But did you also know that memes can make you smile all the way to the bank? Guess not.

But yep, they can, thanks to the new Yepp app. With Yepp, you can easily turn your funny memes (images, videos, or texts) into an additional or even primary means of income.

Yepp is one of the latest and greatest ways to monetize your memes, whether you’re an established or up-and-coming meme maker.

Let’s dive deeper into Yepp and how you can earn with memes.

Yepp: What the yepp is Yepp?

Yepp lets meme creators and consumers worldwide create, share, find, and discover thousands of funny multi-theme memes.

Most importantly, Yepp lets users earn money while at it.

Yepp’s machine learning-powered algorithm provides an endless feed of funny memes.

Users can upload, edit, remix, and reuse trending memes and earn money by viewing, creating, or sharing them.

Yepp only recently launched its beta program but already boasts more than 100,000 users and counting, with the best memes enjoying hundreds of thousands of daily views and providing income for their authors.

A closer look at Yepp

Thanks to Yepp’s robust recommendation engine, users view memes an average of 40 minutes per day, roughly 4-5x the time spent on other meme makers.

This R&D effort has been 10+ years in the making.

This also allows users to discover and explore more authors, thereby giving creators more visibility, viewership, following, subscribers, and of course, more earning potential. 

Part of Yepp’s mission is to enable millions of people to successfully monetize their sense of humor and provide tools to make content creation easy and fun.

This mission underlies everything Yepp stands for.

Key Yepp features to look out for

What makes Yepp stand out as a meme maker? If you’re wondering or asking this same question, you’re not alone.

Like other meme editors, it allows you to create memes, but unlike them, it also allows you to earn.

The following features make Yepp the go-to app for meme creators and users. 

Ease to Use In-App Studio 

Sign-up is fast and easy. Once in, you’ll find Yepp’s In-App Studio’s intuitive user interface as fun as its memes.

The app is easy to navigate, with well-defined categories that make finding your way around a breeze.

With a few clicks, you can create and share memes with your friends, followers, and hundreds of thousands of other users who share a similar passion for memes.

Face Swap

The Face Swap feature is one of the most popular features on Yepp.

As the name suggests, it allows you to swap out the face on a meme with that of your friends, family, or colleagues.

This can be a fun way of mimicking characters, including actors, athletes, footballers, comedians, and more.

Which face would you like to swap? Find out on Yepp.

Endless Smart Feed

With a robust recommendation engine, you can expect endless memes in the Yepp app, not just random memes.

The app recommends memes to you based on your user behavior.

Specifically, it picks up on your action rate and text and image recognition.

Its smart algorithm then creates a personalized custom feed for each user, considering their likes and interests.

Auto Content Suggestion and Duplicate Detection

The app’s intelligent algorithm can recognize and analyze patterns in your user behavior.

As a creator, Yepp can study and mimic your sense of humor by automatically suggesting similar texts or images to the ones you’ve used before.

And if you’re worried about your creative work being stolen, you can rest assured that it won’t happen.

This is thanks to Yepp’s neural networks, which detect clickbait memes, duplicates, and stolen content and deranks them, starving them of views.

Income Potential

If your memes make people laugh, Yepp believes they should make you smile to the bank.

To this end, Yepp has introduced an industry-leading and transparent revenue-sharing model.

Yepp’s weekly ad revenue is split 50/50 between the app and its users, who can expect to earn up to $1,750 weekly.

30% also goes to friends invited by users, 17% to creators, and 3% to users who view memes.

Analytics

Whether a meme maker or user, the Yepp app allows you to take stock of all your activities and earnings.

It lets you see how many of your friends or contacts installed the app using your link.

You can also easily view how many times your memes have been viewed over a particular period of time, plus how much you’ve amassed from such views.

It also allows you to see daily or all-time views and earnings.

Create and earn with Yepp

Thanks to its machine-learning capabilities, you don’t need to be an expert to create your own memes.

Yepp has enough built-in tools and templates to get you started in minutes. What’s more, it’s free to use.

From its ease of use to its many features, revenue-sharing formula, and earning potential, Yepp is the number one meme editor you should use along with your friends, family, and colleagues.

Go ahead, download the app, sign up, create, share, and earn. The app is available on iOS and Android.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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The post Yepp is a new meme-maker app that makes you money appeared first on KnowTechie.

Did you know you can change your Activity Status and appear offline on Instagram? Well, yes, you can.

Using the ‘insta offline’ trick on Instagram lets you fly under the radar and avoid unwanted interactions with other users.

The platform includes an Activity Status feature that tracks how long it’s been since you were online and lets your friends know when you’re active on the platform.

As you can imagine, that has the potential to get a little invasive. Fortunately, Instagram only shows this to users you follow or message privately.

But it’s still nice to be able to hide that Activity Status, so you don’t have to worry about everyone knowing what you’re up to at all times.

What does appearing offline on Instagram do?

As we mentioned briefly, appearing offline on Instagram does several different things. And it all revolves around the Activity Status.

First, turning off your Activity Status to appear offline on Instagram will hide your status from other users.

That means nobody can see when you actively browse images and videos on the platform.

Additionally, toggling your Activity Status off will also hide the counter that tells people how long it has been since you were last offline.

So, you can essentially hide every aspect of Instagram’s Activity Status for your profile.

However, doing it also means you can’t see anybody else’s Activity Status.

So if you want to know when others are online, you’ll have to continue to let them know you are online.

Why would you want to appear offline on Instagram?

There are several reasons why you might want to appear offline on Instagram.

Maybe you’ve got that annoying aunt who won’t leave you alone whenever they find out you’re online.

Or maybe there’s someone you’ve connected with in the past that takes advantage of your Activity Status.

Although, it might be a better idea to go ahead and block that person completely.

Whatever your reason for wanting to appear offline on Instagram, the feature can be an incredibly useful tool.

And you can always go back and toggle the feature back on if you want to show your friends you’re online again.

How to go offline on Instagram’s app

Since Instagram is primarily used on mobile devices, this will likely be the most useful section for most people.

First, we’ll look at how to toggle off your Activity Status on the Instagram mobile app for iOS or Android.

The menus might look a little different, depending on what kind of phone you have. But the processes are the same either way.

After toggling off this setting, you will begin to appear offline on Instagram.

And whenever you want to appear online again, just repeat the same steps and toggle Activity Status back on.

Here’s how to toggle Activity Status on Instagram for desktop

Meta originally focused on developing Instagram as a mobile app.

Thankfully, that’s changed as the company has added features to Instagram’s desktop site to make it work more like an app.

And fortunately, you can at least use the website to toggle your Activity Status.

How to appear Invisible on Instagram’s desktop site:

1. Click your profile picture in the top right corner

2. Select Settings

3. Click Privacy and security

4. Toggle the Show activity status box off

That’s all there is to that.

Once you toggle the Activity Status box off from that menu, your online status and history are essentially invisible to everyone.

Remember, you also can’t see other users’ Activity Status if you’ve toggled this option off.

And if you ever change your mind, you can follow the same steps to return and turn your Activity Status back on again.

Use Instagram’s Activity Status to your advantage

Tons of people like to browse Instagram to keep up with friends or their favorite creators.

But you don’t have to let everyone know that you’re online when you’re browsing the platform.

Instagram’s Activity Status lets you choose when you want people to see that you’re online.

Of course, it also means that you won’t be able to see other users’ Activity Status with yours turned off. But that’s a small price for extra privacy on the platform.

You can change your Activity Status on Instagram regularly.

So get familiar with this process and start browsing Instagram on or offline. The choice is always yours.

Are you keeping this feature turned on? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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The post How to appear offline on Instagram appeared first on KnowTechie.

Like most Apple users, you probably regularly use your iPhone to listen to music.

But what if you could take that listening experience to a new level by connecting your iPhone to a high-quality JBL speaker?

Not only would the sound be louder and more immersive, but it would also be richer and more nuanced.

Siri integration is another plus feature, but it is only available for the latest JBL speakers in Xtreme, Pulse, Charge, and Flip lineup.

You can ask Siri to play your favorite song, turn up the volume, or skip to the next track.

Now that you know the benefits of connecting your iPhone to a JBL speaker, let’s get down to the basics of how to do it.

Both JBL and Apple hate 3.5mm aux outputs. The lightning port transmits power and audio from iPhone 7 to the latest iPhone 14.

Likewise, most JBL speakers have Bluetooth as the only option for connectivity.

The company has an app (JBL Portable) for both IOS and Android devices that covers all its speakers except for some low-end sonic boxes in JBL Go and Clip Series.

Though useful for firmware updates and setting up different modes in a multi-speaker setup, the app isn’t necessary to pair JBL speakers with iPhones and, in general, any other device.

Here, we’ll show you how to pair the JBL Flip 4 with the iPhone 14.

As Bluetooth is involved here, the steps remain the same, whether it’s for an old JBL Clip 2 or the latest Boombox 2.

You can connect your iPhone to the JBL speaker with a 3.5mm audio cable if you want a wired connection.

Just plug one end of the cable into the iPhone’s headphone jack adapter and the other end into the JBL speaker aux input.

FAQs

If none of these steps aren’t helping you pair your JBL speaker to your iPhone, there may be a problem. Here are some troubleshooting questions in the FAQ section below.

If you recently connected your speaker to a device, it will automatically connect to that device when you turn it on. A stable blue light is an indicator of this.

You will have to unpair your JBL speaker first or override the previous pairing by pressing the Bluetooth button for almost 3-5 seconds.

The speaker will now enter pairing mode, and you can easily connect it to the iPhone.

READ MORE: JBL speaker won’t connect? Here’s how to fix that

If those steps don’t work, it may be because your JBL speaker is out of range or has a low battery. And if this isn’t the case, the only option you have left is to reset the speaker to its factory settings.

Yes, your JBL Bluetooth speaker is compatible with the iPhone. Apart from playing music, you can make calls and summon Siri with most JBL speakers.

You will start by connecting the primary JBL speaker with the iPhone.

Next, you will have to press the connect button on both the primary and secondary JBL speakers together. You can build a chain of almost 100 speakers this way. 

READ MORE: How to connect JBL speakers to computers and laptops?

Connecting JBL speakers to iPhone is pretty straightforward

JBL speakers are one of the best third-party accessories to pair up with your iPhone. These speakers are Bluetooth-enabled and have Siri capabilities to boot.

This post provides an easy step-by-step guide on connecting your JBL speakers to your iPhone. Regardless of which model you choose, the steps remain the same.

If everything doesn’t go according to plan the first time around, revisit our troubleshooting steps in the FAQ section above.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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• iPhone 14: News, rumors, leaks, pricing, and release date

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

The post How to connect JBL speakers to iPhone? appeared first on KnowTechie.

The iPhone is one of the most popular smartphones in the world. That’s despite Apple not letting you change your iPhone app icons.

Changing app icons is something I imagine would be easy for Apple to figure out, development-wise.

And maybe they did and have a good reason why they never let folks swap out their app icons.

Thankfully, that changed slightly with iOS 14.

Why would someone need to change their iPhone’s app icons?

Perhaps you don’t like the look of one particular icon. Maybe there are a few that deserve changing.

Or perhaps all of the default icons sicken you to your core. Whatever your level of loathing, Apple’s Shortcuts app is the solution.

This article will show you everything you need to know to customize iPhone app icons on iOS.

How to change app icons on iPhone

If you are ready to make your iPhone your own, it’s time to dive in.

Once you hit Add, the Shortcuts app will close automatically and take you to your home screen, where the new icon should appear.

From here, you’re free to move the shortcut to wherever you want it to be.

READ MORE: How to turn on your iPhone’s camera flash

To avoid confusion, remove the original app from the Home Screen so it’ll only be in the App Library.

To do that, long-press on the app icon, tap Remove App, then Remove from Home Screen. Now you’ve got a Home Screen full of customized app icons.

Anything else I need to know?

Besides how long it takes to create Shortcuts for every app, there are a few things you should know.

You’ll lose any interactivity features if you replace all your app icons.

READ MORE: How to fix an iPhone not receiving texts from Android phones

That includes the notification bubble that shows unread messages or emails. It also includes any additional menu options you see when you long-press an app icon.

The other thing is that because you’re replacing them with Shortcuts, you’ll see the Shortcuts app open every time you open an app.

You can reduce this annoyance slightly by going into the Accessibility menu and selecting the reduce motion option.

Where can I get free app icons?

You might have seen links advertising iOS app icon packs before.

Etsy is full of them, as are many other websites. Did you know those are just collections of images, usually PNG files?

That means you can make your custom app icons if inclined to.

However, we won’t stop you from downloading icon packs or even paying for them if you like the artist’s work.

Many websites let you download free icons, such as Flaticon or icons8.

Finding a collection that has enough of the apps you use might take a while, and that alone could be worth the price of buying a ready-made collection.

Use new app icons to personalize your iPhone

Once you know how to change your iOS app icons, you can use pretty much any image as a replacement.

If you want something slick, you can find professionally-designed icons online or create your own.

If you want something more personalized, you could snap photos of your friends and attach their mug shots to the apps that best represent them.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• How to take a screenshot on any iPhone
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The post How to change app icons on iPhone appeared first on KnowTechie.

While most modern iPhones are water-resistant, that doesn’t mean they automatically repel all liquid.

If you drop your phone in a pond, you may have to deal with some wet holes, including the speaker grill and charging port.

So, how do you eject water from your iPhone? There’s an app for everything because the iOS Water Eject shortcut can help rid your device of unwanted moisture.

We live in amazing times. Let’s discuss how you can download the Water Ejection shortcut and use it to eject water from your iPhone.

How to use an iOS shortcut to eject water from iPhone

Before we start, first, you’ll need to make sure you have the Shortcuts app downloaded.

Once you’ve done that, here’s how to get water out from your iPhone speaker with the shortcut:

READ MORE: Can you use AirPods on in-flight TVs?

When the process completes, your phone will stop vibrating, and you’ll hear a confirmation sound accompanied by a notification.

If, after inspection, some holes are still wet, you can run Water Eject again and repeat until satisfied.

Alternatively, there are other methods to get water out of iPhone if you don’t want to use an iOS shortcut.

For example, you could use a third-party water remover app, dry your iPhone with silica gel, or drop it in raw uncooked rice.

How to add a Water Eject iPhone shortcut to your home screen

In emergency moisture situations, having Water Eject easily accessible is handy.

Here’s how to add the shortcut to your iOS home screen:

1. Locate Water Eject in the Shortcuts app and tap More options (…)

2. Press the Share icon on the bottom menu bar

3. Choose Add to Home Screen and tap Add

Water Eject will now appear on your home screen for easy access.

If you inadvertently submerge your iPhone in liquid a lot, placing the shortcut in an easy-to-reach location is wise.

The Water Ejection shortcut is impressive

The days of burying wet iPhones in bags of rice are over because you can now eject water from your phone’s speakers with an app. Brilliant.

Next, someone should test the shortcut on a fully-submerged iPhone to see if there’s any propulsion potential there.

If so, the next logical step is to start racing iOS devices underwater.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The post How to eject water from a wet iPhone with a simple shortcut appeared first on KnowTechie.

Twitter looks like it’s rolling out its new, premium version of Twitter Blue on iOS.

The $8.99 subscription automatically gets you a blue verified checkmark, “just like the celebrities, companies, and politicians you already follow,” notes the app’s changelog on the App Store.

Via the changelog:

So, what about the Android app? Unfortunately, Twitter hasn’t pushed any updates nor given any timetable for when users should expect to see it.

For now, Twitter Blue’s iOS update is more of a test than a finished product.

READ MORE: How to sign up for Twitter Blue

A Twitter product manager, Esther Crawford, confirmed this and tweeted that users “may see us making updates because we are testing and pushing changes in real-time.”

The verification system is the biggest change we’re seeing with the update. Twitter Blue users now get a blue checkmark and a revamped notification system. However, the notification update is still up in the air.

For now, verification will be the only feature available to Twitter Blue users first. Other perks, including fewer ads, priority ranking, and longer video limits, are “coming soon.”

Now is your chance if you ever wanted a coveted blue checkmark on Twitter. Just as long as you’re on iOS and fine with paying $8 every month for that status.

Twitter Blue is available in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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The post New Twitter Blue launches on iOS, $8/month for verified checkmark appeared first on KnowTechie.

Technology has moved on from those visions of the future, and we can have cellular phones on our wrists, but that childhood dream still lives on.

It seems that someone at Apple also grew up with the same hankerings because the Apple Watch has an inbuilt Walkie-Talkie app that allows two Apple Watch users to easily talk to each other.

Here’s how to use the built-in Walkie-Talkie feature on Apple Watch

Before we start, there are a few provisos we need to go over.

First, you can’t use the Walkie-Talkie app with people that aren’t already on your contact list. Everyone will need an Apple Watch running WatchOS 5.3 or later.

Secondly, FaceTime is also required to make and receive calls.

Additionally, users need to be in a country with Walkie-Talkie support.

How to use Walkie Talkie on Apple Watch

1. Open the Walkie-Talkie app on your Apple Watch
2. Select Add Friends, scroll through your contact list, and choose the person you want to talk with
3. That person needs to approve Walkie-Talkie access on their Apple Watch. They’ll get a notification to do just that, and the card will go yellow when approved
4. To talk
   • Open the Walkie-Talkie app
   • Choose the friend you want to talk to
   • Touch & hold the large yellow button (seen above) and say your message
   • When you let go, the message should appear on your friend’s Apple Watch
5. Responding to a message is done from the same button on the other Apple Watch
6. The Digital Crown adjusts the playback volume

How to temporarily disable Walkie-Talkie on Apple Watch

You might not want to be always available, so you can disable Walkie-Talkie temporarily from the Control Center.

1. Swipe up from the bottom edge of your screen
2. Tap the Walkie-Talkie icon to disable it (it will go gray)
3. Tap it again to enable the feature, and turn the icon yellow

How to remove a Walkie-Talkie contact on Apple Watch

If, for whatever reason, you want to remove a Walkie-Talkie contact, swipe left on their contact card on the Apple Watch app and tap X to delete them.

You can also do this from the companion Watch app on your iPhone. Here’s how:

1. Open the Watch app
2. Find the My Watch tab, then tap on Walkie-Talkie
3. Tap on Edit, then use the minus (-) button to remove a contact

The Walkie-Talkie Apple Watch app is a great way to keep in touch with close contacts, making it almost as easy as an in-person conversation.

Remember the time of day when you try to send a message, as not even your closest friends will like being pinged at an inopportune moment.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

The post How to use the Walkie-Talkie feature on Apple Watch appeared first on KnowTechie.

Luckily, you can make the iPhone screen stay on longer or never turn off.

Perhaps you like to read at a leisurely pace, and you’re not scrolling or touching the screen often enough.

Maybe you like staring at images for more than 30 seconds. Or perhaps you just like to stop and think mid-task.

For some of us, 30 seconds isn’t enough.

Let’s discuss how to change the auto-lock timer in iOS to keep the iPhone screen on for a longer.

How to keep your iPhone display on for longer

You can choose an auto-lock timer from 30 seconds to 5 minutes.

Or if you consider yourself a bit of a thrill seeker, you can opt for the super-risky, totally unrecommended Never option.

When you set your iPhone’s screen to always stay on, your device remains unlocked until you manually switch off the display.

If you forget to turn the screen off, you run the risk of rapidly draining your battery or granting easy device access to a very fortunate thief.

When setting an auto-lock timer for any device, you’d be wise to keep security in mind.

Change your iPhone auto-lock timer to suit your style

For the best battery life and device security, the default 30-second timer is the way to go.

But short and sweet won’t suit everyone’s needs.

If you require a longer timer, anything from 1 to 5 minutes may be ideal, keeping in mind that the longer the display stays on, the quicker your battery will drain.

And if you simply can’t stand the thought of your iPhone locking itself without your consent, you can opt for the ‘Never‘ setting.

Disabling auto-lock completely is mainly for people who hate long battery life but love sharing all of their information with whoever happens to pick up their phone.

If that’s you, then go for it.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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The post How to make the screen stay on longer on iPhone appeared first on KnowTechie.

If you’ve ever wanted to automatically send messages triggered by certain events, Apple has the solution.

Once you create the appropriate iOS shortcut, you can effortlessly shoot off pre-loaded texts in whatever direction you please.

Whether you want to persistently remind, spam, or harass your recipients, automating your messages can be a real productivity booster.

Let’s discuss how you can use the iOS Shortcuts app to automatically send texts.

How to send automated text messages from your iPhone

If you want the shortcut to run automatically without your consent, you should switch off Ask Before Running.

When you do so, you’ll see an extra Notify When Run option, which may be useful in some situations.

READ MORE: This trick lets you share photos between iPhone, iPad, and Mac faster than AirDrop

Some triggers, such as Leave, are great for notifying people when you’re on your way home from work or another location.

Additionally, you can use the Message action to automate text messages to certain people or groups, which is great for avoiding unwanted conversations.

READ MORE: How to quickly call emergency services on iPhone

If you need to delete your creation, you can go back to Automations in the Shortcuts app, swipe left on the appropriate entry, and hit Delete.

Are automated texts useful?

Sending automated texts from an iPhone is a great way to remind your contacts of scheduled events and commitments they may have forgotten.

As everyone knows, many of us feel that we don’t receive enough spam, and automatically sending messages to people is a great way to address this issue.

READ MORE: 5 ways to send text messages from your computer

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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The post How to automatically send text messages from your iPhone appeared first on KnowTechie.

If you’re not a sharer, this guide isn’t for you. If, however, you do like to share your subscriptions, Apple makes it easy.

Apple TV+ has been gaining content since its inception in 2019, and some of it is actually worth watching.

If you haven’t sampled the service yet and have a new Apple device—less than 90 days old—you may be eligible for a free trial. And if you’re not eligible, no sweat, Best Buy will hook you up with one for free.

Verified

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Free Apple TV+ for 3 months (new or returning subscribers only)
Stream Apple Original series and films, including compelling dramas, documentaries, and more—with new Apple Originals added monthly.

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See at Best Buy

On-Going Offer

Once subscribed, you can utilize Family Sharing to grant up to six friends, or family members access to the streaming service.

Here we’ll discuss how to share apple TV+ with your family from your Mac or iOS device.

How to share an Apple TV+ subscription on a Mac

If you’re ready to start sharing, you can begin your philanthropic endeavor by following a few simple steps.

Here’s how to share your Apple TV+ subscription on a Mac:

READ MORE: How to delete Apple TV apps

When enabled, Apple TV+ should appear in the Shared with your family section of the side menu.

While using the shared subscription, each family member will see their own personal preferences and recommendations, which means no one’s viewing habits will interfere with anyone else.

How to share an Apple TV+ subscription on an iOS device

If iOS is your OS flavor of choice, sharing is still a simple process.

Here’s how to share your subscription on an iOS device:

1. Launch the Apple TV app and subscribe to Apple TV+ if you haven’t already
2. Open the Settings app and tap your account name/icon
3. Tap Family Sharing
4. Tap Add Member and invite whoever you want to share your subscription with

When set up correctly, Apple TV+ should appear in the Shared with your family section of the menu. That’s all there is to it.

And if a family member wrongs you in any way, you can remove them from the group and force them to pay for their own subscription. You have the power.

Sharing subscriptions makes sense

With so many streaming services on offer, sharing subscriptions is the ideal way to access a whole lot of content without copping a massive bill that rivals those dished out by ancient pay-TV providers.

We certainly don’t want to relive those dark days.

The content is worth sampling if you can take advantage of Apple TV+’s free trial. You may even find something you like, and the best things in life are worth sharing.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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The post How to share an Apple TV+ subscription with family & friends appeared first on KnowTechie.

Those fixes include one for the Camera app on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, which could be slow to open or switch between modes.

A bug that was delaying or not showing incoming calls and app notifications was also fixed, as well as a CarPlay bug with the iPhone 14 that reduced the microphone volume.

A security bug with Mail that crashed the app after receiving a “malformed email” was also squashed. This affected anyone with an iPhone 8 or newer, so it’s worth updating. Here’s how.

Here’s how to update your iPhone to iOS 16.0.3

This update doesn’t mention any fixes for battery life, which has been an issue for many users after upgrading to iOS 16.

A thread for battery life on MacRumors‘ forums has fifteen pages of users complaining about battery drain. 9To5Mac polled its readers, and 64% of those responding said battery life is now worse.

We’ll keep our eyes open to see if Apple has fixed the issues with iOS 16 battery life. Personally, my iPhone 11 Pro didn’t have any battery issues on iOS 16 until the public release.

It’s been abysmal since then, meaning I have to charge my iPhone at least once daily.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Apple VR headset: Release date, features, and price
• Google rolls out iOS 16 lock screen widgets to iPhone users
• How to remove the background from images in iOS 16
• Crash Detection on Apple’s iPhone 14 is prone to false alarms

The post iOS 16.0.3 is out – here’s what to know about the update appeared first on KnowTechie.

Apple added support for lock screen widgets with iOS 16. Previously, the iPhone maker limited widgets to Apple’s apps, but only because it needed third-party app makers to start making them.

Now Google is getting in on the act, with Chrome, Drive, Gmail, and Google News widgets now becoming available.

Gmail lock screen widget for iOS 16

The Gmail lock screen widget can be circular, inline, or rectangular. The inline version goes above the clock, with the other two going below it.

Inbox Zero fans might not appreciate seeing the ever-present number of unread emails. But, for everyone else, you’ll see the number, or in the case of the rectangular widget, the number in each category.

Google Drive has a widget for searching your storage, accessing your starred files, or checking out “suggested files.”

Google News has short headlines, which open the Google News app when tapped.

The Chrome lock screen widget can do multiple things, like opening incognito windows, voice search, or Google Search within Chrome.

That last one is handy, as the Search widget hasn’t yet made its way to iOS 16.

Google Maps has incoming widgets, too, with a Frequent Trips option, Search inside Maps, and directions to any meetings on your calendar.

Unfortunately, it’s not ready for launch, but Google expects it to be ready soon.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• How to remove the home screen search button on iPhone
• How to set up a dynamic weather Lock Screen wallpaper in iOS 16
• How to use emojis as your lock screen background in iOS 16
• iOS 16 will finally let you customize the iPhone lock screen

The post Google rolls out iOS 16 lock screen widgets to iPhone users appeared first on KnowTechie.

By doing this, the company created regional disparities in access to mobile apps at a time when many economies are becoming increasingly dependent on them.

The mobile phone giants have removed over 200 Chinese apps, including widely downloaded apps like TikTok, at the Indian government’s request in recent years.

Similarly, the companies removed LinkedIn, an essential app for professional networking, from Russian app stores at the Russian government’s request.

However, access to apps is just one concern. Developers also regionalize apps, meaning they produce different versions for different countries.

This raises the question of whether these apps differ in their security and privacy capabilities based on region.

In a perfect world, access to apps and app security and privacy capabilities would be consistent everywhere.

Popular mobile apps should be available without increasing the risk that users are spied on or tracked based on what country they’re in.

Especially given that not every country has strong data protection regulations.

My colleagues and I recently studied the availability and privacy policies of thousands of globally popular apps on Google Play, the app store for Android devices, in 26 countries.

We found differences in app availability, security and privacy.

While our study corroborates reports of takedowns due to government requests, we also found many differences introduced by app developers.

We found instances of apps with settings and disclosures that expose users to higher or lower security and privacy risks depending on the country in which they’re downloaded.

Geoblocked apps

The countries and one special administrative region in our study are diverse in location, population and gross domestic product.

They include the U.S., Germany, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, Hong Kong and India. We also included countries like Iran, Zimbabwe and Tunisia, where it was difficult to collect data.

We studied 5,684 globally popular apps, each with over 1 million installs, from the top 22 app categories, including Books and Reference, Education, Medical, and News and Magazines.

Our study showed high amounts of geoblocking, with 3,672 of 5,684 globally popular apps blocked in at least one of our 26 countries.

Blocking by developers was significantly higher than takedowns requested by governments in all our countries and app categories.

We found that Iran and Tunisia have the highest blocking rates, with apps like Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader, Flipboard and Google Books all unavailable for download.

We found regional overlap in the apps that are geoblocked. In European countries in our study – Germany, Hungary, Ireland and the U.K. – 479 of the same apps were geoblocked.

Eight of those, including Blued and USA Today News, were blocked only in the European Union, possibly because of the region’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Turkey, Ukraine and Russia also show similar blocking patterns, with high blocking of virtual private network apps in Turkey and Russia, which is consistent with the recent upsurge of surveillance laws.

Of the 61 country-specific takedowns by Google, 36 were unique to South Korea, including 17 gambling and gaming apps taken down in accordance with the national prohibition on online gambling.

While the Indian government’s takedown of Chinese apps happened with full public disclosure, surprisingly most of the takedowns we observed occurred without much public awareness or debate.

Differences in security and privacy

The apps we downloaded from Google Play also showed differences based on country in their security and privacy capabilities.

One hundred twenty-seven apps varied in what the apps were allowed to access on users’ mobile phones, 49 of which had additional permissions deemed “dangerous” by Google.

Apps in Bahrain, Tunisia and Canada requested the most additional dangerous permissions.

Three VPN apps enable clear text communication in some countries, which allows unauthorized access to users’ communications.

One hundred and eighteen apps varied in the number of ad trackers included in an app in some countries.

Categories include Games, Entertainment and Social, with Iran and Ukraine having the most increases in the number of ad trackers compared to the baseline number common to all countries.

One hundred and three apps have differences based on country in their privacy policies.

Users in countries not covered by data protection regulations, such as GDPR in the EU and the California Consumer Privacy Act in the U.S., are at higher privacy risk.

For instance, 71 apps available from Google Play have clauses to comply with GDPR only in the EU and CCPA only in the U.S.

Twenty-eight apps that use dangerous permissions make no mention of it, despite Google’s policy requiring them to do so.

The role of app stores

App stores allow developers to target their apps to users based on a wide array of factors, including their country and their device’s specific features.

Though Google has taken some steps toward transparency in its app store, our research shows that there are shortcomings in Google’s auditing of the app ecosystem.

Some of which could put users’ security and privacy at risk.

Potentially also as a result of app store policies in some countries, app stores that specialize in specific regions of the world are becoming increasingly popular.

However, these app stores may not have adequate vetting policies, thereby allowing altered versions of apps to reach users.

For example, a national government could pressure a developer to provide a version of an app that includes backdoor access.

There is no straightforward way for users to distinguish an altered app from an unaltered one.

Our research provides several recommendations to app store proprietors to address the issues we found:

• Better moderate their country targeting features
• Provide detailed transparency reports on app takedowns
• Vet apps for differences based on country or region
• Push for transparency from developers on their need for the differences
• Host app privacy policies themselves to ensure their availability when the policies are blocked in certain countries

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Researchers reveal how they detect deepfake audio – here’s how
• Household robot servants are still a long way off – here’s why
• FTC lawsuit exposes major privacy risk, and it’s your phone’s fault
• Is Twitter putting its users’ security at risk?

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If you tap the search button, it will launch Spotlight. Spotlight will bring up a search box, allowing you to quickly find something on your device.

Before iOS 16, you had to swipe down from the middle of your screen to access Spotlight. It worked well but may not have been as intuitive as Apple hoped.

To remedy that, Apple added it to everyone’s home screen.

How to get rid of the iOS home screen search button

If you find the presence of the new search button distracting or annoying, Apple made it super easy to turn off.

After turning off the search button, you can still access Spotlight the old way by swiping down from the middle of the screen.

If at any point you change your mind, just follow the steps again and toggle Show on Home Screen.

That’s it, you’re done. A nice, quick, and painless fix to rid yourself of the search button and to get your clean home screen back.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• How to set up a dynamic weather Lock Screen wallpaper in iOS 16
• Here’s how to add widgets to your lock screen in iOS 16
• How to control your Apple Watch with your iPhone
• How to edit iMessages in iOS 16

The post How to remove the home screen search button on iPhone appeared first on KnowTechie.

The new Unison app comes from Intel’s recent acquisition of Screenovate, an Israeli company known for developing screen mirroring technology.

Right now, Apple has its own integration with Mac and iOS. Microsoft has the Phone Link app for smartphone control on Windows, but it only works with Android.

Intel Unison is an all-in-one app for both smartphone platforms

Intel Unison creates a connection between your Windows computer and your smartphone. You’ll be able to use the app to send and receive calls, texts and otherwise share media from your phone to your computer.

For Windows users who have been envious of Apple’s integration between Mac and iOS, Intel’s Unison app could finally give us the sort of connection we’ve been wanting. Here’s what it looks like below.

Of course, the Unison app isn’t available yet. And it may not ever make it to earlier Intel products. The company initially plans to launch the app with a select list of 12th-gen Evo computers.

Intel Unison will make its way to future 13th-gen Intel systems sometime next year. It’s unclear if the app will ever make its way to older Intel hardware, as the company wants to ensure performance on the latest hardware.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Intel and Samsung show off new ‘slidable’ display prototype
• ApowerMirror is a dead simple way to mirror your phone to your PC
• Watch an Apple 1 connect to the modern internet
• How to control your Apple Watch with your iPhone

The post Intel’s Unison app will let your PC call and text from iOS or Android appeared first on KnowTechie.

Researchers found that nearly 100 apps contained adware, with a total of 13 million installs.

When these apps are enabled, the software abuses advertising networks to display out-of-context ads or, in some cases, invisible ads.

In turn, the user has no idea that their device is generating ad revenue for the bad actor posing as a developer.

The team reached out to Google and Apple, and these apps have been removed from their app stores.

That removal doesn’t mean they disappear off your devices, so it’s time to check your installed apps.

The report doesn’t say that these apps were stealing data. With this in mind, you should still delete them if you have them installed.

Delete these adware apps asap

Apple and Google have removed all of these apps from their app stores, but that doesn’t remove them from your devices.

So, time to get deleting if you know you have any of these installed.

NOTE: Any misspellings in this list are intentional, and how the report reads.

iOS

Some adware-containing apps got past the App Store’s usually solid checks.

Delete any of these apps if they’re installed on your device.

Android

Some of the Android apps in the report don’t include the app name, only the package name.

Those have a zero-install count, according to Google Play’s statistics. Check those out in the full report.

As you can see, there is a running theme of lotto scratchers and promises of other incentives for installing the apps.

Just a heads up, you can’t win real money on Apple’s App Store; the company’s policies forbid it.

On the other hand, Google Play has loosened its rules recently, but they are only allowed in specific countries with a valid gambling license.

There also seem to be a lot of puzzle games; presumably, these work as puzzles, and the longer you spend in the app, the longer the criminals have to commit ad fraud.

If you find any of these adware-containing apps on your device, it’s time to delete them.

Then, reboot your phone, clearing any cache and running memory.

Android users, you’ll want to enable Google Play Protect, which can remove apps like these automatically.

Apple doesn’t have any clear guidelines for Apple users looking to remove apps, but deleting them and rebooting your device should clear most malware apps.

We suggest sticking to more established developers when downloading new apps.

Also, just because something is in the charts in any respected App Store doesn’t mean they’re safe – these rankings get manipulated all the time.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• These Android apps are riddled with malware – delete them
• Samsung’s Galaxy Store is hosting malicious apps that distribute malware
• Malware is being hidden in Windows 11 installers – here’s how to avoid it
• The amount of malware on Mac computers is now outpacing PCs

The post Delete these Android and iOS apps: they’re riddled with adware appeared first on KnowTechie.

Haptic feedback helps to add a little immersion to your iPhone experience. It’s the little vibrating *buzz* that happens whenever you delete an app or restart your iPhone.

With iOS 16, you can enable haptic feedback on your iPhone’s keyboard. With it enabled, you’ll feel a satisfying buzz every time you tap a key on the keyboard.

It’s a great alternative to the iPhone’s sound feedback. While the sound is very satisfying, it can get a little annoying, especially if you’re out in public.

Haptic feedback isn’t turned on by default, so you’ll have to enable it manually. And once you do that, it’ll be enabled every time you use your keyboard, no matter the application. Here’s how to turn it on.

How to enable haptic feedback in the iPhone’s keyboard

Fortunately, it’s not very difficult to set up haptic feedback on your iPhone’s keyboard.

The only requirement is that you have iOS 16 installed. Check out our guide for how to install it if you haven’t already.

That’s all you need to do. With the Haptic option toggled green, you’ll have satisfying haptic feedback for every key press on your iPhone keyboard.

Additionally, you can toggle Sound feedback for your keyboard separately. You can choose to have both Sound and Haptic, one of the two options, or no feedback at all.

Get a more immersive experience with haptic feedback on your iPhone

Haptic feedback is a nice technology that offers users a better smartphone experience. Whether used alongside sound or in place of it, that satisfying buzz can make a surprising difference in your everyday phone use.

In fact, it’s been proven to improve typing speed and input accuracy. Additionally, it reduces the total number of typing errors, something we all experience when typing on a smartphone.

Now that you can turn on haptic feedback for your iPhone’s keyboard with iOS 16, you don’t always have to rely on sound as the only feedback when typing.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• How to delete duplicate photos with iOS 16
• How to add widgets to your lock screen in iOS 16
• How to edit iMessages in iOS 16
• How to control your Apple Watch with your iPhone

The post How to enable haptic feedback on your iPhone keyboard appeared first on KnowTechie.

Lock screen widgets used to be reserved for Android phones, but iOS 16 changes that in a big way.

In addition to widgets, you can add new wallpapers with different depth overlays, customize the time with new fonts and colors, and much more.

But the most useful change is the addition of widgets. If you use widgets on your home screen, adding them to your lock screen will feel familiar.

Where can you add widgets on your lock screen?

The new lock screen has two different places for widgets. You can add a single widget above the clock, right next to the date display. And you can add up to four widgets directly below the clock.

The top widget is small and gives you a single, direct data point. You can add calendar events, a clock in a different time zone, fitness stats, daily reminders, a single stock, or certain weather details.

Under the clock holds more room for extra widgets with more information. You can add up to four 1×1 widgets here in a line. Alternatively, you can have two 2×1 rectangular widgets with more info.

Finally, you can add a combination of one 2×1 and two 1×1 widgets here, each with its own purpose.

The widgets on the bottom have more versatility than the ones on the top. For instance, you can add a 2×1 news app for the day’s top news story.

There’s also a battery widget that will show either your iPhone’s battery or the battery of your connected AirPods.

The bottom also includes all of the same widgets that can be used at the top. The difference is that some widgets are more adjustable, and most will show more information than the one on the top.

In addition to Apple’s official widgets, developers can make their own widgets for the lock screen. So keep an eye out for even more widgets for the lock screen, maybe even some from your favorite apps.

How to add widgets to your lock screen in iOS 16

Fortunately, Apple makes it easy to add widgets to your lock screen in iOS 16. The process is similar if you use widgets on your home screen.

That’s all there is to widgets on the lock screen in iOS 16. You can play around with different combinations to create your ideal setup.

Use lock screen widgets for information at a glance

We’ve seen widgets on the home screen of iPhones for a couple of years now, and it’s easy to see how useful they can be.

And now, many iPhone users can add widgets to their lock screen for an even more convenient glance.

See today’s calendar events, different times worldwide, Apple HomeKit information, and much more without unlocking your phone.

Plus, as more and more third parties continue to develop widgets, your lock screen will become even more versatile. Needless to say, lock screen widgets and wallpapers are a pretty sweet addition to iOS 16.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• The new Gmail widget for iPhone looks like it will actually be useful
• How to create a custom Smart Stack widget in iOS
• How to edit iMessages in iOS 16
• iOS 16’s battery percentage icon will only show on these devices

The post How to add widgets to your lock screen in iOS 16 appeared first on KnowTechie.

That means an end to regretting how you phrased things. Or to embarrassing emoji slips when you tapped your most-used (and potentially rude) emoji instead of the gentle smile.

However, there are a couple of limitations to this, so you still have to be wise.

First of all, both devices need to be on Apple’s iOS 16 for edits to change the original message. If the recipient is on an older version, they’ll get a second message with the corrections.

The other is that you only have fifteen minutes after sending the iMessage to do any edits. After that, you’re stuck with your typos.

Here is how to edit iMessages in iOS 16

Okay, the first thing you need is to update to iOS 16. Once you are updated, here’s what to do:

READ MORE: How to use emojis as your lock screen background in iOS 16

As mentioned, there is one important thing to note about being able to edit a previously-sent iMessage.

Apple says you have only 15 minutes to edit one, otherwise, it’s like that forever. That’s the same time period you have to unsend an iMessage.

Messages and iMessage on iOS – What’s the difference?

Apple talks about Messages and iMessage and it can be confusing to know which is which. Messages is the overall app, which holds SMS from other devices, and messages from other Apple users.

Messaging between Apple devices is handled by iMessage. That lives inside the Messages app and automatically makes the switch if you’re messaging an Apple user. You get more functionality here, as you’re not limited to SMS/MMS.

Can the receiver see an iMessage before the edit?

You might wonder if the person you sent that iMessage to can see it before you manage to edit things. Ultimately, that depends on how fast you are at making the correction.

Apple does say that the unedited iMessage will be viewable. That said, it really depends on three things.

Those are how often the recipient checks their Message app, if they have notifications on, and how quickly your fingers can make the edit.

Does Apple notify the receiver if you edit an iMessage?

Once edited, that iMessage will show a small, gray note next to it saying Edited. That will be visible by the person you sent it to, as well as on your own Message app. It won’t show exactly what was edited, however.

If the other person isn’t on iOS 16, their Message app will look slightly different. It will keep the original iMessage, and they will see a second iMessage that starts with “Edited to,” with the edited contents after that.

iMessage is even better in iOS 16

Now you know how to successfully edit iMessage texts when your device gets iOS 16. Remember you only have fifteen minutes to edit.

Editing is a straightforward process, once you know about it. Long press the iMessage, tap on edit, and make your corrections. Don’t forget the most important part – tapping that blue checkmark to confirm.

The last thing you should know is that Apple isn’t going to let anyone disable the Edit function. That means anyone on iOS 16 with an iPhone 8 or later will have access.

This is just one of the many new features available on iOS 16. Check out some more of our favorite features here.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• iOS 16 is out now – here are some of our favorite new features
• iOS 16’s battery percentage icon will only show on these devices
• Is the iPhone 14 worth buying? Here’s what the reviews say
• iOS 16 is available today – here’s how to get it

The post How to edit iMessages in iOS 16 appeared first on KnowTechie.

Some of these have been advertised for months, like the ability to tweak your lock screen to your liking. This includes widgets, which were limited to the Home screen.

You can (finally!) edit iMessage messages after you’ve sent them, as well. Then there are lesser-known updates, like being able to put the battery percentage back on the status bar.

We’ve rounded up some of our favorite features included in the latest iOS build. Make sure to keep reading if you are still learning your way around iOS 16.

Status bar battery percentage

Those who want to know exactly how much battery life is left will love this. Apple has added a new battery icon that contains the battery percentage.

No more days of wondering if that smaller battery icon is at 40%, 30%, or something else. The only thing that would make it better is if the background shrank too. It only changes when you reach the dreaded 20% battery left level.

Messaging improvements

Apple created the modern mobile messaging app with iMessage. Since then, every other company has overtaken them but no longer.

Now you can do multiple new things with iMessage. These include editing, unsending, and even deleting an iMessage after you’ve sent it.

You’ll only be able to do this if the recipient is also on iOS 16, so maybe your first message should be to remind them to update.

SharePlay now works in Messages, so you don’t have to jump to another app to watch videos with your bestie.

You’re also going to get the ability to report SMS messages as spam. This has been a long time coming, but it’s nice to finally have the feature.

The other cool new feature is the ability to mark conversations as unread. Long-press on the message and tap Mark as Unread from the menu that appears.

Mail improvements

You might be able to ditch your third-party mail apps now. Apple Mail in iOS 16 gets many of the features you probably switched for in the first place.

When sending mail, you’ll get ten seconds to tap the “Undo Send” button that appears. Finally, the end of embarrassing follow-up emails when you accidentally send them too early.

Tapping that button puts the email back into draft mode so that you can add the rest of your thoughts.

Mail also gets the ability to schedule sending, so you can avoid blowing up someone’s inbox at 3 AM. Hold the send button down and choose your desired time.

You can also swipe right on emails in your inbox to create a reminder. We love this feature, so we can resurface actionable emails when we know we have time to respond.

Improvements to the Photos app

One of our favorite new features in iOS 16 is the inbuilt background removal tool. It works on any image displayed on your iPhone and lets you drag the subject of that image into any other app.

The Photos app now has a duplicate images tool to help you claw back precious storage space. You also get the ability to lock photo albums with Face ID, to hide things from prying eyes.

You can also copy and paste edits from one image to another. Perfect for batch editing your pictures, so they all have the same mood.

Apple Maps

Apple Maps has multiple new improvements. The biggest of these is multi-stop routing so that you can plan trips more thoroughly. Up to 15 different stops can be added, and Siri can add additional stops while you drive.

New transit features also landed in Maps. These include Apple Pay integration if you store your transit pass in your Wallet, and the price of public transit will show on your route.

Haptic typing

You can now get haptic feedback from the virtual keyboard. I know, right, something Android had for forever, and it’s now on iPhone.

You can also turn off the typing sound from the same menu, which is an even better addition in our opinion.

Live text in video

Remember when Apple added Live Text into iOS 15? The feature made it possible to copy and paste text from any image.

Well, now you can do it in videos, as well. Pause a video, tap on the text in view, and you’ll be able to copy and paste it into any other app.

Lock screen customization

The biggest visual change in iOS 16 is the redesigned lock screen. You’ll be able to customize this deeply, including paying homage to your favorite emoji.

Widgets also have a new home on the lock screen. Apple’s first-party apps like Clock, Fitness, and News have widgets you can add to the lock screen.

App developers can also build widgets to pin here, with some of the big developers already doing just that. Our favorite third-party camera app, Halide, can now be opened from the lock screen. Magic.

Other notable mentions

Now you get more controller options, with the ability to connect Nintendo Joy-Cons and the Switch Pro controller. iOS has long let other Bluetooth controllers connect, so this completes the set.

The Translate app can do (limited) translations from any image. That’ll come in clutch if you’re reading a menu in another language, but the number of supported languages is small currently.

Dictation is getting improvements, including the ability to do punctuation and emoji. Oh, the onscreen keyboard will also stay open, so you can make minor tweaks as you dictate.

One deeply hidden feature is that Face ID will now work in Landscape on your iPhone. iPads have done this for years, so it’s great to finally see it appear on iPhones.

iOS 16 is packed with feature improvements

Apple really has made meaningful improvements to iOS this year. Some announced features aren’t available at launch, like iCloud Shared Photo Library, but that should be coming later this year.

CarPlay is also getting a revamp, with Apple showing off previews of what could come. Expect to hear more on this over the next year.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Apple VR headset: Release date, features, and price
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• How to use AirDrop on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
• Apple AirPods Pro 2 have better noise canceling and battery life

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