Tag Archives: new

ApplePencil and other IOS 15 tips

Here are some new uses for Apple Pencil in IOS15,. plus some new features that you might like to know about.
[The below information was taken from www.techrepublic.com/article/ipados-15-best-uses-for-apple-pencil and from www.techrepublic.com/article/best-hidden-ios-15-features-you-didnt-know-existed]

Apple has a webpage HERE that lists the new features in iPad OS 15.

QUICK NOTE: jot down notes and drawings

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Using Quick Note to jot down notes and drawings

Quick Note is a new feature in iPadOS that allows users to quickly create a new note in the Apple Notes application. Using the Apple Pencil or your finger, drag from the bottom right edge of the screen diagonally towards the center of the screen. When you do this, a small hovering window will appear on the iPad with a new Note sheet.

Using the keyboard on your iPad, you can type a note, but using the Apple Pencil you can begin annotating a handwritten note in the same window. Write or draw with the Apple Pencil, then tap Done. Doing the same action to bring up the Quick Note window a second time will reveal your existing note. If you want to create a new note instead of working with the existing one, simply tap the New Note button in the toolbar. The note will appear in the Quick Notes folder in the Notes application.

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The Notes application in IOS 15.

Using the Apple Pencil, not only can you handwrite a note, but you can also create lines and shapes that are perfectly drawn. If you draw a line with the Apple Pencil, stop and hold the Apple Pencil on the screen when finished, and the drawn line will become perfectly straight. The same goes for squares, circles, rectangles or other shapes you may wish to incorporate in your note.

Take a screenshot with the Pencil

Instead of pressing Power + Volume Up + Volume Down [on the newer models], you can swipe with the Pencil from bottom left corner diagonally towards the center.

Change Swipe Preferences

You can turn those Swipe options on or off:

  1. Settings
  2. Apple Pencil
  3. Select an option, turn it on or off
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Changing the Swipe options in IOS 15

Scan anything into Text

You can use Scan To Text in almost any input field across iOS to scan a document and use the text as input. To do this, tap into a text field in iOS or iPadOS 15, then tap again to show the text editing popover. In this popover, select Scan Text.

Once you select the Scan Text option, a camera view will open allowing you to position the camera over top of a document to scan the text. Tap the text in the document that you wish to insert to have the camera focus on that section, then tap Insert to finalize the insertion of the text into the text field in iOS.

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The bottom half of the shot shows what the camera sees – in the top half the picture has been converted into text.

Change the size of the text for each App

Users have long been able to choose the text size across iOS through an accessibility feature called Dynamic Type by going to Settings | Display & Brightness | Text Size; however, the text size can now be set on a per-app basis instead of setting it system-wide.

To do this, you’ll first need to enable the Control Center option by following these steps.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Navigate to Control Center.
  3. Add the option for Text Size.

Now open the Control Center while in any app and tap the “aA” button to get a Text Size control panel. Use the slider to enlarge or shrink the text size, and set whether you want this setting for All Apps, or only the one you’re using.

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Changing the size of the text in Safari

Keep track of what an app is doing with your information [App Recording]

In iOS and iPadOS 15, there’s a new feature that lets you easily record all of the app activity to see which apps request system-level functionality like camera, microphone, internet access and more, and be able to download privacy reports to look at per-device.

To enable the app recording functionality, perform these steps.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Navigate to Privacy | Record App Activity.
  3. Enable the toggle for Record App Activity
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Enabling Record App Activity

Move Safari’s Address Bar

Safari made a drastic change to the user interface in iOS 15. As a result to pushback during the beta testing period, Apple has revamped the design, but it still allows users to decide if they wish to use the old look (with the address bar on top) or the new look (with address bar on the bottom).

You can make this change in Settings | Safari by selecting Tab Bar (bar on bottom) or Single Tab (bar on top). However, you can also make this change in Safari itself by opening the app and tapping on the “Aa” icon in the address bar, then selecting Show Top Address Bar or Show Bottom Address Bar to move it 

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Moving Safari’s address bar without leaving Safari

Drag-n-Drop between apps

iPadOS has long had the ability to drag and drop files between apps, but now this functionality has made its way over to the iPhone with iOS 15. You can now drag and drop a file from one app into another by dragging an image, URL or other draggable data type from one app, navigate to the Home Screen or Multitasking Launcher, open another app, and drop the text, image, URL or other data type. This gesture works just as it does on iPadOS, but does require some talent as the screen on iPhones are much smaller and keeping a single finger dragging the item while the other hand or finger launches another app can be tricky.

Got a new iPhone for Christmas? Some things to do before using it

….or even AFTER using it! These tips are from an article on cnet.com.

  1. Clean out your old phone – delete unwanted apps and photos, for example. Then backup your old phone to iCloud. That’s going to make it MUCH easier to setup your new device.
  2. If you are moving from Android to IOS, Apple has an app caled “Move to IOS” in your app store. Install it on your Android device – it will also save you a lot of headaches.
  3. Learn about Gestures, which are used to navigate and use the phone. CLICK HERE for a cnet article – complete with animations – that explains what’s available in IOS13.
  4. Setup FaceID – the feature that uses your face to unlock the phone. It’s a concept that’s been around a while – Windows Surfaces have been using this type of thing for several years. CLICK HERE to learn more about FaceID from cnet.
  5. Spend some time getting to know your new device. On campus we call it “playing” – off campus we call it “research”. Either way, spend the time just exploring. CLICK HERE for a good article about the new features. CLICK HERE for an article about some hidden gems – features you may not know exist.
  6. Make sure you have the Find My service setup and turned on. [Settings –> AppleID section on the top left.]
  7. Elsewhere on this site is an article with some suggested Privacy settings. You don’t want Apple to know ALL your business, now, do you?
  8. Did you know you can record your screen? That’s also true of many of the iPads on campus.

IOS 11 – quick overview

Much of the info below was taken from THIS ARTICLE.

How do I know if I can update to IOS 11?

Not everyone on campus can. The easiest way is to go to Settings –> General –> Software Update and see if it is available. Note that you can see if you can update while on campus – but you won’t actually be able to update until you get off-campus.

What’s different?

There are tons of articles on-line with that info, but here’s a quick rundown of the important day-to-day stuff:

Multi-Touch with Drag-n-Drop

 Get into Split-screen mode, with two different apps on each side.

You can now drag-n-Drop data from one app to the other.

 

 

 

“Multi-Touch with drag and drop may seem like a small addition, but it makes a big difference in the day-to-day. Being able to split screen and drag and drop files makes a more compelling reason to use iPad for work in both business and an educational context. Adding attachments to an email is much smoother and quicker than it once was and even when adding photos to a blog … has become a better way to get work done on the go.”

File Explorer

 

 

Organizes the files on your iPad just like on your regular computer.

 

 

 

“Files is a new native app for iOS that is integrated directly into iOS 11. Whether searching through local files, iCloud, Box, or Google Drive users can organize, open, and delete files from the comfort of their iOS devices. … This is a win for those used to navigating through file structures and is again focused on enabling users and enhancing productivity.”

A new dock, app switcher, and Control Center

 

Swiping up from the bottom of an iPad running iOS 11 shows the app switcher.

The new dock in this view makes switching between apps much faster and is the basic hub for multitasking on iPad.

It shows the recently used apps and offers access to the also new Control Center.

Swiping up on previously used apps will clear them until they’re opened again.