Tips

How to fix boot loop on a jailbroken iPhone or iPad with ‘No Substrate Mode’

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated May 9, 2019

What happens when a jailbreak tweak bugs out on your device and ends up in a boot loop? Do you try to reboot the device to no avail? Do you take to the internet to ask how to fix it?

How about this: try booting into a form of booting up that Saurik calls 'No Substrate Mode,' then uninstall the faulty tweak.

In this piece, we'll talk about how you can use No Substrate Mode, an under-used feature of jailbroken iPhone or iPad that can truly save you from losing your precious jailbreak when you're unable to turn on your device.

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How to create PDF files from your Mac’s printer menu

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 18, 2019

Lots of times you may want to print something, only to find that you have no printer ink or that you aren't near a printer. Your Mac comes with a useful function in the macOS printing menu that lets you save anything you want to print as a PDF file to print or share later. We'll show you how you can make a PDF out of anything you intend to print in this tutorial.

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Got files that won’t delete from your Mac’s Trash? Here’s why

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 18, 2019

Sometimes when emptying the Trash on your Mac, you may get error messages that tell you files you're trying to delete are in use. When you're looking to delete everything that's in your Trash to free up some storage space, error messages are going to be the last thing you want to see.

In this piece, we'll talk about why you're getting these messages and how to get your Mac to free up the file so you can delete it safely.

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How to access your Mac remotely from your iPhone or iPad with Screens VNC

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 10, 2023

There is a ton of VNC software options out there, but Screens by Edovia has by far been my favorite for a number of years because it looks and feels like software Apple could have created themselves.

In this tutorial, I'll show you how you can use the Screens app from your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, in combination with Edovia's free Screens Connect software for Mac, to access your Mac remotely.

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Math students: how to use your Mac as a graphing calculator

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated August 14, 2018

Although your Mac comes with a Calculator app, you will find that it only supports basic, scientific, and programmer modes.

Unfortunately for those who are in advanced math courses in school, be it grade school or college, or for those that just need a hand in tutoring their children, the Calculator app doesn't come with graphing functionality and it leaves you to fend for yourself.

A little known feature of your Mac, directly out of the box, is that it does have graphing functionality built into its default software, and in this tutorial, we'll show you how to unleash it.

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15 Instagram hacks, tips and tricks you should know about

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Over the years, I've learned or picked up a few Instagram hacks and tricks that I'm going to share with you. They aren't life changing by any means, but they can be helpful, fun, or just make your Instagram usage more enjoyable. Chances are, you already know some of these tips, but I'm hoping you will still learn a thing or two along the way.

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3 tips to quickly create interesting monochrome images using Tonality

Jim Nix ∙ June 4, 2016

We are back with another installment in our photo tips series. Today we are going to demonstrate some simple ways to dramatically enhance your images with Tonality, a black and white conversion tool from Macphun.

I love big colors, but there’s just something that’s timeless about a nice black and white image. They can be arrestingly beautiful in their colorless simplicity. When an image lacks color, your eyes are naturally drawn to the shapes and lines of the photo. It’s a photograph that is reduced to its simplest form, and it can be breath-taking.

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5 alternatives to a SIM eject tool for easy SIM removal

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 25, 2022

SIM eject tools are useful for getting SIM cards out of iPhones and iPads, and honestly, I would recommend everyone who owns one of these devices carry at least one of them at all times, whether in your wallet or on a key ring.

Of course, there are always those times when you're out and about and don't have a SIM eject tool with you when you really need one. So what alternatives can you use instead?

In this piece, we'll talk about five alternatives to a SIM eject tool you can use to get the SIM card out of your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone.

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Tip: customize the Safari toolbar on your Mac

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated July 17, 2019

Last week, we showed you how you could customize the toolbar on your Mac's Finder window to better suit your needs, but there are other apps throughout the macOS operating system that come with toolbar-editing capabilities as well.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how you can customize the toolbar in the Safari web browser to make your web surfing experience the best it can be for your specific needs.

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What to do when Siri doesn’t pronounce your name right

Anthony Bouchard ∙ June 1, 2016

Siri is an amazing piece of software and Apple has tried so hard to make it capable of pronouncing everyone's names right, but there are just too many names in the world for Siri to be perfect and pronouncing all of them.

On the other hand, if you're sick of Siri not being able to pronounce your name correctly, there is a way to train her so she will pronounce it right going forward.

We'll show you how this is done in this quick tutorial.

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All the ways you can start up your Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 20, 2020

We've talked quite a lot about Recovery OS, an underestimated feature of OS X that makes it easier to troubleshoot your Mac even if it refuses to start up properly.

But as you'll see for yourself in this post, Recovery OS is but one of the more than dozen different ways to start up your computer, aside from OS X's regular startup mode. In this tutorial, we'll list all the ways you can start up your Mac and detail each one.

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