TheMacMommy

Live Life Use Passkeys

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 05:30:00 +0000

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On episode 413 of Geekiest Show Ever, Elisa and Melissa discuss the answer to life, the universe, and how it could be passkeys. We have helpful links in our full show notes. Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. Follow us on Mastodon for additional tips and conversation. We’d like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Find Melissa here and find Elisa here or here. Geekiest Show Ever is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Products made by Apple mentioned in this podcast are a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. Episode artwork by Melissa Davis. The passkey icon is a trademark of FIDO Alliance, Inc.

Passkey Directory – FIDO Alliance

Passkeys.directory – 1Password

Unlock 1Password with a passkey (beta)

Melissa’s Passkeys presentation for Tucson Macintosh Users Group

Passkeys Presentation for TMUG

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 05:00:00 +0000

My Passkeys presentation for TMUG (Tucson Macintosh Users Group) begins at the 49:12 mark.

This was the first time I gave this presentation. I plan to polish it up and post more about it again later.

References

What is a Passkey? Demo — passkey.org by Yubico
What is a Passkey? Demo —passkeys.io by Hanko
Passage Register — 1Password
Passkeys.directory — 1Password
FIDO Alliance Passkey Directory
Keeper Security supports passkeys for eﬀortless authentication
Make your passkeys and passwords available on all your devices with iPhone and iCloud Keychain — Apple
February 16, 2024 Authenticate 2023: The role of credential managers in the past, present, and future of authentication with Anna Pobletts – FIDO Alliance
February 13, 2024 Passkeys might really kill passwords with Anna Pobletts of 1Password — The Verge
February 8, 2024 I Stopped Using Passwords. It’s Great—and a Total Mess by Matt Burgess – Wired
January 16, 2024 How to save, share, and manage passkeys using 1Password by Nick Summers — 1Password
December 29, 2023 A Passwordless Future Passkeys with Anna Pobletts of 1Password — Syntax
December 20, 2023 Passwords vs. Passkeys - FIDO Bites Back! with Jeﬀ Crume — IBM Technology
November 20, 2023 FIDO Promises a Life Without Passwords with Jeﬀ Crume — IBM Technology
November 4, 2023 Passkeys Email to Friends and Family by Allison Sheridan — Nosillacast
August 22, 2023 About the security of passkeys – Apple
May 24, 2023 Should You Use Passkeys Instead of Passwords? by Amira Dhalla, Yael Grauer — Consumer Reports
May 12, 2023 Passkeys may not be for you, but they are safe and easy—here’s why by Dan Goodin – Ars Technica
December 2, 2022 About Passkey — Know A Little More with Tom Merritt
November 16, 2022 Seven Misunderstandings About Passkeys by Nick Hodges — Passage by 1Password
May 14, 2022 CCATP #728 —Bart Busschots on Why FIDO Passkeys Rock by Bart Busschots — Chit Chat Across the Pond
February 28, 2016 Introduction to the Technical Debt Concept by Declan Whelan, Jean-Louis Letouzey — Agile Alliance
Unlock 1Password with a passkey (beta) — 1Password

Mail Mayhem

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Sun, 11 Feb 2024 14:40:00 +0000

On episode 412 of Geekiest Show Ever, Melissa tells Elisa the story about how she had to rescue her Mac from the evil Apple Mail app. If your Mail client ever behaves badly, you might want to check this out. You can find our full show notes here. Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. Follow us on Mastodon for additional tips and conversation. We’d like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Find Melissa here and find Elisa here or here. Episode art by Melissa Davis.

Goonies Never Say Die

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 05:00:00 +0000

On episode 411 of Geekiest Show Ever, Elisa and Melissa discuss tech for getting organized with finances, food, and, genealogy. Check out full show notes here. Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. Follow us on Mastodon for additional tips and conversation. We’d like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Find Melissa here and find Elisa here or here. Episode art by Melissa Davis.

We talked about using Paprika by Hindsight Labs LLC, MacFamilyTree 10 by Synium Software, and Money by Jumsoft.

Enlightened

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 05:00:00 +0000

On episode 410 of Geekiest Show Ever Elisa and Melissa discuss how they used tech to entertain over the holidays along with their favorite new flameless candles. Check out full show notes here. Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. Follow us on Mastodon for additional tips and conversation. We’d like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Find Melissa here and find Elisa here or here. Episode art by Melissa Davis.

SketchParty TV

Use FaceTime on Apple TV 4K (2nd generation or later)

Auto Tracking Phone Holder

How Screen Time Can Save You When Your iPhone Is Stolen – Lifehacker

3 in 1 Charging Station for Apple Devices 20W Foldable Mag-Safe Charger for Travel Wireless Charger Pad

Eldnacele Flameless Candles Pillar Flickering Dancing Flame Battery Operated LED Candles

Homemory 400+ Hours 6 Pack Flameless LED Votive Candles with Timer

DRomance Flameless Taper Candles with Remote and Timer, 2 Pack Red Moving Wick LED Flickering Taper Candles

Nimiko Flameless Candles with Remote, Battery Operated Flickering Flameless Candles

Geekiest Gift Guide

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 05:00:00 +0000

On episode 409 of Geekiest Show Ever Elisa and Melissa share their favorite and most geekiest gift ideas. Check out full show notes here. Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. Follow us on Mastodon for additional tips and conversation. We’d like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Find Melissa here and find Elisa here or here. Episode art is a photo by KoolShooters on Pexels.

Shopping List

Govee RGBIC LED Strip Lights

Govee Smart Space Heater

homEdge Vinyl Record Coasters

PULLOON Digital Picture Frame

Puzzles

Cooling Gel Seat Cushion

Softflame Artificial Flowers

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

How To Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis LPC

VOCOlinc HomeKit Smart Plug

Baseus for Magsafe Car Mount Charger, Wireless

Baseus for Magsafe Car Mount Charger

Apple AirPods Pro 2nd gen

Anker USB C Adapter

Anker Foldable 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station USB C

Anker Foldable 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station USB A

Anker Portable Charger

Anker USB C Charger 2 pack

Anker 511 USB C Charger 20 watt

Anker USB C Car Charger Adapter

Anker 621 Magnetic Battery

Nerdwax Glasses Wax

Stouchi Continuity Camera for Desktop Mount

Pop Sockets Phone Wallet

PopSockets.com

SAMYERLIN Stretchy Watchband

Lanwow Premium Memory Foam Tips for AirPods Pro

Setting up iPhone for Vintage Users in a Dignified Way

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 05:00:00 +0000

I was a guest on Allison Sheridan's Chit Chat Across the Pond where we had a great discussion about how to help inexperienced smartphone users of an advanced age group by setting up a new iPhone for them or optimizing the one they already have.

I hope you enjoy listening to the show as much as I did helping to make it. Allison and I could talk for days on this subject and I think you'll be able to tell. :)

Audio player

Here are the show notes I composed for this episode. It's super long and I've modified it to add some new tips I thought of after the recording, but I hope it can be used as a reference guide for those who might be struggling or need some additional tips when working with their loved ones or assisting a friend in need.

Alternative HTML5 Audio Player

Problem to be Solved: simplifying a complicated device to meet the basic needs of a user with limited touch interface skills while helping to preserve their autonomy in the process.

Recurring things I have observed to be helpful
If it causes more problems than it solves, it’s time to reevaluate.

This is not a complete list and it can take days or even weeks of tweaking, exploring, and experimenting to get someone’s device set up to be the most optimal for their needs, but it’s a good place to start thinking about the most necessary features and settings. Start by doing the initial setup and then make adjustments as the person you're helping gains more confidence and experience. If there is something they don’t like, take time to listen to their needs.

In the beginning it can be really hard for them to ask for help when they don’t know what something is called in order to phrase the question effectively. Aim to reduce whatever is causing friction by asking them what task they’re trying to accomplish. Maybe the text is too small or the screen doesn’t stay lit long enough for them to finish their question, but they weren’t sure how to convey that to you.

Always check and ask for consent as you go. They might not understand what it is they are consenting to though, so try to explain your intent to help them be more secure with their new device and how the setup is intended to help them use it more easily and securely. Trust is paramount and they’re relying on you to help.

Account Management & Access

Apple ID

If you are setting up a brand new iPhone for a vintage person and they have little to no touchscreen device skills, chances are they will need help with either setting up a new Apple ID account or recovering access to an existing account. Most people these days already have an email address, but in the case of people who were born in the 30s or 40s, it’s still possible that this may not be the case. If they do have an email address, they may not know the password or they might not accurately remember what their email address is if they had prior “help” (note the air quotes here) setting it up and haven’t made much use of it because they didn’t really understand what they were being helped into. Many people mean well and have the best of intentions when assisting a senior citizen who came into the public library asking for help, but then there is a lack of follow up and so retention of information and skills becomes a challenge or barrier to success.

Once you’ve created their Apple ID or accessed it from https://appleid.apple.com, go to the Security section of the Apple ID and enter your mobile number as a “trusted number” and your email address as a “notification email.” This way, any verification codes or security alerts can be routed to you so you can be of assistance. Do not take this responsibility lightly. Only add your number if you're going to commit to making yourself available when a verification code is needed. They could get locked out of their device if they need to ask someone else for help later on. Teaching a vintage user about 2-Factor Authentication and why security is important can earn you a glazed look instead of a donut, so tread carefully here and try not to overwhelm.

On their iPhone, enable all the iCloud services you think they might use. It wouldn’t hurt to enable them all and that way if you decide to teach them how to use a new service down the road, all your hard work will be backed up in iCloud. It would be a real shame if you spent a lot of time getting them set up only for their device to become lost and in need of a replacement and then you have to start all over again.

External Email Account or iCloud Mail?

Consider the needs of the person you are helping. Do they have a lot of email history or are they a good candidate for using only Apple’s iCloud Mail service? Is the free 5 GB plan going to be enough or do they need more?

Option A

If they do not have an established email account and are a good candidate for using only Apple iCloud Mail, then don’t lose the email account you used for setting up their Apple ID — just don’t configure it on their iPhone and this way they only have one email address to deal with if this is the only email address you use with them to communicate. Store their external email login credentials in your password manager in case there is a need to access it, but for the most part, they can just use their iCloud email and it’s fine. You can save the hassle of needing to optimally configure Mail Settings for use with Gmail and also avoid the additional password authentication pitfalls by just sticking with iCloud. (More on that later.)

If this person will be using email regularly, consider adding them to your Apple Family Sharing Plan (you get 6 slots) and be sure to have the storage to accommodate it. It begins at 200 GB and is plenty for most small families of 2 to 3 users. If you don’t think this person will use email regularly, then keeping them independent on the free 5GB tier is probably ok for someone who will primarily use this iPhone to make phone calls and send texts with the occasional email verification link that needs to be clicked to authenticate account access.

Whenever you do an iPhone Checkup with them, check their Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Manage Storage area on occasion and see if they are filling up their “cloud.” Photos will likely be the first to start taking up space. If you send them GIFs on a regular basis and their iMessage is set up to keep them all, well, that could be another storage piggy, so be mindful when reviewing that.

Option B

If they already have an established email address and use it regularly, you will need to configure mail settings more optimally compared to the default configuration. What gets tricky about this is two main things: server behavior and password timeouts. In the case of a Gmail account, the default settings are for emails to be archived and not deleted. If the person you’re helping gets easily overwhelmed and they do not manage their email because they receive a lot of solicitations emails, then never deleting and only archiving can lead to running out of free space in a short time.

There may be times in the future when an iOS update prompts a re-authentication request from Google. We have seen this happen before. There will be a teeny, tiny blue line of text at the very bottom of the Mail screen that says there was an error. It instructs the user to tap it to open Settings and re-enter the password for their Gmail account. This is a very confusing dance for many. They usually give up and try to reset their Google password which causes other problems.

If they have multiple devices it creates a mess because they don’t understand how to follow up and change the password in the account settings on each device that uses Gmail. Sometimes that little message goes away. Sometimes it takes a while for the next screen to come up. It will automatically launch Safari and load a login page for Google, but the lag time for this to occur is not intuitive so it’s really easy to miss. Worry sets in when emails they expect to receive are not coming through. This is where many a vintage person has gotten confused because they do not understand what Google has to do with their Apple iPhone or why it says Google and not Gmail and what’s the connection, let alone the password. This was supposed to be sooooo easy, right? (insert sarcasm here)

Recommended Settings for Mail with External Accounts

Settings > Mail > Accounts
Be sure that only Mail is enabled unless you know for certain they really do use the calendar service. I do not recommend enabling Notes here either. Use Apple’s Notes app with iCloud instead, again, unless you know for certain they have important notes stored with that email service. I rarely find this to be the case.

Next, tap Account > Advanced. This is the area where you want to make sure email isn’t stored locally on their iPhone and that when they want to discard an email, it goes directly to the trash on the server and isn’t just archived which will eat away at their free storage.
Under Mailbox Behaviors, Drafts should be stored in the Drafts mailbox on the server and the same for Trash. For Archive Mailbox, I just select [Gmail] since we won’t be using the archive feature.

Storage

Settings > General > iPhone Storage I have now lost count the amount of times I have helped a client who got talked into upgrading to a brand new iPhone with too much or too little device (internal hard drive) storage. Please be mindful about their needs if you're the one assisting them with the purchase of their iPhone. Currently 64 GB is the smallest storage option. If they are a casual user, this will be plenty. To give you an example, I am a pro-user and my iPhone is currently 128 GB in size and it's only half full. I have over 70k photos in iCloud Photos. I still have room if I want to download a bunch of music. For the amount it costs for a larger hard drive they may never make use of, the money would be better spent on an iCloud subscription, a glass screen protector and a really nice iPhone case.

Configurations — Purge & Simplify

Begin by purging unneeded apps. For example, someone in an assisted living facility will most likely not need the Home app for automation stuff. Be mindful about installing additional apps. You will need to be able to support those apps compared to the stock apps from Apple which are supported by automatic app updates and/or a call to Apple for help. There might be some great list-making app you love, but sometime later, maybe the developer abandons it or your loved one just isn’t as interested in Instagram as you thought they would be. I recommend deleting all of the apps that can be deleted that you’re sure won’t be utilized — at least not immediately. It’s much easier to re-download an app if it becomes needed later than to deal with the frustration of accidental taps and questions about apps that aren’t of use and just get in the way.

Dock

There is this great strip for apps at the bottom of each iPhone called the Dock and it works similarly to the Dock on a Mac. It’s always there no matter which home screen you’re viewing. Apps you use most frequently should live here. On a Mac, when you hover over each app icon, the app name is revealed. Most vintage users overlook this, but it’s helpful to remind them of this feature from time to time. On the iPhone though, the app names are never revealed while they’re in the Dock. Apps that get stuck here become nameless and difficult to use as verbal cues when giving someone instructions.

For beginners or those with low vision needs, I recommend keeping only the Phone app in the Dock. At least that one needs no explanation. You can even say, “the green one at the very bottom” and someone will still know what you mean. Without words below app icons to tell an inexperienced user what they are, they will struggle to learn the vocabulary which can make it more difficult to ask for help.

So many people "do not know what Safari is" or understand that it's the name of the app they use to browse the internet because most of the time it’s placed into the Dock and they don’t learn how to move and rearrange apps unless by accident. They figure out easily enough through exploration that they need to tap the white square with the blue circular thing in it and then type in a search term, but when you try to give them verbal instructions and use the app names or technical terminology, you’ll get a blank stare or long silence over the phone. They’ll say, “I’ve never used Safari.” – or – “I don’t know what that is.” when in fact they use it all day every day and never knew what it was called or that it's even a compass icon.

Home Screens

Try to avoid putting apps with the same colors next to each other. This can get tricky, but give it a try. People with low vision tend to struggle with this because the colors may blend together if there isn’t enough contrast. It also makes verbalizing instructions a little easier when you’re using colors to describe which app to tap. If apps of the same color are near each other, it may take a little longer for the person to process your instructions.

Reduce Distractions

Invest time in the Settings app and explore them all. Cognitive decline and aging share a lot of the same challenges as ADHD. You can respect a person's neurodiversity and advocate for their mental health and well-being by managing distractions. Settings > Notifications — disable all notifications except those you feel are really necessary. News and weather apps can add a lot of notifications that stoke fear in unhealthy ways.

Sometimes weather apps will help themselves to the Mail Accounts settings and set up an alert subscription “feature.” I feel there is potential for abuse here and it can become a real nuisance. I’ve seen scam alerts come from rogue account subscriptions that scare the user into thinking they need to install malware. One of the first things I disable is Mail notifications. They are incredibly distracting when trying to give a lesson. The user tries to swat it away and they end up tapping on it instead or they get a mean case of FOMO and then they lose focus. Teach them to check their email with the Mail app regularly instead of relying on notifications alone.

Accessibility

Zoomed Display View

Settings > Display & Brightness > Display View = Zoomed

One of the first things I change is the text size to the largest it can be for the device so that words on the screen don’t become too truncated. I also enable bold text and Zoomed Display View. I’ve seen some people jack up the text size so large to the point where it creates more problems than it solves. Bigger is not always better in this case. Show the person you're helping the change you making to the text size and ask them what looks best. If text becomes truncated, show them how to tap on something to read the rest of the message.

Security

I come from and work with a generation of people who were “doxxed by default.” As in, we come from a time when published phone books were the norm so I believe this is why vintage users might not take security as seriously as they should. Trying to tell people why they need all these extra security features and different passwords for every little thing can be a hard sell for this age group. “I don’t have anything hackers want.” “My life is an open book.” “I have my bank account password memorized and it’s all that is important to me.” I hear it from many of them, repeatedly. They are not too old or unintelligent, they just don't yet understand why they should care. Allowing them to learn the hard way could be costly or dangerous.

Remind them of what the fish named Gill said in Finding Nemo, “All drains lead to the ocean.” Explain that their email accounts and devices all contain information that can be used to fake their identity and gain access to their bank account. I have seen it happen and it’s heartbreaking. If they care about leaving an inheritance, they should care a lot more about securing their iPhone and online accounts with better password hygiene. If you care about keeping your parents safer, keep harping on them. Keep reminding them why it’s important. All it takes is one scam phone call, email, or text message to lead them down a dangerous path. You might never find out if they then felt too ashamed to ask for help or tell you about it in time. Keep an open dialog going and offer to help regularly. Fraud is on the rise and we need to take this part much more seriously now. If they just want to give up on using a smartphone altogether because the security part is hard to digest, remind them of the other benefits like keeping in touch with family and keeping their brains sharp by trying to learn a new skill.

Find My & Location Sharing

Settings > Apple ID > Find My = On > Find My iPhone = On > Find My Network = On Send Last Location = On

Ask for consent first, but you might find it helpful to enable location sharing in the Find My app if this iPhone is for your aging parent. (This is assuming you've taught them to keep their iPhone with them as much as possible, especially if it's their only telephone.) Find My could be especially helpful if they have memory lapses and get lost or have not responded to your calls or texts. Follow the prompts in the app and send yourself the text invitation then accept it. Find My app > tap + Share My Location > enter your contact information

Passcode

Any passcode is better than no passcode, even if it’s 4 digits from their phone number or house number. I know that sounds terribly insecure, but you have to start somewhere and try to find some balance in ease of use versus getting locked out and not being able to use the thing at all. Most of the security features in iOS require a passcode to be set, so it’s next to impossible to avoid. Entering this passcode needs to become muscle memory for the person you’re helping. When you go on a visit to help them months or years later and you ask them what their passcode is, they may tell you they never use a passcode because they have memorized it to the point they don’t realize they’ve been entering it all along. Try to encourage using something that isn’t publicly accessible information or at least not obviously so. It could be a house number to their childhood home, the numbers from an old license plate no longer in use or a combination of their children’s birth years. Some form of security is better than no security at all. Even if it's a weak password, it's still a deterrent for thieves — just don't make it so it's a deterrent to the person you're helping!

Story Time I once helped a 99-year-old who had been locked out of their iPad. The screen read that it would take some ungodly amount of days until a passcode could be tried again. Their nephew didn’t think that using the last four digits of their phone number was easy enough of a passcode so he changed it to six zeros instead. 000000 is an easy passcode to guess for a thief who knows how to use a touch interface to key it in, but this was not the case for the iPad owner. It turns out they could not unlock their iPad because they still didn’t understand how to key in a passcode properly by waiting the appropriate amount of time in between screen taps. By the time they got to the fifth zero, they lost track of how many times they had tapped which kept causing the passcode entry to fail.

So, if a passcode is used at all — and in most cases, the security requirements from Apple deem it necessary — make it something the owner can type easily and successfully even though it may not be the most secure. It’s really tricky to strike a balance between secure and usable in these scenarios, but we must meet people where they are or they won’t make progress. Be sure to observe the person you're helping and make sure they can operate the touch screen. You might need to make adjustments if this is not the case.

Control Center

It’s such a handy feature when you understand what it is and how to use it. When that’s not the case, calls can go unanswered and communication is hampered because someone tapped something accidentally. This can happen all too easily unless you nip it in the bud and explain how important it is to understand what the symbols mean and how they should look so that communication is uninterrupted.

We take these things for granted, but I’ve met people who’ve missed important phone calls because they didn’t understand how Do Not Disturb became enabled. I’ve met people who’ve gone for weeks on end not being able to figure out why their screen no longer went into landscape mode. When I showed them how to unlock rotation lock, they were shocked to find out how easy it was to fix it. I know one person who became so paranoid about their cellular data plan that they disabled cellular service entirely and then didn’t understand why they couldn’t make phone calls when needed. I’ve seen someone with an Apple Watch that had the cellular service disabled because they swiped up into Control Center and didn’t realize they’d disabled it by tapping accidentally. Imagine the frustration their adult child felt when they specifically purchased that watch to help keep them safe and in contact for emergencies.

These small oversights can have significant consequences and defeat the purpose of having these devices for safety if the features become disabled by the user because they haven’t been adequately educated or trained on how to use them. Repeated instruction is necessary.

Reviewing the Control Center area is another opportunity to simplify the interface and disable any feature you think may become confusing or cumbersome. Make sure the person you’re helping knows what colors these icons should always be or not be in order for communication signals or modes to proceed. Check in with them frequently till you’re sure they understand how important it is. If Control Center is causing a problem because they keep accidentally engaging it and disabling something, you might consider disabling it from the Lock Screen or from within apps.

This is how Control Center should look

Settings > Touch ID (or Face ID) & Passcode > Allow Access When Locked > Control Center = Off

Settings > Control Center > Access Within Apps = OFF

The Airplane Mode symbol should never be orange (unless you’re actually on an airplane). It should always show as a little white airplane with a dark background.
The Cellular symbol should always be green. It looks like a lollipop with wings.
The Wi-Fi symbol should always be blue. It looks like a slice of pizza.
The Bluetooth symbol should always be blue. It looks like an ancient rune or a sideways bowtie.
The Rotation Lock symbol should never be red unless you really want your phone view to be locked into portrait mode. It looks like a padlock with an arrow circled around it.
The Do Not Disturb icon should never be purple unless you really want your phone in this mode. It looks like a moon.

Hardware Buttons & Dexterity

Make sure they can operate the Ring/Silent switch, volume, Side, and Home buttons (if their iPhone has Touch ID). Demonstrate how these work for them so they can understand what each button does, what swiping gestures to use, and how long to press onto the screen for certain maneuvers like rearranging Home Screen icons. If you can’t be there in person, this is where video tutorials come in handy. If you have an iPad, you could record yourself performing the gesture on your own iPhone then send them the video. Go. really. slow and repeat steps. Have them practice and master the difference between a tap and a long press. Length of hesitation is important and it can be different from device to device depending on how responsive it is.

Links to tutorials:

Use the side, Home, and other buttons on your iPhone
How to put your iPhone on vibrate, ring, or silent mode
Use gestures to navigate your iPhone with Face ID
iPhone User Guide
Use Do Not Disturb on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Ring/Silent Switch & Volume Buttons

This seems so simple, but it's incredibly important to make sure the person you're helping knows how to work the hardware buttons of their iPhone. The Ring/Silent switch can be very confusing so make sure this is addressed in the very beginning then review it periodically to be certain the skill is mastered AND maintained.

There are several ways to tell whether or not the iPhone will ring when a call comes through. You have to know where to look for these visual cues and it may not be obvious to the person you're helping so you must point it out. It's important for them to learn which way is the best method for them to know at all times what their ringer status is. If they do not master this simple operational skill, it could result in missed calls and unnecessary worry.

If the Ring/Silent switch on the left is flipped forward towards the front of the iPhone screen, the ringer is ON. An alert slides down from the top of the screen with the word "Ringer" and a grey swinging bell animates on the front of the screen as the switch is flipped forward. This notification also indicates the volume level with a line. If the Ring/Silent switch is flipped towards the back of the iPhone, the ringer is OFF. On the front of the screen, a notification glides down with the words "Silent Mode On." This is where most get confused because they know they're toggling the switch into the Ringer OFF position yet the message on the screen has the word "on" in it because it refers to a feature called Silent Mode. The Ringer is OFF but Silent Mode is ON — get it?! The volume level is indicated here along with an animated swinging red bell with a line through it in case that's still confusing. You may also feel a haptic feedback vibration while flipping this toggle switch back. Teach them to pay attention to this. If you look at the physical Ring/Silent switch on the side of the iPhone while Silent Mode is on (muted/ringer off), you will notice a thin, red line down in the recessed area where your fingernail goes. We usually associate the color red with stop, so you could explain that if they see this red line, it means ringing is stopped while the switch is in this position.

This is not the best method, however, for a Product Red iPhone since this indicator is the same color as the phone's body. It also won't help if a protective phone case covers the Ring/Silent switch. Please think carefully about iPhone cases and make sure they do not make it more difficult for arthritic fingers to press volume and side buttons or flip the Ring/Silent switch.

There is one last method for checking to see if an iPhone will ring when called and that's by pressing the volume up or down buttons while looking at the Home Screen. As the buttons are pressed, the volume level notification is present and shows a red bell for Silent Mode On and a grey bell for Ringer. It doesn't say the Ringer is on, it just says "Ringer."

Apple is trying really hard here to visually communicate whether our iPhone will ring or not by using multiple indicators, yet for some reason or lack of trying, people still miss calls because they don't pay attention to these cues. You must point out that they need to be able to simultaneously flip the Ringer/Silent switch while looking at the front of the screen or else they will miss out on all these other visual reinforcement indicators. Observe how your loved one holds their iPhone in their hand and watch what they do when you tell them to flip the switch. Nine times out of ten they will very carefully study that Ringer/Silent switch but not once will they look at the front of the screen while they do it unless you instruct them to. You get bonus points if you're assisting an arthritic leftie with a red iPhone!

Touch ID & Home Button

Try it if you think the person has really great circulation and no health issues that require blood thinners or medications that alter their pulse, but in general —for this age group— leave it off. Do have them practice it first, but disable it if it’s not working. I have tried for many years now to teach vintage people how to use Touch ID and it fails more than it works. The skin on their fingers is either too cold, too dry or they have lost the ridges in their fingerprints. They wear a LOT of lotion and that interferes with the home button disc. They can have essential tremors that make it difficult to rest a finger tip on the disc long enough for the Touch ID to register. They think the little red fingerprint icon that shows on the screen is where they need to put their fingertip instead of resting it into the indentation in the glass. It just doesn’t work reliably enough for me to recommend it. It ends up causing more problems than it solves. Most everyone I see who struggles with this would rather type in their passcode. Try to encourage a six-digit passcode if you can, but know that it might be asking too much.

The Home Button seems to be the most elusive of buttons. Even just talking about it is a challenge. It’s nice to be able to use the vocabulary term “Home Button” while instructing, but what makes more sense most of the time is “The circular indentation at the very bottom of the phone. It looks like a disc. That’s your Home Button.” It may also help to get a Home Button sticker for this reason so it stands out better. It can be really hard to see when the iPhone body and front screen are black.

Most of my clients have Home Button iPhones yet, but I’m starting to see more Face ID iPhones. This presents a whole other set of challenges with gestures and swiping too fast or with too many fingers at once and I’m only starting to encounter it with my users. I look forward to addressing these needs like any others.

Side Button

This button goes by many names because it has several functions: sleep/wake, on/off, lock/unlock, and silence a call. "Side Button" now covers them all. What I run into a lot in the field is people who ignore its existence because they weren't taught what it does or when to use it. Observe what your loved one does when they are done using their iPhone. If they just set it down onto a flat surface, they might turn it over and put it face down and never notice that it goes into sleep and lock mode on its own. "Side Button? What Side Button? I never need to press it. What does it do?" is a refrain I hear over and over when teaching skills to clients. You might also see them stuff it right into their purse and not realize they've inadvertently handled the screen in such a way that "Jiggle Mode" has been activated and then they wonder why some of their apps have gone missing. Or they may "butt dial" you because they didn't first lock their screen before stuffing their unlocked iPhone into their pocket not realizing that the Phone app was the last app they used and you were the last number they dialed. Have you ever received a mysterious voicemail from someone where you can tell they don't know they've dialed you and left a message? It's most likely because they didn't press their Side Button before putting it into their purse. Teach them that they need to lock their iPhone before putting it "away" or setting it down somewhere where it won't be safe.

Many people think they are powering their iPhone off each time they do press the Side Button. They usually don't realize they have to press and hold the Side Button in for a moment while waiting for the "Slide to Power Off" message to appear. I always tell people to never power off their iPhone unless directed to do so during troubleshooting. Pressing the button once is enough for locking it and putting it into Sleep mode.

One last thing on the Side Button is to teach them to use it as a matter of etiquette. Many times I observe novice iPhone users who get a phone call and let it ring and ring because they simply don't know they can politely send the call to voicemail by pressing the Side Button. I know they feel embarrassed by this and I believe it's why so many of them resort to putting their iPhone into Silent Mode because they're afraid of being scorned. The problem then is they miss important calls.

Accessories

Case

Make sure the protective case you choose does not hamper their ability to use hardware buttons. Some cases can make the buttons really hard to press. My dad got a great Otter case, but it makes the home button harder to work and he rarely uses Control Center because the plastic is in the way. It’s a tradeoff. He’d rather have the extra hardware protection over using Control Center.

Lanyard

I am seeing more and more lanyards on iPhones and I think it’s a good thing because then their iPhone is always close in case they fall. A wristlet is handy for those who tend to drop things. It can add a level of security in knowing they won’t lose or drop their iPhone.

Keepers & Third Party Apps

Messages
Camera
App Store
Settings
FaceTime
Health
Photos
Contacts
Mail
Password Manager
Safari
Notes
Files
YouTube
Zoom (until iOS 15 SharePlay is available)

Phone & Voicemail

Review how to use the Phone app thoroughly and have them practice over and over how to retrieve their voicemails and review missed calls. The targets for interacting with voicemail are tiny and very challenging for arthritic fingers. I wish this wasn't the case. They also get confused about how to listen to a voicemail using the speaker phone or when it's appropriate to do so. This is easy for so many to overlook because we take it for granted.

Messages

Review how to use the Messages app thoroughly with your loved ones because these days, a lot more could be happening in Messages app compared to the Phone app. Pin important conversations with emergency contacts to the top for easier access. Show them how to scroll back up to reread older text messages. Mastering this navigation skill could really help those with memory issues if they could review conversations that contain important instructions.

“It went away and I don’t know how to get it back,” is the common complaint I hear when it comes to teaching people how to obtain verification codes or when checking their text messages notifications. So many do not understand that you need to tap the Messages app to read the full text or to view it for as long as needed to get a verification code. Because they do not understand how to manage notifications, they think that when the Messages notification slip away then that’s it; they’ve lost the text. They do understand when they need to tap Messages in order to compose a text or read older text messages from people they recognize, but for some reason, they do not equate that as being the same place to check when an alert to a new text message came through. I have seen iPhone screens with high “unread” number counts because the user thought they only got that one chance to read a snippet of the text message and didn’t go back to the Messages app to read the whole thing. They are mostly unaware that they only read a preview and not the whole message.

Try these tips and see if they help to avoid missing texts:

1. Settings > Notifications > Messages — make sure all the switches are enabled and checkmarks are checked. Where it says Banner Style, change this to Persistent. At the bottom, set Repeat Alerts to Once or Twice. This may decrease the chances that a text message gets missed.
2. Settings > Sounds & Haptics — set their Ringtone to something they can easily hear. Try out different sounds with them and see what they like best.
3. Ringtones & Text Tones for Contacts — edit your own contact card as well as the contact cards for other important people in their life so that there is a custom ringtone and text tone for each. For example, it could be the same ring tone for all family members then instruct them to always answer the phone if they hear that tone or song.

Password Manager

There are not many third party apps I recommend, but I do feel a password manager is a must. I’m a 1Password gal myself, but I know it might be tough for some on a fixed income to afford. I always find it uncomfortable to lecture someone on security and then also have to tell them they need to pay a monthly fee for it. I demonstrate with 1Password a lot and showing people how it’s worth it has gotten easier. If you get tired of finding scorpions in your house, you’ll pay a recurring fee for pest control to come out and keep you safe. These days, a professional password manager is becoming just as necessary for living a modern lifestyle. LastPass is another option with a free tier for one device for those who still need convincing or have a stricter budget. Affording an iPhone can be hard enough.
I use a 1Password for Families plan where I have my parents and other family members set up as vaults I’ve invited them to join. On their devices, I’ve made those vaults the default and unchecked their “Private” vault until they are comfortable using it that way. Even if the person you help never uses a password manager on their own, it will help YOU help them much more efficiently when it’s installed and accessible to you on their device.

Settings > Passwords > AutoFill Password > 1Password (or your password manager of choice here) may reduce the amount of password resets if you can show them how to tap autofill instead.

Here is another post from Allison where she interviews her Father-in-Law about using a password manager. Check it out: Octogenarian Talks 1Password

YouTube

There are some great tutorial videos on YouTube that can help explain concepts in between the times when you can give lessons to the person you’re helping. If they already have a Gmail account (as mentioned before) then get them logged in and create some playlists of your favorite tutorial videos for them. Teach them how to access the videos. Show them how to play, pause, and rewind. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

Here is a link to a YouTube playlist I’ve put together. In it are some videos that show good demonstrations for how to navigate iPhone features: Tutorials & How To YouTube Playlist

Zoom

Until we get SharePlay in iOS 15, Zoom has been an ok alternative for when I’m helping my parents remotely. I can send them an invite then direct them to broadcast their screen. From there they can show me something they have a question about and I can give them verbal instructions.

Lifestyle Apps

Shopping apps from stores like Amazon have become essential since the pandemic. Teaching users how to order supplies using these apps has become essential in helping to preserve autonomy when people live at home alone. The same is true of banking apps. Teach people how to check their transactions regularly by using the bank’s iPhone app.

Photos

One last thing I would recommend is shared albums in Photos. It’s an easy way to share photos with a loved one when they are connected through shared albums. They will need to accept an invitation from you. Tapping the link from an email is usually easier than trying to explain over the phone how to get to it in the Photos app. It depends on the person and the words you use. Show them how to add comments on shared photos because it can be a lot of fun. My dad and I have been sharing photos this way for several years and it sure beats getting sucked down a rabbit hole in Facebook.

Here is the link to the podcast episode where it originally aired: blog: CCATP #689 – Melissa Davis on Setting up iPhone for Vintage Users in a Dignified Way audio link: CCATP689 mp3 audio

Sunday, August 8, 2021 edited to add: We re-released this interview on Geekiest Show Ever — 361 CCATP Meets GSE to reach more listeners. Thanks to Allison for sharing it with us!

audio link: Geekiest Show Ever — 361 CCATP Meets GSE

WWDC2021 Reactions

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 05:00:00 +0000

On Geekiest Show Ever episode 359, we cherry-pick our favorites from the slew of new software features that were announced at WWDC2021. It was held virtually on Monday, June 7, 2021. (I posted the original show notes here: https://www.geekiestshowever.com/gse359-wwdc2021-reactions/) Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. You can email us: podcast at geekiestshowever dot com. Follow us on Twitter for additional tips and conversation: https://twitter.com/GeekiestShow. We'd like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Elisa can be found at https://twitter.com/senseidai/. Episode artwork credit: @DylanMcD8 on twitter Link to episode artwork credit: @DylanMcD8 on twitter

Here are Apple's links to more details about all the features that were announced:

Conversation Boost is a feature I am really excited to try.
Check out this article from ai about it: Apple enhances AirPods with Conversation Boost, Find My integration, Spatial Audio for Apple TV — appleinsider

Check the Apple Security Updates page to see if your Apple gear is up to date.

Audio Link

Brett Terpstra on GSE358

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Mon, 31 May 2021 15:00:00 +0000

On episode 358 of Geekiest Show Ever, we got to nerd out with Brett Terpstra! We talk music, machine setups, coding, apps, user experience, accessibility, super power productivity, ADHD, mental health, and more! I posted the original show notes here.

Brett's Links

https://brettterpstra.com
https://twitter.com/ttscoff
Look for ttscoff everywhere else :)
https://bunchapp.co
https://brettterpstra.com/projects/keybindings/
nvUltra

A Few of Brett's Favorite Mac Tools

BetterTouchTool: https://folivora.ai
Hazel: https://www.noodlesoft.com
CleanShot: https://cleanshot.com
Paletro: https://appmakes.io/paletro
Setapp: https://setapp.com
(affiliate link)

Brett's Podcasts

Music Recommended by Brett

Thanks for all the music recommendations and resources, Brett. This conversation was a blast!
Check the Apple Security Updates page to see if your Apple gear is up to date. Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. Follow us on Twitter for additional tips and conversation. We'd like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Artwork for this episode is by Brett Terpstra. Follow Elisa on Twitter.

Knock on Wood

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Tue, 04 May 2021 05:00:00 +0000

On episode 356 of Geekiest Show Ever, we talk to Bob Wood of ThinkBob.com. Bob is also President of the Tucson Macintosh Users Group of which Melissa is a member. We discuss the value of user groups and how you can join or support one near you — or — not so near you since many are now online for virtual attendance.

Bob's Links

ThinkBob.com

DangerousBobPhotography.com

TMUG.com

GretchenLima.com

Bob's Notes

Mac User Groups

Apple Podcasters and pundits should become members of their local MUGs and volunteer to give presentations a couple times per year.
This would provide them with more listeners and readers, strengthen the Apple Community, and perhaps add to their advertising base.

Apple CarPlay

Easy and safe way to be more productive
Listen to podcasts instead of music (learn stuff)
Send and receive phone calls and texts
Bluetooth Apple CarPlay is not needed, wired is better

Check the Apple Security Updates page to see if your Apple gear is up to date.

Do you have questions about what you heard in this episode? Please send us your feedback. You can email us: podcast at geekiestshowever dot com. Follow us on Twitter for additional tips and conversation: https://twitter.com/GeekiestShow. We'd like to hear from you, so let us know which tech topics interest you most. Artwork for this episode is by Bob Wood. Elisa can be found at https://twitter.com/senseidai

Check Your Cleaning Products

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 21:00:00 +0000

Lots of cleaning wipes on the market say they kill viruses and bacteria on contact, but what about SARS-COV-2 specifically? When they say, "on contact" what does that really mean?

Here are some examples and how you can check your own products online.
Click this link to use the EPA's List N Tool: COVID-19 Disinfectants where you can type in the EPA Registration Number found on the package label of your cleaning product. It will most likely be in tiny print, so have your magnifying lens ready!

product label example

References:

About List N: Disinfectants for Coronavirus (COVID-19)
https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/about-list-n-disinfectants-coronavirus-covid-19-0

Link to PDF Infographic
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2021-04/documents/cleaning-disinfecting-one-pager.pdf

Apple Fitness Plus Review

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 05:00:00 +0000

If you're thinking about trying a new fitness program, you won't want to miss the well-rounded, multi-perspective review on episode 355 of Geekiest Show Ever! We discuss Elisa's Apple Fitness Plus experience. Listener Scott shares his thoughts, too. Melissa has a tip for redeeming Apple Gift Card codes.

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Listener Feedback & Recommendations

Scott recommends a book called "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - 25th Anniversary Edition"

Apple Gift Cards

When you've been gifted an Apple Gift Card in a digital format like an email from a friend or from a third party like the one Apple uses for its Trade-In program, follow the instructions found on Apple's Help Topic page: Redeem your Apple Gift Card. In the case of Apple's current Trade-In processor, Phobio, they email you a "PIN" which a series of numbers containing spaces. Simply copy this "PIN" to a new note in your Notes app then delete the spaces between the numbers. Copy the modified "PIN" number into the text field where you're redeeming the code and the "Redeem" button text will now be accessible.

Elisa's Review of Apple Fitness+

Apple Fitness+ App

Pricing is $9.99/month or $79.99/year. Apple Watch owners get a one-month free trial. Apple thought a lot about accessibility when creating Apple Fitness+. All classes are closed captioned and have subtitles for the deaf, which is also helpful for people who do not speak English very well or at all. The trainers use sign language frequently to communicate the beginning and end of the class, hold up fingers to signify how many reps to do, point to the direction you need to move. There are 3 trainers in each class I’ve taken. The lead trainer stands center, with someone to the left and right and slightly behind. The person on the left does the modifications if applicable. One constant for all classes-the trainers want you do to only what you can do. If it hurts, pull back, or adapt to what your body can do. There is no body shaming, strictly positive reinforcement. The trainers are a diverse group. They range in age from 20s to 60s, and come from various backgrounds-Canada, England, Columbia, Philippines. One trainer has a prosthetic leg, another is pregnant. And speaking of pregnancy, as of April 19, Apple is adding new workouts to Fitness+. They’re adding pregnancy workouts on Strength, Core, and Mindful Cooldown. Workouts for older adults also begins April 19, and Apple is adding new trainers to the mix. Check with your health insurance company to see if they offer gym reimbursement. Mine does up to $125, and they told me Apple Fitness+ is included. If you belong to a gym, Apple Fitness+ is a great way to get a treadmill, rowing or spinning class without having to go to the gym’s classes. You can build your endurance at your pace. I’d like to see Apple add the ability to create playlists. Sometimes you want to go from one workout to the next, for example, dance to core to mindful cool down. Currently when you finish dance you have to go back to the home screen, find Core, choose a class, etc.

Home Smart Home

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

On episode 353 of Geekiest Show Ever, we discuss how we’ve been hacking our way through this pandemic. Elisa and I discuss the merits of using the word ‘hacker’ to describe someone who does something good with technology superpowers. Here is an article written by Chris Williams of The Register that examines the etymology in depth and where it might end up in our lexicons: “So it appears some of you really don't want us to use the word 'hacker' when we really mean 'criminal''
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Terrible UI Prize Goes to Vaccine Registration Sites

COVID-19 Vaccine appointment scheduling has been frustrating to say the least, but we are finally starting to feel like we’re making some progress. Elisa has flexed her online ticket-ordering muscles and now has appointments down and underway! I finally managed to get an appointment for one family member and now I must wait my turn.

iPhoneography Tip

If you put a Pop-Socket on your iPhone 12 mini case, beware of flash flare. Mine has a white border around its edge. I noticed this back in December when I took some night shots of my Christmas tree and had to remove the Pop-Socket disc to avoid the white flare that showed up in my photos. Get one that has a black edge or run a marker around it to reduce glare.

Reminders App Troubleshooting & Tips

There was recently an update to watchOS and I was disappointed to find that after the update, my problem still persisted when it came to adding personal reminders using Siri on my Apple Watch. When I raise my wrist, it was STILL adding it to my shared Home list instead of my default Reminders list. It just kept frustrating me, so I decided that I would try one more time to see if I could reset the default list by disabling iCloud and unpairing then repairing my Apple Watch. I had tried it once before and it at least changed the default list on my Apple Watch from one of my shared lists to another of my shared lists, so I thought maybe I might get lucky and it turns out that I did.

On my iPhone, first I made a manual iCloud backup. Then I took a deep breath and disabled iCloud just for Reminders. iOS asks if you want to keep or delete a copy of the Reminders on your iPhone so I took another deep breath and tapped delete. Next, I unpaired my Apple Watch, powered both devices off and then re-paired my Apple Watch. When that was complete, I re-enabled iCloud Reminders on my iPhone. Once I flipped the switch back on for Reminders in iCloud, all of my reminders came back onto my iPhone and then eventually they came back on my Apple Watch as well. I wrestled with one or two new lists that got added that were duplicates, but eventually I got it ironed out. Prior to rebooting, I also disabled then re-enabled Siri after erasing Siri history in there for good measure. My Apple Watch is finally back to the exhibiting the expected behavior of putting a personal reminder on my Reminders list as default.

Reminders Tip: Add a Reminder from Another App

Prior to going through that process, I thought I might see if Apple had any new instructions about this issue. While I was researching, I discovered that they recently updated their Help Topic article on March 6, 2021 entitled “Use Reminders on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.” There is a new feature explained near the bottom that tells you how to make a new reminder directly from something else in another app. I never thought to try this before, but I’ve always wanted to because so many times I’ve received a text, usually from a client, and I read it, but then didn’t have time to respond so I end up manually making a reminder the long way so that I don’t forget to reply. Most times I just don’t tap the message and leave the dot there so I know to go back and read it, but then the unread dot makes me feel anxious so then I have to tap it! My teenager taught me that you can long-press on a text to preview what it says without marking it as read, so I may try and train my muscle memory to do that more often. For now, I'm really happy with saying, "Remind me about this in an hour" while looking at the text I can't yet respond to and hope that it will lessen some FOMO. Here is the link to the article: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205890

Home Smart Home

Smart Life app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/smart-life-smart-living/id1115101477 I am so proud of the geekery I pulled off last week! I now have the pleasure of citing Siri incantations to perform spells that control the brightness of our living room lamps. At night we now can say “Hey Siri, Living Room Off!” It’s quite fun. I just have to say that I can not believe there isn’t already an embroidered pillow out there that says “Home Smart Home” on it! Shouldn’t that be a thing? What I learned through the process of setting up these “spells” is that if you do not craft your incantations to be short, simple, and easy to say, you probably just won’t use them and you might even annoy a spouse in the process. I was trying to make a distinction between bright lights and dim lights when I created mine, but what I really needed was a simple on, off and then another variation. Here are screenshots of the modification I made to the “incantation” we must now speak to make them work the way we like.

Locked Down

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Hacking and scamming incidents are on the rise. It’s a sad fact of pandemic life now, but on episode 351 of Geekiest Show Ever, we’re here to tell you that you can take back some control if you know what to look out for and how to implement best practices. We will give it to you straight because we believe that online security should be a regular part of our overall well-being. It’s why we so frequently discuss security issues and using password managers. Tune in to hear us share our field experience for ways to help your loved ones become safer in our digitally connected world.

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🗒 Complete show notes are here: https://www.geekiestshowever.com/gse351-locked-down/

Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash
⏯Audio file is here: http://www.mymac.com/podcast/GSE/GSE351.mp3 🎧

🦉Follow us for even more helpful information:

https://twitter.com/geekiestshow

This Means Something

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 23:05:00 +0000

Did you ever have one of those flashbacks where you think you remember something that happened, but then you're no longer sure if it really happened or not? I have this memory from Kindergarten and now I'm not sure if it actually happened or if it's just a dream I remember. Either way, it's a super cute story even if it's not true.

Mrs. Trowbridge's Kindergarten class, 1979

I was wearing one of my favorite shirts. My hair was in two long pigtail braids. My shirt had a print on it that resembled lined notebook paper. Printed on the shirt was a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Mrs. Trowbridge asked me to volunteer in the front of the class and we proceeded to follow the instructions on my shirt, put the ingredients together, and then bake cookies for the whole class. I was a human recipe book. I remember feeling very special that day, like I was a big helper. I think it was a lesson about following instructions — something very important for kids to do.

I don't know if this happened or not, but I have been able to recall this story for some time. It's the kind of story I'll probably still know how to tell when I have dementia. So, to whoever my future handlers are, I'm sorry if I tell you this story over and over, but please have fun with it and bake some cookies for yourself!

Muddy Waters

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 23:00:00 +0000

I drove in the RAIN today! I can't remember the last time I did that. The reason for leaving the house was to see my neurologist today. I can't wait to get more answers soon.

When I got home, Keagan greeted me like a little gentleman and said, "Your umbrella awaits." Then he escorted me through the back gate. He was so sweet and I thanked him. As I looked down, I noticed he was barefoot and his feet were caked in mud. He cracks me up because he LOVES to play in the dirt! Not that he needed an excuse to get muddy, but this was certainly one of his more creative ways of doing so.

In other news, I received the exchange parts for my AirPods Pro. They're almost perfect and I'm glad I could get replacement parts so quickly during a pandemic.

Shortcuts with Scott

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wanted a quicker or more automated way to do something with your iPhone? That would be a job for shortcuts and we found just the right geek to tell us all about them! On episode 348 of Geekiest Show Ever, Scott Willsey educates us on iOS Shortcuts: what they are, how they work, and why you might like to learn how to use them to craft your own.

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Graphic by Melissa Davis

Apple's Shortcuts User Guide Data Jar is an app for storing shortcuts.

Here is a link to the Reminders Backup example shortcut Scott made for us to follow along: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/158c4d1995ed4f9a9965853f8b9eb743

Use these settings to allow your device to work with shared shortcuts.

Learn more about Scott Willsey and check out where he podcasts over on BubbleSort Show.

Check the Apple Security Updates page to see if your Apple gear is up to date.

Uncomfortable, but Do-able is My New Mantra

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 09:03:00 +0000

Passwords for kids — this has been one area where I’ve had to compromise & it’s been uncomfortable, but do-able. It’s part of my job to teach cyber security to people, yet schools insist —and subsist— on using terrible passwords, but I get it. I don’t like it and I don’t agree with it, but I get it and I accept it even though I’ve worked very hard to teach my family the value of digital security and password hygiene.

When they have to use a site or platform that doesn’t allow for password changes, I remind them that it’s not how we do things, but for the type of educational service and limitations, we can compromise.

My kids have been using a password manager app since they were very little. But when it comes to using school laptops where personal apps can’t be installed, and for when they were too young to have their own smartphone to use as a look-up tool, we devised a plan.

Normally, I advise against re-using passwords, but as in this case of compromise, I allow it to a degree. For each child, we come up with a password that is something unique, hard to guess, but easy for them to remember and develop muscle memory for typing. Once we’ve picked & practiced the base password, for each new site or platform they register, we use an abbreviation or short name for the service or product and tack it into the end.

Example:

MyGr8password becomes: MyGr8passwordGoog

MyGr8passwordScoolgy

MyGr8passwordIC

MyGr8passwordOffice

MyGr8passwordCanv

I still have them keep these logged into their password managers then, when necessary, we can print out a screenshot instead of hand-writing them each time to save on guessing whether someone wrote a 1, l, i, 0 or O. A spreadsheet or word processed document could work too, if that’s an accessible tool for parents. Be sure to choose a font that makes letters and numbers distinguishable from each other. Courier font is a good choice.

Here are some really terrific tips I love to share from Devorah Heitner, author of Screenwise. If you haven’t read her book already, I highly recommend it!

It's The Great Sale Sporting Event

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Fri, 29 Nov 2019 11:00:00 +0000

I obsess when it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales because I save and research all year long for these days to come! My sister is the hard-core brick and mortar in-store shopper and I'm the caffeine dosing all-nighter online shopper. Both of us treat this time of year like it's a goddamn sporting event!

Well, I thought I'd share my findings here on my blog in hopes that some of you could benefit from it. Sharing is caring :)

It's iPad Stylus Comparison Time!
Did you get in on the Black Friday sale on a new iPad yet?

These newer iPads work with Apple Pencil, but those things are really, really pricey, so I set out to look at alternatives. 🤑

Lots of styluses are on sale now and choice paralysis is setting in. Maybe these considerations could help YOU decide so have a look:

✏️Compared to the Adonit Note, the Crayon can make thick and thin lines because it supports tilt, but I'm still not yet sure if that means you can make shading in sketches happen or not. None of the sub-$50 stylus models seem to support pressure sensitivity, so you'll need to pick and choose from their other features. Reviewers on Amazon for the Adonit Note report a better on/off/connection experience compared to the Adonit Crayon. Both have nibs that wear out over time and need to be replaced, but they are soft on the iPad's glass and don't scratch. I still think it sucks that they don't come with replacement nibs. You'll need to factor in the replacement pricing towards the total cost over ownership.

✏️Then there are the lesser-known (or not really known at all) brands like FoJoJo — which is just fun to say. Styli made by these makers all seem to be knock-offs of each other and it's difficult to tell from the reviews how well these models will hold up over time or if they'll be supported with new firmware down the road when needed. (Hello, FiftyThree Pencil, anyone? :(

✏️The thing that frustrates me about the "carbon fiber" nibs is that I can't seem to determine whether or not they can or will scratch the iPad's glass. The details are sketchy at best. (See what I did there?) In some of the product details they recommend that you put a screen protector on your iPad, but they don't want to admit it's because their nib could potentially scratch the glass like some buyers reported. It says on other product details that the nib is smooth and won't scratch, so which is it?! They all seem to provide replacement nibs, which is handy. but compared to the cost of having to get a screen protector, we're then back to factoring in yet another add-on to the total cost. There is a 5-minute auto-shut off feature which, at first I thought was cool, but then I thought about how frequently I get distracted by interruptions and then I imagined that it would feel like it was constantly losing the connection, so now I'm not so sure if that will be a good feature. One last thing to consider is power button placement. Some look like they would get pressed by accident while others are a tap on the top which might be better.

🛍Either way, these are all great alternatives to the pricier Apple Pencil if you don't need the additional bells and whistles. If you can keep your expectations reasonable for whether or not the money you save is worth the lack of longevity and future support, then one of these might get you creating more with your fancy new iPad!

Here are the three I've been comparing: (The Adonit went on sale again while I was writing this!)
✍️Logotech Crayon:

✍️Adonit Note:

✍️FoJoJo:

Go Clean Your...Mac!
You've heard me brag about how much space I save on my Mac by using Mac Cleaner X, right?
Wait...NO? Sheesh! You're worse than my kids!! Go check out this Sale on the MacPaw Store

(Thank you kindly if you've considered clicking my affiliate links in this post.) 🙏

RIP iTunes macOS app

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 18:00:00 +0000

Now that Catalina has been released, I felt it was time to take a moment to note the passing of iTunes. Lots of people hated iTunes. I didn't necessarily hate it for my own personal needs, but I did see and experience the frustration many had with its "bloated" interface. I've always struggled to support it out in the field when working with my clients trying to teach them how to get a handle on their ever-increasing data and media needs. It was a pretty busy app on the Mac so I look forward to the change.

Since the macOS iTunes app is getting chopped up into separate pieces...err...um...apps, I made this spooky graphic for fun to note the change. It's almost Halloween so it's based off a well-known horror flick. If my kids should ever read my blog for fun in the future, I wonder if they'll get this reference.

Yes kids, it was a super cheesy movie and this is a super cheesy post!

RIP iTunes macOS app. We knew you well.

Right at Home with iPhone 11 Using AR

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 16:44:00 +0000

They finally listened to me! The iPhone 11 has a purple finish available!

Want to see something really cool? You can use the AR feature on Apple’s website to place the iPhone as an object on a surface nearby. I tried it out this morning while eating breakfast. The beautiful lilac color of the iPhone 11’s purple finish compliments my purple Ello water bottle nicely.

Go here: https://www.apple.com/iphone-11/

Then scroll down to here:

Next, tap the AR symbol.

When the page opens up, use one or two fingers to pinch and push onto the image to turn it around and enlarge it. The detail is amazing. Next, tap the AR button.

It will place the iPhone object on a surface.

You can manipulate the object in the space to swivel and enlarge. I couldn’t figure out how to get it to rotate from the bottom or top, only the sides, but you get the idea.

Tap in the center of the screen and you’ll see the options to snap a photo or share.

Because who wouldn’t love a ginormous iPhone 11 in their living room on a coffee table?!

CleanMyMac X Has A New Space Lens Feature

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Fri, 12 Apr 2019 06:00:00 +0000

I am really looking forward to trying this new feature out on all my external hard drives! MacPaw makes some of the most beautifully designed interfaces on the planet and I'm thankful for the opportunity to review this version of CleanMyMac X.

Here is a peek at new feature called Space Lens.

One of the toughest parts of my job is trying to help my clients move their data around and optimize it so they can access it. So many times they have external hard drives loaded with stuff and they don't know what's on them. I'm going to scan a bunch of my own drives with this new tool.

I'll report back with new features as I discover them, but two features that look really interesting are the built in malware detection scan and the Menu Bar status. (It's a bit like iStat Menus.)

Download a free trial and check it out for your Mac.

How to Block Your Caller ID

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Sat, 26 Jan 2019 05:00:00 +0000

Today I helped a client who needed assistance disputing a charge on their credit card. They were duped into purchasing a piece of software considered to be malware. (More on that later.) During the process, the credit card customer service representative instructed my client to call the phone number listed on the transaction. They said the rules are that the customer has to make an attempt to contact the solicitor to cancel the charge. I told the rep that I did not think it was a good idea for my client to call the number and risk having her number added to yet another robo call list. The rep was resourceful and looked up the instructions for blocking caller ID. I have not had this need so I wasn't familiar with the process, but I was happy to learn about it.

Dial *67

We first tested it out by having my client use their landline to dial *67 and then my phone number. I showed them my screen so they could see what it looked like. Once we were confident it worked, we dialed the toll free number of the malware company. I really did not like this part, but the credit card rep told us that it was a standard protocol that needed to be followed in order to dispute the transaction and that this happens a lot. They said they see this a lot and don't expect there to be a live human on the other end. Sure enough, it was only a recording when we called it. Now, if ever it would need to be investigated again, there is a record of the steps taken to dispute the charge.

I hope this helps should you find yourself in this scenario.

Geekiest Show Ever - Episode 301

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 05:00:00 +0000

It was just Mike and I this time and we like to call it "The M&M Show" for fun. This time we geek out about the Blood Moon Total Lunar Eclipse, how we can't remember shit but want to and then we have fun being distracted by goofy gear for our pets. We talk about whether or not we'll watch Black Mirror's Bandersnatch and on which of our many devices.

If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element

Click here to listen in your browser or download the audio file. Please note this podcast is explicit.

Show notes for apps and stuff we talked about are here: Geekiest Show Ever 301 – All Your M&M Belong to Me

3 Geeky Ladies - Episode 125

melissa@themacmommy.com (Melissa Davis) — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 05:00:00 +0000

logo designed by Donny Yankellow

I've always wanted to be on 3 Geeky Ladies and I finally sat down to record with Elisa and Vicki on their show for this episode: New Year, New You – Episode 125
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Click here to listen in your browser or download the audio file.

We had such a great conversation about all the things we want to do or try for self care this year. There are a lot of great tips and resources in this episode. We talked about ways to get more out of life by being creative. I hope you enjoy it!

Click here to subscribe to their podcast

I talked about how my oldest son makes his own ringtones on his iPhone using Garage Band app. He's working on a tutorial video for that, so stay tuned. I'm incredible proud of his talent.

Here are some links to the services and software we discussed:
Audible
Kindle Unlimited
Scribd
Overdrive
Libby
Hoopla
Pimsleur
Skrbly Studio
Mint
Shoeboxed
Day One
Bluprint
Code Academy
Swift Playgrounds

TheMacMommy

Live Life Use Passkeys

Passkeys Presentation for TMUG

References

Mail Mayhem

Goonies Never Say Die

Enlightened

Geekiest Gift Guide

Shopping List

Setting up iPhone for Vintage Users in a Dignified Way

Account Management & Access

Apple ID

External Email Account or iCloud Mail?

Option A

Option B

Recommended Settings for Mail with External Accounts

Storage

Configurations — Purge & Simplify

Dock

Home Screens

Reduce Distractions

Accessibility

Zoomed Display View

Security

Find My & Location Sharing

Control Center

Hardware Buttons & Dexterity

Ring/Silent Switch & Volume Buttons

Touch ID & Home Button

Side Button

Accessories

Case

Lanyard

Keepers & Third Party Apps

Phone & Voicemail

Messages

Password Manager

YouTube

Zoom

Lifestyle Apps

Photos

WWDC2021 Reactions

iOS 15

iPadOS

macOS Monterey

watchOS 8

Brett Terpstra on GSE358

Brett's Links

https://brettterpstra.comhttps://twitter.com/ttscoffLook for ttscoff everywhere else :)https://bunchapp.cohttps://brettterpstra.com/projects/keybindings/nvUltra

A Few of Brett's Favorite Mac Tools

BetterTouchTool: https://folivora.aiHazel: https://www.noodlesoft.comCleanShot: https://cleanshot.comPaletro: https://appmakes.io/paletroSetapp: https://setapp.com(affiliate link)

Brett's Podcasts

Music Recommended by Brett

Knock on Wood

Bob's Links

Bob's Notes

Mac User Groups

Apple CarPlay

Check Your Cleaning Products

Apple Fitness Plus Review

Listener Feedback & Recommendations

Apple Gift Cards

Elisa's Review of Apple Fitness+

Further Reading

Home Smart Home

iPhoneography Tip

Reminders App Troubleshooting & Tips

Reminders Tip: Add a Reminder from Another App

Home Smart Home

Locked Down

This Means Something

Muddy Waters

Shortcuts with Scott

Uncomfortable, but Do-able is My New Mantra

It's The Great Sale Sporting Event

RIP iTunes macOS app

Right at Home with iPhone 11 Using AR

CleanMyMac X Has A New Space Lens Feature

How to Block Your Caller ID

Geekiest Show Ever - Episode 301

https://brettterpstra.com
https://twitter.com/ttscoff
Look for ttscoff everywhere else :)
https://bunchapp.co
https://brettterpstra.com/projects/keybindings/
nvUltra

BetterTouchTool: https://folivora.ai
Hazel: https://www.noodlesoft.com
CleanShot: https://cleanshot.com
Paletro: https://appmakes.io/paletro
Setapp: https://setapp.com
(affiliate link)