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iOS 27 Best New Features, From New Siri to AI Photo Editing

by Dave Johnson

From getting Siri to control your iPhone to crazy new photo editing features, here are the top new features of iOS 27.

Quick new iOS 27 features

The updated Timer control

In the Control Center, you’ll find the updated Timer control that has a cool new visualizer. It is so much better to use in iOS 27. You swipe to set the time from anything between 1 minute to 2 hours. It also has a satisfying haptic effect as you swipe, which is nice.

Shortcuts you can describe out loud

Another great iOS 27 feature is in the Shortcuts app, where you can create shortcuts by saying what you want them to do. For example, you can say make a noise to tell me to put my phone on charge when the battery is below 20%. You hit Send and then it’ll make that shortcut for you in a matter of seconds. These used to be hard to make but now they’re easy.

Shake to undo

Let’s say you’ve made a bunch of changes customizing your home screen. If you shake, you can undo that one change. If you shake again, you can undo the previous change. And if you shake again, you can undo the previous change and keep on shaking until you are completely satisfied with all your changes.

Shake to undo also works in other apps. In Notes, for example, you can bring back any deleted text. In Safari, maybe you deleted a tab, you can bring the tab back. Even with Messages, if you deleted something by mistake, you can shake to bring it back. This is useful, especially when it comes to customizing your home screen.

Customization

The Liquid Glass transparency slider

There have been a bunch of updates to customization. In the Appearance settings, under Liquid Glass, there’s now a new slider that makes everything less transparent or more transparent. This means you can now control the transparency of let’s say your app icons or widgets to make things look a lot more visible. Nice.

Minimizing the lock screen clock

The lock screen also had a major update that I love, starting with the clock, where you’ll find a new icon. If you tap the icon, that minimizes the clock and puts it inside the top widget section. So if you want a better view of your wallpaper, now you can. Sweet.

Extend for wallpapers

If you want to set a photo or image of yours that doesn’t fit too well as a background, you can now pinch to zoom out to get the new Extend option. If you tap Extend, your iPhone will extend that image and generate everything around your wallpaper to get that perfect framing. Extend also works with regular photos you want to use, basically any image you might have. You’ve got to admit that is crazy cool.

Image Playground wallpapers

If you don’t have an image, you could instead choose the new Image Playground option. All you do is type in a description of what you want, like desert dunes at midnight, hit Send, and in a couple of seconds, it’ll generate a brand new wallpaper for you. That looks good. You can get some pretty cool results and even take your own photos and generate them into multiple different styles.

The resizable connectivity control

This is super hidden, but in the Control Center, when you go to edit your controls and you resize the connectivity control, it now has a few other sizes. So you get the large original one, a new medium size, the pill-shaped sizes, and the small size you already know.

Full screen home screen widgets

The home screen widgets also got a new size in iOS 27. If you tap and hold down and extend the handle, you can now have full screen widgets. This works with the photo widgets, the weather, notes, reminders, music, and the calendar. Basically all the good ones. And don’t forget, you could stack these giant widgets all into one, because you do get a lot more detail with them.

App updates

Custom passes in Wallet

Three apps got some big changes in iOS 27: Wallet, Weather, and Camera. But Wallet is probably my favorite update, because when you go to add a card now, you can create your own custom pass. So finally we can add membership cards, loyalty cards, tickets, all that jazz. All you have to do is scan the card. Your iPhone then automatically creates the pass for you and you can then customize it.

If you hit the little palette icon, firstly, you can change the background color. There are a few different options to choose from, nothing too crazy. Then there are four different background options to choose from. You can have a bit of fun with it. Then you can also choose a completely custom icon. Mine was a gym pass. I went with a little gym bro. In all the text fields, you can put down exactly what info it is you want.

In iOS 27, there is no need to carry around a stack of cards. You can add them to your iPhone. The crazy part though is Samsung has had this feature for 10 years. So it’s about time, Apple. Thank you.

A more detailed Weather app

The Weather app got way more detailed in iOS 27. There are three new buttons at the top. The first one is Conditions. That shows the temperature and cloud cover. The second is Precipitation. That shows you how likely it is to rain and also how many inches it’ll rain. Then you get the Wind button that shows speed graphs and directions.

The redesigned Camera settings

As for the Camera app, it got a slightly updated design because all your camera settings now live at the top of the camera screen. If you swipe down, you can see all of them, but the important ones are still right at the top, like your flash and resolution.

Siri mode in Camera

The biggest upgrade in iOS 27 has got to be the brand new Siri mode. You’ll notice it’s got a new logo that looks like something you might find on a can of soda. If you take a photo in Siri mode, Siri will give you some information on what it is you took a photo of, like the product’s name, for example. You can then even chat about that product and ask it things like, “where do I buy this?” And it’ll quickly respond with a couple of links, which is cool.

The new photo editing tools

To find the new photo editing tools in iOS 27, all you do is open any photo, tap the Edit button, then tap Tools, and they’re all at the bottom. We’ve got Clean Up, Extend, and Reframe.

Reframe

Reframe does something nuts. It scans your image, then you can pinch to zoom out and swipe either left or right to adjust the angle the image was taken in, which is crazy. Then tap Reframe and it’ll recreate your photo as if it was taken from that angle. It works incredibly well.

Extend in Photos

The Extend option works the exact same way as the wallpaper. You pinch to zoom out, but you can also adjust the aspect ratio. I went with the square, you then tap Extend and, like magic, it fills out the empty areas. That was a lot of extra detail to get right and it did such a good job. That is impressive.

Clean Up

There’s also the Clean Up tool. We have had Clean Up for a while, but it has been updated in iOS 27. All you do is draw over what it is you want to remove and your iPhone will remove that specific thing from the photo. Much better. It even highlights suggestions for you. And if you tap on the highlights, poof, they are gone.

Siri

Probably the craziest new feature on iOS 27 is Siri can now edit photos for you. Wow.

How to open Siri

Straight off the bat, to open Siri in iOS 27, you can either swipe down on the Dynamic Island and start chatting with it in a new interface, or you can press and hold down the side button just like before, or you can use the new Siri app that comes with iOS 27. The Siri app is where you’ll find all your conversations with it.

Switching from Siri to ChatGPT

Essentially it’s like ChatGPT, but for Siri. By default, when you start a new conversation, it’ll use the updated Siri AI model, which is way more advanced than before, but you can also tap the text input field, then tap Ask and change from Siri to ChatGPT. That’s in case you ever wanted to do more complex things like in-depth research, writing, or even coding.

Siri can see your screen

Besides for chatting, Siri can now also see what is on your screen. So you can ask it any questions about what is on your screen, like “summarize this page for me,” and it comes back with “The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed by Apple.” Or “please reply to this message,” and it comes back with “I’ve drafted a reply for you.” Siri will look at your conversation and put a reply together. Whoa.

Siri can act inside your apps

In iOS 27, Siri now works in your photos. This works in a few different ways. For example, you can ask it, “please open the Photos app and make my most recent photo black and white.” Siri will then open the Photos app, open the editing menu, go to the filters and give it a black and white filter. I’m amazed this actually works now.

Or you could say, “Hey Siri, take a photo,” and it comes back with “Photo in three, two, one.” You can also say: “please open Amazon and search for dog toys,” and again, Siri opens up Amazon and searches for that specific thing. This is handy now.

Siri in the keyboard

Siri is now also in the keyboard too. If you get a message from someone, straight away it gives you a suggestion on what to reply with. Nice. Or if you press the Siri icon, you can straight up ask it to write a reply for you. Then give it a couple seconds and boom, you got yourself a reply. There are a ton of new things Siri can do, and I’m impressed.

More new features in Photos

Image search

Inside the Photos app, if you open an image, then swipe up on it, there’s a new image search option, which looks that item up on Google and then gives you a bunch of search results. This is handy for finding things like products.

Star ratings for photos

In iOS 27, you’ll notice a new star icon on the top right hand side of your images. This is for rating your photos from one to five stars. So now you’ll be able to filter your photos out based on what star rating you gave them. This is off by default, but all you do is tap your profile icon, scroll down and turn on Show Ratings Control.

Captions in videos

In videos, there’s now also a new captions button in the play bar. If you tap the captions button, then turn it on, it’ll show you the subtitles for any and every video in your Photos app. What’s even cooler is there are four different subtitle styles to pick from, but unfortunately this doesn’t work for US English for now.

Save Video Frame as Photo

Still in videos, if you ever want to grab a still from a video, you tap the three dots in the top right and you have the new Save Video Frame as Photo option that will extract a literal frame out the video for you. Love it.

Insight buttons

If you open a photo of something like a loyalty card and swipe up, there are new insight buttons, like Add Pass to Wallet. Different buttons show up for different things. So with a poster, you’ll get an Add to Calendar button. For a business card, there’s Add to Contacts along with a couple other ways to directly contact that person. Sweet.

Identity Documents

This is pretty hidden, but back inside the Photos app under Collections, if you scroll down to Utilities, there’s a new option, Identity Documents. This groups all your photos of IDs, passports, and cards into one spot, which is handy.

Connectivity Assist

If you go to Settings, tap Wi-Fi youll see an option called Connectivity Assist. What this does is it makes your iPhone instantly switch from Wi-Fi to data when your Wi-Fi signal drops. So if you’re on a call or anything, it doesn’t get interrupted. Nice.

Separate alarm and system volumes

This setting is something you should turn off. This one is found inside Sounds & Haptics, and by default Alarms and Timers, as well as Alerts and System Sounds, are turned on, but when you turn them off, looky, looky, you can now finally adjust those volumes on their own. So if you want it, you can now set your ringtone to max, your alarms and timers to mid and system sounds to low. I am glad we can finally do this.

The redesigned AirPods settings

In iOS 27, AirPods settings got something brand new too. When you connect a pair of AirPods, then jump into Settings and AirPods settings straight away, you’ll notice that everything now looks different. Compared to the old iOS, everything has now been categorized into its own separate sections.

For example, if you wanted to find the biggest new AirPods feature in iOS 27, all you have to do is go into Audio & Routing. You’ll find the equalizer. Yeah, that’s right. After literally 10 years of having the AirPods, we finally get the equalizer. It’s nothing too complicated. You can adjust your lows, your mids and your highs. This is how I like to have it for some extra bass. So if you want that extra bump in your tunes, then copy this setup.

Shortcuts

My favorite new shortcuts

Here are a few of my favorite shortcuts in iOS 27 that you got to try. Inside the Shortcuts app, all you do now is hit the plus icon and describe what shortcuts you want. For example, “create a shortcut that gives me a summary of the temperature, my phone’s battery, my commute time to home, and add a nice affirmation.” You tap Send. What’s crazy is it does everything for you. You don’t have to know exactly how Shortcuts works anymore.

What I also love is if you don’t like its response or the way it looks, you can go back into the chat section and say something like “stylize this with bullet points and emojis.” Then hit Send, it’ll do its whole AI thing. When you’re done with the shortcuts, add it to your home screen. You can customize the icon as well if you want. But now anytime you press that shortcut, boom, you get a rundown of all that info in a nice stylized form.

Another cool shortcut you can try in iOS 27 is “create a shortcut that automatically finds and delete screenshots older than 10 days.” Again, you hit Send, it’ll do its thing. And now anytime you run that shortcut, it’ll bring up all your screenshots older than 10 days and you can delete them with one tap.

Another one you can try is “create a shortcut that shows me five pictures I took on this day two years ago.” But as cool as shortcuts are, shortcut automations are even cooler.

Shortcut automations

You can say “create an automation where every time I put my phone on charge, it says, oh yeah.” I also like this one: “create an automation that shows me a picture of coffee and an inspirational message every day at 3pm.” Now every time it hits 3pm, I automatically get a sick inspirational message and a pic of coffee. What’s not to love? There is so much more you can do with shortcuts.

Tag: iOS 27
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iOS 27 Public Beta: How to Install It and What’s New

by Moses Johnson

Recently, Apple released the second public beta for iOS 27. This is how to install the beta on your iPhone or iPad for free, and what to expect from it.

If you currently have the developer beta installed on your main device, you might want to consider switching over to the public beta, and I’ll explain why and how to do that.

Installing iOS 27 public beta on iPhone

To install iOS 27 public beta on your iPhone, first go into Safari and navigate to beta.apple.com. Once you get to that page, the iOS 27 public beta shows up. If you go down, there’s a sign up or a sign in button. You most likely already have an Apple account. You want to go to where it says Already a member, tap Sign In, and sign in to your Apple ID.

Then you’re going to see the Beta Software Program Agreement. Scroll down and tap Agree. It’s going to give you a guide for beta software. This is where you’re going to choose iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and so on.

iOS 27 appears along with some of the changes that are coming with it. Look underneath the Get Started section, where there’s a blue link that says Please enroll your iOS device. You want to tap that link. After you’ve done that, it will give you some advice on doing a backup.

Then there’s a spot where it says Turn On Beta Updates. If you tap that blue button, it will open up in Settings where it shows your iOS 27 beta. It will say iOS 27 public beta.

You can also access this by going into Settings, General, Software Updates, and then tapping where it says Beta Updates. That is also where the iOS 27 public beta populates. You want to make sure to tap and select the iOS 27 public beta. Then when you go back, the iOS 27 public beta populates where you can download and install it.

These days, getting the public beta on your device is very simple. There are no profiles. There’s no money exchange. There’s nothing like that. It shows up automatically inside of your Settings.

Back up before you install

Before you download and install iOS 27 beta, you do want to go into your Settings and go up to your accounts, go down to iCloud, and you want to make sure to go into iCloud Backup and make sure you have a backup from right before you install the public beta. Just in case something goes wrong, you want to make sure all your data is up to date in your backups. Make sure you do that, and make sure it says the last successful backup was just now.

What to expect from iOS 27 public beta

There are a lot of things that you need to be aware of with the iOS 27 public beta. The first thing that I have to mention is that this is the most stable beta in recent memory. I’ve covered that quite a few times, but with that being said, there will still be bugs.

This is beta software. This is not a final release. It’s not going to be ready until September for the public. This is just a public beta. You are being a beta tester for Apple.

Keep in mind that with these betas, especially iOS 27, things can and will change. You will expect changes to the icons, the way settings are. Don’t get used to anything at this point in the beta, because it will change at some point in the future.

With that comes the responsibility of reporting the bugs in the Feedback application. You’re agreeing to test the software for Apple in exchange for giving feedback on things that may not be working as they should.

Reporting bugs in the Feedback application

Once you have the iOS 27 public beta on your device, you get the Feedback application. If you don’t see it on your Home Screen, search for Feedback. This is where you will be submitting any of the bugs that you come across. Anytime you run into an issue, you could always take a screenshot of it, and you will attach that to your feedback.

Open the Feedback app, go to New Feedback, go to iOS and iPadOS, and then you will fill out the information and you can attach it there. It will pull up the system diagnosis automatically for you and you will add your attachments for the issue, and you can describe what was going wrong. Sometimes Apple will respond to you as well and tell you thank you, and that they’ve fixed that bug in the next version.

If you go into Recent Activity, this is also where you could see the release notes for the upcoming betas as well. If you’re curious about the specific things that have been fixed, this will cover that information there as well. The release notes are focused on code changes for the most part. Your duty as a beta tester is to report those bugs in the Feedback application.

Issues you might run into on iOS 27 public beta

Once you install iOS 27 beta on your device, you will have different issues like frame rate issues. You might have some crashes. You might notice the performance and stability is not as good as it is on the stable build of iOS 26, for example. Your battery life might not be great. I’ve personally had a great experience with battery life so far on the betas, but again, it is still a beta.

Banking and other applications

One question I get asked all the time — a lot of people don’t install the betas because they’re worried about their applications not working, like their banking applications, their investment applications, things like that. But those seem to be issues of the past. These days, I wouldn’t worry about that too much.

I’ve not run into any application that does not work at this point on the iOS 27 public beta. If you’re worried about that, I would say do not worry about it. Pretty much every banking application that I’ve tried and other people have tried has worked just fine on the iOS 27 betas.

Liquid Glass slider

If you go into the Settings app, you go into Appearance, you go into Liquid Glass, we do have a Liquid Glass slider now where you can adjust and tweak the intensity of Liquid Glass system wide. You now have full control over that.

Whereas before, you just had two options. You could choose less opaque or more opaque. But now you have a slider, which is nice.

Lock screen changes

If you go into an application and you swipe down and you have a subject on your lock screen, there’s a cool, funny effect where the subject populates over top of your content.

When you pull down the lock screen, you’ll also notice the compact time up at the top. That is something you could also change in iOS 27. If you tap on that, you have a new button that says Customize. That allows you to have a compact, clean little clock up there at the top of your lock screen. I really liked that personally.

Siri AI

The headlining feature in iOS 27 is going to be Siri AI, the completely revamped version of Siri that has personal context and on-screen awareness. It can perform in-app actions across multiple applications, and has broad world knowledge. There’s even a standalone application now for Siri. If you go into the Siri application, we have our previous chats. It’s like ChatGPT now in pretty much every way, which is awesome.

With the new Siri, I can do a lot more than I could before. For example, I can ask Siri, “Take a look at my screen and tell me where this Apple Store is located.”

What it’s going to do is take a look at my screen with the new on-screen awareness feature. It shows me that that is the Apple Store in Aventura, Miami, which is accurate. So I was able to look at that screen with no context, no details of where I was, and it was able to pinpoint where that was. It shows me the map, I can call directions, all of that, which is cool.

You can also swipe down once you get something in Siri and you can continue in that conversation and go back and forth with Siri in terms of having a conversation. Like I mentioned, Siri also has access to your messages, your contacts, your emails, everything. You could ask questions and it will go into those applications and pull that information for you.

Creating shortcuts with natural language

You can also now create shortcuts using natural language. If you open the Shortcuts app and go to create a new shortcut, you can type in exactly what you want and it will create that shortcut for you. You can say, “make a GIF from a video,” and it will do what’s necessary to create that shortcut. This is a very simple one, but you can get a lot more advanced as well.

It could also build onto that shortcut. It will do that, and you can press play and it will run to see if it’s what you like. You could also tap Edit and you can tweak exactly what’s going on with that shortcut in the builder, or you could go back and continue to talk in natural language to describe the changes and it will go ahead and keep changing that shortcut for you without you having to build the shortcut yourself. You can do it with your words.

Create a Pass in Wallet

Easily one of my favorite iOS 27 features that has become very useful already is the fact that you can now create passes inside the Wallet application. If you open the Wallet app and then go to the plus, at the bottom we have Create a Pass. This allows you to make a custom pass for tickets, memberships, and more. When you do that, you would scan the QR code. If you have it on your phone or take a screenshot, you could pull a screenshot from your Photos and you could do things like add your gym membership to your Apple Wallet.

Every time I go into Planet Fitness, now my gym, I’m able to double click my side button to pull up my Wallet and I scan my membership without having to go all the way into the application and log in, pull up my card. There’s something like five buttons, and about 20 seconds at least that I save every single time I go, because this is now saved into my Wallet. You could do that for anything that’s not previously supported with Apple Wallet, which is convenient.

Extend and Reframe in Photos

In Photos, if you go to Tools, we have Clean Up along with Extend and Reframe. Extend and Reframe are cool because this will allow you to extend the image and make it larger.

You could also reframe. If you want to change the direction or the angle of the photo, you can manipulate it well. You can move it and change the angle at which that photo is taken. It’s neat. It works well.

Clean Up

The Clean Up feature is much better now, because it works using generative AI. For example, if I take a photo and want to hide my hand, it will recreate the shirt behind it. Whereas before it would just leave a black mark. It wouldn’t recreate what was behind where you’re trying to clean up. Now it will do that since it’s using generative AI and not just filling in.

You also have different options. You could choose either Fast or High Quality. High Quality is going to look the best.

Developer beta versus public beta

I do also want to answer a few questions that I get all the time when it comes to iOS beta. The first one is what is the difference in the developer beta and the public beta, and which one should I install? First off, the public beta and the developer beta are typically the exact same. Just one comes after the other.

The developer beta typically comes first and the public beta is released hours or days after the release of the developer beta, but they are typically the exact same. They will have the same build number. It’s just the public beta comes out later. You might be wondering: why does it come out later? It’s because that way you will avoid any potential major issues that might break the software that the developers might’ve had to experience.

The developer beta is a lot more risky because Apple, they’re going to have time to fix it by the time the public beta gets released. But if you install the developer beta and it breaks, you were the guinea pig for that. That’s why I always recommend for most people on their main device to install the public beta instead of the developer beta, especially after the public beta comes out, because a lot of the main features have already been released.

Should you switch from the developer beta?

If it’s your main device, if you only have one device, I would personally switch over from the developer beta to the public beta, because you’re going to avoid some of those more major bugs that could be introduced in the developer beta. Plus, most of the big new features were already added. You’re not going to get as much FOMO as maybe you had for the first couple of betas.

But with that being said, if you are a seasoned beta tester, if you’ve beta tested for years before, you already know what to expect. You know the issues to expect, you know how to navigate those issues. Then sure, stay on the developer beta. There’s no reason to switch over to the public beta, especially if you are a tech nerd like me and you really like having everything as soon as it comes out.

Just know that public betas are well known and well documented for being less risky since they get released afterwards. It gives Apple time to fix the things that might’ve gone wrong in the developer beta.

How to switch

If you do ever want to switch from the developer beta to the public beta, it’s very simple. You go into your Software Updates screen and go into Beta Updates. Then from there, the iOS 27 developer beta and the iOS 27 public beta populate. All you want to do is switch from one to the other. You will select iOS 27 public beta instead of developer beta. Then when you go back, it will start populating the public betas from here on out.

You could always switch back and forth as well. It’s not like something you change one time and you can’t change it again. You could always change back and forth if you would like to.

That is everything you need to know about the iOS 27 public beta. It’s pretty straightforward. It’s pretty simple, but I do want to explain it because there are always new people joining the iOS beta scene. I need to let you know what to expect from it, and the fundamentals of beta testing on iOS.

Tag: iOS 27 beta
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How to type the degree symbol ( ° ) on iPhone, iPad, Mac

by GeeksModo Staff

In this quick guide, we’ll show you how to insert the degree symbol (°) anywhere on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac without copying & pasting it off the internet. You don’t even have to use a third-party app!

When you’re writing something where you want to use the degree symbol, do you just type the word "degrees" instead?

Whether you’re talking about the temperature (25°C or 83°F), angle (90°), the geographic coordinates (28.61° N (latitude) 77.21° E (longitude)), or something similar, you don’t have to use the word ‘degree’. Once you see how easy it is to insert the degree symbol, you’ll wish you had found out sooner!

Type the degree symbol on iPhone and iPad

Inserting the degree sign is super simple if you use the default iOS keyboard on your iPhone or iPad.

  1. Open the app you’re typing in and make sure the keyboard is up and ready.
  2. Access the numeric keyboard by tapping the 123 button.
  3. Press and hold the zero (0) key until the little pop-up appears.
  4. Slide your finger to the degree symbol (°) to select it and release your finger.

The above steps may also work with third-party iPhone and iPad keyboards. For example, it does work with SwiftKey.

Type the degree symbol on Mac

On Mac, it’s even easier! Just use the Shift Option 8 keyboard shortcut to type the degree sign.

With all the useful keyboard shortcuts you can use on Mac, this may be one you’ll forget if you don’t use it often. In that case, just use the emoji keyboard (Character Viewer) to pop in the degree symbol.

If you have Emoji & Symbols in your menu bar, select it, or you can use Edit > Emoji & Symbols from the menu bar for the app. Enter "degree" into the search box, and you’ll see the degree sign appear. Just drag it to the document, email, note, or whatever. If you don’t see it in search results, go to the Punctuation category, and it should appear there.

Tip: If you plan to use the degree sign often, you can add it to your Favorites in the Character Viewer.

Note: You can also use the Text Replacement feature to enter the degree symbol on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. However, it will add a space between the number and the degree symbol (27 ° and not 27°). To fix this, place the cursor to the left of the degree symbol and remove the extra space.

Tag: Keyboard
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iPhone Won’t Turn On in iOS 27? Here’s why (and what to do)

by Dave Johnson

Even the best smartphone is pretty useless if you can’t get it going. Luckily, we have solutions if your iPhone won’t turn on after iOS 27 update.

There is nothing new about the problem of iPhone not turning on as it has existed on almost all iPhone models. This problem has affected many iPhone models, including iPhone 17.

If your iPhone won’t turn on after iOS 27 update, read below to learn why and what you can do about it.

Why won’t my iPhone turn on after iOS 27 update?

Whether you’re rocking an older iPhone 11, or newer iPhone 17, nothing is more frustrating than a device that won’t turn on. Before you give up, there are a few fixable reasons your iPhone may not be powering up after iOS 27 update. If none of the problems below apply to you, it could be time to take your device in for a checkup at an Apple store.

The iPhone is out of battery

The most obvious reason for your iPhone not turning on after iOS 27 update is that the battery is dead. Luckily, this is the easiest solution to fix. On the iPhone 11 and newer, charging from 0—50% takes only 30 minutes.

Fast charging works when you use an Apple USB-C to Lightning cable or USB-C cable and one of these adapters:

  • Apple 18W, 20W,2 29W, 30W, 35W, 61W, 67W, 87W, or 96W, or 140W USB-C Power Adapter
  • A comparable third-party USB-C power adapter that supports USB Power Delivery (USB-PD)

If you’re not sure which Apple Power Adapter you have, check the wattage on the top or bottom of the adapter.

Your charger isn’t working properly

If you left your iPhone to charge up and came back to a device that still won’t turn on, your charger may be the culprit. Faulty third-party chargers or even a worn-out one from Apple are worth replacing. There is also the possibility that the outlet you are plugging into isn’t supplying power.

Your iPhone is frozen

iPhones can sometimes freeze or get stuck on a black screen. Often, this is the result of an outdated version of iOS or a glitchy app.

How to get your iPhone to turn on again

If (fingers crossed) you’re facing a minor issue, one of the solutions below will likely help you get your iPhone turned back on. If your iPhone is completely shot, it may just be time to replace it.

Charge your battery

If your device’s battery is dead, you need to charge it. If iPhone is very low on power, it may display an image of a nearly depleted battery, indicating that it needs to charge for up to 10 minutes before you can use it. If iPhone is extremely low on power when you begin to charge it, the display may be blank for up to 2 minutes before the low-battery image appears. See our troubleshooting guide if your iPhone won’t charge.

To charge iPhone, do any of the following:

  • Connect your iPhone to a power source using the charging cable (included) and an Apple USB power adapter (sold separately).
  • Place iPhone face up on MagSafe Charger or MagSafe Duo Charger (connected to Apple 20W USB-C power adapter or other compatible power adapter) or on a Qi-certified charger. (MagSafe Charger, MagSafe Duo Charger, power adapters, and Qi-certified chargers are sold separately.) Note: You can also use third-party power adapters and Qi-certified chargers that are compliant with applicable country regulations and international and regional safety standards.
  • Connect iPhone and your computer with a cable. Make sure your computer is turned on—if iPhone is connected to a computer that’s turned off, the battery may drain instead of charge. Look for the Charging icon on the battery icon to make sure your iPhone is charging.

WARNING: If your iPhone won’t turn on as a result of water damage, don’t plug the charging cable into it.

Assess your cable, adapter and outlet

If your iPhone doesn’t turn on after trying the above solution, inspect your charging cable, charging adapter and power outlet.

We understand your iPhone stopped charging after iOS 27 update, but the cable is one of the first things to check. Especially if it’s an accessory you’ve had for a long time, possibly since the phone was purchased. Our cables go through plenty of torture. They go with you to many places, not to mention we can often step or trip on them, they often get tangled up, we throw them in bags carelessly, and so on.

Inspect your charging cable thoroughly and see if there are any evident signs of damage. Any rips, bends, cuts, or general damage will be a good reason for cables not functioning correctly. Also, try to charge another device with it and see if it works. If it does, the issue might be the device. You can also try using another cable to see if it will charge your iPhone battery.

If you find out a damaged cable is the issue, go ahead and get a replacement.

Of course, the charging adapter is just as important as the cable. Go ahead and put it through the paces. Inspect it for any damage. Cracks or bent outlets are obvious red flags. Likewise, try using it with other devices and switching it with another brick to see if this is the problem.

Finally, plug something else into the same outlet you’re trying to charge your iPhone with and see if it works. Sometimes outlets go bad, or a section of your home might have electric problems. Additionally, some power sources can be weak. If you find issues with your outlet, try other outlets in the house.

Those trying to charge using a USB port in a computer or power strip might not be getting the juice the iPhone needs to charge correctly. Move to a regular outlet and see if this gets rid of your charging woes.

Check your charging port

If your cable and charger work with other devices, it’s time to start looking at your phone. A common culprit is the charging port. For starters, go ahead and check if there is any dirt or debris in the charging port. Something as simple as a dirty port will mess up your charging. You can try cleaning the charging port with a brush or compressed air.

Have you noticed the charging port feeling loose lately? Charging ports can get worn out with excessive usage. You could also find signs of corrosion in there. Sadly, there isn’t much you can do about this, other than replacing the phone or trying to have the charging port replaced.

Force restart your iPhone

If your device doesn’t charge, force a restart. Your device may have frozen after iOS 27 update and could require juice once it powers up.

To force restart your iPhone, follow the steps below:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.

    4. iPhone won’t turn on still? Contact Apple Support

    If you’ve tried the solutions above, and your iPhone will not turn on, it may have a hardware failure. At this point, your best chance to get your device working is to locate the nearest Apple Store. Apple store employees can help determine what the underlying issue is with your iPhone. If you don’t have an Apple Store nearby, you can also contact Apple for support and service.

    Successfully fixed iPhone not turning on issue

    If your iPhone doesn’t turn on after iOS 27 update, it might be dead or facing issues charging. Finally, you may need to force the device to restart. Let us know which of the above troubleshooting steps fixed your iPhone not turning on issue.

    Tag: Power
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How to fix iPhone not connecting to App Store after iOS 27 update

by Dave Johnson

The iOS App Store is by and large the only way you can get apps on your iPhone and iPad. Naturally, that means if you are, for some reason, unable to use the App Store, it will probably be an annoying experience. Well, if you’ve been facing the infamous “Can’t connect to App Store” error after iOS 27 update, fret not. Here are the best solutions to fix the irritating “cannot connect to App Store error” on your iOS 27 device.

Having encountered the “Can’t connect to App Store” issue on iOS 27 a number of times (everyone once in a while), I can say that the problem mostly occurs due to poor internet connection. However, there are times where it crops up even when the internet connection seems pretty stable.

While the good thing about this issue is that you can get rid of it with ease, the bad thing is it will keep coming every now and then. So, it’s better to be always prepared for the problem with quick fixes.

How to Fix an iPhone That Cannot Connect to App Store in iOS 27

There are several ways to fix an iOS 27 device that cannot connect to App Store. If your iPhone won’t open App Store after iOS 27 update, try these fixes, in this order:

1. Turn Off/On Airplane Mode

Whenever I face connectivity issues on my iPhone, the one quick solution that I go after is to toggle Airplane mode. And guess what, it helps me sort out the problem – more often than not. So, I’m going to bet on it to resolve the “cannot connect to App Store” after iOS 27 update issue as well.

Basically, just force quit App Store and then turn on/off Airplane mode.

If your iPhone has Face ID, swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to bring up the control center.

If your iPhone has touch ID, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to bring up the control center.

Now, tap on the Airplane mode button to turn it on. Wait for some time and then tap on the Airplane mode button to turn it off. Now, launch App Store to check if the problem is gone. If it has, go ahead with your daily chores. If it hasn’t, keep reading.

2. Restart the App Store app

Sometimes a simple force close is all you need when your iOS 27 device cannot connect to App Store! You can do this by simply swiping up from the bottom of the screen and then swiping up on the App Store on the app switcher. After you quit the App, check if your iOS 27 device can now connect to App Store.

3. Toggle Wi-Fi off and on

Just like with Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi problems could be the reason why your iOS 27 device cannot connect to App Store. Not to mention, your network may very well be having simple connection issues. Toggle Wi-Fi on and off, and check if your iOS 27 device can connect to App Store.

  1. Bring up your iPhone’s Control Center, as mentioned above.
  2. In the top-left block, check if the Wi-Fi is already switched on and lit up as blue. Tap to turn it off if so
  3. Wait a few seconds.
  4. Tap the icon to turn on your iPhone’s Wi-Fi again.

4. Toggle Your iPhone’s Cellular Data off and on

If you are using cellular data to access the App Store, turning your iPhone’s Cellular data function off and back on may fix the issue you are experiencing. It may seem too simple or easy, but refreshing your cellular data connection could solve the problem of iPhone cannot connect to App Store in iOS 27. Try switching mobile data off and on, and see if the problem persists. To do this:

  1. Launch your iPhone’s Control Center, by swiping down from top right of your screen.
  2. In the top-left block, check if the Cellular Data icon (an antenna) is already switched on and lit up as green. Tap to turn it off if so
  3. Wait a few seconds.
  4. Tap the icon to turn on your iPhone’s cellular data again.

5. Restart your router

In some cases, you can fix the problem of iOS 27 not connecting to App Store by simply restarting your router. It might seem silly, but give it a try, and you might affect the Wi-Fi magic enough to get App Store going again. Some routers allow restarts to be triggered through an app, while others may have a physical button. If yours has neither, you can unplug the router’s power source and plug it back in.

6. Restart your phone

It’s simple, but turning your iPhone off and back on can resolve hidden software issues that may be preventing the App Store from opening. When you turn off your iPhone, the operating system shuts down all the little background programs that help your iPhone to run. When you turn it back on, they all start fresh, and sometimes that’s enough to fix a software glitch that had been preventing the App Store from opening. This will take a minute or two and might work.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap Shut Down.
  4. Press the Side button to power your iPhone back on.

7. Check Apple’s System Status for App Store

Whenever Apple’s servers face an outage, a number of features and services (i.e iCloud backup, iCloud Drive, App Store, Siri, etc.) are affected. So, if App Store is still not working on your iOS 27 device, it would be apt to check the system status of the App Store.

Go to Apple’s system status page and then make sure the circle to the left of the App Store is green. If the circle is yellow, there are some technical issues with App Store. And in such a situation, you can’t do anything but wait for Apple to resolve the problem.

8. Check your date and time settings

Out of sync Date & Time settings can cause all sorts of different problems. It’s possible your iOS 27 device thinks it’s stuck in the past or the future, which could be preventing it from connecting to the App Store.

You can fix the time and date settings of your iOS 27 device with these steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap on General.
  3. Select Date & time.
  4. Toggle the Set automatically toggle to get your time from the internet.

9. Disable your VPN

VPNs are great to work with, but they tend to create connectivity issues for App Store. Plenty of users have reported that their iOS 27 device cannot connect to App Store when a VPN is enabled.

If your iOS 27 device has a VPN installed in it, then you should disable it.

Follow these steps to remove VPN settings on in iPhone running iOS 27:

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap on General.
  3. Tap on VPN & Device Management.
  4. Disable any active VPN.

10. Update iOS

To ward off miscellaneous bugs and also enhance performance, Apple rolls out software updates frequently. Thus, you can get rid of random iOS 27 issues just by updating the software – in most cases. If none of the above-mentioned solutions has worked in resolving the iOS 27 App Store issues, updating the software could be the right answer.

You can update iOS wirelessly by following the steps below:

  1. Start the Settings app.
  2. Select General.
  3. Tap Software update.
  4. If an iOS update is available, tap download and install.

11. Reset Network Settings

Resetting network settings to factory default is another reliable solution that you can count on to troubleshoot the "cannot connect to App Store" problem in iOS 27. So, if the problem seems to be persistent, there is no harm in giving it a shot.

Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset. Here, tap on Reset Network Settings. Next up, you need to enter your device passcode. You may also need to enter your Screen Time passcode to proceed. Finally, tap on **Reset Network Settings **to finish.

12. Sign Out of Your Apple account and Sign Back In

On a few occasions, I am able to troubleshoot the App Store issues on my iPhone by signing out of my Apple account and signing back in. While this solution might seem to be unrelated, it does work in resolving the App Store problems.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on your profile. Next, tap on Sign Out and then follow the instructions to sign out of your iOS 27 device. Up next, launch the Settings app on your device and then sign back in.

13. Reset all iPhone settings

We’re now coming to slightly more drastic solutions. If your iOS 27 device still cannot connect to App Store, then you may need to reset all settings on your device. Doing this won’t erase your data, but it can solve the problem of iPhone not connecting to App Store after iOS 27 update.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  4. Select Reset.
  5. Choose Reset All Settings.

14. Reset your iPhone to factory settings

If all else fails and your iOS 27 device cannot connect to app store, wipe your iPhone clean and give it a fresh start. At this point, we have no idea what could be causing your App Store discrepancies, but resetting your iPhone to factory defaults will likely fix most of your issues, as it deletes everything on the device and leaves it the way it was when you turned it on for the very first time. You can perform a factory reset by following the instructions below:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  4. Select Erase All Content and Settings.

15. Get help from Apple

If you tried all these steps and your iOS 27 device still cannot connect to App Store, you need help from the experts at Apple. You can get online or phone support at the Apple website, or make an appointment at the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store for in-person help.

Solutions to Troubleshoot Can’t Connect to App Store Error in iOS 27

That’s all there is to it! Hopefully, App Store has once again started to work as usual. Since the “cannot connect to App Store” error usually occurs due to an inconsistent internet connection, the first couple of methods we have mentioned should solve the problem in most cases. However, it can also happen due to bugs and App Store outages.

So, which of these tricks managed to resolve the App Store problems on your iOS 27 device? Let us know in the comments section below.

Tag: App Store
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How to fix iOS 27 battery drain on iPhone

by Chris Smith

A lot of users have complained that their iPhone battery is draining faster after iOS 27 beta update. In this article, i’ll show you what the likely culprit is, what you can do, and what other factors could be behind the sudden battery drain after iOS 27 update.

How to fix iOS 27 beta battery drain on iPhone

1. Be patient!

It’s completely normal to notice a drop in battery life after installing a new iOS update. This happens because your iPhone is busy performing a bunch of background tasks that require extra power.

Don’t worry, though — your battery life should return to normal once these tasks are completed. It’s just a matter of giving your device a little time to settle down.

2. Try a few tweaks

While you’re waiting for your iPhone to finish its post-update tasks, here are a few tips that might help extend iOS 27 battery life:

  • Decrease Screen Brightness: If you want to help preserve some battery on iOS 27, the best thing to do is simply lower your screen brightness.
  • Disable Wi-Fi Assist: This feature uses cellular data when your Wi-Fi connection is weak, which can drain your iPhone’s battery. To turn it off, go to Settings > Cellular, then scroll down and switch off Wi-Fi Assist.
  • Reduce the motion of your iPhone UI: The iOS 27 user interface has some fun, sleek animations. These visual tricks help bring the slab of metal and glass in your hand to life. Unfortunately, they can also reduce your phone’s battery life. If you want subtler animations across iOS 27, you can enable the Reduce Motion setting. To do this, go to Settings > Accessibility > Motion and toggle on Reduce Motion.
  • Use Dark Mode: On OLED ‌iPhone‌ displays, activating Dark Mode preserves battery life because there’s less power draw when darker colored pixels are displayed. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness and chooseDark.
  • Turn Off Haptic Keyboard Feedback: Haptic feedback on the ‌iPhone‌’s keyboard is satisfying to feel when you tap on the on-screen keys, but it does drain your battery. You can turn it off by going to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Keyboard Feedback and toggling off Haptic.
  • Turn Off Fitness Tracking: Your ‌iPhone‌ has a Fitness Tracking feature that stores motion data to estimate your body movements, mobility, step counts, stairs climbed, and more. If you have an Apple Watch or another fitness tracker, you don’t need this setting and it could be contributing to unnecessary battery usage. To turn it off, open up the Settings app and go to Privacy and Security > Motion and Fitness and then toggle off the Fitness Tracking setting.

3. Connect to Wi-Fi When It’s Available

This tip is straight from Apple. Whenever you’re somewhere that has a Wi-Fi connection available, it’s a good idea to use it over cellular.

Wi-Fi uses less power than cellular, and a cellular connection can be one of the biggest battery drains in iOS 27.

When in a place with low signal that’s constantly cutting out or no signal, go even further and turn on Airplane mode. When your ‌iPhone‌ is constantly searching for a better cellular signal, it impacts battery life.

4. Update your apps

Sometimes, the issue with battery life or performance might not be due to iOS 27 but rather apps that haven’t been updated to work with the latest version. When Apple releases a new iOS version, it’s crucial to ensure all your apps are up-to-date before diving into troubleshooting.

To update your apps, open the App Store app and tap your profile icon in the top-right corner. Then, tap App Updates. I like to pull down on this screen to refresh it, ensuring I see all the latest updates available. Tap Update All.

5. Check for rogue apps

If you’ve tried all the previous steps and your iOS 27 battery drain issue persist, it might be due to a rogue app consuming more power than it should. Fortunately, iOS provides tools to help you track down these misbehaving apps.

Go to Settings > Battery: Here, you’ll find a wealth of information, including App and System Activity. This section shows you which apps are using the most power.

Tap on an App to see how much power each app is using while on the screen and in the background.

You can use this information to diagnose battery drain issues. Here are some other things you can use this information for:

  • Identify Background Activity: If an app shows a lot of background activity compared to on screen activity, it might be running excessively in the background. You can try disabling background activity for that app by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turning it off for the problematic app.

These insights can help you diagnose and address iOS 27 battery drain issues effectively.

6. Check App Access Settings

Many apps request access permissions that they don’t need and probably shouldn’t have access to. Apps that don’t need but use Bluetooth or Location can drain your battery life, so it’s best to check all of your app settings for both battery preservation and privacy purposes.

  • Location – Settings > Privacy and Security > Location Services.
  • Bluetooth – Settings > Privacy and Security > Bluetooth.
    • In each of these sections, toggle off access for apps that don’t need this data. An app that connects to something in your home via Bluetooth does need Bluetooth, but apps like Waze, Facebook, and YouTube often don’t need it.

It’s also a good idea to turn off background refresh for apps that don’t need to be updating in the background. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh to check your settings.

7. Consider replacing your battery

Is your iPhone feeling a bit old? If your device is three years or older, it might be time to consider replacing the battery.

Go to Settings > Battery, then tap Battery Health (on iPhone 15 and later) or Battery Health & Charging (on iPhone 14 and earlier). From here, you can check your battery’s Maximum Capacity.

If the level is below 80%, it indicates that your battery is worn out and might need a replacement.

Keeping an eye on your battery health can ensure your iPhone continues to perform well.

8. Wait for the next iOS 27 update

Sometimes, bugs can slip through the cracks, and all you can do is wait for Apple to address the issue with a new update. Apple has been improving its response to fixing these problems, but it does require some patience. There’s always a bit of a gamble involved, as you hope the new update resolves the issue without introducing new ones.

Have a useful iOS 27 battery saving tip that we didn’t mention here? Let us know in the comments below.

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iPad Speaker Sounds Muffled! Here’s The Fix.

by GeeksModo Staff

A lot of the day-to-day tasks on your iPad revolve around functional speakers. When your iPad speakers aren’t working, you can’t enjoy music, talk to someone on speaker during a FaceTime call, or hear the alerts you receive. This problem can be incredibly frustrating, but it can also be fixed. In this article, I’ll explain what to do if your iPad speaker sounds muffled!

Software Vs. Hardware Issues

A muffled iPad speaker can be the result of a software problem or a hardware problem. The software tells your iPad what sounds to play and when to play them. The hardware (the physical speakers) then plays the noise so you can hear it.

We can’t be sure what type of problem this is yet, so we’ll start with the software troubleshooting steps. If those steps don’t fix your iPad speaker, we’ll recommend a few great repair options!

Is Your iPad Set To Silent?

When your iPad is in silent mode, the speaker won’t make any noise when you receive a notification. To check, open Control Center and look for the silent mode icon — if it’s turned on, tap it to turn it off. You can also press and hold the Volume Down button to toggle silent mode.

Turn The Volume All The Way Up

If the volume on your iPad is low, it may sound like the speakers are muffled when you receive a FaceTime call or notification.

To turn up the volume on your iPad, unlock it and press the volume up button on the top or side of your iPad (location varies by model) until the volume is all the way up.

You can also adjust the volume on your iPad by going to Settings > Sounds and dragging the volume slider all the way to the right.

If you want to have the option to turn up the volume using the buttons on your iPad, make sure Change with Buttons is turned on under Settings > Sounds.

Take Off Your iPad Case

If you have a bulky case for your iPad, or if the case was put on upside down, it could make the speaker sound muffled. Try taking your iPad out of its case and playing a sound.

Clean Out Any Gunk From The Speaker

Your iPad speakers can quickly get filled with lint, dirt, or other debris, especially if it has been sitting in your bag all day. Try wiping off the speaker with a microfiber cloth. For more compacted gunk or debris, use an anti-static or an unused toothbrush to clean out your speaker.

Back Up Your iPad And Put It In Recovery Mode

Before you run to your local Apple Store to get a hardware repair done, let’s make sure we’re absolutely certain that the speaker is broken. A recovery mode restore is the last step you can take to completely rule out any type of software problem causing your iPad speaker to sound muffled.

First, backup your iPad. A recovery mode restore erases then reloads all the code on your iPad. You’ll want a recent iPad backup so you don’t lose your contacts, photos, messages, and more.

You can back up your iPad using Finder on a Mac, the Apple Devices app on a PC, or iCloud.

After you’ve backed up your iPad, put your iPad in recovery mode by connecting it to your computer and following recovery mode steps for your specific model.

Before checking if your speakers work, go through steps 1-4 again and then try to play music or use your speaker on a FaceTime call. If the speaker still sounds muffled, it’s time to look into repair options.

Repairing Your iPad Speaker

Apple offers repairs for iPad speakers. You can schedule an appointment at the Genius Bar or use their mail-in service by visiting their support center.

If you have an older iPad, you may want to consider upgrading to a new one instead of paying out of pocket to repair your old one. New iPads have better speaker systems that are great for listening to music or streaming videos.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Now that you’ve reached the end of the article, we’ve either solved your speaker problem or at least figured out that you need a repair. If your problem was fixed, let us know which step helped you figure it out — this might help others with the same problem. Regardless, if you have any other questions, leave them in the comments below!

Tag: Sound
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Does Walmart Take Apple Pay?

by GeeksModo Staff

Walmart has more than 10,800 stores and clubs worldwide. It is the world’s largest retailer. As of now, Walmart stores do not accept Apple Pay at in-store checkouts. Walmart accepts cards from Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. A lot of major retailers, stores, restaurants, and shops accept Apple Pay, but unfortunately, Walmart is not one of them.

It seems that Walmart does not accept Apple Pay because they want people to use their own mobile payment system, Walmart Pay. This means that Walmart does not also accept Google Wallet and Samsung Pay. It further seems that, for now, Walmart is committed to its own Walmart Pay platform, which is a QR code-based system designed exclusively for Walmart shoppers.

The only mobile payment that Walmart takes is Walmart Pay. You can, however, use Walmart Pay with your iPhone. Here is how:

Using your iPhone to make purchases at Walmart

  1. Walmart Pay is a feature in the Walmart app. Download the Walmart app. Open the App Store app on your iPhone and then tap the Search icon and find the Walmart app and tap Get and download it.
  2. Open the Walmart app on your iPhone.
  3. Go to Services > Walmart Pay.
  4. Tap Set Up Walmart Pay.
  5. And follow the onscreen instructions and register your card. And your Walmart Pay is ready to use when you go to your Walmart store next time.
  6. To use the app, you need to scan a QR code at the register.

Furthermore, it seems that Walmart has no plans to accept Apple Pay.

You can use your Apple Card at Walmart.

Apple Pay is Apple’s payment service that lets you use your iPhone or Apple Watch to make purchases.

Finding Apple Pay places

Do you avoid stores that do not accept Apple Pay? Do you want to know which stores take Apple Pay before you go? Then there is an easy want to do that. Here is how:

  1. On your iOS or iPadOS device, open Apple Maps.
  2. Find the place you want to go.
  3. Tap the result you want to check. An info card will be displayed.
  4. Scroll down and find the “Useful to Know” section.
  5. If the place takes Apple Pay, it will say “Accepts Apple Pay”.

Costco, one of the world’s largest retailers, accepts Apple Pay.

In conclusion, Apple Pay is not accepted at all Walmart locations. How long will Walmart refuse Apple Pay? We do not know. But we know that Walmart may change this in the future. Because this policy does not attract the tech-savvy customers. We will update this article if Walmart changes this.

Apple Pay launched in October 2014.

Tag: Apple Pay
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The 7 Best Call Blockers for iPhone and Android

by Moses Johnson

Phone spam and scam are on the rise, with no signs of stopping. Luckily, you can take a few actions on your own to get rid of spam calls. For instance, you can set your iPhone or Android phone to block specific phone numbers. Mobile carriers offer blocking tools too. On top of that, you can register your mobile and landline phone numbers with the FTC’s Do Not Call Registry, though that won’t stop scammers and disreputable telemarketers from calling you.

The best option is to install a call blocking application on the smartphone to automatically block scammers, telemarketers, robocalls, and other spam. Many call blockers strive to protect you from spam and identify unknown callers. Let’s get a closer look at the best call blocking apps for iPhone and Android smartphones.

#1 REKK Call Blocker

REKK is relatively new on the market, but it has already gained trust among iPhone and Android users. It’s a powerful solution for identifying unknown callers with an option to block unwanted phone numbers. The database with spam numbers is frequently updated, which makes REKK a perfect tool for identifying spam. Besides, the app allows you to block incoming messages with specific keywords, like "special offer", "sale", and others. Thanks to this feature, you’ll forget about annoying SMS during Black Friday.

Additionally, you can use a reverse number lookup to check data about the caller if you’ve missed a call, including the company, its category, location, official website, and additional contact information. To make the app work, you’ll need to configure the app in the settings of your smartphone. The built-in instruction in the app will help you set up the call blocking feature.

REKK is compatible with iOS and Android

#2 RoboKiller: Block Spam Calls

With RoboKiller, you can eliminate up to 99% of spam calls coming to your phone number. The utility helps you filter and control incoming phone calls by automatically blocking and adding to the blocklist any unwanted caller. Unwanted callers are blocked without bothering you. On top of that, you can keep essential contacts or any new number safe by adding it to your Allow List. So the app will never block important callers by mistake. If you’re expecting an important call from an unknown number, you can temporarily pause the call blocking feature.

RoboKiller allows you to recognize SMS spam by notifying you of unwanted text messages. It’s also possible to report any specific number or an unknown caller to RobKiller’s spam blocker and protect other users from spammers. RoboKiller is free to download. A subscription is required to use the service, but you can try it out completely free for seven days.

RoboKiller is compatible with iOS and Android.

#3 Truecaller

Truecaller is among the most-used free spam blocking apps on the market with many valuable features. It’s a multifunctional app that allows you to identify and block spam calls or SMS, search for unknown numbers, call and chat with friends. To help you avoid spam calls and text messages, Truecaller identifies spam automatically before you pick up and filters unwanted callers. Besides, the app provides users with the reverse lookup feature to search for any spam number in the app’s database to check who its owner is.

Other than call blocking and identification, the app comes with in-built call dialer and messenger. You can call your friends directly from the app and chat with them at no cost. The app is free, but you get more features with the premium subscription: know who viewed your profile, get 30 contact requests per month, and remove all ads.

You can install the app on Android and iOS smartphones.

#4 Hiya: Spam Phone Call Blocker

Hiya is one of the most-used spam blocking tools on the market. It comes in very handy when you’re looking for reliable protection from telemarketers, robocalls, fraud calls like neighbour spoofing, and debt collectors. The app identifies and blocks spam calls automatically and allows you to get rid of the "neighbor spoofing" calls from numbers that look similar to yours. The global database will let you know who’s calling you, where they work and if they make annoying calls to other Hiya users.

Additionally, the app provides a number lookup that lets you check any phone number and find out the caller’s true name. The app is paid and offers monthly and yearly subscriptions.

Download the app from Google Play or App Store.

#5 Robo Shield Spam Call Blocker

Robo Shield is a perfect tool to stop annoying spam calls. The app was developed by Pango, a mobile security company trusted by over 650 million users worldwide. Robo Shield allows you to create blocklists of your contacts or block callers by categories such as spam, scam, political, telemarketers, etc. Unlike other apps from the list, this service updates its spam number database every six minutes.

With Robo Shield, you can quickly look up any unknown number and instantly know if you have been contacted by scammers, spammers, telemarketers, etc. The app comes with a monthly subscription that costs $2.99/month.

The app is compatible with iOS and Android.

#6 Nomorobo Robocall Blocking

Nomorobo is one of the best call blockers that can bring peace and quiet back to your life. The app protects users from annoying robocalls, telemarketers, spam texts, and phone scammers. It comes with real-time protection from over 3,200,000 spam numbers and identifies over 1,500 robocallers daily. On top of that, Nomorobo protects you from text spam and phishing attempts. It also allows you to send spam calls directly to voicemail.

The app is privacy-friendly and never accesses your call logs. It has already stopped 1.5 billion robocalls since 2013 and is trusted by over 2,500,000 people every day. Nomorobo provides a 14-day free trial for you to try the app and decide if it meets your needs.

You can download the app from App Store and Google Play.

#7 AT&T Call Protect

This is a well-received tool that may benefit AT&T network users. The app provides you with 24/7 automatic fraud call blocking and detects spam before your phone even rings. It sends unknown callers to voicemail and warns you of telemarketers, nonprofits, surveys, account services, private or political callers. You can also add particular callers to your personal blocklist.

AT&T Call Protect isn’t just a call blocker app. It is a community of people who help one another get rid of spam and report spam numbers. The app comes with a premium subscription that offers a caller ID feature and reverse number lookup.

You can download the app from the App Store and Google Play.

Tag: iOS apps
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How to Turn Off Google AI Overviews on iPhone and Mac

by Dave Johnson

You can turn off Google AI overview. Here’s How to do it on iPhone, iPad or Mac

Annoyed by AI summaries taking over your search results page? There’s no official way to turn off Google AI overview on iPhone or Mac, but there are a few tricks you can try to stop seeing them so often.

Google’s AI Overviews have largely taken over Search at this point. The feature, which summarizes information and answers questions without requiring you to click on any links, has decimated web traffic for publishers, and produced numerous factual errors. Google has since upgraded AI Overviews with Gemini 3 as the default model globally, and is now merging the feature with a deeper conversational AI Mode—making overviews even more pervasive. I also just find the feature intrusive.

When it comes to AI products, it’s hard to tell if you’re dealing with a work in progress or a finished product. This is why I’ve invested so much time in trying to remove Google AI overviews from my web searches. Unfortunately, there’s no official way to disable them. Still, I’ve discovered that a few tweaks can make Google’s AI-infused answers a little less prominent.

How to turn off Google AI Overviews on iPhone and Mac

As mentioned above, you can’t really turn off AI Overviews — at least not officially. But you can hide and avoid them. Here’s how.

1. Use ‘-AI’ in your search query

Of all the ways to remove AI Overviews from Google, this one is my favorite because it’s the easiest and works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. All you have to do is use the NOT (–) operator that modifies search to exclude certain parameters. In this example, searching who owns Instagram will generate an overlay, as seen below.

AI overview in Google Search results

However, by adding something like -AI at the end of the search query, the AI Overview will be stripped from the results page. This isn’t because Google added an AI kill switch in its code. Rather, the modifier is breaking Google’s algorithm to surface the AI overlay. In my testing, I got the same results if I added random characters at the end, such as -i or -efewg, but I find -AI to be more fun.

Google results with zero AI (works on iPhone and Mac)

2. Switch Back to Web Results

Around the same time Google rolled out the AI Overviews in full, it also introduced a new Web filter for search results. This essentially returns you to traditional search results. When AI snippets annoy me, I can get rid of them by clicking the Web filter underneath the search bar. If it isn’t visible, click the More button and select it from the menu that appears. Once the Web filter is selected, the AI Overview panel will be removed from Google search results.

Unfortunately, I can’t set it to be the default view for all my searches, so it’d be a pain to manually choose the tab each time Google serves up an AI result (which is basically every time at this point). This filter isn’t a magic button that brings back the old Google; it’s simply meant to be for web links what the Image filter is for images. That means YouTube previews and search snippets won’t appear when this filter is used—it’s web links only all the way down.

Note: You may also see an AI Mode tab alongside the Web, Images, and Videos filters. AI Mode is a separate, deeper conversational search experience powered by Gemini—tapping it will take you further into AI-generated results, not away from them. Make sure you’re selecting Web, not AI Mode.

3. Use a Proxy Site (or Create Your Own)

When you click the Web tab, Google adds a short string of characters to the URL, which signals it should only show you web links. You can do this manually by adding &udm=14 to the end of a search results URL. If that seems too tedious, the proxy site udm14.com works as a Google search bar with AI Overviews stripped out. As a word of warning, a proxy site can potentially read your search queries, so consider your comfort level before proceeding.

If you don’t want to risk it, just make your own. this website has instructions on how to set Google Web as your default search engine in Chrome and Firefox. I tested it out in Chrome on my iPhone, and it seems to really work! All I had to do was visit the link above, then open a new tab and search for something with Google. I then tapped the three-dot menu in the bottom right corner of the browser, went to Settings > Search engine, and selected the Google Web entry under Recently visited.

Chrome Settings on iPhone

I also decided to set it up on my Mac, which works a bit differently. I went to Settings > Search engine > Manage search engines and site search, then clicked the Add button next to Site search. Chrome had me enter a name (Google Web) and shortcut (@web), but most importantly was the {google:baseURL}search?q=%s&udm=14 code I added to the URL with %s in place of query box. I then had to locate the Google Web entry in the list of site search shortcuts, click the three-dot icon, and choose Make default.

Now, when I search from Chrome on my iPhone or Mac, it only gives me web links in the results—and no AI overviews in sight! However, keep in mind that this also means no multimedia links too, but if I can’t find what I’m looking for, all I have to do is use the Videos or News tabs. I can even hit the All filter to get back to the AI-filled version of Google, if there are any results I might be missing.

Turn off google AI overview on iPhone and Mac

4. Use AI free search engine

If you use Safari instead of Chrome, things are more limited. Safari on iPhone (iOS 26) and Mac (macOS 26 Tahoe) only lets you choose from a fixed list of search engines—Google, Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia—and does not support custom search URLs like the udm=14 trick.

On iPhone: Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Search Engine and pick an alternative like DuckDuckGo, which doesn’t use AI overviews in its results.

On Mac: Open Safari, go to Safari > Settings, click the Search tab, then use the Search engine dropdown to select an alternative.

If you prefer to stick with Google results but want to avoid AI Overviews on your iPhone or Mac, your best bet is to use Chrome instead of Safari. Chrome on both platforms supports the custom search engine method described above. Alternatively, you can look for Safari extensions in the App Store (such as "Customize Search Engine") that allow you to set a custom default search URL, though availability and reliability of third-party extensions may vary.

Tag: Google
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