In my previous newsletter article, I mentioned that Apple announced the latest versions of their mobile operating systems (iOS15 and iPadOS 15), highlighting some of the new features. With iOS15 and iPadOS 15 now available I thought it would be fitting to provide some tips on how to better use the mobile devices running this operating system.
Manage Home Screen Pages
It is possible to rearrange or delete entire home screens.
To rearrange your Home Screen:
- Touch and hold an empty space on the Home Screen to enter edit (wiggle) mode.
- Tap on the row of dots at the bottom of the screen indicating the pages of your Home Screen.
- All the pages of your Home Screen appear in a grid. Touch and drag a page to rearrange it in relation to your other pages. The other pages will move in response to your drag action.
- Tap “Done” in the top-right corner of the screen when you have finished editing.
To delete a Home Screen page:
- Touch and hold an empty space on the Home Screen to enter edit (wiggle) mode.
- Tap on the row of dots at the bottom of the screen indicating the pages of your Home Screen.
- All the pages of your Home Screen appear in a grid. Tap on the tick under the page that you want to delete.
- Tap the minus (-) icon in the top-left corner of the screen to delete it.
- A message will be displayed asking you to confirm, tap “Remove”.
- Tap “Done” in the top-right corner of the screen when you have finished editing.
When you delete a Home Screen page, the apps remain in the App Library. If you want to add an app back to a Home screen you will need to drag them from the App Library onto the Home Screen.
Use the camera to scan any text
This is a very useful feature; it can be accessed directly through the camera app or from with another app. For me personally, I find this very handy as I can scan text from within my AAC app (Proloquo4Text) and then “speak” the text.
I do find it can take a moment for the device to process the text though. The text recognition while not perfect, is extremely good!
To access this feature from the camera app:
- Open the Camera app.
- Point the camera at the text you would like to scan.
- When the device is ready, an icon will appear on the right-hand-side of the display, and a yellow bounding box is shown around the text being scanned.
- Tap on that icon.
- Once the text has been scanned you can choose how you want to use that text.
To access the text scan feature from within an app:
- Open your app, it will need to be an app that supports text input.
- Double tap, to bring up the context menu.
- Tap the scan text icon. A view of what is visible by the camera is displayed. A yellow bounding box is shown around the text being scanned with an “Insert” button.
- When you are ready, tap the “Insert” button.
Scan/extract text from any photo
Using the same underlining technology, you can copy any text in a photo. Similar to the real-time text scanning, it takes a moment for the text to be analysed.
To extract text from a photo:
- Open the photos app.
- Open the photo containing text.
- Tripple tap, or long press on the text to bring up a menu with options. From here you can use the text as you wish. If the photo contains a phone number, you will have the option to make a call to the number.
Safari tweaks
The Safari browser received a major update. For those who like using a lot of browser tabs (such as myself) it is now possible to create tab groups. This way your tabs can be organised into categories of your choosing.
To organise your tabs into groups:
- Tap the tab button at the bottom right of the screen.
- A grid of tabs you already have open is displayed.
- Hold down the tab number at the bottom of the screen to create a group with the current tabs, or you can create a completely new group of empty tabs to start browsing a particular topic.
- Alternatively, long press on the URL/address bar. This will open a menu with an option to “Move to Tab Group” – this includes an option to create a new tab group.
In the new version of Safari the URL/address bar has been moved to the bottom of the screen. If you prefer having it at the top of the screen that can be changed.
To move the URL/address bar to top of the screen:
- Tap on “Settings”.
- Scroll down to locate and tap on “Safari”. Top tip, pulling down on the setting screen will display a “Search” box at the top of the setting. Typing in there will enable you to quickly find an app or setting you are looking for.
- Scroll down to the “Tabs” section and tap “Single Tab”.
While you are in Safari’s settings you may enable “Hide IP Address” (although it is likely to be enabled by default). This is yet one more feature in Apple’s efforts to improve your privacy.
To enable “Hide IP Address” :
- Tap on “Settings”.
- Scroll down to locate and tap on “Safari”.
- Scroll down to the “Privacy & Security” section and tap “Hide IP Address”.
- Tap “From Trackers”.
iCloud Private Relay
For those concerned about privacy, Apple now offers a Private Relay option to paid iCloud subscribers – soon to be called iCloud+. Private Relay is a stripped-down virtual private network (VPN) – in effect this means your IP address and browsing activity is hidden from other parties, including Apple.
To enable iCloud Private Relay:
- Tap on “Settings”.
- Tap on your account name.
- Tap on “iCloud”.
- Tap on “Private Reply”.
- Tap on the Private Replay switch to enable.
Recovery contacts
Were you to lose or be locked out of your device, Recovery Contacts may prove to be a great help. A Recovery contact enables you to select a person you trust as your “phone a friend for help”. They will then be able to provide you with a recovery key to access your and recover your data. They will not be able to access your data, merely verify your identity. They will need a device running iOS15 or iPadOS 15 or later. Apple also requires the person to be 13 years or older.
To enable Recovery Contacts:
- Tap on “Settings”.
- Tap on your account name.
- Tap on “Password & Security”.
- Tap on “Account Recovery”.
- Tap on “Add Recovery Contact”.
- Tap “Add Recovery Contact” you will be asked to authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID.
- If you’re using “Family Sharing” one of these group members is recommended. Alternatively, you can choose one of your contacts. A message will be sent to your contact asking them to accept or decline your request. Note, if a family member is selected, they’re added automatically. After they’ve accepted your request, you will see a message that they have been added as your account recovery contact. Should they decline or remove themselves as your recovery contact you will receive a notification.
Now, should you ever be unable to access your Apple account/device for whatever reason, your recovery contact will be able to provide you with a 6-digit code that you enter on your device to log back in.
Set Background Sounds
Amongst the raft of accessibility features you will find background sounds. The six sounds to choose from are similar to third-party noise generating apps, and are aimed at masking unwanted environmental noise.
To enable Background Sounds:
- Tap on “Settings”.
- Scroll down and tap on “Accessibility”.
- Scroll down and tap on “Audio/Visual”.
- Tap on “Background Sounds”.
- Tap the Background Sounds switch to enable and set your preferences.
Customise accessibility settings per app
iOS15 and iPadOS 15 also introduced the ability to customise the accessibility setting to individual apps. This means if there is one particular app that needs some adjustments, these can be applied on to that app, rather than the entire system.
To set per app accessibility settings:
- Tap on “Settings”.
- Scroll down and tap on “Accessibility”.
- Scroll down and tap on “Per-App Settings”.
- Tap “Add App”.
- Browse through the list of apps and select the app you wish to apply the settings too.
- From the list of added app, tap the app, and apply the required settings.
There are many more features and tips to enable you to use your iPhone or iPad more effectively. Should you require support or have a question please feel free to contact me.
Lastly, if you would like to have a particular topic covered in the next newsletter, please let me know.
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- Featured in the Karten Autumn 2021 Newsletter
- This article is listed in the following subject areas: Technology, Update from Technology Advisor