If your iPhone sits on the Apple logo with a progress bar after installing iOS 27, Apple has a support document for precisely that screen, and almost nobody cites it. Article 102317 asks you to do one thing first, which is to let the device finish. iOS 27 reaches iPhone 11 and later on Monday,…
how-to
How Long Does iOS 27 Take to Install? Apple Has Never Published a Time for Any Release
Apple has never published how long an iOS update takes to install. Not for iOS 27, not for any earlier release, and not for any iPhone model, which means every “20 to 30 minutes” figure you will read on Monday is somebody’s estimate presented as fact. iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max ship with iOS…
Moving to an iPhone 18 Pro: What Apple's Published Transfer Instructions Cover, and Where They Stop
Apple’s published instructions for moving to an iPhone 18 Pro amount to three preparation steps and one free support session. There is no Apple support article covering data transfer to this model, because Apple has not published a user guide for it yet: the iPhone manuals index still stops at the iPhone 17 family and…
Your iPhone 18 Pro Arrives September 18: What Apple Publishes for the Days Before It Does
iPhone 18 Pro reaches buyers on Friday, September 18, and the useful preparation happens on the phone you already own rather than the one in transit. Apple publishes exactly one detail about the new device’s software state, and it is a helpful one: the box contains “iPhone with iOS 27”, so there is no first-run…
How to Use Sound Recognition Alerts on Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4
Sound Recognition on Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 alerts you when the watch’s microphone picks up sirens, alarms, doorbells or a baby crying. Apple says the feature requires one of those two models, runs on the S11 chip, and keeps no audio recordings. Sound Recognition is part of Audio Intelligence, the…
How to Set Up Apple Watch Series 12 for a Family Member or Child
Apple Watch Series 12 can be set up for someone who does not have their own iPhone. Apple’s support guide puts the choice at step four of the pairing flow, where you pick “Set Up for Myself” or “Set Up for a Family Member,” and points to a separate support article (109036) for the family-specific…
How to Use the Tap Gesture and Dynamic App Grid in watchOS 27
watchOS 27 adds two navigation changes Apple describes on its watchOS page: a tap gesture, a single tap of your index finger and thumb, that selects Smart Stack widgets one-handed, and a dynamic app grid that automatically suggests your frequently and recently used apps. Both arrive with the free update on Monday, September 14, the…
How to Set Up Cycle Tracking and Perimenopause Notifications on Apple Watch Series 12
Cycle Tracking for Apple Watch Series 12 is set up in the Health app on iPhone: tap Search, then Cycle Tracking, then Get Started. Once it is on, you log a period from the Cycle Tracking app on the watch, and the perimenopause and menopause notifications Apple added for watchOS 27 arrive with the free…
How to Read Recovery HRV and the Daytime Vitals View on Apple Watch Series 12
Apple Watch Series 12 measures heart rate variability every five minutes and reports it two ways: Recovery HRV, which Apple describes as a daily stress and recovery signal, and overall HRV. Both appear in the Heart Rate app on the watch, and a new daytime vitals view lets you toggle between overnight and daytime metrics…
How to Use Live Rewind on Apple Watch Series 12: Double-Press the Digital Crown for the Last 15 Seconds
Live Rewind is not available yet: Apple says it arrives in beta late in 2026. Once it does, Live Rewind on Apple Watch Series 12 shows the previous 15 seconds of a conversation as a text snippet after you double-press the Digital Crown. Apple says the feature needs a paired Apple Intelligence iPhone 16 or…
How to Set Up Touch ID on iPhone Duo With Multiple Fingers and Unlock With Apple Watch
iPhone Duo unlocks with Touch ID built into the side button, not Face ID, and Apple says it works with the phone open or closed, accepts multiple fingers, and can be paired with Unlock with Apple Watch. Setting it up means enrolling each finger you will use in both positions, then turning on the Apple…
How to Use Dual Capture on iPhone Duo: Front and Rear Video at Once in 4K 30
Dual Capture on iPhone Duo records video from a front camera and a rear camera at the same time, and Apple’s tech specs cap it at 4K at 30 fps. That is lower than the 4K 120 fps the rear cameras manage on their own, so the mode trades frame rate for a second angle.…
How to Pre-Order iPhone Duo on October 16: Apple Store App, Local Times, Lease vs Installments
iPhone Duo pre-orders open October 16 at 5 a.m. PT. How to pick storage from $1,999, choose $83.29 installments or the $57.99 lease, and add a trade-in.
How to Customize the Camera Control Overlay on iPhone 18 Pro: Choose and Reorder Exposure, Depth, Zoom, Styles and Tone
Settings > Camera > Camera Control > Customize picks which of the 6 overlay settings show on iPhone 18 Pro, and in what order. Apple’s steps and options.
How to Shoot 4K at 120 fps on iPhone 18 Pro: Dolby Vision, Cinematic Mode and ProRes Settings
iPhone 18 Pro records 4K Dolby Vision video at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100 or 120 fps according to Apple’s tech specs, and the frame rate is chosen from the values shown in the corner of the Camera viewfinder. Two limits apply: Cinematic mode tops out at 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps, and ProRes…
iPhone 18 Pro ProRAW, 24MP and 48MP: Which Photo Format and Resolution to Shoot
iPhone 18 Pro gives you three ways to save a still photo: a standard capture, a super-high-resolution photo at 24MP or 48MP, or Apple ProRAW. Apple’s tech specs list all three. For most people 24MP is the everyday choice, 48MP pays off when you plan to crop or print, and ProRAW is for anyone who…
Why You Should Turn On High Efficiency Capture on iPhone 18 Pro Before Using Photographic Styles
If you want to change or remove a Photographic Style after you have taken a photo on iPhone 18 Pro, the photo must have been captured with High Efficiency image capture. Apple Support says so in its Photographic Styles guide, and the switch lives at Settings > Camera > Formats, where you tap High Efficiency.…
How to Use Duo FaceTime on iPhone Duo: Letting Nearby Friends Join From the Outer Display
Duo FaceTime is an iPhone Duo feature that lets nearby friends join a FaceTime call from the phone’s 5.4-inch outer display while you stay on the 7.6-inch inner display, so two groups on opposite sides of one phone can be on the same call. Apple lists it as one of four features exclusive to iPhone…
How to Use Duo Preview and Kid Cue on iPhone Duo's Outer Display
Duo Preview and Kid Cue are two iPhone Duo camera features that put the 5.4-inch outer display to work while you shoot with the rear cameras: Duo Preview shows the person being photographed a live view of the shot, and Kid Cue plays animations on that screen to hold a child’s attention. Both are listed…
How to Search Photos With Natural Language and Build a Memory Movie on iPhone 18 Pro
On iPhone 18 Pro you can find a photo by describing it in a sentence, and you can build a memory movie by typing a one-line description. Both features run on Apple Intelligence, and Apple Support’s current guide lists the steps: tap Search in Photos and describe what you want, or go to Collections >…
How to Prepare Your Old iPhone for Trade-In Before iPhone 18 Pro Arrives: Backup, Find My, Sign Out and the 14-Day Window
Apple’s trade-in estimate is valid for 14 days after you receive your new device, so the old iPhone does not need to be wiped until the iPhone 18 Pro is in your hands. Apple’s trade-in page lists three preparation steps once it is: back up, turn off Find My, and sign out. Apple's newsroom lists…
How to Use Camera Control to Open Magnifier, Code Scanner or a Third-Party Camera App on iPhone 18 Pro
The Camera Control button on iPhone 18 Pro does not have to open Apple’s Camera app. Apple Support publishes a separate guide, “Use the Camera Control to open another app,” that covers pointing the button at Magnifier, Code Scanner or a third-party camera app instead, and the same Settings > Camera > Camera Control screen…
Portrait Mode or Variable Aperture on iPhone 18 Pro: When to Use Depth Control and When to Stop Down
iPhone 18 Pro gives you two separate ways to decide how blurred a background looks. Portrait mode uses software, which Apple lists on its tech specs as next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control, while the 48MP Fusion Main camera now has a physical variable aperture that steps between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0. The…
How to Use Smart Take on iPhone Duo: Let the Phone Pick the Moment Everyone Is Posed
Smart Take is an iPhone Duo camera feature that uses on-device AI to watch a group through the viewfinder and take the picture at the moment everyone is posed, so nobody has to count down or tap the shutter. Apple lists it on its iPhone Duo product page as one of four camera features only…