Tips

How to stop Messages from recording audio when you lift iPhone to your ear

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 10, 2018

Apple's Messages app and iMessage service form one of the most versatile messaging platforms available on mobile devices. With Messages, you can send texts, iMessages, photos and audio/video messages on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

By using a combination of a twisting motion and the proximity sensor, Messages lets you respond to an audio message by lifting the device to your ear, as if you were talking on the phone.

This even works on the Lock screen. Upon playing a soft chime, Messages starts recording your audio response. It's very convenient but sometimes doesn't work as intended. As a result, Messages may randomly start recording audio in certain situations.

Thankfully, you can prevent this from happening by flipping a switch. In this post, you will learn how to disable this feature, which Apple refers to as Raise to Listen.

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How to delete comments on Vine

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 9, 2019

I don't know about you, but I've adopted a habit of diligently going through the comments other people publish on my social media posts. I do it on a regular basis because there's nothing I hate more than seeing NSFW language or insults by other people on my posts.

Vine, a short-form video sharing service owned by Twitter, is especially notorious for attracting all sorts of commenters, many of whom just spew hate.

But worry not, ladies and gents, this quick tutorial will show you how easy it actually is to remove any offending comments from your post.

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How to temporarily hide iOS 9’s stock app icons, no jailbreak required

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 4, 2016

Aside from disabling the iTunes Store, iBooks Store and Podcasts apps on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad using iOS's Restrictions feature, Apple doesn't yet provide an officially sanctioned way of removing stock apps from your Home screen.

This can be particularly annoying for people who rely on third-party alternatives to Apple's default apps like Reminders, Maps or Calendar.

My preferred way of working around this limitation involves tucking away any unwanted stock app inside a “Junk” folder. Thankfully, YouTubber Jose Rodriguez has found a better way to temporarily hide icons of Apple's stock apps on iOS versions from iOS 9 onward using a simple trick that doesn't require a jailbreak.

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App Store acting up and not showing updates correctly? Try this workaround…

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 9, 2018

Have you experienced an annoying hiccup in the App Store where it shows that one or more apps need updating but you can't actually apply the updates? Or perhaps the App Store's icon on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad's Home screen is showing a badge even though you've just successfully downloaded all app updates?

I first noticed this odd behavior back in the summer and thought it was a temporary problem that would get fixed soon, but it persisted. As it turns out, this is a caching issue that can be easily circumvented with a simple, cool trick.

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How to block strangers from messaging you on Vine

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 26, 2015

Some of our past tutorials have provided step-by-step instructions for saving Vine videos, hiding other people's revines in your feed, deleting Vine accounts and blocking users. This how-to mini-series continues with the topic of preventing people you don't follow from messaging you on the service.

Since Vine's 2.0 update, the app has gained the ability to send instant messages to other Vine members. This has quickly generated an influx of unwanted messages that in many cases is classed as pure spam.

This tutorial will teach you about a toggle you can switch to tell Vine to block strangers from messaging you on the service.

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