by Terry McAdams | Nov 9, 2023 | Face ID, How-To, iPhone, Touch ID
In 2013, Apple added Touch ID to the Home button of the iPhone 5S. Taking advantage of the uniqueness of fingerprints, Touch ID combines the Home button press to wake up the iPhone with a fingerprint scan to authenticate the user. But in 2017, Apple introduced the...
by Terry McAdams | Nov 7, 2023 | productivity, Tip, watchOS
Apple recently released watchOS 10.1, with support for the much-ballyhooed double-tap gesture that selects the primary action in many apps without requiring that you touch the screen! It’s available only on the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, where...
by Terry McAdams | Nov 2, 2023 | iMac, MacBook Pro, News
At Apple’s Halloween-themed Scary Fast event on October 30, the company unveiled its next-generation Apple silicon chips for Macs, the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max. Apple also showcased new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models and a faster version of the 24-inch iMac...
by Terry McAdams | Oct 26, 2023 | How-To, Mac, Storage Management
Between apps, photos, videos, music, and other downloads, it’s easy to fill up your Mac’s drive, particularly one with just 128 or 256 GB of drive space. macOS warns you when you get too low on space, but those warnings may come late—for optimum Mac performance, we...
by Terry McAdams | Oct 24, 2023 | Tip, troubleshooting
Steve Jobs famously railed against cable clutter, and it’s now easy to use a desktop Mac with a wireless keyboard and mouse, either from Apple or another manufacturer. That’s fine for regular usage, but Bluetooth keyboards and mice aren’t always sufficient. Batteries...
by Terry McAdams | Oct 19, 2023 | troubleshooting
We’ve helped some Wichita Falls clients recently with networking problems that seemed to be related to their internet connections. Most notable was intermittently slow internet performance, causing the client to call their ISP to upgrade to a higher bandwidth...
by Terry McAdams | Oct 17, 2023 | iPad, iPhone, Security, Tip
The hardest time to remember your iPhone or iPad passcode is right after you’ve changed it. Generally speaking, there’s no reason to change your passcode, but if you inadvertently or intentionally shared it with someone with whom you wouldn’t trust your bank account...
by Terry McAdams | Oct 12, 2023 | iPad, iPhone, Mac, privacy
The European Union has for many years required that websites—those serving European users, at least—obtain informed consent before storing the personal data of those users. That data includes cookies, which are bits of information stored in Web browsers that websites...
by Terry McAdams | Oct 10, 2023 | Messages, Safari, Security, Tip
One welcome feature of Safari is its automatic detection and auto-filling of SMS-based two-factor authentication codes you receive in Messages. It allows you to complete your login quickly, without having to retrieve the code from Messages. But what if you use a...
by Terry McAdams | Oct 5, 2023 | How-To, Mac, passwords, privacy, Security
Here at MacTech Solutions, we occasionally get questions about password-protecting a PDF to prevent the wrong people from reading it. Lawyers want to ensure that drafts of legal documents don’t fall into the wrong hands, financial advisers want to keep confidential...
by Terry McAdams | Oct 2, 2023 | passwords, Security, Tip
All it took for MGM Resorts International to be compromised with ransomware was a quick phone call, which some now call “voice phishing” or “vishing.” An attacker used LinkedIn information to pose as an employee and asked MGM’s help desk for a password change, after...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 28, 2023 | How-To, passwords, Security
We strongly encourage using two-factor authentication (2FA) or two-step verification (2SV) with online accounts whenever possible. The details vary slightly, but with either one, after you enter your password, you must enter an authentication code to complete the...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 27, 2023 | Messages, Security, Tip
We’re hearing about new hires who receive an email or text from someone claiming to be the CEO of their new company, asking the employee to carry out some small task like sharing personal information, purchasing a gift card for a client, or wiring funds to another...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 21, 2023 | keyboard shortcut, Mac, Tip, troubleshooting
Keyboard shortcuts are a productivity win, but they can cause confusion if something unexpected happens when you accidentally press some system-wide key combination. For instance, you might be taken aback if you accidentally press Control-Option-Command-8 and all the...
by Terry McAdams | Sep 19, 2023 | Mac, productivity, Tip
In macOS 13 Ventura, Apple replaced the creaky System Preferences with System Settings, which uses a more iOS-like interface. Many people find System Settings overwhelming, partly because they had memorized where to look in System Preferences (but System Settings has...
