While it showcases the power of different Apple devices working in unison, it serves little use when it comes to practicality. Let me share why and then show you how to stop seeing iOS app widgets on Mac’s Edit Widget screen.

But first, the basics.

How to add iPhone app widgets to Mac

1. Right-click on your Mac’s desktop and choose Edit Widgets.
2. You will automatically see your iPhone apps on the left. Select one to see their widgets.
3. Take the mouse pointer over a widget and click the green plus button to add it to your Mac’s desktop, or use drag and drop.

You can repeat the above steps to add as many widgets as you like on your computer desktop.

Additionally, you can click the date and time from the top right corner of your Mac’s screen to open the Notification Center. After that, click Edit Widgets from the bottom to add iPhone widgets to the Notification Center or the desktop.

Why iOS app widgets provide almost zero usefulness on Mac

Let me put my point with these four reasons.

1. No interaction

After you add your first iPhone app widget to your Mac’s desktop and click it, you will notice that the widgets cannot do anything. It will show “Open app on iPhone to continue.”

You cannot interact with the widget. The only thing a few iPhone app widgets on Mac do is they can possibly show some stagnant information there. (One such useful app is the Chrono World Clock app, whose iOS app widget on Mac shows the time in added cities.)

Secondly, most Apple widgets like Batteries, Reminders, Notes, Podcasts, etc., are already available natively on Mac, so there is no use in adding an iPhone version to your Mac. And even if you did, you won’t be able to interact with those widgets.

2. No widget editing

You can right-click on an added widget on Mac’s desktop and select Edit Widget to choose what shows up on it.

But the story is different for iPhone app widgets on Mac. Even though you will see the Edit Widget option, it leads to nothing practical.

For instance, if I add the iOS Countdown app widget to my Mac and then choose to edit it, it brings up my Mac’s Edit Widget screen, but no option to pick a countdown!

3. Disturbance

The widgets on the desktop untidy the screen and cause disturbance when you are working on the main Mac app like Chrome, Safari, Mail, Slack, Messages, Photoshop, etc.

Now, I know the widgets are dimmed when they are in the background, but you can still see their outline, and it’s disturbing. If you have difficulty focusing, desktop widgets will add to that while serving little to no function.

4. Bugs

Even after you delete the iOS app, its added widget continues to show on the Mac and offers no information or just the old, stagnant information.

If you do not have time to engage in active cleaning, this practice can lead to several useless widgets on the screen, creating more chaos and confusion.

How to stop seeing iPhone app widgets on your Mac

1. Open System Settings on Mac running the latest version of macOS Sonoma.
2. Go to Desktop & Dock.
3. Scroll down to the Widgets section and turn off the switch for Use iPhone widgets.

Now, when you go to add widgets to the desktop or Notification Center, it will only show native Mac app widgets that are useful and interactive. You won’t see widgets from iPhone apps here.

Can I add iPad app widgets to the Mac desktop?

As of now, you cannot do that even if your iPad is running iPadOS 17. You can only add iPhone app widgets to your Mac running macOS Sonoma.

The post 4 Reasons why adding iPhone app widgets to Mac is not useful appeared first on LawyersTech.

1. Use a MagSafe charger

iPhone 12 and later have magnets at the back, which help align the wireless charging solution properly.

If your iPhone’s charging port is not working, you can use a MagSafe charger from Apple or reputed third-party manufacturers. Amazon is full of such options, but make sure to invest in one that’s highly reviewed and well-rated.

MagSafe charging puck

Apple’s cheapest wireless charging solution at the moment is the MagSafe Charger, which can fast charge your iPhone wireless at up to 15W. But to do that, you will need a charging brick that’s 20 watts or more.

Check MagSafe charger on: Apple’s Website

MagSafe Duo Charger

Apple also makes a 2-in-1 wireless charging solution called MagSafe Duo Charger. It can charge your Apple Watch and your iPhone or your AirPods at the same time.

Unlike the MagSafe charging puck, this one is significantly expensive, but you can check it out.

Check MagSafe Duo Charger on: Amazon

Third-party MagSafe chargers

In addition to Apple, several reputed and lesser-known brands also make magnetic MagSafe chargers. You can explore Amazon to find one.

Check them on: Amazon | TwelveSouth

2. Use any Qi wireless charger

While the MagSafe charger is efficient and makes it easy to position your iPhone precisely over the charging coil, you can also use all normal Qi-certified wireless chargers (also called Universal Wireless Chargers) that you use for your Android phone. You can charge your iPhone 8, iPhone X, and all newer models, including iPhone 15, with a standard Qi-wireless charger.

Some reputed brands that make wireless chargers are:

• Nomad
• Spigen
• Belkin
• Anker

You can also try something else that you find on Amazon or other marketplaces. But again, buy one that’s highly rated and has a return policy. You won’t want to stay stuck with a wireless charger that heats your iPhone abnormally, charges very slowly, or causes a lot of fan noise.

Note that, unlike 15-watt charging offered by reputed MagSafe chargers, most wireless chargers will slow charge your iPhone at about 7.5 watts to 10 watts.

Extra info: Qi is pronounced as chee.

3. Use Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack that will charge both the iPhone and itself

In addition to using a MagSafe or Qi wireless charger, you can also buy a MagSafe Battery Pack that will stick to the back of your iPhone and charge it wirelessly.

You can attach the MagSafe Battery Pack to your iPhone and plug the battery pack into charging to charge it and the phone at the same time.

But note that the MagSafe Battery Pack uses a Lightning port, and thus Apple has discontinued it after switching to USB-C on iPhone 15. Hopefully, they will bring a new version with USB-C.

Until then, you can find MagSafe Battery Pack on Amazon or other retailers. You can use it to charge an iPhone 8 or later, but the experience would be optimal if you have an iPhone 12 or later.

Note: You can use a MagSafe Battery Pack with a Lightning port to charge your iPhone 15 that has a USB-C port. Just remember that you would need a Lightning cable to juice them both.

Check third-party options on: Amazon

4. Use wireless power banks

Like the MagSafe Battery Pack, you can also find power banks that have a Qi-certified wireless pad on the top, and you can place your iPhone on them to juice it up.

Check on: Amazon

5. Take simple steps to fix iPhone charging port issues

Before you go, I’d also like to share some simple tips to fix the charging port issue on your iPhone.

• Use a soft brush to clean the port. If it’s a USB-C port, take extra care as there is a small divide pin in USB-C ports, and you must not damage it.
• Clean the surface of the Lightning or USB-C port of the cable.
• Use a different cable or adapter and see if it works for you.
• Go to your nearby Apple Store or borrow one from a friend and try an authentic charger and cable with your iPhone.

Get the broken charging port fixed by Apple

The most important use for the Lightning or USB-C port on your iPhone is to charge the device. And while you can use one of the above methods to do that, a broken port means you cannot use your iPhone for wired CarPlay or sync with Finder on Mac and iTunes on Windows PC.

So, it would be best if you try getting your iPhone’s port fixed at an Apple Store or authorized service center.

If the repair is very expensive, I won’t go ahead with it on an old iPhone. But for a new model like iPhone 14 or 15, it would be better to get it repaired.

Read Next: How to use NFC on iPhone and what to do if NFC is missing!

The post 5 ways to charge iPhone with broken Lightning or USB-C port appeared first on LawyersTech.

There is no easy way to pick and choose, as it does not let you make suggestions on a per-case basis, and it can be highly disappointing for some.

If you go by Grammarly’s statement, they do this to ‘save time by accepting or dismissing multiple suggestions at once.’

But if you ask me, it has happened several times that I like one of the offered suggestions but not all the suggestions of that bundle. However, I am forced to either accept all recommendations that significantly change my sentence structure or dismiss all the suggested corrections, leading to grammar and punctuation issues being ignored.

Thankfully, there is a setting, and turning it off changes this annoying Grammarly behavior of clubbing more than one suggestion together.

Stop Grammarly from suggesting many corrections in one bundle

1. Visit Grammarly at app.grammarly.com in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or other web browser on your Mac, Windows PC, or iPad.
2. Click Account.
3. Now select Customize from the left side.
4. Go to the Features tab from the top.
5. Here, you will see a ‘Suggestion bundles‘ heading. Turn off the switch next to ‘Use bundles for spelling, punctuation, and grammar suggestions in the same sentence.’

After this, Grammarly will no longer suggest multiple corrections bundled into one, and you will not be forced to either accept or dismiss all of them in one stroke.

In addition to following the above steps, you can also click the hamburger menu icon from the top left corner of the screen when you’re working inside a Grammarly document. Next, click Editor settings and then click the blue Suggestions management link, which will open in a new tab. Afterward, go to the Features tab and turn off the switch under Suggestion bundles.

The post How to turn off bundled suggestions on Grammarly appeared first on LawyersTech.

Problems you may be facing in Safari

• Safari feels very slow, and it is getting painful and frustrating to use it.
• Basic things like scrolling through a web page lags.
• You see the Force Quit popup saying, “Your system has run out of application memory.”
• Safari crashes and quits out of the blue.
• Websites take ages to load.
• Web pages do not stay open and automatically force reload when you revisit them after a while.
• You see a banner at the top of Safari tabs saying, “This webpage was reloaded because a problem occurred.”
• Entering a search query or URL in the Safari address bar feels slow or hangs.
• You often see the irritating macOS rainbow beach ball icon when you’re inside Safari.

I will help you address all this. But first, why does this happen?

What are the reasons why Safari uses more memory and feels slow?

• Lots of open tabs
• Demanding web pages using Flash, popups, and videos
• Too many installed extensions
• Browser cache and website data issues
• Several apps open simultaneously
• System glitches and bugs
• Your old Mac lacks enough RAM and processing power

How to reduce Safari memory usage and make it faster

In most cases, you won’t need to follow all the tips, and just a few top ones will solve your issue. Still, I’ve listed all possible solutions for the rare few situations where it may be needed.

1. Close unnecessary tabs and windows

The number one reason why Safari feels slow or uses excess memory is because you have opened one too many tabs. When you have too many open tabs, your Mac’s RAM and processor may not be able to handle all that load.

So, please close the Safari tabs and windows you don’t need. You can also go to your browser history and reopen them if needed.

Tip: See which Safari web pages are taking a lot of memory

1. Open Apple’s built-in Activity Monitor app on your Mac.
2. Go to the Memory tab.
3. Click Process Name to sort processes in order.
4. You will see all open Safari websites here. Next to them, you will see how much memory they are using. You can go to Safari and close the tabs that are taking significant memory. Alternatively, you can select it on the Activity Monitor window and hit the X button from the top, followed by Quit or Force Quit.

2. Unpin websites you don’t need

Have you pinned multiple sites in Safari? Consider removing the ones you don’t need.

3. Turn off video autoplay

Video autoplay on a web page consumes a significant amount of system resources. So, check which websites are allowed to autoplay videos and take away this privilege from them.

Note: We don’t encourage this, but you can also use apps/extensions to prevent auto-playing videos and block ads.

4. Close other unneeded apps to free up system resources

Your Mac has limited RAM and processing power that macOS has to allocate smartly to all open apps and ongoing background services.

If you’ve several demanding apps open, like multiple tabs in Chrome, iMovie, GarageBand, numerous huge spreadsheets in Excel, and such, not only Safari but all other apps will also suffer because of a lack of system resources.

In this situation, consider limiting yourself to just a few essential apps. Also, reduce the load inside individual apps. This includes closing other browser tabs and open documents.

5. Pause or cancel ongoing downloads

Sometimes, downloading a huge file in Safari may make your regular browsing feel slow. If you don’t need that file right away, consider pausing the download for the moment. You can resume it when you’re not actively using Safari.

6. Force Quit and reopen Safari

Make sure you save your ongoing work and let downloads complete (as some downloads can’t be resumed later). After that, click the Apple icon, choose Force Quit, select Safari, and hit the Force Quit button. Wait for about 5 seconds before reopening the browser.

7. Improve your internet connection

You need a stable Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or Personal Hotspot connection on your Mac to use Safari. So perform a speed test and make sure things are fine on this end. If needed:

• Turn off VPN
• Switch to another Wi-Fi network
• Change the DNS
• Explore other troubleshooting tips to fix Mac’s internet and improve Wi-Fi speeds.

8. Restart your Mac

This is another golden solution that’s simple to follow but very effective. Just remember to save your unsaved docs before proceeding.

9. Make sure Mac isn’t too hot

Safari and all other apps appear super slow if my M2 Mac gets hot. This is also true for my other Apple silicon M1 MacBook Pro. Simply touch the metal surface of your Mac, and if it feels very hot, take these measures to cool it. This includes turning on the fan or AC, quitting extra apps, or restarting the computer.

10. Empty Safari Cache

All browsers (and apps) have a cache system that’s essential to their functioning. However, sometimes the cache gets corrupted or outdated, leading to multiple issues.

To clear Safari Cache:

1. Go to Safari Settings on your Mac and click Advanced.
2. Enable “Show features for web developers” or “Show Develop menu in menu bar.”
3. Next, from the top menu bar, click Develop > Empty Caches or Empty Caches for All Profiles.

11. Clear Safari history and website data

When was the last time you cleared your browser data? Over time, website data and history from sites you visit can pile up and take up a lot of space. This can also cause the browser — Safari, in our case, to feel slow.

Thus, open Safari, click History from the top menu bar, choose Clear History, and get rid of all website data.

Note: Doing so will log you out of all sites where you’re currently logged in.

12. Turn off Safari autofill

Not only on Mac, but I have faced Safari freezing even on iPhone and iPad because of contact, address, or credit card autofill. To fix this:

1. Open Safari and click Safari > Settings from the top menu bar.
2. Go to Autofill.
3. Uncheck everything except “User names and passwords.”
4. Quit and reopen Safari.

13. Remove unnecessary browser profiles

Safari on macOS Sonoma lets you create multiple profiles for personal, business, and other works. Excitedly, if you went overboard and created several profiles, please consider deleting the ones you can easily live without.

14. Turn off Safari search suggestions

When you enter a query in the address bar, Safari actively shows you suggestions. Turn it off to ensure your browser has one less thing to perform.

1. Open Safari Settings.
2. Click Search.
3. Turn off “Include search engine suggestions,” “Include Safari suggestions,” and “Preload Top Hit in the background.”

15. Update the Safari browser

Just like using outdated apps has its set of problems, using an outdated browser may feel slow and also have security implications. So, make sure you keep Safari and other browsers updated on your Mac.

To update Safari, you will have to update your Mac from System Settings > General > Software Update.

16. Remove the Safari photo background on the Start Page

If you’re using a photo background in Safari, click the settings icon on the Start Page and uncheck the box for Background Image.

17. Uninstall extensions you don’t need

Too many installed extensions can slow down your web browser. This is mainly because not all extensions are updated frequently or built in an optimized manner. Perform a quick check and disable or remove the Safari extensions you don’t need.

18. Get the latest version of macOS

If you’re on an older version of macOS, updating to the most recent one compatible with your computer may help improve the overall functioning and security. Go to System Settings > General > Software Update to update your Apple computer.

19. Move from macOS beta to the stable version

It’s expected that you will face several inconveniences and bugs while using the beta version of macOS. Consider moving to the stable version if the problems are too big to live with or ignore.

Note: If you’re using Safari’s beta version (Safari Technology Preview), switch back to regular Safari that’s preinstalled on your Mac.

20. Remove Safari plist files

In rare times, deleting Safari preferences files (.plist) may help restore its normal performance. Just remember that doing so may delete all browser customizations and change some other things.

Here’s how to delete Safari plist files:

1. Open Finder, and from the top menu bar, click Go > Go to Folder.
2. Enter ~/Library/Preferences and hit the enter key.
3. Locate Safari plist files and move them to another location (for backup) or delete them.
4. Restart your Mac.
5. Open Safari, and it should feel snappier.

21. Repair user disk

When it’s a bad day, the problem may be bigger and not just limited to your web browser. Consider repairing your Mac’s drive and see if it brings any luck in improving your browser’s performance.

22. Reinstall macOS (without losing data)

Performing a fresh install of macOS should help if Safari isn’t working properly because of system issues.

23. Upgrade to a new Mac

While the above tips are definitely helpful, they may not bring significant improvements if your Mac:

• Is very old, with just 2 or 4 GB RAM and a slow hard disk,
• Has an old Intel processor,
• It is full of apps,
• And has little to no free space.

In these situations, I would recommend getting a new or refurbished Apple silicon Mac.

Depending on when you’re reading this, you may be able to get some great offers on M1 or M2 MacBook Air. You can also learn about Mac mini, which is the cheapest Mac Apple makes (though you need a monitor, keyboard, and mouse to use them).

And don’t forget to use the education discount on your Mac purchase if you’re buying for your kids or siblings who are still studying.

Some website or their certain elements will feel slow no matter what you do!

A few sites out there on the vast World Wide Web will stress out your browser because of the way they are built, the technologies they are built on, the elements and content they show, and several other factors.

For instance:

• Sites with several advertisements, consent banners, popups, embedded auto-playing videos, heavy use of graphics, and trackers may feel slow on all browsers.
• Old, outdated sites with Flash or built on antique tech may not work well in Safari.
• Relatively smaller sites using shared web hosting or poor hosting providers may take ages to load. Lack of CDN may also increase their load times.
• A site built without optimizations will also feel slow.

Other times, certain elements of a website may trouble you. For example, X (Twitter) works fine in Safari on my Mac. However, it often hangs when I compose a tweet or start watching a video post. I believe this has got to do with Twitter and not my browser.

You can’t do much in these cases.

Bonus: Use Safari alternatives

Finally, don’t limit yourself to just one browser. I simultaneously use four browsers on my Mac:

• Safari: For bank sites, payments, and sensitive sites.
• Chrome: For my everyday office work, like using WordPress, Twitter, etc.
• Firefox: For watching YouTube and other videos because its built-in Picture in Picture tool is the best.
• Brave: For those rare occasions when I have to visit sketchy Torrent sites and such.

I’m not asking you to do like me, but you should try a few as there are some excellent Safari alternatives out there, like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Brave Browser, Opera, and Microsoft Edge.

Read Next: How to change screen brightness on third-party Mac monitors

The post Top 23 tips to fix slow Safari using too much memory on Mac appeared first on LawyersTech.

I was about 60 feet (18 meters) from the truck, and the sound was hurting my ears! At that time, I wanted to know the loudness or intensity of the sound around me.

If I had worn my Apple Watch, I could have easily opened the built-in Noise app to measure the relative loudness of the sound around me and get a measurement number in dB (decibels) in green (signifying OK level sound) or yellow (for Loud sounds).

However, I did not have my Apple Watch on my wrist at that time, only my iPhone. Unfortunately, the Apple Noise app is unavailable on the iPhone.

But that doesn’t mean you’re all locked out. The App Store is full of great alternatives, and in this tutorial, we will share the names of some of the best free iOS apps to measure the sound level around you.

See sound in dB using an iPhone or iPad

Here’s how to measure the ambient sound level using your iOS device:

1. Download and install the Decibel Meter app for free.
2. Open the app and allow it to access the iPhone microphone when asked.
3. The app will now use your iPhone microphone to capture the sound around you and show the noise level as the Current Value measured in dB (decibels).

Sound level in decibels with real-world examples

Here’s another sound level chart from the decibel app:

• 20dB – Threshold of hearing
• 30dB – Rustling leaves
• 40dB – Quiet whisper
• 50dB – Quiet home
• 60dB – Quiet street
• 70dB – Normal conversation
• 75dB – Inside car
• 80dB – Loud singing
• 88dB – Automobile
• 90dB – Motorcycle
• 94dB – Food blender
• 100dB – Subway
• 107dB – Diesel trick
• 115dB – Power mower
• 117dB – Pneumatic riveter
• 120dB – Chainsaw
• 130dB – Amplified Rick & Roll
• 140dB – Jet plane
• 165dB – Shotgun
• 180dB – Rocket launch
• 194dB – Loudest possible tone

Here’s a chart courtesy of the Decibel Meter app we mentioned in the steps:

• 0dB – Absolutely quiet
• 10dB – Rustling leaves
• 20dB – Quiet house
• 30dB – Quiet office
• 40dB – Whispering
• 50dB – Conversation
• 60dB – Loud
• 70dB – Disturbing
• 80dB – Potential hazard
• 90dB – May be harmful
• 100dB – Dangerous
• 110dB – Very dangerous

Best iPhone apps to measure sound level around you

In addition to the Decibel Meter app, you can also use these apps to measure the sound around you. Some of them have a Dosimeter (dosemeter) that measures the sound level and exposure over a time period like 8 hours. A few apps can also sync your noise data to the Apple Health app.

Note that all these apps are free to download and use but may have an optional in-app purchase option.

• Decibel
• Decibel X – Supports Dynamic Island and Live Activities
• Decibel Metre (Sound Meter)
• Grooz dB Meter – Has Dosimeter
• Decibel Meter Master – Very clean and simple-to-use app
• Decibel : dB sound level meter

The post How to measure the sound using iPhone or Apple Watch appeared first on LawyersTech.

You may have also felt this, especially if you are coming to an iPhone after using an Android phone.

But, with some easy tips, you can always see your next alarm time without going inside the Clock app or using third-party apps!

How to easily see the upcoming alarm time in iOS 17

When you have an active alarm, the tiny alarm icon appears in the Control Center of your iPhone (accessed by swiping down from the top right corner of the screen), but it does not display the next alarm time.

Therefore, to easily see the next alarm time on your iPhone, you will have to put an alarm clock widget on your iPhone Lock Screen. The entire thing is very easy to do, as outlined below.

1. Unlock your iPhone and swipe down from the top of the iPhone screen to open the Notification Center.
2. Touch and hold anywhere on the Notification Center and tap Customize, followed by Lock Screen.

3. Tap the Add Widgets area that’s just under the clock.
4. Scroll down and tap Clock.

5. Swipe left until you reach the Next Alarm widget. Here, you will see two widget styles: a small square one and a large rectangle one. Both do the job well. You can tap either one to add it to your iPhone Lock Screen.
6. After adding the Next Alarm widget to the Lock Screen, tap the X button twice to close the widgets and apps pane.

7. Next, tap Done to save your widget, and tap on the Lock Screen tile to return to it.

You’ve successfully added the next alarm widget to your iPhone Lock Screen. Now:

• If you have an active, upcoming alarm, its time will be displayed on this widget.
• If you have two or more upcoming alarms, the widget will only show the very next alarm. Once the next alarm time passes, the widget will display the next alarm.
• If you do not have an active alarm, go to the iPhone Clock app to create an alarm or ask Siri to set an alarm for the time you want.

Is the next alarm not showing on the iPhone Lock Screen widget?

In certain conditions, the Next Alarm widget will only show the upcoming alarm for that day but not for the next day. If there are no alarms for that day, the widget may show Alarms Off or OFF. Here’s an example of when that might happen:

• Say it’s 6:40 AM currently.
• You set an alarm for 6:50 AM, and it will show on the iOS Lock Screen Next Alarm widget.
• But if you set an alarm for 6:30 AM (which is now over for today but is actually an alarm for the next day), it will not show up on the Lock Screen alarm widget for a while. But as the day passes and this alarm time comes near, it will start showing on the widget.

We know this is a bummer, but that’s how Apple has configured things as of the latest iOS 17.

To address this:

• You can always go to the iPhone Clock app and tap Alarms from the bottom row to see all your active alarms. When you’re here, focus on AM and PM. Also, remember that a green switch next to an alarm time means it’s an active alarm.
• Restart your iPhone to fix the alarm widget, which is not working due to temporary system bugs.

Related: Missing morning alarms in iOS 17! Two easy tips to fix it

The post How to always see your next alarm time on iPhone in iOS 17 appeared first on LawyersTech.

In most situations, it could be because you’re in a location with patchy cellular service or are traveling by bus, train, or car with windows up. But several times, it also happens that your iPhone loses its 5G, 4G, LTE, 3G, or even 2G/E signal because of random glitches.

If that’s the case, and the cellular signal has not been restored automatically on your iPhone in a minute or so, here are the top eight tips to fix this problem.

1. Turn Airplane mode on and off to refresh the cellular connection

When you do this, your iPhone disconnects from all radio signals like cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth and then turns them back on, practically refreshing everything.

This leads to your iPhone quickly doing a new search for a cellular signal. In turn, it usually results in your phone latching on to the strongest available cell tower signal, thus improving your call experience and increasing your mobile data speeds.

1. Swipe down from the top right corner of your iPhone screen and tap the airplane icon. It will turn yellow.
2. Wait for 10 seconds.
3. Tap the same airplane icon, and now your iPhone should catch on to a cellular signal.

2. Manually search for cellular signal and connect to it

Your iPhone automatically searches for cellular signals based on your SIM card company and connects to them. But sometimes, automatic search may not be enough.

In this case, you can manually search for all available cellular signals, even from other companies, and then select your carrier.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Cellular or Mobile Service or Mobile Data.
3. Tap Network Selection. If you use two or more SIM cards, select one first.
4. Turn off the Automatic switch, and your iPhone will start searching for all available cellular signals manually. It may take a while to complete.
5. If your SIM card provider’s name comes up in search results, tap it, and your iPhone will now have a great cellular signal.
6. If your carrier’s name does not show up, that means your carrier does not have coverage in this location. You can’t make calls or use mobile data here.

Tip: In Step 6, you can try tapping other carrier names. If your carrier has a partnership with other companies, your phone may latch onto their network.

3. Restart your iPhone

Turn off your iPhone, wait for 30 seconds to 1 minute, and then turn your phone back on. In several cases, this simple procedure can fix the biggest problems.

4. Use Wi-Fi Calling

It may not work if your cellular coverage is zero, but if it’s very weak, you can turn on Wi-Fi Calling. After this, your iPhone will use the connected Wi-Fi to make regular phone calls.

To enable this, go to iPhone Settings app > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling and activate it.

Note: Not all carriers support Wi-Fi Calling.

5. Take out the SIM card and insert it again

iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 sold in the United States do not have a physical SIM card slot but are eSIM only. However, if you have an older model or if your phone was purchased outside the US, take out the SIM card and wipe it softly. Next, blow dry air with your mouth in the SIM slot, then reinsert the SIM back into the phone.

If the cellular signal was absent due to dirt or similar reasons, reseating the SIM card will help.

Tip: You can also put your SIM card in a different phone and check if the signal appears there, and you can make calls or not.

6. There could be a problem on your carrier’s side

From time to time, it’s also possible that your carrier is experiencing temporary downtime on a big scale or in the local telecom circle. Wait a few hours, and it may be fixed eventually.

7. Check your recharge plan

If your cellular plan has expired, your carrier provider may have terminated your connection, in which case your iPhone will not show any signal.

Check your carrier’s app or website and see if there is an outstanding recharge. If you use a prepaid plan, make sure validity still remains.

8. Move around and go to an open area

Finally, the most obvious solution. If you’re inside a closed space like an auditorium, going out may help.

Similarly, places like a famous monument or stadium may have signal jammers that could lead to no signal on your iPhone.

In such cases, connect to public Wi-Fi if available and use services like FaceTime, iMessage, or WhatsApp to call and text.

Related post: Missing phone calls on iPhone? Turn off Truecaller to fix this

The post How to fix no cellular signal on iPhone in iOS 17 appeared first on LawyersTech.

Finally, with iOS 11, you could use the iPhone’s NFC to read third-party NFC tags, stickers, toys, devices, etc. And in iOS 14, Apple even introduced a customizable icon that you can add to the iPhone Control Center.

If you wonder what NFC is and how to use the NFC tag reader on your iPhone, please keep reading. Plus, if you do not see the option for the NFC Tag Reader on your iPhone, this post will help.

What is NFC?

NFC stands for Near-Field Communication, which is a communication protocol that enables two devices to communicate when placed within 4 cm. All modern iPhones, flagship Android devices, Apple’s AirTags, Apple Watch, and several other expensive to cheap devices have NFC built-in.

Uses of NFC

Since NFC scanners and chips are inexpensive and small, these are used for various things. Like a manufacturer can put an NFC tag in their products. Users can tap their NFC-capable smartphone and know if the product is genuine or counterfeit.

You can also add NFC to a visiting card, and when people hold their iPhones near, it will automatically take them to your website or open your email or phone number.

Car & bike renting companies can use NFC tags and App Clips, allowing users to unlock the vehicle for rent or trigger some action by tapping the iPhone.

Similarly, it can be used by a retail employee to scan products for inventory tracking and more.

Amazon is full of affordable NFC stickers that you can buy and use for various things.

List of iPhone models that support NFC

Here is the complete list of iPhones that support NFC, manual NFC Tag Reader from Control Center, and automatic background NFC tag reading.

iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE (1st generation): These iPhone models have NFC, but it is restricted to be used only for Apple Pay. In general, they cannot read or write NFC.

iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, X: These iPhone models can read & write NFC and can be used with any NFC device. Plus, these support NFC Tag Reader in the Control Center. (explained below)

iPhone XS, XS Max, XR, SE (2020, 2nd generation and later), 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max: These iPhone models can globally read & write NFC and can be used with any NFC device. They also support NFC background tag reading. This means you cannot (and do not need to) add the NFC Tag Reader to the Control Center on these iPhones, as they automatically read and communicate with the NFC tag when bought near one. In short, you do not have to activate the NFC tag reader on these manually.

How to use NFC on iPhone

To use NFC on iPhone XS, XR, 11, SE 2020, 12, 13, 14, and 15 series, hold your iPhone near the other NFC sticker (toy, card, object, etc.). You do not have to make physical contact or tap the NFC sticker. Simply bring and hold your iPhone XS or later near.

To use NFC on iPhone X, 8, and 7, tap the NFC Tag Reader icon from the iOS 14 or later Control Center and bring the iPhone near the other NFC sticker (toy, card, object, etc.).

To use NFC on iPhone 6S and 6 series, the only option is to register for Apple Pay if you are in one of the countries where it is available. You cannot use NFC for anything else on these devices except paying at supported outlets via Apple Pay.

How to add NFC Tag Reader to the iPhone Control Center

1. Open the Settings app on iPhone 7, 8, or X and tap Control Center.
2. Tap the green plus button next to NFC Tag Reader.
3. You have successfully added the NFC Tag Reader icon to the iOS Control Center.
4. To use NFC, bring up the Control Center, tap the NFC icon, and hold your iPhone near the other NFC sticker/device.

NFC is missing on my iPhone? How can I get it?

If you do not see the option to add NFC Tag Reader on your iPhone (steps above), then answer me this – which iPhone are you using?

If it is iPhone XS, XR, SE 2020 or later, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 series, you will not see the option to add NFC Tag Reader to the Control Center. This is because there is no need for adding, as these newer models support automatic background tag reading. Just hold the device near an NFC sticker, and it works.

If the NFC Tag Reader is missing from iPhone 7, 8, or X, first make sure you are updated to the latest version of iOS 14 or later. You can update from the Settings app > General > Software Update. Next, restart your phone and see if you get the NFC option or not. In case nothing helps, consider resetting all settings from the Settings app > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings.

When does NFC Background Tag Reading not work?

For safety and to avoid unintentional tag reading, the iPhone’s NFC background tag reading works only when the phone is in use. Additionally, NFC tag reading won’t work if:

1. You are using the iPhone camera.
2. You are using Apple Pay.
3. The airplane mode is switched on.
4. The iPhone has not been unlocked after a restart.
5. A Core NFC reader session is already in progress.

You may like: How to easily build your own iOS Shortcut to see photo and video size

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How to unzip ZIP file received on WhatsApp on Android phone

1. Open WhatsApp and tap the tiny arrow button to download the ZIP file if it has not already been downloaded. If you don’t see this arrow, that means the file is already downloaded. Move to step 2.

2. After this, open the Google Files app that is pre-installed on most Android phones and make sure you’re in its Browse section.
3. You should see a WhatsApp Documents section at the top. Tap it, and you will see the ZIP file you just downloaded from WhatsApp chat in step 1. In case you don’t see “WhatsApp Documents,” tap the Documents & other option inside the Files app, and you will find the ZIP file there.

4. Tap the ZIP file and then tap Extract.

5. The Files app will extract all the contents of that ZIP file and save them as individual items. Tap Done.
6. Depending on what was inside that ZIP file, those items will be listed under appropriate sections of the Files app, like Documents & others, Images, Videos, Audio, etc.

Use a third-party file manager app

Files app is by Google and is already installed on Pixel, Motorola, and many other Android phones. But if that is not available in your country, you can try this second app by Xiaomi.

1. Download the free MI File Manager app from the Google Play Store. This app works on all Android phones, even if they are not from MI or Xiaomi.
2. Open Mi File Manager and give it the necessary permissions it asks.
3. Now, open WhatsApp chat and tap the arrow button to download the ZIP file.
4. After it downloads, tap the ZIP file. Now tap File Manager Extract files to > Just once. Next, select a folder if you want, and tap Extract.

5. MI File Manager will extract all files of this ZIP and place them in a folder. Once the process is complete, open the Mi File Manager app and tap the folder icon from the top.
6. Here, you will find a folder that has the same name as the ZIP file. Go inside it to see all your files.

This is how you can properly unzip files that you receive on WhatsApp. Now, if you have other ZIP files that you have in your SD card or phone storage, you can unzip them by opening File Manager and tapping on them.

Do you see a _MACOSX file?

After unzipping the ZIP file on Android phone or Windows PC, if you see a folder named _MACOSX, you can delete that. This is a system folder by Apple that has no use for you on Android and Windows. Secondly, if you see files whose name starts with a dot (.) like .DS, you may delete them too.

How to unzip ZIP file received on WhatsApp on iPhone

1. Open the WhatsApp chat and tap the ZIP file.
2. Tap the share button from the top right.

3. Choose Save to Files.
4. Tap the back button on the top left of the screen until you reach the Browse screen. The name of the back button here may be <Browse or <iCloud Drive or something else.

5. From here, tap iCloud Drive or On My iPhone. Now, you can stay on this screen and tap Save or go inside a desired sub-folder and then tap Save.

6. Open the Files app and tap Browse from the bottom right corner until you see the main Browse locations screen.

7. From here, go to iCloud Drive or On My iPhone, where you saved the ZIP file contents in steps 4 and 5 above.
8. Tap the ZIP file you see here, and it will automatically unzip into a folder of the same name.

9. Tap this folder to see all the contents of the ZIP file.

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However, it also means anyone else can open the camera and take photos even if they do not know your iPhone password.

This can result in some nefarious things, especially if someone is after you and wants to hurt you. For example, an office colleague can unknowingly take your iPhone, swipe left on the Lock Screen to open its camera, and then take close-up photos of female staff when they’re going to the washroom or snap images of wrong documents, and then complain to higher authorities.

While these concerns are not for everyone, a few may have reservations.

Unfortunately, Apple does not offer a way to turn off the camera on the iPhone Lock Screen or replace the camera icon with another option.

So, your only way to remove or restrict the camera on the iPhone Lock Screen is by turning off the system-wide camera functionality on your iPhone.

You can do this by activating a Screen Time restriction, and here are the steps to do that.

Restrict the camera feature on the iPhone Lock Screen and elsewhere

1. Open the Settings app and tap Screen Time.
2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.

3. Turn on the Content & Privacy Restrictions switch from the top.
4. Now, tap Allowed Apps.
5. Turn off the Camera switch to deactivate it on your iPhone.

Note: If the camera is still visible, lock your iPhone and unlock it. If that doesn’t work, restart your phone.

What happens after this?

• You can no longer take photos or record videos on your iPhone.
• The camera icon on the iPhone Lock Screen will be grayed out, and you cannot long-press it or swipe left to open the camera.

• The camera app icon will disappear from your iPhone Home Screen, App Library, and Spotlight Search.
• FaceTime app will also disappear from everywhere, as it relies on the camera, which is restricted.
• You cannot use the camera feature anywhere on your iPhone. This includes Messages, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and all other first-party and third-party apps.
• You cannot use third-party iOS camera apps like Photon, Blackmagic Cam, Halide, etc., as they also need your iPhone’s camera permission to work, but that’s already restricted.
• In rare cases, some of your existing widgets added on the iPhone Home Screen may reset, and you will have to set them up again.

How to un-restrict the camera on your iPhone and get everything back to normal

1. Open the Settings app and tap Screen Time.
2. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
3. Now, tap Allowed Apps.
4. Turn on the Camera switch to enable it again on your iPhone.
5. Alternatively, you can turn off the Content & Privacy Restrictions to deactivate all such limitations.

Note: If the camera is still missing from the Home Screen, Lock Screen, and elsewhere, lock your iPhone and unlock it. If that doesn’t work, turn off your phone and turn it back on.

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