MacFormat

It’s been five months since Apple officially launched Catalina – and it’s certainly been one of the most transformative and radical macOS updates to date. 32-bit support went the way of the Dodo, as did iTunes – replaced instead with separate apps na

Apple has been seriously affected by a countrywide shutdown in China, caused by a coronavirus outbreak that is believed to have started in Hubei province and rapidly spread elsewhere. Apple was forced to shut down all of its corporate offices, stores

Which rumoured Apple product are you most excited about? Log on and see next issue’s big question! twitter.com/macformat facebook.com/macformat Apple has been slapped with a £21m fine for slowing down old iPhones. The ruling by France’s Directorate G

Apple looks set to offer ‘unified purchases’ across iOS, iPadOS and macOS, if a new feature in the iOS 13.4 beta is anything to go by. Developers will be able to offer buy-once bundles of their apps on iPhone, iPad and Mac, saving you the hassle (and

Apple may make the jump to AMD in 2020, after references to several of the company’s processors were uncovered in the latest macOS beta. The macOS 10.15.4 beta references several AMD processors, according to Twitter user @_rogame who tweeted a screen

Whether you just want to be more aware of your alcohol intake or you’re thinking of actively reducing the amount you drink, Less is a useful app. The app offers a simple interface that allows you to set weekly limits and log your drinks. On the Tally

£TBC > phonocut.com This is a vinyl recorder. That is, it enables you to create your own vinyl albums, which you can play on regular turntables. It takes special 10-inch blank discs, which offer 10-15 minutes of sound on each side. You place one into

In 2013, Apple provided data for 65% of requests for device info such as IMEI* and serial numbers; in 2019, that figure was 79%. In Europe, Germany was the most data-hungry. It submitted 13,558 device requests in the first half of 2019; the UK submit

Apple is well known for its dispute A with the FBI over its refusal to unlock an iPhone used by the San Bernardino shooter in the USA. That dispute has led some people to characterise Apple as being ‘anti-police’, a characterisation that Apple vigoro

Apple has at times received criticism for complying with government requests. In 2019, it was revealed that Saudi Arabian app Absher could be used to allow men to track and restrict the movement of women. Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia are severely l

PRIZES WORTH £810 If you have a lot of Wi-Fi connected devices at home, a good mesh system will ensure you get the kind of speed and stability you need – and eliminate dead spots. So this issue, we’ve partnered with devolo to give away three Magic 2

When Catalina launched last October it came with over 100 changes big and small that altered everything from the name of the Trash (oh no, they didn’t!) to the dropping of support for 32-bit apps (oh yes, they did). Six months on and the changes have

Some people have found Bluetooth glitches after upgrading to macOS Catalina. To be fair, we’ve also found Bluetooth glitches when there are sunspots, next door’s cat throws up, or it’s a Wednesday. But if you do have problems, there are fixes. In Sys

Unfortunately, in Catalina, Gatekeeper will refuse to run apps that aren’t ‘notarised’ through Apple’s developer programme. To bypass this, ctrl-click the app icon in the Finder, choose Open and confirm. A bunch of macOS’ services – features under th

On the Window menu, use the Tile Window commands to enter Split View with the current app at the right or left. This only works when the app isn’t already in full screen mode. Opposite, a Mission Control view appears; click a thumbnail to make that w

If you have a Touch Bar, the controls it can display, set in System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard > Touch Bar shows, now include Spaces – very handy if you use that feature. You can set Spaces as the default or to appear when you hold fn. In Acti

The Photos app has changed quite a lot. With Photos selected under Library at the top left, you’ll see the tabs across the top have changed from macOS Mojave’s Photos, Moments, Collections and Years to Years, Months, Days and All Photos. The relation

If you liked Moments, the Days view is the most similar, grouping photos by date. But there’s no way to reduce the size of thumbnails to see more photos at a glance; dragging the slider at the top left just shrinks the whole timeline. All Photos is s

The Music and TV apps initially lacked the iTunes app’s ability to pair with the iTunes Remote app, but since 10.15.2 it’s back. First, install iTunes Remote (blue icon – not Apple TV Remote) on your iPhone or iPad. With this device on the same Wi-Fi

Audiobooks have moved to the Books app, and any audiobooks you’ve bought from the iTunes Store should appear here. But there’s no Account menu where you can sign in. Instead, go to System Prefs > Apple ID > iCloud and click Options next to iCloud Dri

Podcasts, previously managed in the iTunes app, now have their own app. Like Music and TV, and unlike Books, this has an Account menu where you can sign in to sync podcasts you previously purchased or subscribed to on the iTunes Store. Podcasts avail

Some people initially reported serious issues in Mail when upgrading to Catalina, including messages disappearing – a particularly worrying problem, since deleting messages from iCloud Mail and other IMAP-based platforms on your Mac will also delete

The Messages app is little changed in Catalina, which is something of a disappointment: the range of fun effects that can be added to chats in iOS and iPadOS (see bit.ly/applemessageeffects) is still missing from the Mac. Nor can you add Memojis or o

Dark Mode gains a new Auto option in Catalina. Choose this in System Prefs > General > Appearance to switch from Light to Dark at nightfall. It follows the schedule set in System Prefs > Displays > Night Shift (the feature that reduces blue light to

Version 13 of Apple’s Safari web browser feels largely familiar but has a few new tricks. As in macOS Mojave, new windows show, by default, your Favourites, displayed as large icons, plus your Frequently Visited sites – similar to Top Sites in earlie

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Catalina brings Screen Time to the Mac, accessed from System Preferences. As well as monitoring usage of apps, you can use the features below the line on the left to restrict usage or enforce downtime. This replaces the previous Parental Controls; mo

Your in-depth guide to getting more from your Apple kit COLOUR AND TONE IN PREMIERE ELEMENTS p42 A tap is a brief contact of (usually) one finger on your device’s screen. To drag is to move a finger across the screen to scroll or pan around content.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020 IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to reveal colour and tone YOU’LL NEED Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020 When painting on a layer mask using the Brush tool, resize the brush tip to give the strokes more variety. Ta

IT WILL TAKE 45 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to take control of your email inbox using Spark YOU’LL NEED Spark for macOS You can change the category of an email by clicking on the menu and the top right of a message and choosing from the list of option

Adobe Premiere Elements 2020 IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to improve contrast, boost colour and counteract colour casts YOU’LL NEED Adobe Premiere Elements 2020 Your video recording device – whether it be an iPhone, GoPro or D-SLR camer

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to sync with Macs and other devices YOU’LL NEED SyncMate, some other devices Syncing isn’t backing up! If you sync a bad or wrong version, it could overwrite the original. Always back up your important stuff

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to create groups, set nicknames and add relationships YOU’LL NEED An iPhone with iOS 13; a Mac with macOS Catalina Apple’s built-in Contacts application is home to all the phone numbers, email IDs and addres

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to remotely control your smart home tech YOU’LL NEED You’ll need an iPad or Apple TV and your iPhone You can combine multiple smart devices into Rooms or Zones in the Home app. You can then create automation

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to create playlists on your iPhone or iPad YOU’LL NEED Apple Music subscription; Music app; iPhone or iPad with iOS 13/iPadOS Playlists are a great way to group your vast music collection. They enable you to

Wi-Fi 6 is the next generation of wireless internet, and we’re happy about that for two reasons. First of all, it’s faster and has more capacity. And secondly, it means that the Wi-Fi Alliance has finally got the hang of giving things sensible names.

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to personalise your Apple News feed YOU’LL NEED An iPhone running iOS 13 or later, iPad running iPadOS, Apple News app Touch and hold a story to access settings like Save, Share, Suggest more/less and Follow

Our resident genius solves your Mac and iOS problems Q To save cost on internal storage, I keep most of my Documents on an external SSD, which works fine after upgrading to Catalina, but some apps prompt me for permission to access that drive. How ca

Q I’ve ended up with two ‘Data’ volumes when trying to reinstall Catalina. What should I do next? by VIV GORDON A When Catalina installs correctly, you should see two regular volumes. If you’re using the default name of ‘Macintosh HD’ for your startu

Q I’m scanning in hundreds of old prints to store in Photos. I’ve been naming each image in sequence, but Photos doesn’t respect their order, showing them more randomly. How can I get them to stay in order? by NICK COOK A As far as we can tell, and i

Whenever you get a new Apple device, it’s likely you have a go-to list of essential apps that you always install first. Whether that’s professional-grade apps like Adobe Photoshop or social media favourites such as Facebook and WhatsApp, we’ve all go

TEAM PICK £4.99 FROM Open Planet Software, www.openplanetsoftware.com NEEDS iOS 13 and watchOS 5 or later We love this app for its ease of use: it just takes one tap (or a Siri shortcut) to start recording on your Watch or iOS device, so you never m

Free (offers in-app purchases) FROM AITA, appintheair.mobi NEEDS iOS 11 and watchOS 4 or later Travelling can be stressful at the best of times, which is why App in the Air is such a lifesaver. It’ll tell you all the key details (when to check in, wh

TEAM PICK £4.99 FROM C-Command Software, c-command.com NEEDS OS X 10.11 or later ToothFairy makes life simpler if, like us, you use AirPods or Bluetooth headphones regularly with your Mac. It saves you extra clicks, making connecting and using your

The smart home is here – live the Apple dream today! Where else could you find out about a make-up robot (the L’Oréal Perso) that fires out a specially-formulated skincare tincture based on a combination of your face, fears, and the weather outside?

There’s little better predictor for what the tech future holds than CES, the annual Las Vegas trade show that traditionally kicks off the year. Major companies turn up to show off new releases, fancy prototypes, and fresh technologies; there’s a slig

5G is massive, and CES proved that it’s definitely not just for phones. Case in point: Razer, known for its gaming peripherals, unveiled a new version of its tri-band Sila router, part 5G-based home router, part mobile hotspot, with a firmware packag

Samsung wasn’t the only company at CES showcasing car improvements with its 5G tech (see ‘5G everywhere’ opposite). Bosch, more used to designing gadgets for the garden or the workshop, introduced the Virtual Visor, an LCD sun visor which trains a ca

£179.99, justwairit.com Persistent stains? Pit bacteria problems? A general funk that just won’t quit? It’s probably not worth taking that favourite T-shirt to the dry cleaner, but a blast with W’Air’s micronised combination of water and detergent wi

ISSUE 349 MARCH 2020 Detox your Mac – and iOS devices! Best free apps for iPhone and iPad Super-fast portable SSDs Tested: USB-C docks ISSUE 348 FEBRUARY 2020 Be an Apple Genius – 58 top tips! iPhone photography superguide Master the Podcasts app Tes

Our authoritative reviews help you make more informed choices Our reviews are totally independent; we’re not affiliated with Apple or anyone else, nor are we influenced by advertisers. You can trust us to give an honest assessment of a product’s wort

£239 FROM Google, store.google.com FEATURES 802.11ac mesh Wi-Fi router (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth LE, 1.4GHz quad-core ARM processor, 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports (router), 110x90.4mm (router), 102.2x87.2mm (point) We love the Google Nest Wifi for bring

£74.99 FROM Satechi, satechi.net FEATURES USB-C, 3x USB 3.0, Micro/SD readers, 3.5mm jack port Until 2018, the Mac mini looked like it might become a casualty of Apple’s relentless focus on iOS devices and higher-end Macs. But the much-loved and rel

£499.99 FROM Philips, philips.co.uk FEATURES 3440x1440 resolution, VA panel, USB–C with PD (90W) dock, KVM switch, built–in speakers The Philips 346B1C is a very nice package for all-round productivity. While it doesn’t necessarily come top of clas

£194 FROM Samsung, samsung.co.uk FEATURES 1TB, biometric fingerprint sensor, USB-C port (USB 3.2 Gen 2), AES 256-bit hardware encryption Samsung’s T7 is available in two versions; a plain-vanilla model and one that packs a fingerprint reader and is

£79.95 FROM Rapoo, rapoo.com FEATURES Multi-mode Bluetooth 3.0/4.0/2.4GHz keyboard, sensor adjustable from 600 to 3200dpi, rechargeable mouse battery The big selling point of the Rapoo 9900M keyboard and mouse combo is the ability to switch between

THE BEST VPNS FOR MAC The next time you are tempted to log onto your email from a public Wi-Fi network, you might want to wait. Could anyone be ‘listening in’? To ensure that you are truly safe, you should be using a virtual private network (VPN). A

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Free (offers in-app purchases) FROM Salavat Khanov, 1blocker.com NEEDS macOS 10.15 There’s no shortage of ad blockers available for both macOS and iOS. However, 1Blocker has gained fans thanks to its customisation features. New in version 3 is a to

£129 FROM Telestream, telestream.net NEEDS macOS 10.13 or later ScreenFlow is a screen capture and editing package that lets you create screencasts, which have become increasingly popular in our always-on world. While QuickTime has basic screen recor

Free (offers in-app purchases) FROM Red Sweater Software, red-sweater.com NEEDS macOS 10.12 or later Crosswords are great for both relaxing and exercising the mind. And if crosswords are your thing, Black Ink 2 may hit the spot. The veteran Mac game

Free (offers in-app purchases) FROM Yi Lun Zhao, noto.ink NEEDS iOS 13/iPadOS or later Why use separate writing, notetaking and to-do apps when a single app can do all three? Noto is a simple, elegant writing app for iOS that can sync with its Mac s

Free (offers in-app purchases) FROM Stay Sorted, staysorted.com NEEDS iOS 11.4 or later Sorted impressed us before with its ability to auto-schedule tasks according to rules you specify. Upgrades since then retain everything we liked about it while

Everyone has a book in them! We just don’t all know how to get it out. Well, a handy dedicated writing app will help. Note that we didn’t say everyone has a novel in them… We’re talking about all kinds of books here: recipe journals, a personal accou

£6.99 (offers in-app purchases) FROM Readdle, readdle.com NEEDS iOS 11 or later Calendars has long been a solution for combining tasks or reminders and calendar events. And recent versions have added new features. Calendars 5 has gained a Dark Mode,

MONITOR £170 dell.com Dell’s monitor offers great colour accuracy and impressive performance at a very affordable price. The monitor packs four USB-A ports, one USB-C, two DisplayPorts and an HDMI input, all with a 21.5-inch 1920x1080 resolution scre

From £1,049 Ever since the famous Bondi Blue iMac debuted in August 1998, Apple’s all-in-one desktop computer has been setting standards in gorgeous design and powerful performance. Apple’s innovation was as clear back then as it is today – the iMac

OF ALL THE activities your Mac enables, backing up your files is not the most obviously enthralling. Yet backup was first on the bill when Steve Jobs delivered his San Francisco Expo keynote in January 2008. Introduced as a “Back-up Appliance” for Ma