Take Control of Your Apple Account

Take Control of Your Apple Account
Author: Glenn Fleishman
Publisher: alt concepts
Total Pages: 117
Release: 2024-09-20
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1990783589
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Prevent (or solve) problems with your Apple Account! Version 1.0, published September 20, 2024 The center of the Apple world is your Apple Account. This little identifier ties up your access to iCloud; to purchased and streaming music, TV, and movies; and to all your devices. While an Apple Account is essential, Apple has made it difficult to navigate the many features associated with it—and particularly to troubleshoot and resolve problems that crop up. This book answers dozens of questions and guides you through solutions. It also explains how to use security, recovery, and other features tied to your Apple Account. Everything Apple relies on your Apple Account. It’s a key that unlocks a long list of Apple products and services on any of numerous devices. iCloud uses an Apple Account, as does Apple Music; the App Store; the Music, TV, and Books apps; and more. An Apple Account protects your personal information, including email and iOS/iPadOS backups; helps you find a lost iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch; and can even unlock your Mac. So it goes without saying that if something goes wrong with your Apple Account, you could be in for a world of hurt. Unfortunately, things go wrong with Apple Accounts all the time. Fortunately, Glenn Fleishman, a veteran technology journalist and the author of Macworld’s “Mac 911” column, is ready to help with expert advice on how to manage your Apple Account—including how to prevent, solve, or work around most common problems! This book is fully up to date with all the changes released by Apple in 2024 connected to your Apple Account—including the change of name from Apple ID to Apple Account—as well as for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15 Sequoia, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, and other Apple products and services. In this book, Glenn answers questions like: • What all is my Apple Account used for? • How does my iCloud account relate to my Apple Account? • What’s two-factor authentication and how do I manage it—and not get locked out of my account? • Should I invest in hardware security keys to up the protection of my Apple Account account? • Are there other mechanisms I can use to ensure that I can recover an Apple Account in the event of a problem? (Spoiler: yes!) • What should I do if I have two or more Apple Accounts or iCloud accounts? • Will I lose access to all my Apple media purchases if I move to another country? • Can I share an Apple Account with someone else? • What does an Apple One subscription offer and how does it interact with Family Sharing and iCloud+ storage tiers? • Is there an explanation for how code-based and hardware-based second factors protect my account and how they differ from passkeys? (Yes!) • What exactly should I do if I think someone is hacking my Apple Account account? • How can I recover a forgotten Apple Account password? • What happens if I’m assaulted or drugged and someone gains access to my iPhone passcode and resets my Apple Account? (Sadly, a too real, if uncommon, problem.) • What steps should I take if Apple locks me out of my account? • If I lose access to an email address associated with my Apple Account, what can I do? • What Apple Account changes in recent versions of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS do I need to know about? • How can I use Family Sharing to share data and purchases within my family? • What types of subscriptions can I manage with my Apple Account, and how? • Which payment methods can I associate with my Apple Account, and how do I manage them? And that’s just the beginning. Glenn has packed a remarkable amount of concise problem-solving information into this comprehensive book. Read it before you encounter Apple Account problems to minimize your risk, and if you’ve already encountered a problem, read it to find the best path to a rapid solution.

Take Control of Securing Your Apple Devices

Take Control of Securing Your Apple Devices
Author: Glenn Fleishman
Publisher: alt concepts
Total Pages: 137
Release: 2024-09-30
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1990783600
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Keep your Mac, iPhone, and iPad safe! Version 1.0, published September 30, 2024 Secure your Mac, iPhone, or iPad against attacks from the internet, physical intrusion, and more with the greatest of ease. Glenn Fleishman guides you through protecting yourself from phishing, email, and other exploits, as well as network-based invasive behavior. Learn about built-in privacy settings, the Secure Enclave, FileVault, hardware encryption keys, sandboxing, privacy settings, Advanced Data Protection, Lockdown Mode, resetting your password when all hope seems lost, and much more.n The digital world is riddled with danger, even as Apple has done a fairly remarkable job at keeping our Macs, iPhones, and iPads safe. But the best security strategy is staying abreast of past risks and anticipating future ones. This book gives you all the insight and directions you need to ensure your Apple devices and their data are safe. You’ll learn about the enhanced Advanced Data Protection option for iCloud services, allowing you to keep all your private data inaccessible not just to thieves and unwarranted government intrusion, but even to Apple! Also get the rundown on Lockdown Mode to deter direct network and phishing attacks, passkeys and hardware secure keys for the highest level of security for Apple Account and website logins, and Mac-specific features such as encrypted startup volumes and FileVault’s login protection process. Security and privacy are tightly related, and this book helps you understand how macOS, iOS, and iPadOS have increasingly compartmentalized and protected your personal data, and how to allow only the apps you want to access specific folders, your contacts, and other information. Here’s what this book has to offer: • Master the privacy settings on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad • Calculate your level of risk and your tolerance for it • Use Apple’s Stolen Device Protection feature for iPhone that deflects thieves who extract your passcode through coercion or misdirection. • Learn why you’re asked to give permission for apps to access folders and personal data on your Mac • Moderate access to your audio, video, screen actions, and other hardware inputs and outputs • Get to know the increasing layers of system security deployed over the past few years • Prepare against a failure or error that might lock you out of your device • Share files and folders securely over a network and through cloud services • Upgrade your iCloud data protection to use end-to-end encryption • Control other low-level security options to reduce the risk of someone gaining physical access to your Mac—or override them to install system extensions • Understand FileVault encryption and protection for Mac, and avoid getting locked out • Investigate the security of a virtual private network (VPN) to see whether you should use one • Learn how the Secure Enclave in Macs with a T2 chip or M-series Apple silicon affords hardware-level protections • Dig into ransomware, the biggest potential threat to Mac users (though rare in practice) • Discover recent security and privacy technologies, such as Lockdown Mode and passkeys

Take Control of Find My and AirTags, 3rd Edition

Take Control of Find My and AirTags, 3rd Edition
Author: Glenn Fleishman
Publisher: alt concepts
Total Pages: 114
Release: 2024-09-20
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1990783570
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Track your stuff, find your friends, and safely share your location Version 3.0, updated September 20, 2024 Take Control of Find My and AirTags takes you inside Apple’s Find My ecosystem, a robust, privacy-protecting way to track your things, share your location (and see others’ with their permission), and aid in recovery lost and stolen devices. Find My lets you and someone else arrange to meet and see your live, updated ETA; figure out where you left your iPad (was it on a flight?!), and know that your bicycle remains firmly in place where you locked it.n Find My lost the “iPhone” moniker long ago, as the app and system of location tracking hardware, software, and infrastructure became “Find My Everything.” The current ecosystem encompasses people, Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch), Apple and Beats audio hardware, and low-power, long-life trackers. Apps can be used in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, and on iCloud.com. Take Control of Find My and AirTags takes you through the many parts of Find My so you can configure and refine how you and your stuff is tracked and shared. The book looks at three different kinds of tracking: • People: Learn how to share your location safely, follow others who let you, and send and receive notifications about arrivals and departures. (Also, prevent being tracked when you don’t want to be.) • Devices: See the whereabouts of your and Family Sharing group members’ devices and audio hardware. Get to know the ins and outs of enabling Find My and taking remote actions, from playing a sound to wiping your data from a device. • Items: Find out how AirTags make use of the crowdsourced network of other people’s Apple devices to help you find a lost or forgotten purse, backpack, or even car, and about third-party devices licensing the technology from Apple. Learn how to share your items with up to five other people. Also get to know the dangers of people using Find My tech for stalking. The book explains how to identify the risk, deter unwanted tracking from happening, block it if you find it—and report it to law enforcement or get other help. This edition includes detailed information about the Apple and Google industry initiative for Android, iOS, and iPadOS that lets Android, iPhone, and iPad users get notified about unknown trackers on either Apple or Google’s tracking systems that are traveling with them. The book also digs into how Family Sharing interacts with personal and device location sharing and finding, and how to help other people find their lost stuff if they don’t have one of their own Apple devices handy. The book focuses on the latest Apple operating systems: iOS 18/iPadOS 18, macOS 15 Sequoia, and watchOS 11. However, it looks back as far as iOS 16/iPadOS 16 and macOS 14 Monterey for nearly every feature—and sometimes back even years before those releases—so you can best use your mix of Apple devices of all vintages. Here’s more of what you can find in this book: • Start sharing AirTags and other items with up to five other people. • Find out the difference between device-based Find My tracking and the Find My network. • Figure out if your Apple or Beats audio hardware can be tracked just over Bluetooth nearby or via the Find My Network. • Lost a single earbud? Apple may have you covered by playing a sound out of it or providing nearly pinpoint tracking. • Experience the joy of playing a sound over the internet or nearby to help find a missing device or item. • See the place in Apple’s ecosystem for third-party Find My tracking from nearly a dozen companies that make bike, bag, and general stuff trackers, some with extra alarms. • Spot Google and Apple trackers following you that aren’t yours and aren’t shared Apple Find My items. • Control and monitor the way you let others track your whereabouts. • Get to know presence, the way you define which of your devices indicates where you are to other people. • Learn about the capability to track an iPhone or iPad even after it’s been erased! • See how Messages simplifies and improves location sharing and maps. • Dig into Apple’s efforts to prevent Find My from being used for stalking and unwanted tracking, including audio alerts and other behavior. • Discover buried controls for configuring exactly how Find My updates your device’s location, including when power runs low. • Develop an understanding of your Apple Watch’s three distinct Find My to use them effectively on the go. • Understand Activation Lock, which protects devices from being reused even if someone has erased them, and Find My Lock, which keeps Find My items from being reset and taken over. • Help family members find lost and stolen gear through Find My’s Family Sharing support.

Take Control of Sequoia

Take Control of Sequoia
Author: Joe Kissell
Publisher: alt concepts
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2024-09-16
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 199078352X
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Get up to speed quickly with macOS 15! Version 1.1, published September 16, 2024 macOS 15 Sequoia is one of Apple's most ambitious updates in years. Along with the usual range of new features, it introduces Apple Intelligence, which will permeate many parts of the system and fundamentally change the sorts of things you can do with your Mac and how you do them. This book is your complete guide to what's new in Sequoia—and what Apple has planned for future updates, too. Sequoia is an unusual release in that the first version (15.0) has only a fraction of its promised features. Version 15.1, which appears to be on track to ship not long thereafter, will bring with it the first tranche of Apple Intelligence capabilities, and even more will roll out over the coming months. Joe Kissell tells you everything you need to know, including a thorough walk-through of the upgrade process. You'll learn about new window tiling features, iPhone mirroring, videoconferencing tools, the much-discussed Passwords app, how Siri is becoming more powerful, new ways of formatting messages in the Messages app, additional features in Notes, and much more. This book teaches you things like: • How to tell whether your Mac is compatible with Sequoia • Steps you should take before upgrading • How to perform an in-place upgrade—or do a clean install and migrate your old data from a backup • What's new in the System Settings app • Using new Safari 18 features, such as page highlights, a redesigned Reader view, a tool to remove distracting page elements, and a new video viewer • What Apple Intelligence can do in macOS 15.1 (including Siri changes, writing tools, and image generation) and what's coming later (for example, ChatGPT features) • The many ways you can now tile your windows, and how to turn off the annoying bits • What the new Passwords app can and can't do (and why it probably won't replace your current password manager) • Using the new iPhone Mirroring app to interact with your iPhone right on your Mac's screen • How to enhance video calls (using apps like FaceTime, Zoom, or Slack) with background replacement and better screen sharing controls • Ways to format text and add animations in Messages, plus smart replies, scheduled replies, and emoji or sticker tapbacks • New ways to use Notes, including new text formatting options, transcription of live audio, collapsible sections, and text highlighting • How to use Math Notes for calculations without a calculator or spreadsheet (and not just in the Notes app) • Small but interesting changes throughout macOS, such as accessibility improvements and new capabilities for AirPods • Improvements to bundled apps, including Calculator, Calendar, Freeform, Home, Mail, Maps, Photos, and Weather Joe plans to update this book several times in the coming months to reflect the ongoing changes in Sequoia.

Take Control of Apple TV, 4th Edition

Take Control of Apple TV, 4th Edition
Author: Josh Centers
Publisher: alt concepts
Total Pages: 100
Release: 2023-12-13
Genre: House & Home
ISBN: 1990783449
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Everything you need to know about the Apple TV! Version 4.0, updated December 13, 2023 Whether you're considering an Apple TV, already own one, or have a smart TV or streaming device that supports AirPlay and/or the Apple TV app, you can more fully enjoy Apple’s ecosystem with this ultimate guide by editor Josh Centers. You'll learn about the best TVs and sound equipment to buy, how to maximize your Apple TV's picture quality, get the most out of the Apple TV app, control your media with AirPlay, and so much more!n Josh walks you through cables, ports, and setup, and explains how to use gestures and spoken commands with the Siri Remote—yes, you can talk to your TV! He helps you navigate and customize the Home screen, plus describes getting-started settings such as inputting your Apple ID and enabling parental controls. You'll learn how to use the TV app (whether on the Apple TV box itself, on a Mac, iPhone, or iPad; or on a third-party smart TV), and how you can best view home movies and TV shows. The book also looks at using an Apple TV to listen to your music or Apple Music, download and play podcasts from the Podcasts app, and browse your photos. In Take Control of Apple TV you'll also read about: • What's new in tvOS 17 • Which Apple TV model to buy—or whether you should get different hardware instead • Getting the most out of your the Siri Remote (either version) • Alternatives to the Siri Remote • Using Control Center on an Apple TV • Using a game controller with Apple TV • Controlling Apple TV with Shortcuts • Using AirPlay to beam the display of your Mac or iPhone screen to your TV • Making Mac or iOS/iPadOS audio play through your TV’s speakers • Making and receiving FaceTime calls on an Apple TV • Using SharePlay to watch shows with friends in other places • Running Home Sharing to play media from a local computer • Using one or more HomePods as speakers for your Apple TV • Using an Apple Watch to control your Apple TV • What you can do with Conference Room Display mode • How to tell whether an iOS/iPadOS app includes a free copy of its Apple TV version • How to reset or restore an Apple TV—useful for troubleshooting or for handing your device to a new owner

Take Control of Solving Mac Problems

Take Control of Solving Mac Problems
Author: Joe Kissell
Publisher: alt concepts
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2024-06-26
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1990783511
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Maintain, troubleshoot, and speed up your Mac! Version 1.0, published June 26, 2024 Macs are generally quite reliable computers, but things still can and do go wrong. When you encounter an error message, an ornery app, or other unwanted behavior, don't panic. Take a deep breath and turn to the expert advice in Take Control of Solving Mac Problems. This book—which replaces, updates, and extends Joe's earlier books Take Control of Maintaining Your Mac, Take Control of Troubleshooting Your Mac, and Take Control of Speeding Up Your Mac—is a complete guide to both preventing and solving Mac problems. You'll learn how to think like a technician, use powerful tools and techniques, and cope with surprises. The book covers three distinct areas. Maintain Your Mac Perform preventive maintenance steps that will reduce the likelihood of problems—and make it easier to recover if something does go wrong: • Make sure macOS and other software is up to date. • Free up disk space and reduce clutter. • Learn about backups, creating a troubleshooting account, and other measures to take before disaster strikes. • Explore third-party maintenance apps that may simplify common operations. • Follow a simple, ongoing maintenance routine. Troubleshoot Mac Problems The heart of the book is about diagnosing problems and finding solutions: • Learn 14 useful troubleshooting techniques that you can apply to a wide range of issues. • Find ready-to-use solutions to 25 common Mac problems. • Discover how to approach novel or unusual problems without obvious remedies. • Understand the best (and worst) ways to search for help online. • Figure out when it's time to seek professional help, and where to find it. Speed Up a Slow Mac Learn what to do if individual apps bog down or your entire system seems sluggish: • Find out what to do if web browsing is unusually slow. • Get to know Activity Monitor to find out what's going on under your Mac's hood. • Learn ways to reduce CPU and RAM usage. • Find memory leaks and tame background processes. • Determine your options for hardware upgrades when software fixes aren't enough. That's just a taste of the extensive material in this detailed, 188-page book. It's designed for Macs running macOS 11 Big Sur or later, including macOS 12 Monterey, macOS 13 Ventura, macOS 14 Sonoma, and macOS 15 Sequoia. The following Mac models are at least capable of running a supported version of macOS: • iMac (mid 2014 or later) • iMac Pro • Mac mini (late 2014 or later) • Mac Pro (late 2013 or later) • Mac Studio • MacBook (2015) • MacBook Air (2013 or later) • MacBook Pro (late 2013 or later) In other words, any Mac released in 2014 or later, plus the 2013 models of the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro.

Take Control of Apple Watch, 4th Edition

Take Control of Apple Watch, 4th Edition
Author: Jeff Carlson
Publisher: alt concepts
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2023-12-13
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1990783414
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Explore everything your Apple Watch can do in watchOS 10! Version 4.2, updated December 13, 2023 Get to know your Apple Watch and customize it to help you focus on what you care about most. Tech expert Jeff Carlson helps you understand the watch mindset, pick the watch model that’s right for you, set up and share its faces and their complications, get the notifications you want, take advantage of the health and fitness features, handle communications, and learn how the controls and core apps work.n The Apple Watch has become the world's best-selling watch, as well as the most popular wearable digital device. Since the device's introduction in 2015, Apple has developed numerous new watch product lines, vastly expanded the device's capabilities, and enabled developers to create entirely new apps and tools. The Apple Watch hides an enormous amount of technical complexity behind that unassuming touch screen, and with help from author Jeff Carlson, you'll unlock every last bit of its power. With watchOS 10, Apple dramatically changed some of the core watch interactions, which Jeff covers here. Take Control of Apple Watch covers all Apple Watch models through Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, as well as all the new features introduced in watchOS 10. Jeff walks you through getting to know the Apple Watch (including how to pick one out if you haven’t already), along with topics that teach you how to navigate among the watch’s screens with the physical controls, taps on the screen, and Siri. You’ll also find advice on customizing watch faces and sharing them with others; taking advantage of the electrocardiogram (ECG) capability and blood oxygen sensor, plus the temperature sensors introduced in the Series 8 and Ultra; getting the notifications you want; handling text and voice communications; using Apple’s core apps; and monitoring your heart rate, hearing, and monthly cycle to improve your overall health. A final chapter discusses taking care of your Apple Watch, including recharging, restarting, resetting, and restoring. Among the many topics covered in the book are: • Picking out and setting up your own Apple Watch—covers models up through Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 • How to adapt to the numerous changed gestures in watchOS 10 • Making watch face complications work for you • Using Control Center and Smart Stack • Understanding how the watch interacts with your iPhone (including how to control your watch with your iPhone) • Staying connected using a cellular-enabled Apple Watch model • Using Siri on your watch for a wide variety of tasks • Tracking your exercise, even when you leave your iPhone at home • Using your watch to monitor sleep data • Placing and receiving phone calls on the watch • Getting navigation directions (and using the redesigned Compass app, including waypoints and the Backtrack feature introduced in watchOS 9) • Using the Walkie-Talkie feature to chat with other Apple Watch owners • Sending default (and customized) text messages—and even sending money via Messages • Seeing email from only certain people • Adding calendar events and reminders • Loading your watch with photos and using them to create new watch faces • Doing workouts with Apple Fitness+ • Finding people, devices, and items • Controlling your home with HomeKit-compatible devices • Triggering the iPhone’s camera remotely using the watch • Paying at contactless terminals using Apple Pay • Putting tickets on your watch • Using health-related features such as the blood oxygen sensor and medication reminders, plus the ECG, Cycle Tracking, and Noise apps • Detecting falls and (with newer watch models) car crashes, and automatically calling for help • Controlling an Apple TV, or Music on a Mac with the Remote app • Unlocking a Mac (and authenticating certain actions) with your watch • Adding apps to the watch via your iPhone or the watch's built-in App Store • Resetting a messed-up Apple Watch and force-quitting an app

Take Control of Monterey

Take Control of Monterey
Author: Joe Kissell
Publisher: alt concepts
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2022-06-29
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1990783058
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Get to know macOS 12 Monterey! Version 1.2, updated June 29, 2022 macOS 12 Monterey builds on the changes in Big Sur, making your Intel or M-series Mac even more powerful and easier to use. This book teaches you how to prepare for a smooth transition to the new version of macOS—and what to do once you've upgraded. Learn your way around, find out about new capabilities (and a few pitfalls), and improve your privacy and security. Following 2020's Big Sur release, which massively overhauled the macOS interface and introduced support for M-series (Apple silicon) Macs, we have macOS 12 Monterey. Although the look and feel are quite similar to Big Sur, Monterey adds refinements, improvements, and interesting new features to books your productivity and your privacy. As was the case for Big Sur, we're not publishing a separate Take Control of Upgrading to Monterey book. Instead, complete upgrading instructions are included here, along with details about what to expect before, during, and after your Monterey installation. Among the many subjects covered in this book are: • How to tell whether your Mac is compatible with Monterey • Steps you should take before upgrading • Upgrading from the Monterey public beta • How to perform an in-place upgrade—or do a clean install and migrate your old data from a backup • Improvements to FaceTime, such as updated audio and video options, scheduled meetings, and (later this year) SharePlay • New Messages feature, including Shared with You better handling of photos, and new Memoji options • Changes in Safari 15—including last-minute changes to address design flaws in the new interface for tabs • The Focus feature that takes Do Not Disturb to a new level • Shortcuts, which has made its way from iOS/iPadOS to macOS and added new features • What's new in the Maps app, including more city detail, Driving mode, and better transit support • Small but interesting changes throughout macOS, such as AirPlay to Mac, iCloud+, improved password support, and Quick Note • Improvements to bundled apps, including Books, Finder, Mail, Notes, Photos, and more