Sandy Writtenhouse

With her BS in Information Technology, Sandy worked for many years in the IT industry as a Project Manager, Department Manager, and PMO Lead. She then decided to follow her dream and now writes about technology full-time.

How to use the Instagram Effect Gallery for stories

Blossoms Effect for an Instagram Story

We’ve shown you how to make your Instagram stories stand out with filters, text, stickers, and even music. But there’s one more built-in feature that can truly make those stories pop. The Effect Gallery in the Instagram app lets you add pizzazz that fits you and your story.

Add some sparkles to your night on the town, hearts to your sweetheart, or flowers to your pet. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use the Effect Gallery including seeing how other Instagrammers take advantage of it. You might just be inspired!

How to adjust your Apple TV accessibility settings

Apple TV Settings Accessibility

Your Apple TV, just like iPhone and Mac, includes features to improve the experience for those with visual or audio impairments. These accessibility settings can be helpful or necessary to using your Apple TV.

So if you’ve just purchased an Apple TV for yourself or a loved one or are considering it and want to know the available accessibility options, you’ve come to the right spot. Here, we’ll go over the settings and features you can adjust to enjoy your Apple TV.

How to spruce up Instagram stories with filters, text, and more

Edit an Instagram Story with the Draw tool

Instagram offers some fun features for creating stories. You can use Multi-Capture for snapping several photos on the fly, include your favorite song, or use Superzoom for focusing on your subject. But there’s more!

From drawings to stickers to text, you can truly make your Instagram story memorable or meaningful. If you’re new to Instagram or simply haven’t taken the time to check out the story editing features, iDB is here to help. Here’s how to spruce up your next Instagram story with the app’s built-in editing tools.

How to email or message Calendar event participants

Calendar Year View on Mac

When you create an event in Calendar, you can easily attach files, notes, and even links. Plus, you can add these types of items after you set up the initial event. But that doesn’t guarantee your participants will notice these additions. Sometimes, sending a message ahead of the event is the way to go.

You may not realize it, but the Calendar app on Mac gives you a simple way to email or message all event participants at once. So you can send an email with file or message them with important details ahead of time. Here, we’ll show you how to use this somewhat hidden feature in Calendar.

How to delete your Google Maps history on iPhone and the web

Google Maps Activity on the Web on a MacBook

Just like you remove your history in Apple Maps, you can delete your search, review, and share history in Google Maps. Maybe you want to keep some items from showing up in your Recent searches or forget an entire day of Google Maps activity.

You can view and remove places from your history on your mobile device or the web. And you can choose to delete individual locations, a day or week, or every place in that history. Here, we’ll show you how to do just that, delete your Google Maps history.

How to disable the click sounds on your Apple TV

Apple TV Siri Remote in hand

As an Apple TV owner, you know that you receive audio feedback as you navigate the screen and apps. You hear those click sounds with every action you take using your Siri remote. But not everyone is fond of that click, click, click. Did you know you can turn those sounds off?

With the simple flip of a setting you can disable the click sounds on your Apple TV, here’s how.

How to print mailing labels or envelopes for a list of Contacts on Mac

Contacts Print Mailing Labels on Mac

So many things that used to be done physically are done digitally now. And sending out cards, announcements, or invitations is one of them. But if you want to stick to tradition and postal mail these types of things to friends and family, Contacts on Mac makes it easy.

Need invitations to a party, shower, or wedding, announcements for an engagement or new baby, or cards to wish everyone happy holidays? We’ll show you how to print mailing labels, envelopes, or a mailing list from your Contacts app.

How to add, edit, and use tab stops in Pages

Use tab stops in the Pages app

You may not think much about tab stops when composing a document in Pages, but these handy tools can save you time if you set them up from the start. Depending on the type of document you’re creating, you can use the stops for each press of your tab key on Mac. Your text is then perfectly aligned where it needs to be each time, letting you concentrate on your words instead of the layout.

You can also use tab stops in Pages on iPhone and iPad. Then with the shortcut menu, move the text to the stop you want.

We’ll show you how to add, edit, and use tab stops in Pages to make your document creation process quicker and easier.

How to change the language or region on your Apple TV

Change Apple TV Language or Region

When you first set up your Apple TV, you pick the display language and region format. But what if you need to change this for some reason? For example, maybe you have a guest who’ll be using your Apple TV in another dialect. Or, maybe you're moving to a new locale.

Luckily, it’s easy to change the language or region on your Apple TV after setup, here’s how.

How to use the route planner in Apple Maps on Mac

Maps Create a Route to the Daytona Hilton on Mac

You already know you can use Apple's Maps app to get directions, turn-by-turn navigation, and details on businesses. So, of course, you know you can plan a route from here to there. But did you know you could also plan a route from there to there?

You might be laying out a road trip for yourself or helping someone else get from point A to point B. In Maps, you can create a route from any location to another. You can specify the transportation type and avoid things like toll roads by default.

For making the most of Maps on Mac, where you have a nice big screen to work on, we’ll show you how to use the route planner.

How to set up parental controls on Kindle Paperwhite

Reading Kindle Paperwhite

If you purchase a Kindle Paperwhite for your child to enjoy reading books, you may want to make a few adjustments. Depending on your child’s age, you can enable parental controls with a password. Then, allow or disallow specific settings, create Kindle FreeTime, choose books for them to read, and more.

Here’s how to set up the parental controls on your Kindle Paperwhite.