To change what the Action button does on Apple Watch Ultra, open the Settings app, tap Action Button, tap Action, then pick a function such as Workout, Backtrack or Dive. The same button sounds the siren: press and hold it, wait for the countdown to finish, and the watch starts an alarm meant to attract…
how-to
How to use Journal's writing prompts in iOS 27, or turn them off
In iOS 27, the Journal app can suggest writing prompts “based on what you write and any photos or drawings you add to your entry,” and you can add up to three of them to a single entry. The prompts come from Apple Intelligence, and one switch hides them: Settings > Apps > Journal >…
How to reset AirPods 5 without a setup button, using three double-taps
AirPods 5 have no setup button on the back of the case, so you reset them by tapping the front of the case instead. Open the lid, double-tap the front three times as the status light changes, and wait for the light to flash amber, then white. AirPods 5 and their charging case. Image: Apple…
How to use Files name suggestions and Access Requests in iOS 27
In iOS 27, when you rename a file in the Files app on an iPhone with Apple Intelligence, Files recommends a name above the keyboard. Apple’s iOS 27 guide also describes Access Requests, an option for shared iCloud Drive links that lets other people with the link ask you to approve their access. A work…
How to set up satellite messaging on Apple Watch Ultra before going off-grid
Set up satellite features on Apple Watch Ultra while you still have cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, because Apple’s watchOS 27 guide says the setup has to happen before you leave it. That means adding two shortcuts, running the Emergency SOS demo, and texting the people you’ll want to reach. Apple Watch Ultra 4 on the…
iOS 27 voicemail can suggest a reminder or calendar event: Here's how it works
On iOS 27, your iPhone can turn a voicemail into a to-do. With Apple Intelligence, the Phone app shows what Apple calls “Siri suggested actions” based on the voicemail transcript, such as adding a reminder or creating a calendar event. iPhone 18 Pro, photographed by Apple. Image: Apple Apple’s iOS 27 guide documents the feature…
How to build a shortcut in iOS 27 just by describing what it should do
In iOS 27, you can make a shortcut without touching the action list. Open the Shortcuts app, tap the Add button, and describe what you want in plain language, and the app “creates and names a shortcut based on your input,” according to Apple’s Shortcuts User Guide. Apple's A20 Pro chip for iPhone 18 Pro.…
iPhone 18 Pro setup: How to set a charge limit and still charge to full
A new iPhone 18 Pro starts out charging to 100 percent, with Optimized Battery Charging switched on. If you’d rather cap it, open Settings, tap Battery, tap Charging, and choose a limit between 80 and 100 percent in 5 percent steps. iPhone 18 Pro in all four colors. Image: Apple It’s worth deciding during setup.…
iOS 27 fills in Reminders and Calendar details from a sentence you type
In iOS 27, you can create a reminder by typing a sentence instead of working through date and repeat pickers. Type something like Apple’s example, “Feed the cat every evening at 5pm,” and Reminders “automatically fills in the details and timing based on what you typed.” Calendar does the same for events. iPhone 18 Pro,…
How to make Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 recognize songs without a tap
Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 can identify a song playing around you and show its title and artist in the Smart Stack without a tap. It only happens once Music Detection is on: open the Settings app on the watch, tap Smart Stack, then turn on Music Detection. Apple Watch Series…
How to use iOS 27's personalized Smart Reply in Mail, or turn it off
Tap a suggested reply above the keyboard in Mail on iOS 27 and Apple Intelligence writes a full draft “in your personalized writing style,” according to Apple’s iPhone User Guide. If you’d rather it didn’t imitate you, turn off Personalize Smart Replies at Settings > Apps > Mail. Apple's artwork for iOS 27 and iPadOS…
iPhone 18 Pro won't record ProRes until you reserve Pro Video Storage
On iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, switching on Apple ProRes isn’t the end of the job. After you turn on Apple ProRes in Settings > Camera > Formats, Apple’s iPhone User Guide says to tap Configure Pro Video Storage and set aside space on the phone for pro video recordings. Manual camera…
How to start Siri AI in iOS 27, including a swipe down on the Dynamic Island
With Siri AI turned on, iOS 27 gives you four new ways to start Siri on iPhone: swipe down from the Dynamic Island, touch and hold something and choose Ask Siri, take a screenshot, or switch the Camera app to Siri mode. Saying “Siri” or “Hey Siri” and holding the side button still work. The…
How to switch from Siri AI back to Siri Classic on your iPhone
iOS 27 lets you go back to the previous Siri, which Apple calls Siri Classic. In Settings > Siri, turn Siri off, turn it back on, and choose Siri Classic. Write with Siri on iPhone Duo. Image: Apple There’s no separate Siri AI switch. Turning Siri off and on again is how you pick a…
How to give alarms their own volume in iOS 27, separate from your ringtone
iOS 27 can play alarms and timers at their own volume, but only after you change one setting. Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and turn off Match Ringtone Volume under Alarms and Timers, then drag the slider. iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max seen from the front and back. Image: Apple…
How to join the Siri AI waitlist on iPhone, and who can't get it yet
Installing iOS 27 doesn’t switch on the new Siri. Open Settings, tap Siri, then tap Try Siri AI (Beta) and follow the setup screens, which put you on a waitlist until Siri AI downloads. Siri AI on iPhone Duo. Image: Apple Apple gives no estimate beyond “wait times can vary,” and says Siri AI “will…
iPhone 18 Pro Pickup or Delivery: What Changes About Setup Day
iPhone 18 Pro reaches customers two ways on Friday, September 18: a courier delivery to an address, or a walk into an Apple Store to collect an order already placed. Apple publishes real requirements for the second path, an ID check and a pickup deadline, that do not apply to the first, though the setup…
iPhone 18 Pro eSIM Activation: Carrier Steps for AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon
iPhone 18 Pro ships without a physical SIM tray in the United States and eleven other countries and regions, which means eSIM activation is not an optional extra for most American buyers, it is the only way the phone gets service at all. Apple documents six separate ways to put an eSIM on the phone,…
iPhone 18 Pro Data Transfer: iCloud Backup, Quick Start or a Cable, Compared
Apple publishes three separate ways to move data onto a new iPhone, and iPhone 18 Pro buyers get to pick whichever fits the morning they actually have. Quick Start is wireless and immediate, an iCloud backup works even when the two phones are not together, and a cable transfer skips the network entirely. Here is…
iPhone 18 Pro Setup: How Quick Start Works the Moment It Arrives
iPhone 18 Pro arrives Friday, September 18, five days from now, and the first thing most buyers will do is hold it next to their old iPhone and let Quick Start run. Apple’s support pages describe Quick Start as the built in wireless tool that copies your settings, accounts and data onto the new phone…
How to prepare Vision Pro for visionOS 27, from iCloud backup to Guest User
visionOS 27 becomes available as a free update for Apple Vision Pro on Monday, September 14, 2026. Apple’s own support library for the headset lays out a different set of preparation steps than the ones Apple publishes for iPhone or iPad, starting with where backup data actually lives and what counts as enough charge to…
How to prepare your iPad for iPadOS 27, in the order Apple recommends
iPadOS 27 becomes available as a free update on Monday, September 14, 2026. Apple’s own support library sets a specific order for getting an iPad ready for it: back up first, then clear space, then check power and Wi-Fi, all before Settings ever shows a Download and Install button. iPadOS 27 reaches every eligible iPad…
How to check, clean up, and back up your Mac before installing macOS 27
macOS 27 Golden Gate ships as a free update Monday, September 14, and Apple’s own support pages describe three concrete steps a Mac owner can take before then: confirm the Mac qualifies, clear enough storage for the download, and back up first. None of it requires anything beyond System Settings and, ideally, an external drive.…
iOS 27 Not Showing Up in Software Update? Apple Names VPNs, and Documents a Delete Update Fix
If iOS 27 does not appear in Software Update on Monday, or appears and refuses to download, Apple documents two things worth knowing before you touch anything else. The first is that “VPN or proxy connections might prevent your device from contacting the update servers.” The second is that Apple publishes a procedure for deleting…