Fonts

MacDirtyCow bug grants advanced system customization, such as changing fonts, on iOS 15.x-16.1.2 without a jailbreak

Anthony Bouchard ∙ December 28, 2022

A bug affecting iOS & iPadOS versions 15.x-16.1.2 and macOS 13.0.1 called CVE-2022-46689, also codenamed MacDirtyCow, has been making headlines recently. This bug was discovered by security researcher Ian Beer of Google Project Zero, and while it’s not being used in any jailbreaks, it does appear to be at the epicenter of some interesting hacks for modding iPhones and iPads recently, such as TrollLock Reborn.

How to create and use a Font Book library on Mac

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ Updated March 5, 2021

If you use various fonts for projects on your Mac, then you might be familiar with the Font Book. This handy tool lets you find additional fonts as well as download and install more styles.

When you start building up more and more fonts that you use regularly, you’ll want to keep them organized. One way to do this is by creating Collections or Smart Collections. But another is to create and use a library.

Collections are great for grouping similar styles or those for certain projects, like webpages. But a library can simply collect the fonts you like or become the default location for new fonts you install.

Here’s how to create a use a Font Book library on your Mac.

How to increase the text size on your Apple Watch

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ Updated March 5, 2021

If you’re new to Apple Watch or just bought one as a gift for a loved one, it’s a wonderful wearable. You can check your emails, reply to text messages, keep track of your activity, and so much more. However, the small screen can take some getting used to.

You can check out various Accessibility features, make your icons bigger, and use Taptic Time if you have a hard time seeing some items on the screen. But if you simply want the text to be a bit larger, it’s a simple adjustment. Here, we’ll show you how to increase the text size on your Apple Watch.

How to create Font Book Collections and Smart Collections on Mac

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ Updated March 5, 2021

If you work on different projects where you want or need to use specific text styles, the Font Book installed on your Mac is your go-to tool. With it, you can find and use fonts you didn’t know existed. Plus you can install additional fonts and disable those you never use.

Another terrific feature of the Font Book is the ability to create Collections. Collections let you group fonts together for easy access. So if you need them for a Keynote presentation or Pages document, as examples, they are just a few clicks away.

Additionally, you can set up Smart Collections in the Font Book. Like Smart Albums in Photos and Smart Folders in Finder, Smart Collections group fonts based on criteria you set up. This gives you an effortless way to create collections automatically.

Here, we’ll show you how to create a font Collection and a Smart Collection in the Font Book on your Mac.

How to get the new iOS 14.2 emojis on your jailbroken device

Joaquim Barbosa ∙ Updated March 5, 2021

The last few iOS point releases had been all quiet on the emoji front, but iOS and iPadOS 14.2 brought over 100 novelties to users, including such ragers as "Pinched Fingers" (that emphatic gesture which often accompanies a hackneyed impression of an Italian), "Bubble Tea", "Ninja", and "Tamale" (at last!). Whilst stock users will have to update to iOS 14.2 to make use of these little beauties, jailbroken users don't have to, thanks to developer Poomsmart.

Choosing between losing your jailbreak by updating to iOS 14.2, or being unable to spam your friends with the Dodo emoji, is thankfully not necessary. We'll show you how to get the best of both worlds.

How to change the font size and style on Kindle Paperwhite

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ Updated September 6, 2022

If there’s one thing you can appreciate with an eReader instead of a physical book, it’s the ability to change the display. With a physical book, you’re stuck with the size and style of the text just the way it is. But with a reader like Kindle Paperwhite, you can put away your reading glasses because you can make the text the size you want it. And this short tutorial shows you how.

How to use quick styles to format text in Notes on iPhone

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ Updated June 27, 2022

The Notes app has seen its share of updates over time, and with iOS 14 and later, it received another improvement. You can use the quick styles gesture to change the font to bold, italics, a heading, or a title. Of course, you had the ability to change the text in Notes on iPhone before, but now you can do it faster than ever. Here’s how to use quick styles in Notes on iPhone.

How to customize and create paragraph or text styles in Pages, Numbers and Keynote

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ June 21, 2020

When you’re working on a document in Pages, Numbers, or Keynote, you have a handy feature called Paragraph Styles. While the feature is labeled Paragraph Styles, most people think of these more as “text styles” because they automatically format the text elements of your document like the title, headings, and body.

By using Paragraph Styles you can save yourself from manually formatting the font style, size, and color because you can simply apply a style with a click or tap.

You can also customize those preset Paragraph Styles as well as create your own styles that you can use throughout your document. This saves you from continually having to change the font style, size, or color of your text manually.

Here, we’ll show you how to customize existing and create new Paragraph (or text) Styles in Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

How to find and use hidden fonts in macOS Catalina

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ June 19, 2020

Having extra fonts available on your Mac is awesome. You might be composing a document that you want to have a special look. Or maybe you like using unique font styles for taking notes. Whatever the case may be, you can certainly find fonts on the internet and install them, which is super easy. But you might not realize that your Mac has cool fonts tucked away that you can use.

With macOS Catalina came many font families like Canela, Graphik, and Mukta, and individual fonts like Hei, Kai, and SimSong Regular. While the names may or may not be familiar to you, you can not only take a look at these hidden font styles but use them!

Here’s how to find, download, and use these, and more, hidden fonts on macOS Catalina.

How to make text bigger in Safari for all webpages

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ Updated July 13, 2022

While there’s sort of an unofficial standard when it comes to text size for a webpage, you’ll come across one or two along the way that use a very small font. And even if you don’t, you might simply have a little trouble viewing the text on pages clearly.

What you might not realize is that with one simple setting, you can always see the text on pages in Safari in a larger size. Here’s how to do that on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

How to increase the font size on Mac

Sandy Writtenhouse ∙ February 25, 2020

If you find yourself increasing the font sizes when you’re working in apps like Pages or Notes, you might benefit from the same thing on your macOS system. After all, why squint and struggle to see if you don’t have to?

Here, we’ll show you a few ways that you can increase the font size on your Mac.

Compactor brings the Apple Watch’s font to your pwned iPhone or iPad

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 24, 2020

If you have an Apple Watch, then you’ve undoubtedly noticed that it sports an entirely different system font than your iPhone does. Typically, you’d need to install performance-impacting or battery-guzzling add-ons to change your system font, but with a new and free jailbreak tweak called Compactor by iOS developer Jamie Bishop, you can bring the Apple Watch’s native font to your iPhone without these ill side-effects.

As depicted in the screenshot examples above, the Apple Watch’ system font, also known as SF Compact, is both smaller and more legible than the iPhone’s native system font.