iOS 8 tips and ticks for the iPhone and iPad

1) Which of your iPhone or iPad’s apps is using the most battery power- iOS 8

As you know, conserving battery life is crucial when using today’s smartphones and tablets. With the new iOS 8, you are now able to see which one of your apps is using the most battery power. You can then decide which apps you would like to continue running on iPad or iPhone.

Here is how to view this new feature on iOS 8:

• Open the “settings” menu on your iPhone or iPad and go to “general”

• When in the general tab, tap “usage” on the right

• Finally tap the “battery usage” location at the top of the usage section

By doing this, you will open the battery usage page, which will show you the how much usage there has been since the last time the battery was charged. It will also tell you the standby time of the device, as well as a list of apps that have used battery power since the last charge, ranking from highest to lowest usage.

2) Add audio to messages in iMessages app –iOS 8

In the past, Siri has not been the best when it comes to typing our messages for us. With the new iOS 8 we can now send actual voice audio clips quickly and easily.  You can find this new feature just to the right of where you would normally type your messages in. Just HOLD down the microphone icon to the right of the messages field to start recording the audio clip

3) New keyboards for the iPhone and iPad – iOS 8

With Apple’s new iOS  it is now possible to get a third party keyboards on your iPhone or iPad. You can find this option by going into settings – general – keyboard.  Here you will be able to add or change a keyboard of your choice. You will also see any third party keyboards that you may have downloaded.

4) Take selfies with ease with the new a self-timer option – iOS 8

The new camera app for the iPhone and iPad has a new function that can improve selfies. The camera app on iOS 8 has a timer that you can set for 3 seconds or 10 seconds. Just tap the timer icon at the top of the screen when the camera app is open.  This is extremely beneficial if you happen to own or plan to own a selfie stick.

5) Talk to Siri hands free – iOS 8

The new iOS 8 allows you to connect with Siri hands free. Just simply say the words “hey Siri” and Siri will open, giving you the ability to speak with her. This feature will only work if your iPhone is charging. We find this new feature works best when driving, allowing you to keep your hands on the wheel and still talk with Siri.

10 Things you may not know your iPhone can do!

1. If you switch your iPhone to “airplane mode” while charging, it will charge a lot faster.

2. To add a period and start typing a new sentence, simply double-tap the spacebar and it will do this for you automatically.

3. If you make an error while typing, just shake your phone and you will have the option to “undo typing”.

4. To take a screen shot with your iPhone, just press down the top lock button and the home button at the exact same time. Your screen shot will be automatically saved to your iPhone’s camera roll.

5. To find out if there are any aircrafts flying above you at any given moment, just ask Siri – “What airplanes are flying over your city right now”.

6. If Siri pronounces a word incorrectly, you can correct her by saying “that’s not how you pronounce said word.

7. You can use the side volume buttons on your iPhone to take a picture. Just make sure the camera app is open on the phone.

8. To see what time your text message was sent and received, simply “slide” the text to the left.

9. To get Siri to read your emails out loud for you, simply say, “read my email” or “read my latest email”.

10. To use your iPhone as a level, just go to the “compass” app and swipe to the left.

If you are from the Vancouver, BC area and you do experiance any problems with your iPhone or any cell phone, Contact Cell Clinic Vancouver

5 Tips on Getting The Most Out of Your Cell Phone Battery Life

With all the new innovation going into smartphones and cell phones these days, the one limitation of them seems to be the life of the batteries used. Most cellphone batteries currently last the user a day at best, with normal use. This constant need to be attached to the wall charger, or use a heavy-duty battery pack case can be extremely annoying. Although here at Cell Clinic Vancouver we do carry a number of products to extend the life of your battery, we cannot physically make your battery more powerful. We can however offer 5 tips to improve the daily life of your battery on your smartphone or cell phone.

 1. Watch your signal strength

 When you have a low signal strength, your phone is constantly working much harder to find the signal it needs to run the cellular components of your cellphone. If you are more concerned about your battery life than staying connected, consider turning your phone on “airplane mode”. This will cut the connection from your cell phone to the cellular tower, and your battery will not be drained.

 2. Turn the phones brightness down

 It may be nice having that bight and glowing screen at first, but our eyes naturally adjust to brightness levels. What may seem dim at first will slowly adjust to a point where you won’t notice that you have turned it down at all. Now don’t turn it all the way down to a point where you are struggling to see the screen. A nice balance of about half way is enough to significantly improve your battery life, and not make you strain to see your cell phone screen.

 3. Reconsider your choice in a live wallpaper

 If may look really neat but maybe the novelty of a live action wallpaper has worn off. By turning this feature off, you will indeed see an improvement of your battery life.

 4. Close your Apps

 You may or may not know that when you switch from one app to another, the other app is still running in the background. Apps like Google Maps can eat up your battery life in minutes. To prevent this, close down your apps when you are done using them. Every cell phone or smartphone does this differently. On the iPhone simply double tap the home button and swipe up on the app to close it. On some Samsung cellphones there is actually a button on the bottom left of the screen that allows you to open all the apps and manually close them.

 5. See if your cell phone has a “power saving mode”

 Some of the newer cellphones and smartphones have a feature called power saving mode. This will limit the phone down to its primary features such as calling and texting. Do doing so, your cell phone will reduce its usage significantly, and result in an overall longer lasting battery.

 If all these tips fail to improve the daily life of your battery and you still cant make it a full day without charging up the phone, you may need a new battery replacement. Batteries for Samsung Cell Phones can be swapped out easily, but for phones such as the iPhone, you may need to take it into a repair shop like Cell Clinic Vancouver to get the replacement done.