Guide

Tip: stop YouTube’s annoying video autoplay ‘Up Next’ feature within iOS app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 26, 2023

My colleague Anthony recently vented his frustration with YouTube's default handling of the 'Up Next' feature on the web. Autoplay in YouTube is one of the banes of my existence, too, but as Anthony states in his write-up, YouTube for iOS lacks a switch to disable auto-play videos.

Not anymore, though: the latest version of Google's native YouTube client for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad includes an easily overlooked switch that lets you stop an endless stream of recommended videos from being spoon-fed down your throat with a single tap.

If you watch a lot of YouTube through your iPhone's cellular connection, you're wholeheartedly recommended to disable 'Up Next' on the iOS app, here's how.

Can’t sync your iPhone or iPad with iTunes? Try resetting your Lockdown folder

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 30, 2018

Those who use iTunes on a regular basis to keep their iOS devices in sync with one another are probably familiar with the problems that can arise from using the software, whether it's on a Mac or a PC.

If you're having problems while trying to sync or back up your iOS devices, the problem could very much be with your computer's Lockdown folder, and resetting it could resolve the problem.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how to reset your iTunes Lockdown folder.

What to do if you can’t make or receive FaceTime calls iPhone or iPad

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 9, 2019

Have you ever received one of those annoying messages that basically tells you FaceTime is having problems on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad? They can be incredibly annoying, but usually they're easy problems to fix.

In this piece, we'll talk about why you might be getting FaceTime errors on your iOS device and walk you through some ways to correct the problem.

Fun with iPhone: how to swap two faces in a photo with FacePlant

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated March 29, 2019

Sometimes there's no greater humor than that of which you can dish out by way of photo editing.

If you've ever wanted to swap two faces in a photograph for the giggles you know it's going to bring to the table between yourself and other people, then you've come to the right place.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how you can use a simple and free iPhone app to quickly swap two faces in a photograph right from your device.

Finding your Mac model number

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 5, 2019

Not too long ago, we shared how you can find out what version and build of macOS you're running on your Mac, but another important piece of information you should know is the model number of the Mac you're using.

This is an important piece of information that is used by Apple to identify exactly when your computer was launched and what hardware it has inside of it.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how you can find the model number of your Mac.

What to do if music, videos, and other content disappear after an iTunes update

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 25, 2022

It's not that uncommon for the music, videos, and other content in your iTunes folder to disappear after updating iTunes. It doesn't seem to happen to everyone, but as many internet stories will tell you, it does occur to a number of users on some occasions.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how to get your iTunes music, videos, and more back when you notice it has gone missing after installing an iTunes app update.

Changing your Apple ID payment method on Mac or PC

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 7, 2021

Not too long ago, we showed you how you can edit your Apple ID payment information from your iOS device, but the same task can also be accomplished from your Mac or PC in a similar number of steps.

Whether you've received a new credit card that you want to use, or you wish to change the credit card you have on file for your Apple ID, changing your payment information allows future purchases made through Apple's online stores, such as the App Store, Books Store, or iTunes Store, to be billed to the new credit card you're adding.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how you can change your Apple ID payment information from your Mac or PC.

How to view recent Safari history on iPhone and iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 1, 2023

On any given day, I browse the web a lot—be it catching up on the news, doing research on future stories or skimming through my favorites to learn what's the latest. And more often than not do I find myself struggling to make my way back to an article I stumbled upon a few hours ago.

Locating a specific item in browsing history can feel like finding a needle in the haystack, especially if you're on the go.

Yes, I could just tap Safari's back button multiple times or swipe to go back a single webpage at a time until I found the webpage I was looking for, but that's a time-consuming process which unnecessarily wastes my iPhone's cellular data.

As you'll discover in this tutorial, Safari provides a very handy, though not immediately obvious shortcut which allows you to quickly jump to any previously visited webpage.

Fix slow App Store downloads on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated May 5, 2026

In this piece, we’ll discuss why apps may download very slowly on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV despite having a good internet connection, and go over some troubleshooting steps to fix this problem.

How to convert text into a spoken iTunes track on Mac

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 3, 2019

Whenever you want to save a block of important text to your Mac, you probably copy and paste it into the Notes app or into a text editor to save it as a text document. But, did you know you could save any body of text on your Mac as a spoken iTunes track instead?

In this tutorial, you will learn how to convert any highlighted body of text into a spoken iTunes audio track.

Changing your Apple ID credit card info directly from your iPhone

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 7, 2021

Your Apple ID is used whenever you want to make purchases from one of Apple's online digital content stores. This includes the App Store, Books Store, and iTunes Store.

From time to time, you may switch credit card providers, get a new credit card number, or opt to use a different payment method than the one you're already using.

It's easy to change your Apple ID payment information right from your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and in this tutorial, our aim is to teach you how.

How to password protect PDF files on your Mac

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 2, 2019

Password protecting your PDF files is a great way to keep the contents from being revealed to those who you never intend to see them.

This great security feature can be taken advantage of right from the Preview app that comes bundled with your Mac, and in this tutorial, we'll show you how you can use it to enhance the security of your PDF files.