there for some time.

Next is a new section called Featured Photos. The app has chosen these photos as ones it thinks are well done!

At the bottom are Sharing Suggestions. These are based on the people it recognizes in your photos! For example, we took many pictures on our last trip to the beach, including some of my husband. So it suggested I share with him all the photos from that trip.

For more information on all these parts of the new “For You” tab, visit this AppleInsider webpage. And if you would like to watch a demo, it includes a link to a YouTube video.

Some Great Mobile Apps You May Not Be Using — Yet!

I have recently given a presentation about some apps that I find fascinating, and maybe you will too. Here is a link to the slides I used — they will be available for a short period of time.  What are your favorites?

Does My iPad or iPhone Have Siri?

Siri is a great feature of Apple’s recent mobile devices and a preview of how we’ll be communicating with our devices in the future. But how do you know if you can use Siri on your particular iPhone or iPad (or iPod touch)?

Today we’re just concerned with finding out if a device supports Siri. But this article has all the basics including setup and usage.

Only the newer mobile Apple devices support Siri. In particular, the following have Siri built into them:

iPhone 4S or newer

iPad 3rd generation or newer

iPod Touch 5th generation

In addition, the device must be running with iOS 6 or later.

If you don’t remember all those numbers, you can just look on the device to see if Siri is there.

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad or iPod touch.
2. Tap on General.
3. Look for Siri.  If it’s not there, this device does not support Siri.

Be sure and look thoroughly, as it is easy to miss that one line.

New Touch ID Rules

Do you use the Touch ID fingerprint sensor  to unlock your iPad or iPhone?  It certainly is a handy feature to keep your device secure with a passcode while still making it fast and easy to unlock your device. If your device has the Touch ID feature (and all newer mobile Apple devices do), then I’d suggest you use it.  It’s easy to set up — just go to the Passcode section of the Settings app, and follow along as they guide you through the fingerprinting procedure. Using the passcode still remains an option whenever you like, but the Touch ID is fast and secure.

Apple has always required that you use your passcode rather than your Touch ID in certain cases.  But have you noticed it happens more often lately?  That’s because they’ve added a new “rule” to the iOS Security Guide  for times the passcode is required.

The 6 rules are as follows, as quoted from the 9TO5Mac site (the new rule is highlighted):

The passcode can always be used instead of Touch ID, and it’s still required under the following circumstances:

• The device has just been turned on or restarted.
• The device has not been unlocked for more than 48 hours.
• The passcode has not been used to unlock the device in the last six days and TouchID has not unlocked the device in the last eight hours.
• The device has received a remote lock command.
• After five unsuccessful attempts to match a fingerprint.
• When setting up or enrolling new fingers with Touch ID.