Wait on iOS 13

I installed iOS 13 yesterday as soon as it was available (the sign of a true nerd, I guess.) :-/  I've enjoyed playing with a couple of the new features (the "swipe" keyboard is awesome!).  However, there has been some "flakiness"; my Apple Watch wasn't communicating with my phone this morning.  Our Pennsylvania son also sent a caution this morning that we may want to hold off on installation.  Too late for me, BUT John's phone did not install overnight for some reason so we turned his "Automatic Update" off this morning.  If your phone updated, no worries.  Just be aware that there may be a few things that may not function correctly. 

The GOOD news is that Apple will release the next update (13.1) next Tuesday -- much sooner than would normally be expected --- which will supposedly take care of some of these problems.  If your update hasn't installed yet, you can just wait and install next week when iOS 13.1 is released.

I used to hold off on updates, but in the last several years that hasn't been needed.  Guess we may be back to waiting again.  

iOS 13 Update; backup your phone now

Some of you  may get two emails from me today if you are a member of our iPhone Users Group in addition to my Tuesday Tech Tip group.  But I think it is important to share the information below with those of you who are iPhone owners:

Today is the day.....supposedly at 12:00 noon iOS 13 will be released for our iPhones here in the U.S.  For most of us that means our phones will probably automatically do the update tonight during the night if you have automatic updates turned on.  If you aren't sure if your phone will automatically install it, check it out - Settings - General - Software Update - Automatic Updates.

BEFORE your phone does the update tonight, there are two things to check:

1)  Make sure all of your apps are updated:  App Store - Updates

2)  Make sure your phone has recently been backed up to iCloud or to your computer. 

A) If you are backing up to iCloud, use this path to check:  Settings - click on your Apple ID (your name) - click on your device name - then you should see the date and time of your latest backup

B) If you are backing up to iTunes on your computer, open iTunes, click on your device and check the latest backup.  (screenshots of this procedure are attached)

If you aren't sure how to backup, then take a look at this "help" page:  https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203977

iOS 13 is a major operating system update (just like iOS 10, 11, and 12 were).  Anytime a new operating system is released, it is always a good idea to have your phone backed up prior to that, not mandatory, but strongly suggested.

There will be some things that look and act differently on your phone after the update.  Don't be discouraged; look at it as something to keep your brain sharp!  :-)  I'm sure there will be lots of YouTube videos released after techies take a look at today's update, including Apple;  I'll share if I find one that I think will be helpful to all of us.

Have a terrific Thursday!

Google Photos update

Many of you know I strongly recommend using Google Photos as a cloud-based backup.  Actually, it is recommended you have your pictures in 3 places - 1) on your phone, 2) on your computer or external storage device, and 3) in the cloud (iCloud, Google Photos, Amazon Photos, etc.)  Google Photos can be downloaded to ANY smartphone.

I like Google Photos because once the app is downloaded and stored on your phone, it runs seamlessly in the background always uploading new photos as they are taken.

Last week two new features were added to Google Photos: 1) Memories and 2) the ability to order photos to be printed (to WalMart, CVS, etc.) directly from the app.

1) Memories in the Google Photos app are similar to what you see on Facebook, Instagram, etc., only you are the only one that can "see" them.  They will appear at the top of your app in circular previews.

2)  The ability to send pictures directly to Walmart, CVS, etc. for printing is a really convenient feature! Previously, I used the WalMart app on my phone, but that adds an additional step in the process.  Now, I can order my Walmart prints using the Google Photos app! 

It's worth checking out!  Open Google Photos on your phone today and take a look.  And, if you haven't installed Google Photos yet, do it today.

Call my lost phone!

Both Androids and iPhones have apps that can help you track your phone in case you ever misplace it......if you set it up BEFORE that happens.  If you don't, there is still a way to locate the phone.

If the phone is turned on and you don't have another phone to call from, you can enter your phone number into a website that will call the phone for you.  You don't have to create an account, and it is free to use.  Try it out right now -  https://www.callmylostphone.com (And, you may want to bookmark it in case you ever need it).

Happy Tech Tuesday! Apple fans, today is the day we will learn more about the new iPhones and we'll also probably learn more about iOS 13, a new operating system for our iPhones.  The event starts at 12 PM CDT. https://www.apple.com/apple-events/

Is a website down or is it your computer?

It may just be my laptop and occasionally my phone, but it seems recently that I've had difficulty loading some websites, and Facebook seems to be an occasional culprit.  After doing some reading, I found a way to determine whether it is the website or only my computer.  Read on.

Using the website - Down for Everyone or Just Me? - copy and paste the URL (address) of the website you are trying to access.  Click on the blue button that says "or just me?".  It's that simple. You will then know if the website's servers are down.

File this tip away and hope that you will never need to use it!