The Official Newsletter of the Chico Apple User Group January 2020

Mac and IOS Special Interest GroupsOn Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 6:30 PM at the Veterans Memorial Hall, located at 554 Rio Lindo Avenue, Chico, CA 95926

Come to the Special Interest Groups for iOS and Mac to learn more about your Apple devices.

President’s MessageIt seems strange writing out 2020. A big question on my mind is…What will this new decade bring?

At our December meeting, we had a wonderful response to all of you who remembered to bring some coats for those people in need. On Friday,

Dec. 20, I separated the men’s and women’s coats and took them to the Torres

Shelter and the Jesus Center. Both facilities were very grateful for the donations, so a big shout out to y’all for your generosity.

Dick Emmons, a seasoned OLLI instructor, gave us some valuable pointers on taking pictures with our iPhones and iPads, as well as tips on picture composition, balance and lighting.

This month, at our general meeting, Myron Flindt, our Program Director, plans to give us some highlights on the best Apple products and apps for 2019.

As usual, we’ll have the iPhone and iPad discussion groups at 6:30 that will be facilitated by our astute SIG leaders, Van Bilbo, Benny Sommer, Gwen Quail and Kathy Brooks.

I also plan to have the Apple Watch discussion group again at the 6:30 hour. Be sure you have the latest Apple Watch OS update before you come. If you’re not sure what OS you have, go to “Settings” on your watch, then “General” and finally “About”. In that listing, scroll down till you see “Version” That should tell you the current OS on your watch, which is OS 6.1.1. If you’d like to sit in on this session…even if you don’t have an Apple Watch…please join us at 6:30.

I hope, by now, you’ve had a chance to explore the various tutorials from The Mac U. If you haven’t, there is a treasure chest of helpful information that’s delivered in a very organized and useful way.

I hope to see you there, and if you have friends or relatives that are new to the Mac or iPhone and iPad, be sure to tell them about Macchug and the benefits of our group.

Our January program isThe Best Apple Products and Apps of 2019

This month’s program will feature the best Apple products and apps of 2019. First, we will look at the best apps, as selected by Apple, for the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. Then we move on to Time Magazine’s ten best gadgets of the 2010’s. Three Apple devices made the list. Can you guess which three? Hint: the iPhone is not on the list. It came out in 2007.

Next we will look at the best websites for Apple Users. These sites have helpful “how to” guides and instructional videos all of which are free.

Finally, we will compare the many streaming devices for viewing your favorite TV shows. Apple TV is by far the most expensive, but do you get your money’s worth? According to the experts it all depends. Find out more by joining us for January’s “Best of 2019” program and see if there is something that can enhance your Apple experience.

Presentation

Chico Apple Users Group General Meeting begins at

8:00 PM

A New Service for MacChUG MembersAs if you needed another reason to belong to MacChUG, we are beginning a new feature for club members only. If you have any Apple or computer related things to sell, including old Mac computers, iPhones, iPads or software items, here is your spot to advertise. The MacChUG Newsletter will have a monthly classified section. Here are the rules:

1. You must be a current member.

2. Once an item sells, $5 or 10% of the sales price whichever is greater, will be donated to the club for ad placement.

3. The seller must notify the Club Treasurer when an item is sold to arrange for payment to the Club.

4. Unsold items will be removed from the newsletter after 3 months.

MacChUG Classifieds

GuidelinesThe seller will need to provide the following information to the Newsletter Editor NO LATER THAN the 10th of the month.

1. Name of Seller:2. Contact email or phone number of the seller:3. Description of item: no longer than 3 lines of text4. Picture of item: a 1” square picture of the item(s) will be used5. Price:

Mac SIG Group

My lesson for January will be Setting Personal Preference and how to customize the appearance of the desktop.

By Ron Steinke

Don’t forget to check out Myron Flindt’s blog about MacChUG. His blog contains information about past guests and resources that were presented at the meetings. It even includes past archives of the newsletters.

Enjoy

https://macchug.wordpress.com/

Where Can You Find Current MacChUG Information On The Web.

AnnouncementsIf you have not renewed your membership for the upcoming 2020 season, please renew now.

Thank you for being a member and supporting MacChUG.

Please mail your $30.00 renewal dues check, payable

to MacChUG to:

Mike Storm835 Skylark Dr.

Chico, CA 95926

You can also pay by check, cash or credit card at the meeting. We also have a

PayPal account and it may be paid there. You can log onto

PayPal.com and send a payment to macchug.org.

★ Best Buy Discount card for 10% off Apple accessories.

★ Beetstech offers a hefty 15% discount on all repairs.

★ Sponsor supported discounts on their products.

★ Four (4) Special Interest Groups to meet your learning needs each month.

★ Monthly presentations from knowledgeable, experienced individuals with Apple product and other technical knowledge.

★ Social media and web identity (Facebook, web, newsletter, etc.). Opportunity to meet and share with others with the same interests.

ç√

Benefits of MacChUG Membership

MacChUG offers four Special Interest Groups to meet your iOS and Mac needs.

Groups include: iPhone (from beginners to beyond), iPad, new Apple Watch group and Mac novice classes.

Be sure to review the Special Interest Group (SIG) articles in this week’s newsletter.

Apple Reviews

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iPhoto

Apple Music Bluetooth

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Pixelmator Photo Beginner's Guide: How to get started

Jeffery Battersby3 Jan 2020

Start using Pixelmator Photo to enhance photos on your iPad.

Beginning With Pixelmator Photo on your iPad

Pixelmator's Pixelmator Photo for iPad is a feature-rich, $5, non-destructive photo editing app for your iPad. It brings super-powerful machine learning-based image editing tools to your iPad.

Pixelmator Photo is easy to use, but requires some minor setup to get the ball rolling.

Give Pixelmator Photo Access to Your Photos

The first time you open Pixelmator Photos the app asks whether you want to edit photos from the Files app or the Photos app. You can easily switch between Photos and Files after you've set this up, but the first time you select the Photos app, Pixelmator Photo needs access to your photo library.

1. Tap the Pixelmator Photo app on your iPad to open it.

Click here for more

Apple Music now works on Amazon Alexa smart speakersAmazon's Alexa skill for Apple Music is here.

December 17, 2018

If you've been waiting to listen to Apple Music on your Alexa-enabled smart speakers, it's your lucky day. The skill for Apple Music is live and available via the Alexa app for Android and iPhone. Right now the skill works exclusively on Amazon-brand speakers, but it is expected to roll out to third-party

Grab an Amazon Echo speaker and listen to Apple Music via the new Alexa skill. Tyler Lizenby/CNET

The Biggest Problems With Bluetooth Audio Are About to Be Fixed

Although used for everything from lightbulbs, to video game controllers, to RC toys, audio remains the most popular use for Bluetooth, powering the endless array of wireless headphones flooding the market. So as we move into the next decade the Bluetooth Special Interest Group is introducing some key upgrades to the Bluetooth spec that promise to dramatically improve its performance with wireless audio gear.

iPad Sig GroupBy Myron Flindt

Although Contacts for iOS is not as robust on the iPad as it is on the Mac, it is still a powerful app. It is easy to create new contacts by directly inputing the information or adding it via other apps. Each contact page has numerous options on how it can be set up, edited and searched. We will look at all of these options including creating custom fields, sharing contact information and working with Settings. Creating Contact groups cannot be done on an iPad so, we will use the iCloud.com webpage to create them. As always, there will be time to share and to get help with any iPad problems.

The January topic for the iPad group is Contacts.

Here is every important feature you should know in iOS 13 and iPadOSWant to know how to use the new swipe keyboard on your iPhone, or how to use a mouse on your iPad? Read this.

Jason Cipriani & Jessica Dolcourt October 10, 2019

iOS 13 is a pretty big update for your iPhone. Jason Cipriani/CNET

mouse support and full-fledged desktop-class Safari experience -- it's surely a sign of things to come in Apple's tablet lineup. 

In addition to speed and security improvements, the software update that powers your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch also adds many new features that you're sure to find useful. From a new gesture-based keyboard to a dedicated dark mode, there's a lot to learn.

With iOS 13, Apple takes on Google's Android 10 in the never-ending battle to be the most powerful, private and easy-to-use OS. Sounds dramatic, but with Android on about 90% of the world's phones, Apple has its work cut out for it to maintain its status and reputation.

Apple’s ability to engage buyers with iOS 13 is particularly important in 2019. The company has seen

Apple released iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 around the same time the iPhone 11 launched in September. This is the first time the iPad has had its own operating system in iPadOS, adding

Click here for more

How to set up and customize iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, and MacHow do I customize my iCloud? Get the basics right here!

Whether you've recently got a new iPhone and are setting up your first iCloud account, or have had an iPhone for a while but never set up iCloud before, this is your guide for setting up and customizing iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.Want to know more about iCloud? Check out our ultimate guide!

• How to set up iCloud

• How to view your iCloud account information

• How to manage iCloud sync permissions

• How to sign out of iCloudHow to set up iCloudiCloud is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

How to set up iCloud on iPhone and iPadWhen you upgrade your iOS operating system or start using an iPhone for the first time, you will be asked whether you want to use iCloud Drive to store your data. If you tap "Yes," you're all set. If you touched "No" during setup but have since decided you want to use iCloud Drive, you can still enable it manually.

Click here for more

iPhone SIG GroupBy Kathy Brooks

Basic Apple Watch Tricks and TipsBy: Ron Brooks

Hello again iPhone Enthusiasts.….

It’s good to be back thinking about our phone classes and wondering if you received any new Apple devices from Santa this year. We didn’t, but it wasn’t necessary yet to upgrade. Did you set any new year’s resolutions this year? Statistics say resolutions are not very useful, especially exercising. We do love our Apple Watches and try to at least get 5,000-7,000 steps in each day. No, I know the young people are doing 10,000, but really when you are in your 70s, any steps off the couch or chair is an accomplishment.

The month during our Basic iPhone class we will be discussing the pros and cons of using Safari verses the other web browsers and what options they give you in Settings.

We will talk about Apple News app that came with the iPhone and see if we like the idea of subscribing to magazines, papers, etc. You still can get

the headlines…..not sure if they lean to the right or left politically.

We will review the importance of filling out your health profile and Medical ID in case the paramedics need that information in an emergency.

Two tips and tricks will be how to quickly add symbols on your keyboard and also how Siri can connect you to radio stations.

Come and be ready to join the classes at 6:30 am on January 16th. We will have refreshments and coffee/water, so you won’t get parched. If you decide to bring a treat, could you call me and let me know, then I don’t have to bring so many desserts. Thank you for all who have already surprised me with their homemade cookies and treats. Anyone want to be the Refreshment Chair-person this year? Call me at 530-514-8099. See you soon.

Here’s three photos of our board members cleaning up after December’s meeting.

Did you get a new Apple Watch this Christmas? Come and learn some tricks and tips about your Apple Watch. All skills welcome!

For example:

Make the on-screen text larger

With such a tiny device, sometimes you want the option for bigger text at your disposal. Apple makes this easy in its accessibility settings; to change the text on your Watch, go to Settings > Brightness & Text Size, and adjust to your liking.

You can also choose a specialty Big Text watch face if all you're interested in is seeing the time in large numerals.

App Review

• Zac Hall explores for 9to5Mac how the Apple Watch's Breathe app is misunderstood by many users. (Link)

• Amazon doesn’t reveal numbers very often, but at CES the company said its Fire TV platform has over 40 million users, which puts it ahead of competitors like Roku. (Link)

• Ayman Jaddaa has created a concept for an Apple Maps redesign that imagines a tabbed interface, App Store-style ratings and reviews, and more. (Link)

INTERESTING LINKS

RainwayRainway is a free iOS app that allows you to stream PC video games to an iPhone or iPad on your local network. For the best results it helps to have a fast network connection. Although certain types of games will be more forgiving than others when it comes to their tolerance for lag, the app is a nice option for PC gamers. Rainway has a great-looking UI and is easy to set up too.

Dark NoiseIt's rare that a brand new app in a well-saturated market can immediately become the standout option in its field. That's exactly what Dark Noise did in 2019, though, when it packaged ambient noise in a beautifully designed interface filled with delightful animations, haptic feedback, and more. I use ambient noise as a focus aid, sometimes when I'm surrounded by talking people but also when I'm alone yet need a little background noise.

MusicHarborMusicHarbor continues to receive frequent updates that have extended it well beyond the functionality that was available when Federico wrote about it in November. My favorite addition is an action extension to add artists to the list of those you follow. I’ve found it’s perfect for when you’re listening to something like the Apple New Music Mix and come across a new artist you like. The update also includes keyboard shortcuts to navigate the UI on the iPad, the ability to add videos to a playlist, your music library, or calendar, and improvements to the super compact display mode.

How to Block an Email Address on Your iPhone

Nobody can live without email, but we all can live without spam, dubious pharmaceutical offers, and emails from that one coworker who sends you last year’s memes on the regular. If you’ve ever wondered how to block email on iPhone using the Mail app, keep reading. We’ll show you how to make your inbox a lot more pleasant.

Related: How to Receive Mail Notifications for Important Contacts Only

Understanding the iPhone Mail App

Your email address(es) are most likely your work email and a personal email through a free service such as Yahoo, Gmail, or your ISP (Internet Service Provider). The Mail app allows you to receive those emails through one source on your iPhone. It also can tell your provider to classify junk mail, valid mail, and blocked mail. Following the steps below allows the app to tell your email provider which emails you wish to receive.

How to Block an Email on the iPhone

If you've ever wondered, "How do I block unwanted emails?" the first step is to identify unwanted email senders. Here’s how that’s done:

1. Go to your Mail app and tap on the icon

By iPhone Life Team on Mon, 01/06/2020

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These 28 useful apps are absolutely essential for Mac loversMark Coppock January 7, 2020

Looking to make the most of the robust application environment in MacOS? We’ve got you covered. There are hundreds of thousands of great apps compatible with MacOS in the App Store — not to mention the thousands more that are scattered across the web.

Because of this, we’ve compiled some of the best Mac apps available. Since there are so many apps, we’ve pared our list down to only include apps that are most likely to be useful to the average Mac user, whether you’re looking to quickly access an abundance of RSS feeds or automatically upload your photos to the cloud.

We’ve broken our selection down into four areas, which you can access using the quick links below:

• Interface

• Productivity

• Entertainment and social

• Security and storage

Interface

Alfred 4

Think of Alfred as Spotlight with a dash of Siri. It’s an application launcher, but it can do a lot more than just that. With Alfred, you can quickly perform

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Apple's Mail App Is Actually Useful Now: 10 Things to Try

With iOS 13 and iPadOS, Apple adds a few new tricks to its Mail app. Can these new features get you to ditch Gmail or your favorite email app for Mail?

• Lance Whitney January 2, 2020

Apple's reliable but basic Mail app has been enhanced with a few new and improved features courtesy of iOS 13 and iPadOS 13.1, including convenient new formatting options; the ability to include scans, photos, videos, drawings, and other attachments; and a beefed-up Reply menu. Plus, you can now more easily block a sender. Let's check out the changes.

How to Record Video Using QuickTake on iPhone 11 & iPhone 11 ProDec 29, 2019

Want to record a quick video with an iPhone? The new QuickTake feature of iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max makes it easier than ever to quickly capture video clips.

If you’ve used popular social networking apps like Instagram and Snapchat, there’s a good chance you’re well-aware of the “Stories” feature. These are usually short video clips recorded and shared by holding the shutter icon within the app’s camera interface. Perhaps Apple has taken cues from these apps and added a similar functionality to the redesigned Camera app that comes out of the box with the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Dubbed QuickTake video, the feature allows users to quickly start shooting videos without having to switch to the dedicated video recording section within the Camera app. This makes recording videos a tad more convenient than it used to be on the older iPhones and iPads.

Click here for more

Tips and Tricks for New Apple Watch Owners

If you received a new Apple Watch as a holiday gift, you’re likely still figuring it all out. In this article, we’ll link to some handy how-to articles that may help answer the questions you’re sure to have.

Apple Watch How-Tos

• How To Enable the ‘Cover to Mute’ Feature on Your Apple Watch

• How to Restore Color to Your watchOS 6 Infograph Watch Face

• How To Turn on Fall Detection on Your Apple Watch Series 4 or 5

• Apple Watch Series 4 Videos Focus on How to Turn on Fall Detection and Heart Health Features

• How To Set the Preferred Device to Track Steps in the Health App Between Your Apple Watch or iPhone

• How To Force Close a Frozen App on Your Apple Watch

• How to Enable or Disable Automatic Workout Detection on the Apple Watch

• How To Adjust the Length of the ‘Tap to Wake’ Time for Your Apple Watch’s Display

• How to Improve Your Heart Rate Readings on the Apple Watch Series 4 or 5 Using the Digital Crown

• How To Fix Things When Your Apple Watch Isn’t Giving You Full Credit for Exercise

• How to Adjust Text Size and Enable Bold Text on Your Apple Watch

By Susie Ochs and Macworld Staff

How to sell or trade in your old iPhone

Even if you’re in the iPhone Upgrade Program, you might have an old iPhone languishing in a drawer somewhere unused. And if you buy your iPhone outright each year, you can usually recoup a good amount of that cost by selling the old model every time you upgrade. Here’s what you need to know about selling or trading in your old iPhone for top dollar.

How to get an old iPhone ready for sale

Take good care of it

This probably goes without saying, but you’ll get the most money if your iPhone is in pristine shape. That means keeping it in a case to prevent bumps and dings to the corners. But if your phone shows some wear and tear, don’t worry—it’s still sellable, you’ll just get a little less. Keeping your original box and including the charger and cable also helps you get the most money.

See here for more

Monday December 23, 2019by Juli Clover

Useful Tips, Tricks, and Walkthroughs for New Apple Watch OwnersIf you got a new Apple Watch for the holidays, this is the article for you. We've collected all of our Apple Watch-related how tos and guides to help you learn the ins and outs of your new wrist-worn device.

Even if you've had an Apple Watch before, the newest Series 4 and Series 5 models have updated features like ECG functionality that lets you take a quick electrocardiogram right from the wrist, and with the Apple Watch Series 5 specifically, there's a new always on display.

Below, we've organized our Apple Watch-related how tos into quick access categories, so browse through to see if there's something new to learn.

For Beginners • How to Force-Quit Misbehaving Apple Watch Apps

• How to Reset or Force Restart Your Apple Watch

• How to Add a Passcode to Your Apple Watch and What to Do if You Forget It

• How to Specify Your Activity Type in the Apple Watch Workout App

• How to Customize Your Apple Watch Workout Metrics

• How to Customize Default Replies on Apple Watch

• Using the Timer, Alarm, and Stopwatch Apps on Apple Watch

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Disclaimer: Images in this newsletter are a representation of books, products, and devices may or may not reflect actual item. Tips and Reviews are gathered from members, various websites, books and personal training. Some articles may be edited from their original sources to emphasis the pros and cons of the article.