Table of contents for November 2016 in MacFormat

SIMpro Combine your work and personal phone numbers If you have one phone for work and one for personal use, it can be a pain carrying both around when you’re at your job. SIMpro claims to change that by enabling you to use two SIM cards from one phone. You insert your second SIM into SIMpro, connect your iPhone to it over Bluetooth, sync your contacts and you’re good to go. That lets you take calls from both numbers on one iPhone, as long as you’ve got SIMpro within Bluetooth range. It even works with iPod and iPad, so you can make calls on those devices too. Starts at $150 CAD (about £88) includes SIMpro, Micro-USB cable website getsimpro.com works with iPhone, iPod touch, iPad (models not yet known)…

I lived for years close to Battersea Power Station, so I was excited to see Apple is to take a big chunk of the revamped building as its London office. Almost as excited as the Italian journalist I met this month in Palo Alto, who became so animated in his enthusiasm that his shirt almost creased. “It’s wonderful! I love Pink Floyd.” That wasn’t my first thought, to be honest, but there is something appealing about a company that’s known for its minimal aluminium slabs occupying the home of a 40-foot inflatable flying pig. Apple has never quite had what felt like a proper home here. You might well think it does more of note in the UK than at its definitely very real European headquarters in Ireland (cough). But…

People in the tech industry are always talking about ‘the next big thing’. Sometimes they get it wrong – a couple of years ago 3D TV was being hyped like crazy, only to meet with complete and utter indifference from the general public. There are quite a few sceptics who say that 4K video will meet the same fate. However, this time it’s the sceptics who are wrong. Even if you don’t own a 4K television, the chances are that you’ll already own an iPhone or iMac that has 4K or even 5K capabilities. Your Netflix account already provides 4K video streaming (for another £1.50 per month on top of its HD plan), and millions of people will be buying 4K game consoles this Christmas. So here’s all you need…

Genius Tip! On an iMac that has a Retina 4K or 5K display, go to the Displays pane in System Preferences, then hold å and click the Scaled button. This reveals all the resolutions you can choose for the desktop, such as to gain extra space for your windows. 1 Share wirelessly from iOS The 4K videos on your iPhone are stored in the Photos app. You can transfer them to your Mac wirelessly using AirDrop or iCloud, or upload to Facebook and YouTube, say, though this may reduce the resolution. 2 Try a cabled connection Your iPhone may not always be near a Wi-Fi network – and even then Wi-Fi is a bit slow for transferring large video files. It’s often quickest to use a Lightning cable to transfer…

Understand iOS gestures A tap is a brief contact of (usually) one finger on your device’s screen. To drag is to move a finger across the screen to scroll or pan around content. Swipe means move one or more fingers across an item or the screen, then let go. A flick is like swiping, but it’s quicker, and is often used to scroll content more quickly. Pinch means move two fingers together or apart, usually to zoom in or out. Touch and hold means lightly rest your finger on an item and wait for a reaction. Master Mac keyboard shortcuts When you see a shortcut like Command+Option+C, hold all but the last key, then press that one. Command is the Command key, which is also labelled cmd. Option means the…

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to navigate and get the most from the redesigned Music app. YOU’LL NEED iOS 10 You can tell iOS 10’s Music app to keep a minimum quantity of tracks around at all times Genius Tip! Tap the Mini Player and swipe up for loop and shuffle controls or to manage the queue. You can start shuffled playback throughout your library, too. From the reception given to Apple Music’s integration with iOS 9’s Music app, you may have wondered how the company behind the wildly popular iPod could also be responsible for something so confusing. Apple listened and has cleaned up the app in iOS 10, refining how you work with your own music and the massive selection available through its subscription…

macOS quick-fire questions How can I force a restart rather than shut down? > The better key combo is ctrl+Command+≠, which should close all open apps and then force a restart. ctrl+Command+[Power button] will simply force the restart, after which all open apps should reopen where they were before. These methods are less robust, though, than simply forcing your Mac to shut down by holding down the Power button for five seconds. How can I check installed Apple security updates? > Choose Command> About This Mac and click System Report. In the left pane, under Software, select Installations, then click the Install Date header twice to order updates with the most recent first. Security updates include Gatekeeper Configuration Data. Changing your Apple ID address Q I recently changed ISP, and…

Issue 305 Autum n 2016 105 amazing tips for iOS 10 Speed up your Mac Discover Photos in Sierra Make an iOS security camera Control Apple TV from your iPhone Issue 304 OCTOBer 2016 How to get ready for macOS Sierra Broadcast yourself Power up your menu bar Sign and encrypt email Salvage an old hard drive Issue 303 SEPTEMBER 2016 Upgrade your Mac apps The ultimate Mac survival guide Refurbish an old Mac for Minecraft Rescue your old audio media GET 3 issues for £5! subsc ribe today! In print & on iOS Our print and digital bundle gets you the real magazine and our brand‑new digital edition for iPad and iPhone. myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/macformat ON YOUR MAC Read on the big screen, too! If you prefer to read MacFormat magazine…

Contact us Email your queries and your questions to letters@macformat.com Keep up to date by following us on Twitter @macformat Join the conversation at facebook.com/macformat Get the latest subscription offers at macformat.com Manifesto – our ratings explained Our reviews are totally independent; we’re not affiliated with Apple or anyone else, nor are we influenced by advertisers. You can trust us to give an honest assessment of a product’s worth. The prices quoted for products are correct at the time of writing and are the best we can find from a reputable online dealer, excluding delivery. A brilliant thing in all regards, and worth every penny Strongly recommended; any flaws are only minor concerns Worth considering, though there may be better options Fundamentally flawed; look at alternatives as a priority A…

Starts at £369 (38mm), £399 (42mm) from Apple, apple.com/uk Features Water resistant to 50m, built-in GPS, OLED display (1,000 nits) Christian says… It’s a reasonable upgrade in my opinion. Waterproofing is essential for the more serious fitness fans, and likewise, GPS is great for hikers. But I would have liked to have seen the price start a little cheaper as that put off many potential Watch buyers in the first place. There are two key questions to ask about the new Apple Watch: is it a big enough upgrade to warrant buying, and has Apple done enough to make a smartwatch a necessity, not just a novel luxury? The second-generation Watch has a new water-resistant design, a GPS chip onboard for tracking your runs without your iPhone nearby, a swimming…

£99 FROM Riut, riut.co.uk FEATURES 12 pockets (including 15-inch laptop pocket), 15-litre volume, waterproof nylon shell N o matter where in the world you go, in a big city you probably have to be aware of pickpockets. Stand in a crowd with a backpack on and you might find yourself out of pocket. That’s the thinking behind Riutbag, a backpack with ingeniously reversed zips, putting them against your back rather than leaving them exposed. Sadly, the idea works better in theory than in practise. It’s heavily padded, both on the back and the straps, so it’s very comfortable all day long. Ruit’s also packed it with as many pockets as possible – 10 internal ones (including space for a 15-inch MacBook) and two external. While that sounds like a great…

£3.99 FROM Supertop, supertop.co NEEDS iOS 9.3 or higher We showed you how to better manage your podcasts with Overcast in MF304, which we absolutely love, but can challenger Castro start a podcast revolution? It works differently to most other podcast managers thanks to its ‘triage’ system. New episodes can be sent to your inbox, to a queue to play next, or archived to listen to them later. This can be done automatically per podcast. The idea is to help you to get your large collection of subscriptions under control. By sending uninteresting episodes to the archive, you can concentrate on just the ones that interest you. Simple. However, you can’t create your own custom playlists, and have to make do with the queue instead. That’s not so bad if…

LETTER OF THE MONTH! SAYO NARA SIERRA Now that Sierra is released I thought I’d check out the wondrous updates that’ll drag my Mid 2010, 27-inch iMac into the modern age. Lots of hype about Sierra gives me hope that I can do this. So, let’s see what hardware I need: 2GB memory? Check. 8.8GB storage? Check. Early 2009 or newer? Check. Ready to rock and roll! Now let’s check the features: Handoff? Instant Hotspot? Universal Clipboard? Uh oh! No can do, as those need a 2012 or newer Mac. How about Auto Unlock with my Apple Watch? Nope, 2013 or newer Mac required. Siri? Looks okay. Apple Pay on the web? That needs a 2012 model. AirDrop with iOS? Forget it, that needs a 2012 iMac. Power Nap? 2012…

1 Touch ID It’s not here yet, but in 2014 Apple patented a Touch ID-equipped Apple TV controller used to enter passwords, create profiles and control connected devices. 2 100,000 The original Apple TV clocked up more than 100,000 pre-orders between its January 2007 announcement and March launch date. 3 Macintosh TV Apple TV’s origins lie in the Macintosh TV, the first integrated TV-PC device Apple attempted. Launched in October 1993, it was discontinued in February 1994. 4 iTV Apple TV was originally going to be launched as ‘iTV’, but the already existing channel ITV quickly put an end to that idea. 5 40 GB These days the base model Apple TV comes with 32GB storage, but Apple was a little more generous in 2007, providing 40GB in the first…

Subscribe today! SAVE 57%! Turn to page 46 “WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST SURPR ISE IN SIERRA ?” What I found most surprising, and not really in a positive sense, is that the Optimized Storage feature isn’t more prominently visible – in a System Preferences pane, or even in Finder’s preferences. Curiously, its presentation and wizard-like nature make the feature feel like the sort of thing I’d expect to see in Windows rather than on a Mac. A fair point! My biggest surprise was not seeing Siri in the menu bar after I installed the release version, especially as it says it was showing in System Prefs. Turning ‘Show Siri in menu bar’ off and on again fixed it! I encountered that same issue on my iMac but not my MacBook.…

How do 4K and Ultra HD differ? The resolution of 4K screens used in cinemas is 4096x2160 pixels, but 4K television screens are slightly lower resolution at 3840x2160 pixels. That’s why some TV manufacturers prefer to use the term Ultra HD instead. Just to confuse things, the Retina 4K display on some 21.5-inch iMacs is actually 4096x2304. What is HDR? The cameras in iPhones have had an HDR (high dynamic range) option for taking still photos for a few years now, but the tech still tends to be an expensive optional extra for video cameras and 4K TVs. Simply put, HDR increases the brightness and contrast of the image way beyond what you would otherwise get in video, enabling a camera or screen to produce much more realistic and detailed…

IT WILL TAKE 20 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to set up Apple Pay on your iPhone, and then use it to make online payments in Safari on Mac and iOS. YOU’LL NEED An iPhone with a Touch ID sensor. A Mac with Sierra, or an iOS 10 device. With Sierra and iOS 10, payments online are as simple as using Apple Pay in shops If you’ve used a bank card that features contactless payment, you‘ll already be aware of how quickly it enables you to pay for small transactions. Apple Pay makes the process even more convenient by eliminating the need to dig around for your bank card. Instead, you only have to reach out with the wrist on which you’re wearing your Apple Watch or do the same…

IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to access and customise all the features available when your iOS device is locked. YOU’LL NEED An iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 10. You can wake recent models of iPhone by raising them, just like an Apple Watch In iOS 10, Apple has revamped the Lock screen that appears when you wake your device, giving you access to a variety of features when you swipe inwards from any of the edges of your device’s screen. It has also added a third, even simpler way to wake an iPhone SE, 6s/6s Plus, or 7/7Plus. On all devices, the Sleep/Wake button wakes it to the Lock screen, as always, as does pressing the Home button. However, the new method for waking…

Software quick-fire questions Can I stop Google searches from steadily freezing? > In Library at the top of your startup disk and in your user account’s folder (for the latter, hold a in Finder and choose Go > Library), check Internet Plug-Ins for old or incompatible plug-ins, and remove any such as old versions of Google Earth and Flash Player. If you still require one of those plug-ins, replace it with the latest version. Safe mode (see page 67) is likely to help pinpoint an incompatible extension. How do I sort iTunes tracks to see downloads? > Select the Songs view and choose View > Show View Options. Add the Purchase Date column, then click its header to sort tracks to see those from Apple Music or the iTunes Store,…

From £599 from Apple, apple.com/uk Features 32GB, 128GB or 256GB storage, 1334x750-pixel Retina HD display with 3D Touch, A10 Fusion chip, 12MP rear camera, splash, water and dust resistance Alex says… You’ll find it hard to wrestle my 6 Plus from me because I love the larger size and better battery life, but the iPhone 7 makes me think about going back to the smaller model. But hang on, that 7 Plus dual camera? Argh! Another wallet-busting dilemma awaits me. The technology inside the world’s most popular smartphone marches on apace, and the iPhone 7 is proof once again that Apple simply does make the best all-round mobile devices. It’s too easy to argue that the iPhone’s updates are merely iterative (this time it includes a better camera, a pressure-sensitive…

£200 FROM Blue, blue-headphones.com FEATURES 50mm drivers, 15Hz–20KHz frequency response These things are huge! That's the first thought that crosses your mind when you don Blue's passive Lola cans. Inconspicuous they aren’t. They look like they came from a Mad Max movie set, with hinges in places you'd never expect, but given how robust they feel and how luxurious they are to wear, there’s clearly method in the madness. Key to their comfort is a multijointed headband, which adapts to your head shape and size, creating a perfect seal around your ears. Still, we’re not sure how comfortable we'd be wearing them for a daily commute. The sturdy design also improves isolation and sound bleed, not to mention bass, which is satisfyingly deep and resonant. Indeed, audio-wise, there’s plenty to…

£28 FROM D-Link, dlink.com FEATURES Extends 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz) networks only, 10/100Mbps Ethernet port This Wi-Fi range extender does what it says on the tin, with some caveats. A lot of thought has gone into its construction, with power passthrough so you don’t lose use of a mains socket. It’s simple to set up using the free QRS app, and there’s a handy signal indicator on the front to gauge the quality of the connection that you’re boosting, helping you find that sweet spot where the original signal’s still strong enough that your extended network delivers a decent connection. The Ethernet port gives your non-wireless devices Wi-Fi access or the ability to function as a wireless hotspot. Our iffy signal instantly went from zero to perfectly usable at the end of…

£30 (single), £100 (four pack) FROM Tile, thetileapp.com FEATURES Bluetooth 4.0 DIMENSIONS 54x54x2.4mm WEIGHT 9.3g We crowned Tile (Gen 2) as the winner of our device-tracking gadgets in MF299, and here our major criticism of its bulk has finally been shed. Tile Slim has the same tech inside as Gen 2, but this time it's the thickness of two credit cards (2.4mm) – that’s less than half the depth of the older model of key fob. While the older tiles are more suited to your key ring, the Tile Slim is much better suited to your wallet or an internal bag pocket. The slim design does mean that it’s significantly wider than before (an extra 17mm), but under most circumstances we didn’t really see a problem with that. When it…

W elcome to MacFormat’s Store Guide, the place to go to find out about all the Apple kit that matters, whether you’re looking for your next iPhone or a powerful new desktop Mac. We’ve chosen our top products from Apple’s product line-up, plus the best third-party kit that meets our quality standard. Whether you’re a recent convert or a seasoned Apple user, we highlight a model of each product that’s ideally suited to your needs. So, check our handy tables to see which Mac, iPad or iPhone is best for you. We’ve also highlighted the gold standard in audio, storage, cameras, and many other categories to complement your Mac or iOS device with the best accessories. Who’s it for? ENTRY LEVEL You’re just getting started in the world of Apple…

Contact us Email your queries and your questions to letters@macformat.com Keep up to date by following us on Twitter @macformat Join the conversation at facebook.com/macformat APPLE RUMOUR iPod Air Apple Music could revive the iPod line for one last hurrah! It’s been nearly 18 months since Apple last updated the iPod touch, the last bastion of what was once the most desirable of Apple’s new life as a maker beyond just computers. Apple has sold in excess of 500 million iPods since 2001. The iPod is a runaway success story and though the world of devices has moved on, it doesn’t mean that iPod is dead. The iPod touch in particular has been regularly refreshed with hand-me-down updates from the iPhone. This could mean a late 2016 or early 2017…

For our latest subscription offer see page 46! Back in MF287 we took an in-depth look at the so-called Apple Car. Since then, though, a lot has changed. It seems that every other month we hear of Apple either firing or hiring new Project Titan staff, while its purchase of ride-sharing app Didi Chuxing made us question whether Apple has actually been developing a car service all along. And those supposed Apple Car vans spotted around California? Turns out they were just working on Apple Maps. So what is Apple working on? We dug in deep and found out what the experts think the Cupertino giant is up to. The Applied Technologies group is the real prize for Apple Is a car still in the works? It’s possible (although seemingly…

IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes YOU WILL LEARN How to keep track of and attend to events and communications, and filter out things that can safely wait. YOU’LL NEED iOS 10 In iOS 10, you’ll jump out of the app you’re using to attend to notifications far less often Genius Tip! Banners and alerts can get in the way of things you’re doing in an app. To quickly dismiss one without taking action, swipe upwards on it. There are several ways to keep up to date with what’s been happening while you’re working in apps or when you haven’t been looking at your device at all. The basics of notifications haven’t changed a great deal in iOS 10. They still appear for a moment in a strip across the top…

Contact us Email your queries and your questions to genius@macformat.com Keep up to date by following us on Twitter @macformat Join the conversation at facebook.com/macformat Get the latest subscription offers at macformat.com Why has a kernel extension I removed reappeared, and how do I get rid of it? Q I found and removed the old Soundflower extension from the Library folder in /System, and now it has reappeared in the top-level /Library folder. How can I get rid of it permanently? by Dani e l Wi l l iams A Soundflower’s an old kernel extension that’s designed to capture audio output internally by the operating system, so you could route it as an audio input to another app for processing. Originally made by Cycling ’74 for its audio apps, it…

iOS software quick-fire questions Can I add Numbers templates from my Mac to iOS? > It’s simplest to copy each into the Numbers folder in iCloud Drive, but you can send them as email attachments too. Tap the template file in iOS’s iCloud Drive app and it’ll open in Numbers. You should be prompted to add it to the template chooser, where it’ll appear in My Templates category. Can I limit incoming iPhone calls when I want some peace? > Use Do Not Disturb in Settings. This can limit incoming calls to those designated in Contacts as your favourites. This is done by number, not by person, so if you want to accept calls from someone’s iPhone and landline, you will need to designate both numbers as favourites. Routed to…

Hardware quick-fire questions What’s different in the various models of SoundSticks? > There are some minor cosmetic differences in the plastic trim between the three generations, but the main difference is that SoundSticks III, introduced in 2010, is also available in a more costly wireless variant that accepts Bluetooth input. How can I find out about the pinouts used in a plug? > For power adaptors, use a multimeter to test the output pins directly, but be careful not to short the connectors. For other plug types, providing some search terms to Google Images (images.google.co.uk) will usually lead you to a suitable labelled diagram of the pinouts. How can I get rid of commercial solder? > Industrial solder has a higher melting point, and a hobby soldering iron won’t melt…

From £719 from Apple, apple.com/uk Features 32GB, 128GB or 256GB storage, 1920x1080-pixel Retina HD display with 3D Touch, A10 Fusion chip, dual 12MP rear cameras Alan says… The 7 Plus’s camera works great in low light, and the Portrait mode that’s coming looks like reason on its own to go large if you take lots of family shots. It’s also great to have an iPhone that holds all my music (which outgrew the iPod ages ago) – though it’s at one heck of a cost! This is the big one – and we don’t just mean because of its 5.5-inch screen. In the previous generation of iPhone, the only significant differences were in size and battery life, and so choosing which to buy was a matter of taste. This is…

€3,959 (about £3,402) FROM Formlabs, formlabs.com NEEDS OS X 10.7 or higher fe atures Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB connections, self-heating resin tank Form 2’s ideal for prototypes, small product runs or even quality models Formlabs is established as the leading stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer manufacturer. This kind of printer uses a resin instead of a filament, which hardens when it’s exposed to ultraviolet light. The main build platform of an SLA printer is suspended over a resin tank, so as the print is mapped out by the laser, the thing you’re printing is built upside down and looks like it’s being pulled (albeit very slowly) right out of the resin. The resin comes in a specially shaped bottle that drops into the printer’s base, and it automatically pours into the…

D-Link AC3200 (DIR-890L) The mothership has landed > £167 > FROM TP-Link, uk.tp-link.com > FEATURES Tri-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi; 4x Gigabit Ethernet, 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0 Design & features The six antennas on this router provide tri-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi for speeds of up to 3.2Gbps. There are four Gigabit Ethernet ports, and two USB ports to share a printer or use a hard drive as shared network storage. Sadly, there’s no support for Time Machine backups over the network. Getting started The AC3200 is only a router, not a modem-router, so you’ll need to connect it to an existing modem to connect to the internet. Installation is straightforward, with apps for iOS and Android, and a browser interface for Macs and PCs. Ease of use If you’re confused by…

Free FROM Microsoft, microsoft.com NEEDS iOS 9.0 or higher Whether you have an especially squirmy kid or just can’t take a good picture to save your life, you probably know the frustration of pulling out your iPhone to only capture a series of entirely disappointing and useless pictures. Microsoft has decided to step in and help out with this problem with its decidedly smart new camera app, Microsoft Pix. If you know your subject has a habit of blinking while getting their picture taken, or if they’re prone to moving around quite a bit, you won’t have to take 10 or 15 pictures in the desperate hope of capturing just one usable shot, as the app will take a burst of images and save only the best. Pix functions as…

ISSUE 307 ON SALE 22 Nov 2016 Also inside… Amazon Echo and Watch Series 1 reviewed Smart sports kit to improve your training Repair and revive those old photos Manage storage with Sierra’s Disk Utility DON’T MISS IT – SUBSCRIBE TODAY! IN PRINT & ON YOUR IPAD Our print and digital bundle gets you the paper magazine as well as our iPad edition myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/macformat ON YOUR MAC Read on the big screen: subscribe with Zinio at zinio.com/macformat Zinio subscriptions do not include a print copy of the magazine.…