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How to Enable Automatic App Updates on iPhone and iPad

written by applenws

If you or someone you know frequently gets behind on installing app updates on an iPhone or iPad, you may appreciate a feature in iOS Settings that allows the App Store to automatically update apps on the device.

Just as it sounds, Automatic Updates for apps will periodically discover and find available updates for any installed iOS app on an iPhone or iPad, and then download and install those app updates automatically. This takes user involvement out of the updating process, as apps will just update themselves whenever updates become available. Automatic app updates in iOS is a great setting for people who want to maintain the latest versions of apps on their devices, but who routinely fall behind on manually launching the App Store to install updates directly themselves.


For automatic app updates to work in iOS, the iPhone or iPad must be on a newer version of iOS system software, and the device must have an active internet connection, as without internet access the updates won’t be checked or downloaded.

How to Enable Automatic App Updates in iOS

This setting to enable the automatic updating of iOS apps is the same on iPhone and iPad:

  1. Open the “Settings” app on the iPhone or iPad

    2. Settings icon

  2. Go to “iTunes & App Store”

    3. Enable automatic iOS app store updates

  3. Under the ‘Automatic Downloads’ section, look for “Updates” and toggle that switch to the ON position

    4. How to enable automatic app store updates in iOS

  4. Exit out of Settings as usual

Now Automatic Updates for iOS apps has been enabled, and whenever updates are found in the App Store they will automatically install themselves onto the iPhone or iPad that has the setting enabled.

The process is all handled in the background and aside from seeing the update indicators on app icons themselves, it’s rather seamless and most users won’t even notice the updates are happening behind the scenes.

Once you have this feature enabled, you’ll pretty much never see the looming numerical red badge on the iOS App Store icon, which are used to indicate the amount of apps that are awaiting updates. Instead the updates just install themselves when possible, all automated and easy.

Looming App Store updates in iOS

Of course you an also choose to disable the automatic app updates feature of iOS and then just manually update all iOS apps on the device, or even just update apps independently on an individual basis, how you handle iOS App Store updates is up to you and how you use the iPhone or iPad.

Note this does not apply to installing iOS system software updates, though another similar feature allows you to automatically install iOS system software updates as they arrive to an iPhone or iPad, which can be just as useful for some users.

And of course while this applies to the iPhone and iPad, Mac users aren’t left in the dust. Mac users can enable automatic app updates as well as other automatic software updates, so if you find this feature useful on one Apple device you may well find it useful on your others as well.

Do you have any tips or tricks for automatically installing app updates in iOS? Do you have any particular thoughts or opinions on the feature? Share your experiences in the comments below!

Source: OSX Daily

June 12, 2018 0 comment
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How to Make a MacOS Mojave Beta Bootable Install USB Drive

written by applenws

Creating a bootable MacOS Mojave beta installer drive with a USB key or flash drive is a common desire for many advanced Mac users testing the upcoming macOS 10.14 operating system.

A bootable macOS Mojave installer has several benefits, including the ability to format a target disk, easily perform clean installs, the ability to install the beta on multiple Macs without having to re-download the installer, and of course since it’s bootable it can be used as a troubleshooting device for macOS Mojave beta Macs as well.

The tutorial here will walk through how to make a bootable USB install drive for the macOS Mojave 10.14 beta.

Requirements to Make a macOS Mojave 10.14 Beta USB Install Drive

Before getting stated, you’ll need to meet a few simple requirements to be able to properly create a functioning macOS Mojave beta installer boot drive:

Building a USB install drive for macOS Mojave beta requires using the command line, where exact syntax must be used in order to avoid erroneously erasing the wrong volume. Be sure to backup the Mac before beginning this process.

How to Make a Bootable macOS Mojave 10.14 Beta USB Installer Drive

  1. First, connect the USB flash drive to the Mac (if the USB flash drive is not yet formatted as MacOS Journaled Extended, do that first with Disk Utility)
  2. Download the macOS Mojave developer beta installer application from the Mac App Store
  3. When the macOS Mojave 10.14 beta installer has finished downloading it will automatically launch, quit out of the Mojave beta installer app, be sure to leave the “Install macOS 10.14 Beta.app” within the /Applications/ folder on the Mac
  4. Now open the “Terminal” application, found in /Applications/Utilities/ directory
  5. Enter the following command at the Terminal command line, replace “UNTITLED” with the USB drive name if necessary for your situation:

    6. sudo /Applications/Install macOS 10.14 Beta.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/UNTITLED --applicationpath /Applications/Install macOS 10.14 Beta.app && echo Mojave Drive Created

  6. Confirm the syntax is correct and hit the Return key and enter the administrator password as required by sudo
  7. The MacOS Mojave 10.14 beta installer drive will begin immediately, it can take a while to finish

After the macOS Mojave 10.14 beta USB installer drive has finished being created, you can use it just like you would any other bootable Mac OS install drive. You can immediately run the installer, or eject the drive and use it on another Mac, or reboot the computer with it attached so that you can boot from the Mojave beta installer to install the update, perform a clean install, or partition the Mac to install Mojave beta onto that partition instead. There are many options available for how to use the macOS Mojave beta install drive.

* If you are getting a “command not found” error, it’s likely that the syntax entered is incorrect, or the Install macOS 10.14 beta app installer is not downloaded and located within the /Applications directory.

Install macOS Mojave beta

Note this applies to the current macOS Mojave developer beta, we will update with instructions for the macOS Mojave public beta when it becomes available.

How to Boot from the macOS Mojave Beta USB Install Drive

  • Connect the macOS Mojave 10.14 beta install drive to a Mac via USB if you have not done so already
  • Reboot the Mac and hold down the OPTION key
  • At the boot menu choose the macOS Mojave 10.14 beta installer volume to boot from

Boot from macOS Mojave beta installer USB

After you have booted from the macOS Mojave 10.14 beta USB drive, you can perform an installation of macOS Mojave beta, run Disk Utility to format or partition a drive, work with Time Machine, use the Terminal, or perform other common tasks from the bootable volume.

Install macOS Mojave beta

Once booted from the USB drive you can proceed with installing macOS High Sierra, using the Disk Utility tools to format or erase a volume, work with Time Machine, and other similar tasks. If you are aiming to install macOS Mojave beta onto a Mac, be sure the target Mac meets the macOS Mojave system requirements for compatibility.

Do you have another method of making a bootable USB drive for macOS Mojave beta? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

Source: OSX Daily

June 11, 2018 0 comment
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iOS 12 Supported Devices List

written by applenws

Now that Apple has unveiled iOS 12, the question many people have on their mind is whether or not their current iPhone or iPad will be compatible with the iOS 12 operating system.

The good news is that if your iPhone or iPad is even reasonably new, then it will likely support iOS 12. Read on to see the full iOS 12 supported devices list to see if your particular iOS device is compatible with the latest system software version.


Apple has said that all devices which support iOS 11 will also support iOS 12. In other words, if your iPhone or iPad wants to run iOS 12 and it can currently run iOS 11, you’re good to go for the new version. This makes sense since many of the improvements to iOS 12 are performance and optimization related, though there are certainly some new features too.

iOS 12 Compatibile Devices List

The following list is from Apple, detailing all iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices which are compatible with iOS 12. If your device is on this list, it will support the system software version. If your device is not on the list, it will not be able to run iOS 12.

iPhone models supporting iOS 12

  • iPhone X
  • iPhone 8
  • iPhone 8 Plus
  • iPhone 7
  • iPhone 7 Plus
  • iPhone 6s
  • iPhone 6s Plus
  • iPhone 6
  • iPhone 6 Plus
  • iPhone SE
  • iPhone 5s

iPad models supporting iOS 12

  • 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2nd generation
  • 12.9-inch iPad Pro 1st generation
  • 10.5-inch iPad Pro
  • 9.7-inch iPad Pro
  • 9.7-inch iPad 6th generation (2018)
  • iPad 5th generation (2017)
  • iPad Air 2
  • iPad Air
  • iPad mini 4
  • iPad mini 3
  • iPad mini 2

iPod Touch models supporting iOS 12

  • iPod touch 6th generation

If your device is on the supported hardware list and you feel like playing around with iOS 12, you will find iOS 12 beta 1 is available to download now as a developer beta, while the public beta will debut sometime in the coming months.

The final version of iOS 12 is expected to launch this fall. Typically Apple debuts new iOS system software around the same time a new iPhone comes out, so obviously whatever new iPhone models debut will also support the iOS 12 operating system, whether that’s iPhone SE/2, iPhone 9, iPhone 11, iPhone X Plus, or whatever else they are labeled as.

iOS 12 isn’t the only new operating system debuting however, and if your a Mac user you may want to check the list of macOS Mojave compatible Macs to see if your Mac computer will run the 10.14 release of system software too.

Source: OSX Daily

June 5, 2018 0 comment
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MacOS Mojave Compatible Macs List

written by applenws

MacOS Mojave is the freshly announced next major release of Mac OS system software, complete with a gorgeous Dark Mode appearance and a variety of other great features set to improve the Mac experience.

The excitement of a new macOS release leads every Macintosh user to the same common question… will my Mac run macOS Mojave 10.14? If you’re wondering whether or not your particular Mac will support macOS Mojave, then read on to see the full list of macOS Mojave compatible Macs.

MacOS Mojave Compatibility List of Supported Macs

Apple has said that any Mac introduced in mid-2012 or later will support macOS Mojave, along with the 2010 and 2012 Mac Pro models if they have a Metal capable GPU. That’s fairly descriptive, but if you want a specific list of supported Mac hardware for macOS Mojave 10.14 then the following should be helpful to you:

  • MacBook Pro (mid 2012 and newer)
  • MacBook Air (mid 2012 and newer)
  • MacBook (early 2015 and later)
  • iMac (late 2012 or newer)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (late 2013 or newer, or mid 2010 and mid 2012 models with Metal capable GPU)
  • Mac Mini (late 2012 or newer)

As you can see from the list, basically every Mac that was introduced from mid-2012 onward supports macOS Mojave, along with a few earlier Mac Pro models. The supported hardware list for macOS 10.14 is a bit more restrictive than prior macOS system software releases, perhaps indicating that the latest software version will be more demanding on resources or simply just require particular system architecture components that are only available on more modern Macintosh hardware.

This information comes from the Apple press release for macOS Mojave, where Apple says the following:

“macOS Mojave will be available this fall as a free software update for Macs introduced in mid-2012 or later, plus 2010 and 2012 Mac Pro models with recommended Metal-capable graphics cards.”

How do I know what my Mac is and whether it will run macOS Mojave 10.14?

Now that you know which Macs support macOS Mojave, you may be wondering how you can find out what Mac model and Mac model year a particular computer is. Fortunately Apple has made this super simple and you can find exactly what your Mac is quickly:

  1. Pull down the  Apple menu and choose “About this Mac”
  2. At the “Overview” screen of About This Mac, find the Mac model and Mac model year

How to find Mac model and model year to check for macOS Mojave compatibility

For example, if you see “MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015)” then that Mac would fall within the range of Mac computers supporting macOS Mojave.

Another noteworthy mention regarding compatibility and macOS Mojave pertains to 32-bit apps, as macOS Mojave is apparently set to be the last version of Mac OS system software to support them. You can read here to learn how to find 32-bit apps on a Mac if you are not sure which apps may fall into that category.

MacOS Mojave aims to be a pretty exciting system software release for Mac users, and Dark Mode alone will surely drive many installations of the release. While developers and beta testers, and the impatient can download macOS Mojave beta right now as a developer release, the vast majority of users would be better served to wait until the final version debuts this fall.

Of course macOS Mojave is not the only new exciting operating system to come out of Apple, and you may also be interested in finding out which iPhone and iPad support iOS 12 with the iOS 12 compatibility list.

Source: OSX Daily

June 5, 2018 0 comment
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The Default Screen Saver Locations on Mac OS

written by applenws

The Mac has two general directories where screen savers are stored, one at the user level and for each user account, and one at the system level which stores all the default screen savers included on a Mac.

Knowing where the screen saver directories are located can be useful for various reasons, whether for installing a screen saver, removing one, editing one of the files with Quartz Composer, or various other purposes, so we’ll quickly show you where you can find the screen saver folders on a Mac.

The Default System-Level Screen Saver Location in Mac OS

The system level screen saver folder is located in the /System/ folder and any screen saver located in the directory will be included on all other user accounts on the Mac. This is also where the default screen savers are located in Mac OS, for example the Flurry or Floating Message screen savers.

/System/Library/Screen Savers/

An easy way to access that folder is with the incredibly useful Command-Shift-G keyboard shortcut in the Mac Finder, which lets you instantly jump to any directory on a Mac if you know the path.

Default screen saver folders on Mac

This applies to all versions of Mac OS and Mac OS X.

But wait! There’s actually one more default system level folder for screen savers in Mac OS, though on a standard Mac OS installation, it is limited to use by the default collection of screen savers for National Geographic, Aerial, Cosmos, and Nature Patterns, that we’ve pointed to before when discussing uncovering hidden wallpapers in Mac OS X (1) (and 2). That folder is located at:

/Library/Screen Savers/

That particular directory typically only contains the “Defaults Collection” folder which is a series of visually pleasing images, and unless a user modified the directory it usually does not contain any .qtz or screen saver files.

The /Library/ folder also contains the default desktop pictures on a Mac as well as various other media and components that are used by all user accounts on a particular Mac.

Note the system screen saver folders are different from the user level screen saver folder(s).

The Default User Screen Saver Location in Mac OS

Each individual user account on a Mac will have a unique screen saver directory for that unique user account, contained within their own ~/Library folder. That user level screen saver folder location is:

~/Library/Screen Savers/

User screen saver folders on Mac

You can also use the long path rather than a tilde ~ for that destination, assuming you know the user name of the account, like so:

/Users/USERNAME/Library/Screen Savers/

Remember, the tilde ~ is just shorthand for the current users home directory.

If you plan on manually installing a screen saver in Mac OS, for example if you wanted to use the stunning Apple TV screen savers, you’d want to place the screen saver files into the user screen saver folder.

And so now you know where the three default screen saver folders are located in macOS and Mac OS X. Unless you know exactly what you’re doing and why, you probably don’t want to remove any of those default screen saver files, as it’s best to leave any system level folder alone so you don’t mess anything up.

If you enjoyed this, you might appreciate this neat trick turning a screen saver into your Mac desktop background picture, or browsing through some more Screen Saver articles here.

Source: OSX Daily

June 3, 2018 0 comment
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How to Enable Messages in iCloud on Mac

written by applenws

Messages in iCloud is now available for Mac users who are running the latest versions of Mac OS system software.

The Messages in iCloud feature allows Messages to be updated automatically on all devices using the same Apple ID by syncing all iMessages through iCloud. Essentially that means Messages are now syncing through iCloud, so if you delete a message from one device it will remove from others, and vice versa. This also means that Messages will be stored in iCloud, potentially saving some storage space on a Mac by offloading the Messages media like photos, videos, and conversations, into iCloud.

This tutorial will show you how to enable Messages in iCloud on a Mac.

Messages in iCloud for Mac requires macOS 10.13.5 High Sierra or later, earlier versions do not support the feature. Additionally, if you an iOS device you will need to enable Messages in iCloud on iPhone and iPad as well in order for the feature to work as expected across multiple Mac and iOS devices.

How to Enable Messages in iCloud on Mac

Enabling Messages in iCloud on a Mac requires you to visit the Messages app preferences, rather than iCloud Settings in system preferences. Here is where Mac users can look to enable the feature on their computer:

  1. Open the Messages app in Mac OS, it’s found in the /Applications folder
  2. Pull down the “Messages” menu and choose “Preferences”
  3. Click on the “Accounts” tab and select your Apple ID from the accounts list
  4. Check the box next to “Enable Messages in iCloud”

    5. How to enable Messages in iCloud on Mac

Once enabled, Messages in iCloud will start to sync messages to iCloud, if you have a lot of large message threads it can take a while particularly if you send and receive a lot of media messages like photos, videos, or files, and depending on the internet connection speed.

There’s also a “Sync Now” button in Messages Preferences on the Mac if you enable the feature and the messages do not appear to be syncing to or with iCloud as expected. Simply enabling the setting for the first time should trigger a sync to iCloud (and other devices) but if it does not work then the Sync Now button can be helpful for troubleshooting.

Remember, if you have an iOS device you will need to enable Messages in iCloud on iPhone and iPad directly as well. And if you have multiple Macs that you want to use iMessages in iCloud for, you will need to enable the feature individually on each Mac, assuming they fit the requirements to use the feature.

Now that Messages in iCloud is enabled on the Mac, all messages should automatically sync between that Mac and all other devices using the same Apple ID. If you delete a message from one device, it will delete from others automatically. Also, messages should now sync automatically to all other iOS devices, which may help prevent Messages showing out of order on iPhone or iPad devices if that issue has been persisting for you.

Since Messages in iCloud uses iCloud, you will obviously need iCloud storage available to use this feature as expected. Users can always update their iCloud storage and pay for more space if need be.

Are you using Messages in iCloud on the Mac? What do you think? Let us know your experiences in the comments below.

Source: OSX Daily

June 2, 2018 0 comment
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How to Check SMART Status on Mac Hard Drives

written by applenws

Mac users can easily check the SMART status of their hard drives and internal disk storage by using Disk Utility in Mac OS, offering a simple way to see if the disk hardware itself is in good health or is experiencing a hardware issue.

This article will walk you through how to check SMART status on hard disks in Mac OS, and it works with both SSD and HDD volumes. Checking SMART status of a drive can give you actionable information about whether a disk is about to fail and therefore is in need of an urgent data backup and drive replacement.


SMART, which stands for Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology System, is a mechanism for reporting disk health or disk problems to the operating system, and SMART status can tell you if a drive is failing or has some other fatal error to the actual disk hardware, providing a very clear indicator that it’s time to urgently backup all important data and then replace the failing drive.

As you can imagine, SMART status of a disk is quite important, and if you want to know whether a disk is about to fail then checking SMART status is perhaps one of the simplest and easiest ways to know.

How to Check SMART Status of Disk Drives on Mac OS

This trick works the same on all modern versions of MacOS and Mac OS System software with the Disk Utility application. Here’s how it works:

  1. Open “Disk Utility” on the Mac, Disk Utility is found in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder

    2. How to check SMART status of Mac hard disk drives with Disk Utility

  2. Select the disk from the list at the left of the Disk Utility screen (select the actual main disk, not a partition)*
  3. Look for the “S.M.A.R.T. Status” of the disk information overview in Disk Utility
  • If the SMART Status says “Verified” the drive is in good health
  • If S.M.A.R.T. Status says “Failing” the drive urgently needs to be backed up and replaced **
  • If you see any message stating the disk has a fatal hardware error or problem, the drive is also going to fail soon and needs to be backed up and replaced ASAP

Check SMART Status of Mac Hard Drive

  • Exit out of Disk Utility when finished

    • A SMART Status of “Failing” or any hardware error message is an urgent problem because the disk drive will soon cease to function entirely, leading to permanent data loss.

    It’s a good habit to routinely backup a Mac with Time Machine or another backup option anyway, but it’s extra important to immediately backup if you see any failing message pertaining to SMART Status or any other fatal error in the Disk Utility app.

    You can also run First Aid and verify and repair drives in Disk Utility on the Mac, but issues that are repairable by Disk Utility are almost never SMART failures or any other hardware problem.

    SMART Status reports no errors, but the disk is having a problem

    If you are experiencing strange disk issues but the SMART Status reports as “Verified” with no error messages, then you can try and verify and repair the disk with Disk Utility from Recovery mode, or with fsck from Single User Mode or the Recovery mode Terminal.

    Having a routine of checking, verifying, and repairing a disk, as well as backing up the Mac, are good general Mac maintenance tips that should be followed anyway.

    Help, I can’t see my disk / drive in Disk Utility at all!

    If the disk or drive is not showing up in Disk Utility at all, and you’re looking at Disk Utility from another volume or boot drive, that suggests either one of the following: the drive has already failed, is periodically failing and will soon completely fail, or at best the disk is somehow not connected physically (highly unlikely but vaguely possible that an internal connection came loose).

    Note that not all external drives and external disk enclosures include support for SMART status, so some volumes may not report any SMART finding or information.

    * The actual disk drives usually have a name that is related to the manufacturer of the disk itself. For the example, “APPLE SSD SM0512G Media” would be the drive, whereas “Macintosh HD” would be a partition on that drive, thus you’d want to select the “APPLE SSD SM0512G” option rather than any partition.

    ** The simplest way to back up a Mac hard drive is with Time Machine. It is absolutely critical to backup a failing disk, as not doing so can and will result in permanent data loss. If you are not sure what to do, contact an authorized Apple Support center or official Apple Support. A failing disk is a hardware problem and indicates the drive itself must be replaced with a new disk.

    Do you know of any other helpful tips for checking SMART status, or examining hard drive issues or checking for an impending disk failure in Mac OS? Share your own tools, tips, and experiences in the comments below!

    Source: OSX Daily

    May 31, 2018 0 comment
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    How to Find UV Index of Location on iPhone

    written by applenws

    Want to know what the UV index is of your current location, or somewhere else? Your iPhone can tell you the UV Index of anywhere, and you don’t even need any additional apps.

    All you need to use is the default Weather app for iPhone, and with that you can check the UV Index of anywhere in the world, or even right where you’re located at that moment.


    As you may know, the default Weather app for iPhone has an extended weather details section that can be accessed by scrolling down, and among the detailed weather specifics now resides UV Index as well. We’ll show you where you can find this helpful information:

    How to See the UV Index of a Location with iPhone Weather App

    Here is how you can see the UV Index of any place, location, or destination, all right from the iPhone:

    1. Open the “Weather” app on the iPhone

      2. The iPhone weather icon

    2. Weather will load for the current location, but optionally you can swipe to access the location of elsewhere you’d like to check the UV Index for *

      3. Open the Weather app for a location

    3. Scroll down on the location screen of Weather app to reveal extended weather information
    4. Look for “UV Index” to see the UV index information for that location

      5. How to check UV Index on iPhone

    There you have it, now that you know the UV Index of a location, and you can be more prepared with sunblock, hats, sunglasses, a welders mask, solar panels, or whatever other UV exposure precautions you want to take. Or maybe you just want a tan, in which case finding the highest UV Index of a destination may appeal to you.

    Optionally, you can use the cool Spotlight Weather search trick to type in any location name (for example, “New York City”) and then tapping on the Spotlight search result. This will open the location in the Weather app where you can find added details, including forecast, and UV Index, but without having to add any additional locations to the Weather app.

    And in case you were wondering, despite some of the other weather info you can get from Siri about a location upon request, oddly enough UV Index is not among those available weather details at the moment.

    * You can add a new location to the Weather app list by tapping the little three lines button in the bottom right corner of the Weather app for iPhone, and then scrolling all the way to tap on the “(+)” Plus button.

    Why should my iPhone care about UV Index?

    UV index is a standardized measurement for the strength of ultraviolet radiation being emitted from the sun.

    Your iPhone probably doesn’t care much about the UV Index directly (though if left in the hot sun the iPhone can quickly see a temperature warning saying “iPhone needs to cool down” and get surprisingly hot to the touch until it is returned to a cool location again), but YOU might care! Most public health organizations recommend limiting time in high UV Index locations, and at least wearing protective clothing, sunblock, hats, or sunglasses, if you’re venturing into a place with a higher UV index on the scale. You can read more about UV radiation at the World Health Organization if you’re interested. But, we’re talking about the iPhone of course, so this is really just one of those things where the iPhone is helping you prepare for a situation, kind of like knowing if you need to be dressing for snow or rain, or any other time you check the weather and temperature.

    Do you have any particularly handy tips about getting this sort of weather and environmental information from the iPhone? Any experience or thoughts with anything to do with ultraviolet light and the iPhone? Share with us in the comments!

    Source: OSX Daily

    May 28, 2018 0 comment
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    How to Set an Automatic Vacation Responder in Gmail

    written by applenws

    If you’re a Gmail user and you’re going to be away from email, on vacation, or out of the office for a while, you may want to set an automatic email responder message directly through Gmail.

    Auto-Responders, “Out of Office” responders, and Vacation Responders work much like the names imply; when they’re enabled and someone sends you an email, they will get an automatic reply from your email account with a message of your choice, usually saying something like “I’m away from my office right now, please call my cell phone or contact someone else for assistance.”

    This tutorial will walkthrough how to configure and setup an automatic email responder for a Gmail account, it can be set from any web browser on any device, including Windows PC, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome OS, or anything else you can access the Gmail website from.

    Gmail makes setting up an auto-responder very easy, and you can set start dates and end dates for the vacation responder, or you can have it take effect immediately and last indefinitely until you manually turn the vacation/automatic responder off yourself. Of course you can customize the email reply subject and message too.

    How to Set an Automatic Vacation Responder with Gmail

    Using this Gmail based approach is accessed and setup through the web on gmail.com. A significant advantage to this method is that it will handle the automatic responder emails on the Gmail server side, meaning before the email gets to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, this can make the Gmail-based auto “out of office” responses faster and more reliable than setting them up on a local device, particularly if the device(s) in question are going to be on limited network or cell phone coverage.

    1. Go to Google Mail or Gmail.com and login to the email account you wish to setup an auto-responder for
    2. Access Gmail Settings by clicking the gear icon and then choosing “Settings” from the drop-down menu, or by going to the following URL:

      3. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#settings/general

    3. Scroll down to find the “Vacation Responder” section of General Gmail settings
    4. Check the box next to “Vacation responder ON”

      5. How to set an automatic vacation responder Out Of Office reply email in Gmail

    5. Fill out the Vacation Responder settings for Gmail, including the following:
    • First Day
    • Last Day (optional, this will automatically end the vacation responder)
    • Subject
    • Message
    • Select whether or not you wish to only send the vacation auto-responder to users in your Contacts
  • When satisfied with your Vacation Responder configuration, choose “Save Changes”

    • Note that if you have the Start Date set to todays date (whatever today is), the auto-responder will start immediately.

    The Vacation Responder / Out of Office setting in Gmail is described as follows by Gmail:

    “(sends an automated reply to incoming messages. If a contact sends you several messages, this automated reply will be sent at most once every 4 days)”

    In other words, if someone keeps sending you emails, they will not keep getting auto-reply messages, but will get another one in several days if they happen to send another email at that time.

    As mentioned before, using the Gmail based approach is great for Gmail users because it handles the automatic responder on the Gmail server side of things, basically as soon as Gmail gets the email in your inbox it will respond with the automatic responder message. That differs from when you setup or use auto-responders on the device side of things, because when an auto-responder is configured on a local device, it must have internet access to check the email and then send a response. For a practical example, this means setting up the Gmail auto-responder directly through Gmail would send the auto-reply message even in a situation where your iPhone, iPad, or Mac has no internet connection – say on an airplane over the pacific or at the top of Mount Everest – whereas the local device based method is not able to do that since it requires an active internet connection to detect and send the auto-reply. Nonetheless, if you’re interested you can also learn how to setup auto-responders for Mail on Mac OS, along with setting up auto-responder “Out of Office” emails for Mail on iPhone and iPad.

    You can also turn on and adjust the auto-responder in Gmail with the Gmail app for iPhone and iPad, or Android, using the in-app settings much the same way as described here. We’re focusing on the web based gmail client here, however.

    How to Turn Off “Out of Office” Vacation Responder Emails on Gmail

    1. Go to Gmail.com and login to the email account in question
    2. Click the gear icon, then select “Settings” from the drop-down menu, or visit the following URL when logged into your Gmail account:

      3. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#settings/general

    3. Scroll down to the “Vacation Responder” section of general settings
    4. Toggle the button for “Vacation Responder off”
    5. Choose “Save Changes”

    And that’s it, if you didn’t set an end date where the auto-reply email will stop itself automatically, you can toggle the responder off at any time this way instead.

    You can turn off or on the automatic responder in Gmail at any time, either through the web or through the Gmail app on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device.

    Know of any other helpful tips or tricks for setting up Out Of Office reply emails, vacation responders, and other automatic replies? Share them in the comments below!

    Source: OSX Daily

    May 27, 2018 0 comment
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    apple mapsiOSiPadiPhoneMapsOSX DailytipsTips & Trickstravelingtricks

    How to Look Inside Airports with Apple Maps on iPhone and iPad to Plan Ahead When Traveling

    written by applenws

    Airports can be hectic, and just about every traveler knows the stress of visiting an airport they have never been to before and trying to quickly navigate the maze of terminals to find their gate so that they can board a plane on time. A great trick that can ease the stress of travel and help you plan your travels better is to use Apple Maps on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, to virtually navigate within an airport beforehand.

    With Apple Maps airport exploration mode, you can explore inside airports to find terminals, boarding gates, baggage claims, check-in counters, security checkpoints, bathrooms and toilets, restaurants, shops, and more. This makes travel planning a bit easier and takes some of the stress out, particularly if you’re visiting a huge airport, or one you’re just unfamiliar with.


    All you need is an iPhone or iPad to get started. The rest is super easy.

    How to Use “Look Inside” Airport on Apple Maps

    1. Open the “Maps” app on the iPhone or iPad, be sure the map setting is set to map mode and not satellite view
    2. In the “Search” section, type in the Airport you want to browse and look in (you can also use airport codes, like “LAX”)
    3. Zoom in a bit and locate the terminal you want to investigate, then tap on the “Look Inside” text

      4. Tap on Look Inside airport to navigate airport in Apple Maps

    4. Now zoom in further or navigate around the airport map, tapping on a Terminal to view even more information, including check-ins, gates, security, bag claims, food, drinks, shops, restrooms / toilets, and more

      5. Looking inside an airport with Apple Maps airport explore mode

    In the example screenshots here, we’re using an iPad to browse Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which is a large, busy, and particularly sprawling and complex airport to navigate around with its myriad shuttles, many terminals, parking garages, as well as many food and shopping options.

    Browse around in airports with Apple Maps

    You can use this feature anytime from an iPhone or iPad as long as you have internet access on the device, but it’s probably best to browse around an airport before you’re actually in it, or when you’re in it. Of course you could also use in-flight wi-fi service to browse through a destination airport before you land, which would certainly make the process of landing a bit easier too. If you already know where to go before you land, you’ll be navigating the airport like a seasoned traveler!

    If you’re traveling with a companion but on different flights, or you’re looking to meet-up with someone in an airport, a great way to use this feature is to use this in combination with either Mark & Share Location in Maps for iOS or “Share Current Location” in Messages on iPhone, to share where you are, or where you want to meet up, with your travel partner, so that you can meet up with each other in the airport for a quick bite to eat, or to pair up and find your baggage together. That’s particularly great if you’re flying to the same destination as someone else but you’re on different flights.

    Oh and as a bonus tip, don’t forget that you can also see the weather reports of locations in Apple Maps too (it’s in the corner of the Maps screen), so if you’re not quite sure what the weather will be upon arrival or departure, you can check that as well.

    Do note that not all airports are supported by this Apple Maps feature, yet anyway, but most major international airport hubs, busy US airports, and international airports are supported and can be browsed through this way. Considering that it’s usually the biggest and most busy airports that are the most complex, this makes some degree of sense, but don’t necessarily expect a tiny airport in a rural location to be included in the Look Inside feature of Apple Maps, so if you’re flying into some tiny remote destination you’ll have to just figure that one out on your own.

    Happy travels!

    Source: OSX Daily

    May 26, 2018 0 comment
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