MacMost: Archives

A URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, is also known simply as a web address. It consists of a scheme, such as http, a web site domain name, and a page. Often it also includes a longer path and sometimes a query as well. A URL is both an initialism and an acronym as it is occasionally verbally pronounced as a word instead of letters.

Earlier this year people were talking about the GrayKey box, a device that allowed law enforcement, and possibly others, to crack the security on an iPhone and gain access to the contents. But now it seems that Apple has figured out the problem and a fix was a part of iOS 12. (more...)

The new Gallery View in Mojave allows you to see file data for the file selected. You can choose to show more or less of this data. You can also customize this data to pick which items are shown by default. This function isn't for the Gallery View only, however, as you can also see it in all four Finder views.

Learn how to build an iOS Siri Shortcut to create an animated GIF from a Live Photo. This can be tricky because you can't choose the image from a Share Sheet and you need to convert the Live Photo to a video first using Encode Media. But once you get all the pieces in place it is easy to set up the shortcut and have it ready to use. Then you can share a Live Photo as a GIF on social media.

A new rumor about new week’s Apple event suggests that Apple may also announce a new iPad mini. 9to5Mac is reporting that it fits in well with past fall announcements that have featured a low-end iPad perfect for holiday sales. (more...)

Mojave changes how apps ask for privacy settings and gives you easier control of those settings. In System Preferences, Security & Privacy, Privacy, you can see all of the permissions that have been granted to apps and change them. However, for typical users it is often hard to determine why an app needs access to a specific type of information.

A new feature in Pages 4.2 for iOS is the ability to add drawings that can then be animated by playing back the motions that created the illustration. The result is an animation that works in Pages for iOS or Mac.

Every device connected to the Internet has an IP address. Your computer, phone, tablet and anything else you have connected is either using a unique IP address or one shared by your household, company or building. Web servers and services also have IP addresses and domain names are automatically translated to IP addresses in order for you to access sites. You IP address can be used to trace you, but it isn't easy.

Apple has sent out invitations to a special event on October 30. This is most likely when Apple will announce new products, such as possibly a new iPad and new Macs. Among the many rumors being circulated are the a new iPad Pro and a new MacBook Air are on the way. Others speculate a new Mac mini as well. (more...)

The Dock has a new section in macOS Mojave that shows recently running apps. It will also show apps that are running that are not in the permanent icons sections of the Dock. You can remove items from this new section temporarily. You can also turn this feature off.

In mMy, Apple set up a special site where users in the European Union could download all data associated with their Apple ID in order to comply with new EU laws. Now Apple has added more countries where this function is available. (more...)

A new feature in iOS 12 is the ability to quiet or turn off notifications for apps right on the lock screen or notifications screen. With a swipe and a tap, you can tell an app to stop showing notifications if you don't want them. You can also view notifications grouped by app or source, so that a single app doesn't monopolize your lock screen or notifications screen.

The rumors are true. Adobe will be releasing a full-featured version of Photoshop for the iPad Pro. They announced this at their user conference and on their site. (more...)

Mojave offers a new comprehensive method of taking screenshots and doing screen recordings. Instead of using a variety of keyboard shortcuts and methods, there is now on keyboard shortcut that will bring up a control strip with all of the options. You can capture the screen, an area, or a window. You can save to a file, clipboard or go directly to an app. You can even set up timed captures and record video.

While macOS Mojave brings lots of great new features, it also retires some. The Mail stationery templates are gone. Cover Flow view has been replaced with Gallery View in the Finder. Integration with Facebook and other social networks is gone, most likely for privacy reasons. Back to My Mac has been retired, but all sharing functions like Screen Sharing and File Sharing remain. Warnings that 32-bit apps will soon no longer work with macOS are just warnings, however. Those old apps still work in Mojave.

Version 5.2 of Numbers brings a new/old feature, Smart Categories. This is similar to the old Categories feature in Numbers prior to 2013, and similar to Pivot Tables in Excel. Using Smart Categories is relatively simple, however, as you simply group together similar rows and allows you to see totals, averages, counts and other data pertaining to those groups.

The new Voice Memos app in macOS Mojave allows you to quickly and easily record voice memos and any audio from your Mac's microphone. It keeps a small library of voice memos and lets you go back and append to them, trim them, and edit them. They sync over iCloud with the Voice Memos app on your iPhone and iPad so it is easy to record on one and edit and listen on the other. You can also export the memos as standard audio files.

A new article from CNBC may answer the question of what Apple is going to change for their new TV network content next year. It could simply be free, an added incentive to purchase an Apple TV, iPad or iPhone instead of the competition. (more...)

Learn how to use Siri Shortcuts to create a simple shortcut that allows you to ask a question, and then presents a random answer. The answer is spoken and both the question and the answer are then recorded into a text file on your iCloud Drive. You can use the pieces of this shortcut to build all sorts of useful things based on your needs.

A powerful new feature of macOS Mojave and iOS 12 is the ability to use your iPhone or iPad as a camera and capture images directly to your Mac. You can grab images right in apps like Preview, Pages, Mail and others. You can also scan multipage documents. Images skip being stored on your iPhone and go directly into the app on your Mac. However, using this feature requires the latest operating systems, recent hardware, and the right settings including two-factor authentication for your Apple ID.