Most anyone who uses a Mac day to day likely already knows the power of the Command-space command to get things done. But there are other, lesser-known ways, of being even more productive on a Mac.
Here are six of my favorite lesser-known tips.
Get out the way
Try this: Command-Option click any visible part of your Desktop and all the windows from all your open applications will disappear. It’s the easiest way to get there. Then use Command-Tab (App Switcher) to bring forward and get to the ones you need to work with.
Select text easily, one word at a time
When working with text, tap Option+left/right to tab through your copy one word at a time. Press shift at the same time to select the word — keep pressing and tapping to select more than one word. This is a super easy way to get to the right word when working with/editing documents.
Save time when you Save
If you work on multiple projects and save your content across multiple folders, it can become quite annoying to find the correct folder when saving a file.
You don’t have to do it that way; there’s a built-in Unix command to make life a little easier: When saving a file, type a / in the Save dialog box and you will be able to find your way to the correct folder from within that dialog.
I saved this file in Users/My Name/Documents/Folder name, for example.
You can also type /~/Pictures to save items into your Pictures folder, or /~/Documents to place them inside your Documents folder. That means that if you learn the path, you’ll even be able to save to a dedicated folder easily from within the Save dialog by typing /~/Documents/Folder name, for example.
Where did I put that file?
Sometimes you can find items in Spotlight, but can’t quite tell where they are on your Mac. Other times, you need to get the complete file path for other uses, such as developing software or even creating your own Automator scrips.
This is the easy way to get that info.
Find the file in Spotlight or Finder.
Right click the file to get the contextual menu.
Hold down the alt key while you do so, and you’ll see the Copy File command turn to Copy Path to File.
Choose this to copy the path to the file to your Clipboard and paste it where you must place it.
Don’t neglect that you can also drag your most frequently used folders into the Favorites section in Finder for easy access . And a quick tap of Option-Command-Space will open a new Finder window wherever you happen to be.
The power of the Favicon
When working in a Saved document, you’ll see a small icon appear to the left of the file name at the top of the document window. The icon isn’t just decorative. Pop your cursor above it, select it, and you can then move that little icon around just as if it were the document itself. Use this to drop it into different folders, pop it into emails or messages, or even place the item inside other applications for further processing. Once you’re accustomed to using this, it should save you a ton of time.
Image conversion
If you take a lot of screenshots or collect lots of images, and need to convert them into a different format, you can save yourself a lot of hassle using either of these tips:
Convert Image
Select the image and right click to get to the contextual menu, where you choose Convert Image; you can then select the image format (JPEG, PNG, HEIF) and Image Size, with or without image data.
Use a Folder Action
Create a new Folder, perhaps on your Desktop and give it a name, such as “Images for Website.” You’re going to build a Folder Action — a powerful automation that will transform any image you pop into that folder into the relevant dimensions.
Select the folder, right click and in the contextual menu choose Services>Folder Actions /Setup…. You’ll be asked to click the Run Service button.
An unattractive dialog box will appear with a bunch of options. For this tutorial choose Image — Duplicate as JPEG.scpt. Save and ensure Enable Folder Actions is ticked to on.
In the future, any image you drop into that folder will be converted for you.
If you want an even more powerful image conversion automation, you can create one in Automator. I use one of these to both convert and resize images for use on a website. Follow this simple guide (or this one) to learn some of the principles of building these.
For fun
Tap Control-Command-Space to open your Emoji selector, just tap one to place it. Or keep pressing a character on your keyboard to access alternate uses, such as e or é.
Want more?
I’ve curated multiple collections of Mac tips — here are 10 more productivity tips for Mac.
Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and AppleDiscussions groups on MeWe.
Google Assistant may not be the shiny new A.I. superstar of the moment, but it’s a surprisingly useful resource just waiting to hop in and help on any Android phone you’re carrying.
And some of its most helpful options are buried deep within the service’s virtual bowels.
Continuing on the theme of hidden settings for a smarter Assistant Android experience, today, we’ll pick up where we left off on Wednesday and explore another five easily overlooked Google Assistant Android options. Dig ’em up, check ’em out, and add ’em into your own personal Assistant setup, and you’ll find your favorite familiar helper growing ever more helpful and tuned into your needs.
Google Assistant Android option No. 1: The shortcut supernova
Few mere mortals realize it, but Google Assistant’s got a whole universe of time-saving shortcuts just waiting to be activated on your favorite Android phone.
These shortcuts are highly customizable and connected to specific apps installed on your device. They’re some of Assistant’s most useful on-demand commands — if you figure out how to activate ’em.
[Psst: If you love shortcuts, come check out my free Android Shortcut Supercourse next. It’ll teach you tons of time-saving tricks for your phone — going way beyond just Assistant!]
Lucky for us, it’s pretty forkin’ easy, once you know where to look:
Say Hey Google, Assistant settings to pull up your phone’s Google Assistant settings.
Tap the line labeled “Shortcuts,” then look through all of the apps for which Assistant can add custom commands.
Tap any app in the list to explore the available actions.
Tap the plus icon alongside any action to activate it and decide what voice command you want to use for it.
Some of the custom Assistant commands you might find, depending on what specific apps you’ve got installed:
Opening up a new Chrome tab or incognito tab with any phrase you want
Hopping into your Google Photos screenshots section with whatever word you prefer
Firing up a new Google Doc document or search
Jumping directly into the Play Store’s “My apps” area
Snapping a selfie anytime you say “Pookity bookity” (or whatever command for that makes sense to you, you odd little orangutan)
Starting a new LinkedIn post or private message or even opening up a specific contact’s profile in that app
JR
The options are all there and waiting. All you’ve gotta do is embrace ’em.
Google Assistant Android option No. 2: The complex command creator
If you want to get even more ambitious with your custom Assistant command creation, make it your mission to browse through Assistant’s Routines section next.
Routines are one of those things that can be a little overwhelming at first, but once you figure out some good uses for ’em, believe you me: They’ll exponentially expand your Assistant-enabled efficiency.
The simplest way to think about a Google Assistant Routine is as a collection of related commands you can trigger with a single custom command on Assistant — or automate even further and set to have happen automatically on specific days and times. You can bring in all sorts of actions and controls related to your actual Android phone as well as any smart lights, thermostats, or other connected gadgets you’ve got associated with your account.
The possibilities are practically endless. Peek into the “Routines” area of the Assistant settings on your phone to start playing around and seeing what sorts of practical concoctions you can come up with.
Google Assistant Android option No. 3: The no-speak setup
By default, Assistant’s a system that responds to your spoken commands (obviously, right?!). But if you’re working in an office with other people — or just using your Android phone out and about in the real world, around other (alleged) humans — speaking to a screen can sometimes feel a bit…awkward.
Not to fear, though, for Assistant’s got a couple compelling possibilities worth contemplating in such scenarios:
Anytime you activate Assistant, you can tap the little keyboard-shaped icon in its panel to switch over to keyboard input instead of the standard voice control.
If you find yourself leaning on typing more than talking in your typical Assistant interactions, you can change the default behavior so that the keyboard pops up first, anytime Assistant is summoned — and you can then switch to voice input as the alternative, if and when the desire strikes.
To make that change, dance back into your Assistant settings — then:
Tap “General” on the main Assistant settings screen.
Tap “Preferred input” and change its setting from “Voice” to “Keyboard.”
JR
Easy peasy, wouldn’t ya say?
Google Assistant Android option No. 4: The name fixer
I don’t know if you’ve experienced this or not, but I’ve got a real beef with Assistant’s pronunciation habits.
By default, y’see, my friendly neighborhood Assistant likes to say my first name as “Junior” (charming — but, alas, inaccurate) and my last name as “RAH-fay-ell” (an understandable error, but again, not the way it’s actually said).
After many a moon of cringing in annoyance every time Assistant addressed me, I finally stumbled onto the fix:
Say Hey Google, Assistant settings to pull up your phone’s Google Assistant settings.
Tap “Basic info” and then “Nickname.”
There, you can phonetically spell or even just record the way you want Assistant to pronounce your name.
JR
Save those settings, whether you go the serious route or instruct your Assistant to refer to you as “Goopity Galoshes” — and whatever your wish, your Assistant will eagerly oblige.
Google Assistant Android option No. 5: The people pleaser
Your name might not be the only moniker Assistant mangles — or fails to recognize when you say it properly as part of a command. So to wrap things up today, let’s unearth an area of Assistant’s Android settings that lets you create your own custom name for anyone in your contacts and then teach Assistant the proper way to both say and recognize it:
Get back to those Google Assistant settings on your phone one final time.
Tap “Your People,” way at the bottom of the list.
Tap the “Add person” button to add anyone from your contacts into that area for customization…
And then look in the “Name pronunciation” area of their profile to either provide a phonetic pronunciation for what you want to call them or record your own spoken example.
JR
Hey Google: Thanks for finally getting that right.
Get even more advanced shortcut knowledge with my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. You’ll learn tons of time-saving tricks for your phone!
Apple on Thursday reported revenues of $117.2 billion in the first fiscal quarter, off 5% from a year earlier. While there were several bright spots, the financial report confirmed iPhone supply challenges plagued the company in the last three months of 2022, compounded by the effects of a strong dollar.
The numbers game
The overall numbers tell the story:
Product sales generated $96.3 billion compared to $104.4 billion in Q1 FY 22.
Services generated $20.7 billion, up from $19.5 billion a year ago.
Apple’s execs cited a difficult foreign exchange environment and supply chain challenges as the main problems. They explained the company revenue did grow on a “constant currency basis” — though the currency wasn’t constant and revenue didn’t grow as a result.
It could have been worse. Apple had anticipated the strong dollar would shave 10% off company revenue; the actual impact was 8%.
Notably, research and development spending rose considerably, from $6.3 billion in Q1 FY 22 to $7.7 billion in the most recent quarter. That’s a big increase as Apple preps new products and services over the coming 12 months.
And while quarterly revenue was down from the year ago quarter, it was up on every other quarter back to 2018. The company also returned its second-highest ever earnings per share, iPhone and services revenue in the quarter.
Apple stressed continued growth in services and said it now has two billion active devices “as part of our growing installed base,” according to CEO Tim Cook. Apple has doubled its installed base in the last seven years.
“As we all continue to navigate a challenging environment, we are proud to have our best line-up of products and services ever, and as always, we remain focused on the long term and are leading with our values in everything we do,” Cook said.
Selected hardware data
When it comes to hardware, the company saw a decline in every category bar iPads and services, with iPhone sales affected to the tune of roughly $6 billion. Mac sales also suffered, as the COVID-driven replacement/deployment cycle slowed. The slack may also reflect a later-than-expected January product refresh.
Apple no longer breaks out sales by model, but the decline may confirm speculation that consumers are skewing toward high-end iPhones and upgrading less frequently. Cook said consumers seem to try to get the best device they can.
Here’s the specific data from the report.
iPhone: $65.7billion, down just over 8% from $71.6 billion.
Mac: $7.7 billion, down 28.6% from $10.8 billion.
iPad: $9.3 billion, up 29.6% from $7.2 billion.
Wearables, Home, Accessories: down from $14.7 billion to $13.4 billion.
Services: $20.7 billion, up 6% from $19.5 billion.
The trouble with iPhone
As Apple warned last year, iPhone supply undermined the quarter’s results. “What we estimate, although not with precision, is that we believe iPhone would have grown during the quarter and had it not been for the supply shortages,” Cook told analysts after the earnings were released.
He also stressed that as iPhones have become more popular, consumers are more “willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category.” That’s as close as we’ll get to confirmation of a preference for pro models.
Apple also confirmed that supply chain problems have largely been resolved. “We’re in decent supply on most products for the quarter,” said Cook. The company continues to invest in new production chains.
Apple saw record levels of switchers in India and Mexico as surveys continue to claim 98% customer satisfaction with iPhone.
The strategic advantage of Apple Silicon
On PC sales, Cook put it this way: “The industry is very challenged. I don’t know how this year will play out, so I don’t want to predict this year. But, over the long run, we have a market that is a reasonably sized market, we have low share, and we have a competitive advantage with Apple Silicon. So, strategically I think we’re well positioned in the market, albeit I think it will be a little rough in the short term.”
The move to Apple Silicon continues to generate benefits. Mac customer satisfaction sits at 96% and the installed base of Macs has hit an all-time high across all Apple’s geographic segments. iPad sales rose and the installed base reached a new high.
Cook also discussed Apple Silicon production when it takes place at TSMC’s forthcoming facility in Arizona. “We’re all in in terms of being the largest customer for TSMC in Arizona,” he said. “I’m very proud to take part in that.
“America is our home,” he told FBN. “We want to do as much as we can here. We have an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to spend here.”
Engagement + installed base = $20B quarter
Cook confirmed some key gains in services:
More than 935 million paid subscriptions, up 150 million on the year and four times greater than five years ago.
Double-digit revenue growth from App Store subscriptions.
All-time records across categories including cloud, music, and payment services.
But what may be of most significance is engagement in Apple’s services.
“We saw growing customer engagement with our services during the quarter,” said Luca Maestri, senior vice president and CFO. The company confirmed earlier claims that the last holiday shopping season saw “record” use of Apple Pay for purchases.
On China and emerging markets
In what may be good news for western luxury brands across the board, Apple confirmed that the removal of COVID restrictions in China is improving its business there.
“With the reopening in December, we’ve seen an increase in traffic compared to November, “Cook said.
Apple continues to invest in emerging markets, and it claimed strong growth in Brazil, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It also claimed to have set iPhone revenue records in India and Vietnam.
“We’re in essence taking what we learned in China years ago, how we scaled China, and bringing that to bear,” said Cook.
The company stressed that services adoption is accelerating at a similar rate in all its markets, and it sees customer engagement with hardware translate into engagement with its services.
On the enterprise
Apple now has a wide tranche of services aimed at enterprise and pointed to a handful of recent product wins.
Confectionery giant Mars Inc. has signed up for Apple Care for Enterprise to support the iPads it has at its manufacturing sites.
HCA Health Care is now running an annual iPhone refresh with help from Apple Financial Services.
Looking forward
While they attempted to put a positive spin on the results, Apple executives did not pretend everything is rosy. Looking forward into the next quarter, Apple anticipates iPhone revenue to accelerate, but expects Mac and iPad revenue to decline double-digits year on year.
“We expect a negative year-over-year impact of five percentage points…,” Maestri said. “In total, we expect our March quarter year-over-year revenue performance to be similar to the December quarter.”
Gross margins look far from slim, however, at between 43.5% to 44.5%.
On layoffs
Apple isn’t laying people off. Cook stressed that while hiring has slowed and become far more strategic, the company sees layoffs as a “last resort” the company wants to avoid.
“I view layoffs as a last resort kind of thing,” Cook told the Wall Street Journal. “You can never say never. We want to manage costs in other ways to the degree that we can.”
What the analysts think
Apple’s results echo a broader decline across tech stocks – but its direction of travel seems a little clearer. Both Amazon and Alphabet expect further weakening in core markets in the next quarter, and while Apple concedes weakness, it is also seeing reasons for growth.
This morning has seen some activity on Apple stock. Barclays (which only recently cut targets on the stock) and BofA have raised targets, while Piper Sandler has chosen to maintain its $195 per share price target.
“Apple is optimistic about the strong momentum of future development,” analyst Harsh Kumar wrote.
Counterpoint Research Director, Jeff Fieldhack said: “Having proficiently managed its production problems, Apple was able to weather a year already marred by economic and geopolitical turmoil better than other major smartphone players.”
“Bears will be quick to point out negative sales growth but we note when adjusting for FX that sales and outlook are flat, which is materially better than other consumer electronic companies,” wrote Citi analyst Jim Suva. “Importantly services are also outperforming and Apple’s installed base continues to grow (over 2 billion active Apple devices and iPhone installed base estimated at 1.2+ billion).”
“Apple has only missed three out of the almost 60 quarters I’ve followed the company,” wrote analyst Gene Munster. “I’m happy to report, despite the shortfall, the core business is intact. The reason; Apple’s customer base remains in love with and loyal to their products.”
Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and AppleDiscussions groups on MeWe.
No matter the recent issues with Apple’s supply chain, the war in Ukraine, and COVID-19, when you zoom out, you’ll see a bigger picture of success for the company.
It’s the picture of consistent growth.
Growth? But Mac sales are down, year on year — right? Yes, they are. But PC sales have fallen further, Apple is gaining market share and while the overall PC market has declined massively, the Mac has gone from strength to strength.
Just look at the data. IDC results for 2019-2022 show that across the last three years the Mac has seen a 60% increase in market share while the PC market grew 6%, as Jamf CEO Dean Hager has pointed out.
That’s why Macs now account for 10.8% of all global PC shipments and 17% in the US.
But this isn’t just happening to the Mac.
Growth (again)
When it comes to smartphones, Apple is experiencing steady increases in its industry share; it leads when it comes to wearables, and even the tablet industry (which consists of iPads, but also covers low budget, low power slates) delivers strong numbers.
While we may see some weakness in the current quarter (financial results will be out later today) and relative disappointment during any recession, the momentum favors Apple. It’s also generating larger share in emerging economies.
I don’t need to repeat myself with how these gains in consumer markets are also delivering benefits in enterprise IT. The tech professionals who read Softwaretoolapps are surely already experiencing that as multitudinous surveys show the ascent of Apple in the enterprise. This has almost become a given.
More growth in mobile
Look closely and you may recognize that, for a generation at least, the company seems set to continue this progress, particularly around mobile devices.
You can also discern the direction of travel in the MDM enterprise markets.
What I think I’m seeing is more movement toward mergers and acquisitions affecting those vendors that try to serve multiple operating systems, while integrated single vendor firms seem to be thriving a little more.
That’s not intended as a slam against the companies in that space that do support all operating systems — I see the good work you do — just to point out that the focus remains on Apple. That’s where the market is going, which means any Apple-focused MDM solution cannot be limited by the other platforms they support.
Slow and steady is better
Seventeenth-century French playwright, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (better known as Moliere) put it this way: “The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.”
That makes sense in gardening, and certainly applies in Apple’s case.
The company which once hovered around 4% market share and was bought back from the brink of oblivion by a smart man with an iMac vision; a firm that switched successfully to Unix-based OS X, which it then put through an alchemical transfiguration to turn into dominance (or at least leadership) in mobile, is now growing in all its business sectors at a faster rate than the rest of the industry.
At least, that’s how it seems when you zoom out.
Short term struggles — the “one-step-forward, one-step-back” routine we all endure –— are normal. The trick is to stay focused on what you’ll do once temporal troubles take flight, the “stay hungry” approach some may recall from a former Apple CEO.
But as Apple’s trees head into bloom, and while many forces (competitors, regulators, and a handful of charlatans) aim to seize some of their crop, the big picture seems positive, despite short term problems.
Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and AppleDiscussions groups on MeWe.
Ah, Google Assistant. Sure seems like our trusty ol’ Android-dwellin’ pal is getting brushed over a lot as of late, doesn’t it?
First came the fact that Google made nary a mention of its honey-voiced virtual genie at the big honkin’ Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas last month — and that’s after years of Assistant and its “Hey Google” catchphrase being placarded practically everywhere at that event and being the company’s core focus.
But even more broadly is the ongoing emphasis on ChatGPT-like artificial intelligence tools right now and the awkward disconnect between what those services can offer and what Assistant has long been able to handle. While the A.I. in those newer tools absolutely goes further than Assistant’s current capabilities, it’s curious that hardly anyone’s making the connection or talking about the fact that all this new stuff feels like more of an upgrade to what’s already available with Assistant than any sort of wholly new setup.
We’re expecting to hear a whole lot more about Google’s expanding A.I. ambitions at this year’s Google I/O event in the spring, but in the meantime, I thought it’d be a fine time to focus on our familiar Android A.I. companion and work on unearthing some of its current underappreciated abilities.
All easily forgotten Assistant commands aside, Google Assistant’s got some splendidly useful settings that are out of sight and all too easy to overlook — and if you take the time to dig ’em up and revisit ’em, you’ll find yourself enjoying a smarter, more efficient, and more productive Assistant experience this very minute.
Keep reading to see what you’ve been missing — and when you’re ready for even more advanced Android knowledge, come check out my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. We’ll go way beyond Assistant and explore tons of time-saving tricks for every part of your personal Android experience.
Google Assistant Android setting No. 1: The sensitivity slider
If there’s one Assistant-related complaint I hear more than any other, it’s gotta be Google Assistant’s habit of getting overly giddy and piping up to answer on the wrong device.
You know what I’m talkin’ about, right? If you’ve got more than one Assistant gadget in your home or office area — some combination of Android devices, Smart Displays or speakers, or maybe even Assistant-enabled Chromebooks — it’s an all-too-common annoyance for your “Hey Google” utterance to be picked up by a device other than the one you intended.
We could talk for days about how helpful it’d be for Google to let us customize that Assistant launch phrase and use different phrases for different devices — but, well, we’ve been doing that for years now. And it clearly isn’t getting us anywhere.
So instead of simply griping, take advantage of the next best thing: Assistant’s sensitivity settings.
Ahem:
Say Hey Google, Assistant settings to pull up your phone’s Google Assistant settings.
Scroll down until you see the line labeled “‘Hey Google’ sensitivity.”
Tap that, then tap any device in your list to make it more or less sensitive — and thus more or less likely to respond to your voice commands when it hears you speaking.
JR
Good to know, right? And speaking of speaking…
Google Assistant Android setting No. 2: The listening alert
Whether you’ve got multiple Assistant devices around you or just the one Android phone, it’s good to know what gizmo is listening to you at any given moment.
All on-screen indicators aside, you can give yourself an audible alert anytime Assistant thinks it’s heard your “Hey Google” command and has perked up its mighty virtual ears. General awareness-related advantages aside, that’ll keep you from rambling off some long command only to realize a moment later that Assistant wasn’t even paying attention (d’oh!).
But this one’s about as buried as can be, and the odds are slim to none that any even remotely normal person would ever figure out how to enable it. Lucky for us, I’m anything but normal:
First, head into your phone’s regular Android system settings and open the Accessibility section.
Look for an option called “Switch Access.”
Tap that, then tap the toggle next to “Use Switch Access” to turn it into the on position. Confirm that’s what you want to do. (For some quirky and completely undocumented reason, having this system activated is the only way to get the Assistant alert sounds to work!)
Take a quick break to consume a cracker and/or cabbage — then say Hey Google, Assistant settings to pull up your phone’s Google Assistant settings.
Next, tap “Accessibility.”
See the toggles for “Mic-open notification” and “Mic-close notification”? Make sure they’re both in the on and active position.
And there ya have it: The next time you cough out a “Hey Google,” you’ll hear a pleasant li’l chime lettin’ ya know your phone is listening. And you’ll hear another sound that indicates when it stops.
Pretty gersh-derned sensible, wouldn’t ya say? And on a related note…
Google Assistant Android setting No. 3: The chattiness control
Let’s not beat around the bush: Helpful as it can be, Assistant can sometimes get a little too chatty.
But little-known fact: You can take total control of Assistant’s talkativity and tell your phone to be a touch less verbose.
Here’s the trick:
Say Hey Google, Assistant settings to pull up your phone’s Google Assistant settings.
Tap the line labeled “Assistant voice and speech output.”
Beneath the basic settings for changing the timbre of your Assistant’s voice sits an easily overlooked control for “Speech output,” with a line that should say “Phone.”
Tap that line, and — hey, how ’bout that? Right there resides an invaluable option for controlling exactly how much your Assistant flaps its virtual yap.
JR
Just pick your preference or experiment with the available choices, then bask in your newfound aural serenity.
Google Assistant Android setting No. 4: The smooth talker
Another bit of Assistant awkwardness is the need to keep saying “Hey Google” after every single question or command you speak. It’s kinda like the way my five-year-old talks to us, with an inexplicable “Hey Mama/Hey Daddy” at the start of every single sentence — no matter how long we’ve been talking.
Assistant, at least, has a way to eliminate that. (I’m still looking for the setting on my son.)
This one is available only on Pixel phones, from the Pixel 4 and onward. If you’ve got one of those devices, march your way back into those Assistant settings and do the following:
Tap “Continued Conversation.”
Make sure the toggle next to “Phone” is in the on position.
Perform an embarrassingly enthusiastic jig of celebration.*
* Jig optional but highly recommended
Google Assistant Android setting No. 5: The step saver
One more Pixel-specific Assistant trick for today: If you’re rockin’ a Pixel 6 or newer, be sure to activate Google Assistant’s single-step voice actions for your phone.
The feature is usually off by default, but Assistant on those devices can listen for a handful of phrases around alarms, timers, and incoming calls and allow you to handle those situations without having to say the usual “Hey Google” launch phrase — at all.
To set that up:
Open up those Assistant settings one more time and find the “Quick phrases” section.
Provided you’re using a Pixel 6 or higher, you should see a pair of options there to activate “Hey Google”-free commands for stopping or snoozing an alarm or timer as well as for answering, declining, or silencing an incoming call.
JR
And while we’re on the subject of shortcuts, stay tuned — ’cause we’re gonna pick up here with another five out-of-sight Assistant settings on Friday, and we’ll kick ’em off with a powerful one-two punch of Assistant-aimed shortcut supercharging.
Check back then to finish your Assistant enhancements or sign up for my weekly Android Intelligence newsletter to get all the info in your inbox, fresh and steamy, the second it’s out of the oven.
Apple appears to have been given yet another set of reasons to expand its legal team as the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) calls for antitrust action to force Apple and Google to make big changes to their mobile app store business models.
What’s the problem?
NTIA is the principal advisor on telecommunications and Internet policy to the Biden administration. It argues that the way things are run at present may be “harmful,” arguing that Google’s and Apple’s “gatekeeper” positions may harm consumers by raising prices and reducing innovation.
Among a raft of criticisms, the agency argues that some restrictions favor some apps over others. “In some areas, such as in-app payments, it is unclear how the current system benefits anyone other than Apple and Google,” NTIA says.
While it does concede the existing status quo has provided a range of benefits to app developers and users, the regulators still want to force both ecosystems to open up to greater competition.
The criticism does at least pay some lip service to Apple’s strong arguments concerning security and privacy and how its stores provide both, but on the strength of 150 conversations seems to think those should become a “feature” (see below).
It’s about ‘fairness’
Following President Biden’s Wall Street Journal piece in which the president called for a bipartisan approach to reeling in the Big Tech firms and how they use personal data, this is the icing on the cake of criticism from regulators worldwide concerning both companies’ business practices.
Putting some scope around the importance of making good decisions on mobile markets, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said in a statement: “From finding directions to chatting with loved ones, apps are a critical tool for consumers and an essential part of doing business online.
“It is more important than ever that the market for mobile apps remains competitive. NTIA’s recommendations will make the app ecosystem more fair and innovative for everyone.”
What NTIA wants
The report urges a number of changes to the way Apple and Google do business:
Consumers should be able to select their own default apps, choose different mobile app stores and delete or hide pre-installed apps — very similar to EU demands.
App Store operators should not be able to highlight their own apps first or discriminate against those that perform similar functions to the ones they make.
They should not be able to insist on developers using in-app payment systems.
But one recommendation seems to have a sting in its tail: “Operators should lift restrictions on alternative ways for consumers to download and install apps,” the agency says. “While still preserving appropriate latitude for privacy and security safeguards, legislative and regulatory measures should prohibit restrictions on sideloading, alternative app stores and web apps.”
What happens when security becomes an optional extra?
I think the NTIA is fantasizing with its next claim that suggests privacy and security should become a competitive feature. “A mobile environment open to more developers and innovations might [italics mine] also foster greater competition amongst apps and app stores, along multiple dimension of quality, including code review, curation, privacy and security,” the agency says.
Might? And might not.
Now, the problem is that in a connected environment, it only takes one ill-informed, misled, or otherwise misguided person to make poor privacy and security choices to leave anyone they know at risk.
Once that person’s device is subverted, others in their network will perhaps become more vulnerable — and they will not always know that one person has become a carrier. We’ve seen this before in the early days of the web, when viruses became commonplace.
This is bound to happen if the NTIA allows security or privacy to become an optional extra.
There must surely be scope for an agreement concerning minimum standards for these stores. On a warring planet, it doesn’t seem at all sensible to insist national privacy and security becomes optional.
The momentum of the now-global lattice of investigations concerning Apple’s App Store business suggests competitors will eventually get their way and we will soon enjoy a deeply fractured mobile ecosystem, with added security vulnerabilities.
Perhaps in a generation or so the true gatekeepers in this mission, the regulators, will catch up with the consequences of what they are doing.
While I do see some benefit to consumers from this, the cost to personal and enterprise privacy and security of some of these proposals outweighs the opportunity to download casual gaming apps for 50 cents less, even if the developer gets to keep an extra penny on the payment processing.
Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and AppleDiscussions groups on MeWe.
Apple’s plan to create an App Store and an easy way to create mixed-reality apps offers an important insight into its strategy and confirms that the company sees these devices as platforms, not peripherals. And when considering the business case for them, we need to see whether they hit that mark.
A new platform
The big-ticket news is that Apple wants to make it possible for any user to create AR/VR apps for these devices. (It even seems ready to allow Siri to drop items into virtual experiences.)
Critics argue that Apple may not have identified a key app for these unannounced systems. And they note that the cost of the device (apparently $2,000+), limited battery life, and small content catalogue at launch means consumers will be less interested.
But I never believed Apple is gunning for the consumer market just yet. It has a larger objective. I think it sees the first iterations of these devices as the birth of a new computing platform, more like the introduction of the Mac than of the iPhone.
Apple wants to build a new paradigm
Think back to two other great computing inflection points: the invention of desktop publishing and the creation of the first significant mobile app store for iPhone.
Just as desktop publishing spawned tens of thousands of computer-driven graphic designers and the App Store begat hundreds of thousands of app developers, Apple wants its mixed-reality glasses to have the same degree of impact.
It wants to both present these new environments and democratize the process of building for them.
The Information even reports you’ll be able to use a Mac keyboard and mouse with these systems, while using the glasses to replace the computer display. Apple is also said to be developing a gesture-based system so that you don’t even need a keyboard, though this isn’t ready yet.
These won’t only be lean-back entertainment systems, nor will they just be augmented reality guides – they’ll do both, but Apple seems to want its glasses to become creative tools.
It wants them to become important creative tools to enable expression and innovation at the intersection of technology in the liberal arts, because that’s what it usually wants its products to become.
This is a creative platform
Apple doesn’t want to be wholly responsible for content on its device. It wants to bring in its army of developers and audience of creatives and empower them to stake new frontiers in Apple reality.
Just as desktop publishing meant everyone in the world suddenly believed they could design pizza menus, approachable AR app creation will (perhaps) unlock new creative possibilities, some of which will become iconic.
The Information tells us the company is prepared to make a loss on product sales but is also developing lower-cost systems for release in two or three years.
This leads me to think this release won’t be about the hardware, but about the ecosystem – and that also means bringing a bona fide creative platform to market.
What this means to business
OK, so you’re a business, why should this matter to you?
Take training. Given around two-thirds of businesses are expected to use solutions like these for employee training systems, bringing home an approachable app development ecosystem means building such apps will be more affordable.
Add a little AI, a sugaring of machine vision intelligence, location awareness, and spatial sensors — and your business may suddenly find itself empowered to affordably create digital twins for use across a wide range of disciplines.
Just ask Siri to scan an object you want to use, choose a physics engine, and watch it run. That looks like a great front end for complex modeling.
The 22nd Century Mac
These things aren’t intended to be a console game or TV set you get to wear.vThey are Macs you’ll wear like sunglasses, and whatever Apple brings to market will only be the first step toward that.
After all, as another tech CEO famously said, “Our goal is not only to win, but to accelerate its arrival.”
Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.
After Apple introduced its amazing M2 Mac mini, I caught up with one of the world’s biggest Mac mini customers, MacStadium, for some insights into how the company views the new systems.
“I’ve never been more optimistic for the Mac platform,” said Chris Chapman, MacStadium’s CTO. “When we first started, the rate of change for Macs was something like five to seven years per model. It was specific.
“Their proliferation into the business and enterprise market was still a little fuzzy because iPhones were new, and Macs were good for specific people,” he said. “This has changed — they are becoming the de facto standard for laptop, desktop, and phone and you’re really starting to see it become pervasive. It starts with the consumer but has grown to pervade business and enterprises everywhere.”
We agreed that this is another illustration of the need to keep enterprise tech consumer simple, but enterprise capable.
The pandemic drove many to switch to Macs for professional work, and the move to Apple Silicon accelerated that existing trend.
“It’s amazing how much cheaper and how much more performant these things are becoming, generation over generation, it’s providing an Incredible platform for us to build off,” Chapman said. (MacStadium last year supplemented its traditional Mac server offer when it began offering virtual Mac desktops.
Apple and the enterprise
Apple has a lot of room for growth in enterprise markets, which remain Windows based — though, perhaps, not forever.
After all, we already know employees will select Macs more often than any other platform if given a choice. And as Apple iterates its processors and delivers faster and more powerful machines at a consistent rate, many in the business world are realizing, probably belatedly, that Macs are for everyone.
There’s a strong business case to be made.
“I think there’s a massive opportunity for them in the business and enterprise market, and I think the way they’ve turned the tables on being the fastest, most energy-efficient computers out there mean the switch makes a ton of sense to business,” said Chapman.
With a strong, vibrant ecosystem of enterprise-focused, Apple-savvy service providers available to help businesses use Apple’s platforms, the migration is easier than ever before.
MacStadium feeds into this mix, as it means businesses can quickly provision global teams with virtual Macs and enterprise developers can hire the horsepower they need for rapid compiling and testing of code.
Mac Stadium doesn’t just offer its own services; it can also help companies move toward Macs from their existing systems. “We don’t just provide the tools but also the enterprise expertise to show how it fits into your business,” he said.
The bottom line is that in some business scenarios, provisioning is much easier using hosted Macs. The service also means any user considering a switch can try one or more remote Macs first for the cost of a month’s rental.
The last years of Intel Mac support?
Mac Stadium offers Mac as a service for developers, enterprises, hybrid-work setups and many other groups of users. These are proper Macs hosted in data centers that work like Macs. You can run Xcode and Mac apps on these virtualized desktops (with both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs available). Mac Stadium will deploy Mac mini M2 models next.
“We already have them ordered,” Chapman said They’ll be “up on the racks” as soon as they arrive, he said, predicting the GPU and CPU improvements in these models will deliver much better customer experiences.
“From a hardware perspective I think the new M2 platform trumps some of the best desktop PCs anywhere in a form factor that’s ridiculously small and supports all the monitors you need,” he says. “I think business and customers will gravitate to the platform.”
Mac Stadium continues to offer Intel Macs as a service, in part because developer customers need access to them as they must build on both platforms. But Chapman thinks the pace of Apple Silicon evolution and the steady migration across the Mac range means support for Intel Macs will fade out in the next couple of years.
“I think we’re reaching the end of the journey for Intel in terms of the support perspective,” he said, “as customers roll into Apple Silicon…. I think in a year or two there will be a very small percentage of Intel Macs in use in the Mac world.”
This suggests Apple will remove Intel support at some point.
Down on the (server) farm
It is interesting to note that fitting Mac minis into the standard enclosures used in data centers required some proprietary design. MacStadium had to build racks to accomodate their Macs that fitted the industry standard spaces provided by data centers.
(Apple’s Studio Mac is also rackable in this way, but “we can only get 48 of them into the rack, compared to 96 Mac minis in the same space,” Chapman said.)
One of the most important features of Apple’s M-series chips is their low power consumption, even at computational maximums.
That’s important to any business running multiple Macs. With something like 30,000 Macs on its racks, Mac Stadium’s experience seems worth sharing.
Chapman explained that data centers sell space by the square foot, and calculate energy costs within that calculation. However, the power efficiency of Apple Silicon means MacStadium doesn’t hit those energy expectations.
“They’re always calling us up to tell us we’re not using enough power for the space,” he said.
This low power also means less heat, which makes it possible to engineer the Mac racks to hold many more Macs in the space.
“Macs are just very, very power efficient,” he said. That’s going to make a real difference to any company chasing climate change targets, as reducing energy costs across their computing stack may help meet those aims.
“We want to use much less energy; we think that’s the best thing for the world,” Chapman said.
It’s perhaps the biggest illustration yet of the consequence of high performance at low wattage.
Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and AppleDiscussions groups on MeWe.
Few apps are as essential to mobile productivity as the humble word processor. I think I’ve probably spent a solid seven years of my life staring at Google Docs on one device or another at this point, and those minutes only keep ticking up with practically every passing day.
While we can’t do much about the need to gaze at that word-filled white screen, what we can do is learn how to make every moment spent within Docs count — and in the Docs Android app, specifically, there are some pretty spectacular tucked-away time-savers just waiting to be discovered.
Make a mental note of these advanced shortcuts and options, and put ’em to good use the next time you find yourself staring at Docs on your own device.
Google Docs Android feature No. 1: In-app multitasking
We’ll save the best for, erm, first — ’cause the easily overlooked feature we’re kickin’ things off with really has the potential to change the way you work from your phone. It’s called Explore, and it’s one of those options I always forget to use and then periodically realize how much I’m missing out on as a result.
The basic point of Explore is to let you research any subject you’re writing about without ever leaving the Docs app. Just tap the three-dot menu icon in Docs’ upper-right corner while you’re editing a document and then select Explore — and just like that, you’ll get a list of suggested topics and images related to terms found within your document.
JR
You can tap on any topic to drill down further and browse through actual web results for the term, and the results will pop up right then and there as an overlay atop your in-progress document. You can even view entire web pages in that same arrangement, without the need for any cumbersome app switching or awkward split-screen setups.
JR
And if you find something you want to copy over to your document for quoting, all you’ve gotta do is highlight it — and Docs will give you a one-tap “Insert” option to pull the text in.
JR
You can even do the same with images:
JR
And if Docs’ suggested terms don’t hit the mark for what you’re after, you can also open up Explore and then simply search for anything you want. It’s essentially just an easy way to browse the web from right within the app itself and then optionally bring some of the info you find right into your document.
Pretty handy, wouldn’t ya say?
[Psst: Love shortcuts? My Android Shortcut Supercourse will teach you tons of time-saving tricks for every single part of your smartphone experience. Sign up now for free!]
Google Docs Android feature No. 2: Smarter document organization
Dealing with a complex document from your phone can be a real hassle. Who wants to waste time scrolling through endless-seeming screens to find the section of info you need to read, edit, or work on at any given moment?
I sure as hell don’t — and if you remember to use Docs’ out-of-the-way Outline option, you’ll never have to do it again, either. While viewing or editing any document with any sort of headers in it (be they actual header-formatted text or even just bolded section titles), tap that three-dot menu icon and then select “Document Outline.”
And by golly, wouldya look at that?
JR
Jumping to any part of the document is now just a single tap away.
Google Docs Android feature No. 3: Easier Word integration
When you’re working with clients, colleagues, or even camels who prefer the Microsoft editing ecosystem, you don’t have to do much to bridge that gap. The Docs Android app can already open and allow you to edit Word files, without any work — and with one simple flip of a switch, you can create new files in the .DOCX format just as easily.
To find the feature, you’ve gotta back out of any actual documents and get onto the main Docs screen — the screen with the search box at the top and all your documents listed out beneath it. Tap the three-line menu icon in the upper-left corner of that screen and head into the Settings section of that main menu. There, you should see the very switch we need:
JR
Flip that into the on position, then back yourself out to the main Docs screen. The next time you tap the circular plus icon in that area’s lower-right corner, you should see “New Word file” show up as an option right above the default “New Docs file” command.
And just as a reminder, if you ever want to save an existing Docs file into the .DOCX format, you can do that, too: Just tap the three-dot menu icon while editing a document, select “Share & export,” then select “Save As” and choose the “Word (.docx)” option.
JR
You can also save the file as a PDF or other common document format from that same menu.
Google Docs Android feature No. 4: The swift sender
While we’re thinkin’ about dealing with different document formats, download this into your long-term memory: The next time you need to save or send a document as an actual file — as opposed to an in-app, collaboration-ready Google Docs share — you can save yourself the trouble of downloading and then reuploading the thing and simply send it directly from the Docs Android app.
The trick is to once again tap that three-dot menu icon whilst editing a file and then select that same “Share & export” menu we just went over. But this time, instead of going with the “Save As” option, select “Send a copy.”
You can then pick from the same set of format choices we just finished exploring. And from there, Docs will allow you to choose from any compatible app on your device — everything from Android email and messaging apps to note-storing services like Notion and Trello.
JR
All it takes is one more tap from there, and your document will be on its way to the appropriate place in the format you requested — just like that.
Google Docs Android feature No. 5: The local file finder
Ever download a document onto your phone — be it from an email, a Slack channel, a website, or any other such source — and then later find yourself struggling to find it? Well, get this: Google’s got its own simple file finder ready and waiting for you right within the regular Docs app. Who woulda thunk, right?!
But oh, it be there, all righty. It’s that gray folder icon within the search bar on the main Docs screen — something I must’ve seen about a thousand times before I ever thought to actually tap it.
JR
When you do, the app will prompt you to find a saved file from either your local phone storage or from your online Drive storage. And once you select either option, you can browse through the associated place to see what’s there or search to find exactly what you’re after.
Google Docs Android feature No. 6: The Drive detour
Speaking of Google Drive, if you ever find yourself needing to hop over to the full Drive interface to dig around more deeply or pull up a file that isn’t text-related, here’s a handy little secret:
You can actually fly from Docs directly to Drive without going through all the usual steps — y’know, heading back to your home screen, finding the Drive icon, and opening it up anew from there.
Just rely on the Docs app’s artfully hidden Drive shortcut to slash steps and zip straight between the two related interfaces. The option is quietly waiting for you within the three-line menu icon on the main Docs screen.
JR
And now you know.
Google Docs Android feature No. 7: The account adjuster
Keep that overly moist eyeball of yours in that same area of the Docs app interface for a minute, ’cause we’ve got one more sneaky shortcut worth unearthing there.
It’s a shortcut baked into your face — or whatever sort of image you’ve got in place for your Google account profile photo, up in the app’s upper-right corner.
As is the case with most Google-made apps on Android these days, you can swipe up or down on that image to flip through any additional accounts you’ve got connected on your phone. If you only have a single account set up, this obviously won’t apply to you. But if you have, say, a personal Google account and a work address or even a few different situation-specific personal or work identities, it’s a splendid way to move between ’em with next to no effort and just a single swift swipe.
Google Docs Android feature No. 8: The direct document shortcut
Another shortcut worth burning into your brainspace: If you find yourself working on a specific document or set of documents frequently — whether they’re evolving documents you access all the time or just specific projects on your radar at one particular moment — save yourself the steps of opening the Docs app, finding ’em there, and then tapping their titles to get into ’em and instead give yourself one-tap shortcuts to open the files directly from your home screen.
The option to do that is pretty buried, but it’s well worth digging up. Start by finding the document in question on the main Docs screen. Long-press it, and then look way down on the menu that pops up for the “Add to home screen” command. (Depending on the size of your phone, you might have to scroll down that menu a bit before you’ll see it appear.)
JR
Tap that bad boy and follow the prompt to place the shortcut wherever you want it – and say “hocus pocus” for good measure, if you’re feelin’ merry — and before you know it, you’ll have an app-like icon sitting right on your home screen. Tapping it will take you directly into the document you selected, without any extra steps required.
You could even get ambitious and create an entire folder on your home screen where you store a variety of high-priority or in-progress documents.
JR
Three cheers for seconds saved!
Google Docs Android feature No. 9: Quick function shortcut
Let’s keep our shortcut mojo goin’ for one more minute, shall we? You can actually follow that same pattern we just went over and and put shortcuts for common Docs commands like creating a new document or searching your existing documents right on your home screen, too. That way, you can perform the associated commands quickly and without any wasted effort opening up the app and hunting around for ’em — and what’s not to love about added efficiency?
These are actually part of Android’s oft-forgotten App Shortcuts system — the thing that came around with 2016’s Android 7.1 Nougat release and is vexingly out of sight and out of mind for most of us.
Open up your app drawer, though, and find the Docs icon — or find the Docs icon on your home screen, if it’s there. Press and hold it, and you should see a series of options for direct shortcuts to actions within the app appear.
JR
You can always get to those by long-pressing the Docs icon, but if you find yourself using the functions often, you can make it even easier by pressing and holding one of ’em within that pop-up menu and then dragging it directly onto your home screen for one-touch access.
You could even build yourself a nifty little Docs command center for super-fast access to all the stuff you use the most:
JR
You may still end up spending a ton of time in Docs, but at least now you’ll make the most of every second there and avoid wasting your effort on piddly little tasks that can be made more efficient.
Get six full days of advanced Android knowledge with my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. You’ll learn tons of time-saving tricks for your phone!
Two-thirds of employees would use a Mac at work if given the choice, and companies that fail to offer hardware options to their employees are making a mistake.
That’s one of the inferences I see reprised in a report exploring Cisco’s approach to Mac deployment across its business that crossed my desk last week. Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin looked at Cisco’s Mac enterprise team, now led by former IBM CIO Fletcher Previn.
At IBM, Previn shared vast amounts of internal data to show that employees preferred Macs and those who do cost the company less in tech support, are more loyal, and they’re more productive.
“Mac users are happier and more productive,” Previn said.
He believes the IT you provide to workers reflects how your company thinks about its employees. One way to show respect: offer them platform choice.
Bajarin says too many companies don’t — and even those that seemingly do offer platform options do so half-heartedly, without full tech support.
“Often, it means getting cut off from managed upgrades, support tickets, and often lack of access to applications,” he writes. “Most IT organizations keep the Mac users in their organization at arm’s length.”
When given the choice, users go Mac
But that’s not the case at Cisco. The company says 59% of new hires are choosing Macs and 65% of existing workers switch to Apple’s platform when they get the chance to upgrade.
There are 56,000 Macs in use at Cisco. These work alongside 68,000 Windows PCs (under 50% of which are used by internal employees). There are also 56,000 mobile devices, 85% of them running iOS.
This tech stack is spread across 500 offices in 99 nations with 140,000 employees requiring tech support.
Cisco has found that when employees using Windows laptops were given the chance to upgrade, 24% of them chose to switch to Mac.
The direction of travel isn’t terribly hard to see. IDC estimates the average penetration of Macs in use across US enterprise has already hit 23%.
The employee experience is your business
Employee satisfaction benefits from choice and the desire to use the same great technologies at work that’s available at home. Business must see that failing to provide tech choice erodes employee experience, which in turn generates poor productivity and damages staff retention. This demoralization also reduces employee engagement, which then impacts the customer experience.
In other words, not offering device choice is bad for business. No wonder Bajarin believes there’s a great deal of “pent-up demand for Macs in the workplace.”
We know the demand is accelerating because, as Jamf CEO Dean Hager once told me, “Technology isn’t just part of the employee experience, it is the entire employee experience. So employers are going to want to make it a good one.”
The evolution of enterprise tech
The momentum Apple has built in the enterprise has spawned a vast ecosystem of enterprise-friendly solutions providers who can help integrate its kit into existing deployments. Cisco even spoke at Jamf’s annual JNUC event to explain how it supports Macs across its business. (You can watch that video here.)
That means for most organizations there is no good argument to deny Apple’s platforms full white-glove tech support, device management, or managed upgrades.
At Cisco (as at IBM, SAP and elsewhere) we’ve seen big companies bring Mac expertise in-house to ensure users on their teams don’t suffer through a second-rate experience. Why, to coin a phrase, live like the Jetsons at home and the Flintstones at work?
“The Mac has become an essential workplace tool and there is no escaping that reality,” writes Bajarin.
Considering all the recent evidence, it’s hard to do anything but agree.
Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and AppleDiscussions groups on MeWe.
Let’s get one thing out of the way here: Android 13 absolutely isn’t your average Android update.
There’s no way around it: Google’s most recent Android version looks pretty ho-hum on the surface. It almost seems like a subtle refinement to last year’s far more consequential-feeling Android 12 release, with few marquee features and the appearance of more polish than progression.
The reality is much more complicated. Android 13 actually is significant — monumentally so. In fact, it may ultimately prove to be one of Android’s most important releases. But its most consequential changes are aimed at the tablet and foldable front, and most of us won’t feel the full effect of their presence quite yet.
While the software’s impact on the traditional phone front may be relatively limited, though, Android 13 definitely does deliver some noteworthy new stuff. And whether you’ve had the software on your phone for months or you received it much more recently, there’s bound to be something useful you haven’t yet discovered.
Here, fittingly, are 13 such treasures just waiting to be found.
Note that these features are presented as they apply to Google-made Pixel phones and Samsung-made Galaxy devices, specifically. Different device-makers modify Android in different ways, so if you’re using a phone made by any other company, the availability and exact presentation of some items may vary.
Smarter shortcuts
1. Send your text-copying headaches away with Android 13’s nifty new clipboard editing capability. Samsung opted not to include this in its current version of Android 13, unfortunately, but if you’ve got a device made by another manufacturer, look for the newly present pop-up that appears anytime you copy text from anywhere on your phone…
JR Raphael/IDG
Android 13 will show any text you copy in a small pop-up in the lower-left corner of your screen.
And then:
Tap the bubble showing your copied text to edit the text, as it appears in your system clipboard — if you want to shorten what’s there, for instance, or eliminate any out-of-place characters.
Tap the share icon directly next to the text to immediately share whatever you copied with another app or service on your phone — to send it into an email or Slack message, mayhaps, or save it into your favorite Android note-taking app.
Tap the icon that looks like a computer and a phone together to open Android’s Nearby Share system and beam the text wirelessly to another active and compatible device in your area.
JR Raphael/IDG
With just one tap, you can share any text you’ve copied to another compatible device in your area.
Bonus tip: For an even more effective phone-computer clipboard connection, check out this crafty little Android clipboard enhancement.
2. Android 13 officially introduces a handy new shortcut for scanning a QR code from anywhere on your device. Swipe down twice from the top of your screen to open up your Quick Settings, and if you don’t see the option in the scrollable series of tiles in that area, look for the editing command (a pencil-shaped icon on a Pixel or a text-based option within the three-dot menu icon on a Samsung device) to add it into the mix.
3. Speaking of Quick Settings, on a Pixel phone, Android 13 adds another useful shortcut worth noting: a one-tap tile for turning your phone’s one-handed mode on or off. Once more, if you don’t see it right away, use the editing command in that area to find it and drag it into the list of active Quick Settings commands.
4. If you’re a Samsung owner, you don’t have that possibility at your fingertips — but you’ve got an even more interesting Android-13-added shortcut surprise: a whole new series of time-saving gestures for flying around your phone.
First, you can swipe up from the bottom of your screen (or from the side of the screen, if you’re holding your phone in a landscape position) with two fingers to hop right into Android’s split-screen mode and see two apps together on your screen at the same time.
JR Raphael/IDG
Swipe two fingers up, and boom: You can shift into a split-screen setup.
And second, you can swipe your finger down diagonally from the top corner of your screen to shift any app into a floating window pop-up form.
JR Raphael/IDG
A single diagonal swipe down puts any app into a moveable floating window.
To enable those gestures, look in the Advanced Features section of your phone’s system settings. Tap the line labeled “Labs,” then activate the toggles next to “Swipe for split screen” and “Swipe for pop-up view.”
5. This next one’s for anyone using Android 13 on a Pixel 4a (5G) or later Pixel model: Android 13 allows you to flip your phone’s flashlight on or off simply by double-tapping the back of your device. Look in the System area of your settings and tap “Gestures” followed by “Quick Tap to start actions” to enable that feature, if you haven’t already, and then select the newly added “Toggle flashlight” option.
6. Also for the Pixel owners among us: Android 13 makes it possible to access your connected device controls right from your phone’s lock screen, without having to do any digging or authentication. Head into the Display section of your phone’s settings, then tap “Lock screen” and activate the toggles next to “Show device controls” and “Control from locked device” to make the option available.
Customization and control
7. Google’s Material You system is one of Android’s most impressive and underappreciated advancements. And with Android 13, you’ve got even more control over exactly how it works.
Material You, if you aren’t familiar, is a feature introduced with Android 12 that causes your entire phone interface to dynamically change based on the colors of your wallpaper at any given moment. Everything from your home screen icons to your Quick Settings, system settings, and even the interfaces within certain compatible apps adjust themselves on the fly every time your wallpaper changes, creating an extraordinarily personalized and perpetually fresh-feeling effect.
With Android 13 in place, you can go beyond the system’s automatically applied color schemes and pick from an expanded selection of palettes for fine-tuning your interface’s appearance. To get started:
Long-press on any open space on your phone’s home screen and select “Wallpaper & style” from the menu that comes up.
On a Pixel phone, swipe through the color options under both “Wallpaper colors” and “Basic colors” to see the full set of choices.
On a Samsung device, tap “Color palette.” You’ll probably then have to tap the toggle next to the words “Color palette” on the screen that follows (along with a secondary toggle next to the words “Apply palette to app icons”) to activate the system in the first place — then you can swipe through the available options under “Wallpaper colors” and “Basic colors” to explore your choices.
JR Raphael/IDG
Android 13’s Material You palette settings on a Pixel, left, and Samsung phone, right.
8. Galaxy gang, listen up: Samsung’s Android-13-associated software adds some spectacular new settings for customizing your lock screen and completely changing what elements are on it and how they look. Press and hold on any open space on the lock screen to find all the available options.
9. Pixel pals, you don’t have quite that level of flexibility at this point, but Google’s Android 13 software does introduce the ability to change the styling of your lock screen clock. If you aren’t thrilled with the plus-sized, two-line design that came about in the previous Android release, look in the Display area of your system settings and then tap “Lock screen” to find an option to disable that and go back to a more compact clock styling.
10. Here’s another neat Samsung-specific Android 13 addition: As of this latest update, you can now drag and drop any two same-sized home screen widgets on top of each other to create a stack. As long as the widgets are the exact same size, they’ll exist in the same space — and you can then move between ’em by swiping your finger left or right on their surface.
JR Raphael/IDG
Samsung’s Android 13 implementation lets you stack widgets on top of each other to take up less space.
11. Got a Pixel? Good news: With Android 13, you can now customize the intensity of your phone’s vibration for different circumstances. Make your way into the Sound & Vibration of your system settings and then tap “Vibration & haptics” to take control.
Added intelligence
12. If you’re using Google’s own version of Android 13, you’ll find a new “Active Apps” option in your phone’s notification panel. Swipe down twice from the top of the screen to reveal it…
JR Raphael/IDG
Android 13’s new Active Apps command, as seen on a Pixel.
And then tap it to see a complete list of every actively running app on your device at any moment.
JR Raphael/IDG
All of your actively running apps — now easy to access.
Just note that it isn’t generally advisable to forcibly close apps unless you have a specific reason (like an app locking up or misbehaving in some way). Android is designed to manage active processes and system memory automatically, and force-closing things for no reason will actually make your phone less efficient by forcing Android to restart those processes and then recalibrate.
13. If you shift between different dialects during your days, don’t miss Android 13’s newly nuanced language-picking powers. They’ll let you choose different display languages for specific apps instead of having only one choice for your entire phone experience. Tap “Languages & input” within the System section of your phone’s settings on a Pixel or look within the “General management” settings on a Samsung device to uncover the “App languages” area.
JR Raphael/IDG
Android 13 makes it easy to set different default languages for different apps.
Microsoft on Tuesday said it expects the growth across its cloud business to temper down through 2023 as enterprises brace for economic headwinds.
The Windows-maker reported 29% growth in total cloud revenue to $21.5 billion for the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, slowing from Q1, 2023 where the company posted 31% growth for the segment. These numbers exclude the impact of currency fluctuations. Microsoft said it expects its third quarter cloud gross margin to decrease by one percentage point, driven by Azure.
Microsoft Azure and other cloud services grew 38% in constant currency terms on a year-on-year basis, slowing down by 4% from the previous sequential quarter.
“As I noted earlier, we exited Q2 with Azure growth in the mid-30s in constant currency. And from that, we expect Q3 growth to decelerate roughly four to five points in constant currency,” Amy Hood, chief financial officer at Microsoft, said during an earnings call.
The growth in cloud number is expected to slow down further through the year, warned Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella.
“As I meet with customers and partners, a few things are increasingly clear. Just as we saw customers accelerate their digital spend during the pandemic, we are now seeing them optimize that spend,” Nadella said during the earnings call, adding that enterprises were exercising caution in spending on cloud.
Explaining further about enterprises optimizing their spend, Nadella said that enterprises wanted to get the maximum return on their investment and save expenses to put into new workloads.
“…at some point, the optimizations will end. In fact, the money that they save in any optimization of any workload is what they will invest into new workloads,” Nadella said, adding that Microsoft was getting ready to ensure that it gets a large pie of the spend on new workloads.
Nadella asserted that the optimization phase for enterprises was temporary and was expected to last about a year.
The company’s financial results weakened through December, and geographically the US performed weaker than expectations, Hood said, according to the earnings call transcript.
Microsoft has also scaled back its outlook for other segments of the business for the next quarter.
“Within the segments, we anticipate roughly four points of negative impact on revenue growth in Productivity and Business Processes, three points in Intelligent Cloud, and two points in More Personal Computing,” Hood said.
“In our Consumer business, Windows OEM and devices will see continued declines as the PC market returns to pre-pandemic levels. And LinkedIn and search will be impacted as ad market spending remains a bit cautious,” the CFO added.
Microsoft to bet heavily on AI
Nadella, during the earnings call, made it clear that Microsoft was betting on infusing AI into all of its products and services as the company believes that artificial intelligence will be in demand across enterprises.
“The age of AI is upon us, and Microsoft is powering it. We are witnessing non-linear improvements in capability of foundation models, which we are making available as platforms,” Nadella said, adding that the company was positioned to capture new AI-based workloads.
Microsoft has been investing billions more into OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, and plans to roll out new enterprise services based on the company’s generative AI products.
Other AI-based Microsoft products include GitHub Copilot and Azure ML services, which the company said has grown over 100% in revenue for the past five quarters.
Segment-wise results
Microsoft posted a total revenue of $52.7 billion for the reported quarter, an increase of 7% when compared to the corresponding quarter last year, without considering the effect of currency fluctuations. Net income for the company rose by just 1% year-on-year.
The company also took a charge of $1.2 billion during the quarter on expenses over severance, hardware-related impairment, and lease consolidation costs.
Across different segments, the company saw increase in revenue with the productivity and business processes unit posting total sales of $17 billion, up 13% in constant currency.
Revenue for LinkedIn, which is a part of the productivity division, increased 14% in constant currency.
However, revenue for personal computing division of the business declined 16% in constant currency to $14.2 billion. Several parts of the personal computing division, such as Xbox, Windows OEM and Windows Commercial products, registered a decrease of 8%, 39% and 3% respectively.
Devices revenue, which also forms a part of the personal computing division, showed a decrease of 34% in constant currency.
Nothing is the same with Apple Silicon. While the leap from M1 to M2 chips doesn’t deliver quite as big a performance improvement as the jump from previous Mac chips to Apple Silicon did, it still adds enough juice to ensure that even the entry-level M2 Mac mini does what most people need.
The Geekbench tests
Here are some Geekbench performance figures for entry-level Mac mini configurations dating back to 2011. The M2 system data was generated by a test machine made available by Apple:
Mid 2011: 506 single-core, 1,262 multi-core.
Late 2012: 570 single-core, 1,278 multi-core.
Late 2014: 771 single-core, 1,503 multi-core.
Late 2018: 895 single-core, 3,183 multi-core.
Mini M1 late 2020: 1,715 single-core, 7,442 multi-core.
Mini M2 early 2023: 1,943 single-core, 8,916 multi-core*.
Data only tells part of the story, of course. But what’s clear is that generation by generation, Apple on Intel achieved relatively modest performance gains. Then Apple Silicon arrived, and now you can expect far more significant generational improvements across the line.
Word is that high-end Mac mini M2 Pro systems compete with Apple’s current King of Desktops, the Mac Studio, at least in benchmark terms. And these entry-level Macs deliver the same kind of computational ability as the Intel-based iMac Pro. That’s significant.
Apple continues to exploit its control over the hardware, software, and (now) processor to tweak systems to do the things you need better. In this release, you get faster processors and graphics processors, as well as much higher memory bandwidth and far better media handling.
What Mac mini do I have?
I’ve been using Apple’s $799 Mac mini. That’s the same basic model as the $599 version, but with double the SSD storage (512GB instead of 256GB) and the same 8GB memory. Otherwise, it offers the same specifications, which include an 8-core CPU with a 10-core GPU and support for up to 24GB of unified memory running at 100GBps.
When I looked at the first Mac mini with an M1 chip I ran a range of tests. I repeated them this time and the new mini handled anything I threw at it; never once did it seem to struggle.
It’s cool, quiet, capable, and barely got warm to the touch even when working with multiple music tracks. Imaging improvements were evident: Pixelmator handled image transitions significantly faster, Photoshop was happier and GarageBand trundled out its tunes while I manically added additional instrument tracks.
A couple of additional benchmarks:
Cinebench gave scores of 8606 (multi-core) and 1,623 (single-core).
Unigine Heaven 4.0 returned a score of 2,146 at 1920×1080-pixel resolution, though this test relies on Rosetta emulation and has not been optimized to run natively on Apple Silicon.
Both tests confirm big improvements in graphics performance compared to the M1, just as Apple promised. (Apple boasted of 35% faster GPU performance, and I’m seeing that.) That means you can expect a 50% improvement when handling files in Photoshop, for example. You’ll also fly through apps, thanks to the 50% faster memory bandwidth.
All this performance starts at $599 — though you do need a keyboard, mouse, and display. The M2 Mac mini will support up to two displays, one at up to 6K.
Which brings something else to mind….
Is the age of all-in-one over?
There was a time when I preferred all-in-one systems, but I’ve moved on. Repair is expensive, recycling a pain and because you lose your display as well as your computer when you do upgrade it feels like separates may be a better environmental choice.
It just makes sense to upgrade the computer but keep the keyboard, mouse, and display. It also makes upgrades more affordable, as you can buy the PC but keep the rest. At $599 per seat, the Mac mini hits this need head on. As the benchmark data and my anecdotal experience show, you get a powerful Mac capable of most daily tasks while also fit for processor-intensive work.
If you are migrating to Macs in your business or putting employee choice schemes in place, it is worth noting that these use far less energy than other competing desktops and may also be compatible with the keyboards, mice, and monitors your teams already use, reducing switching costs.
Businesses should also think about the computer power-per-watt with these systems, as at scale the Mac mini is a cheaper PC to run. I’d also argue that in combination with an iPad Air for light mobile tasks, this may be all the computer some knowledge workers need.
The upgrade quandary
Is it a big enough upgrade compared to the M1 Mac mini?
Honestly, I was so impressed with that model that I purchased one of my own. This time around? I’m considering it because the price is right and the performance a definite improvement on M1.
However, if you or your teams are using Intel-based Macs, the M2 absolutely justifies the upgrade. Apple’s Mac development road map currently suggests we’ll see yet more improvement (especially around energy use) with the 3-nanometer M3 chips; those may reach Mac mini in late 2024 and offer another leap in performance.
What’s not to like?
The most trivial criticism might be that the Mac mini shape hasn’t changed much — it’s the same small discreet box it’s always been (and will probably remain). A second criticism: the M2 model features just two Thunderbolt and two USB-A ports, though if you need additional Thunderbolt ports the (more expensive, but also more powerful) M2 Pro system offers four.
A third criticism would be the cost of additional BTO storage, which is always high, and the difficulty of replacing the SSD storage modules. It may be best to use innovative peripherals such as those from Satechi to help meet any additional storage/I/O needs, as once again this modular approach makes it easier and more affordable to upgrade the core system.
One criticism that doesn’t really exist since the introduction of the last M1 Mac mini is that most key third-party applications should now run natively on the processor. The ones that don’t should be replaced.
Must or miss?
Apple’s Mac mini has at last shown itself to be the swan in waiting it always was. More flexible than all-in-one systems and delivering power far beyond its price-driven punch, the mini’s latest improvements make it tempting, but probably not mandatory, to existing M1 Mac users.
The mini is a definite contender for anyone still on an Intel Mac or a Windows PC who wants to make the transition to a desktop Apple Silicon Mac. It’s a fabulous low(er) cost system for switchers or employers provisioning desk-based employees who want their work machines to be as good as the ones they use at home.
And this is the paradigm shift in action. Nothing is the same with Apple Silicon. Apple’s new processor architecture means each Mac Apple ships is improving at a pace we’ve never seen the company deliver before. As it does, it’s changing the language (and the market share) of the PC industry, and this new beginning has only just begun for Cupertino.
Other than the needs of high-end creatives and the trend toward mobile Macs, I really see no compromise in this machine. The Mac mini M2 is a fantastic desktop Mac for most of us.
Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and AppleDiscussions groups on MeWe.
Apple has filed an appeal against the UK competition watchdog’s decision to launch an investigation against it and Google into their dominance of mobile services.
Apple has appeal
The iPhone maker’s legal team argues that the probe should be reviewed, arguiing it missed timing requirements to launch an investigation, Reuters explains. Then UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will continue to look into the matter while defending its decision.
The CMA argues that the investigation aims to give UK consumers more choice while providing developers with more opportunity to innovate. It also notes that 97% of all UK mobile web browsing relies on either Apple’s or Google’s browser engines.
What issues are being investigated?
The CMA announced plans to launch an investigation in November. There are three primary strands that affect Apple:
One involves the impact of control of the browser market on developers.
Another involves Apple’s insistence that browsers on its platform use its own WebKit browsing technology. In its November announcement, the CMA warned this may hold back “potentially disruptive innovation.”
And the CMA is also looking at Apple’s refusal to permit cloud gaming services on the App store.
“We plan to investigate whether the concerns we have heard are justified and, if so, identify steps to improve competition and innovation in these sectors,” Sarah Cardell, the CMA interim CEO, said announcing the investigation.
What is the effect of the appeal?
Apple’s appeal of the investigation may or may not succeed, but it seems plausible — given the nature of UK law — that the investigation could be slowed. Ultimately the CMA aims to finish its investigation by or before early summer 2024.
If the agency finds against Apple (or Google) it could impose remedies that include insisting browsers be able to use rendering engines other than WebKit or mandating inclusion of cloud games services within the App Store.
What can Apple do?
Apple may have plans to get ahead of the UK regulator and lawmakers in other nations who are exploring similar complaints. A December report indicated the company has a high-powered team exploring changes that might bring its business more in line with such criticisms.
Among other changes, the report cited support for third-party payment systems, external app stores, and the possible use of browser engines other than WebKit. These changes would surely blunt the accusations that prompted the CMA investigation.
Not only that, but if applied effectively they could have little impact on Apple’s App Store business, according to Morgan Stanley. “Apple’s customers have long prioritized the security, centralization, and convenience that the App Store brings,” said Apple analyst Erik Woodring.
Will they or won’t they?
No one outside a few white walled halls in Cupertino knows the extent (if any) to which Apple intends making any such changes to its platforms. At the same time, it is reasonable to imagine such changes would require it to invest a hefty slice of energy to put them in place.
This calls to mind another claim that Apple’s next iOS iteration will be slightly limited in scope as internal development resources are being focused on the looming AR goggles project.
Is it not also possible the company is putting contingency plans in place in case regulators insist on it making changes to its business practices? It will, after all, want to ensure business continuity, and it seems shrewd to pre-empt the negative PR of an adverse regulatory judgement by making changes before being forced to.
The best place to announce them would, of course, be WWDC (this year, or next) when the whole world will be watching, in person and online.
Are you going to (stream) San Francisco?
This won’t be the only reason to focus on WWDC 2023. Not only is it likely to be a stage for further information concerning Apple’s AR devices, but it now seems plausible to anticipate fundamental changes on a platform scale.
After all, perhaps Apple’s appeal today is designed to buy time to help put such changes into effect. The urgency of doing so continues to build. Only this week we learned the company in Brazil faces a fresh investigation into alleged anticompetitive business practices.
The regulatory drums are becoming louder.
We wait to see how Apple dances to their beat.
Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and AppleDiscussions groups on MeWe.
You’d never know it, but one of the most potential-packed parts of your favorite Android phone is a feature you rarely actually see.
It’s mostly invisible by design, in fact — and yet, if you teach yourself how to tap into it, you’ll save time, increase your efficiency, and feel like a total smartphone sorcerer.
The feature of which we speak is the humble-seeming Android clipboard — the simple virtual space where anything you copy stays tucked away out of sight ’til you’re ready to use it.
If you haven’t spent much time thinking about the Android clipboard, believe me: You aren’t alone. But my goodness, are you ever missing out.
So allow me to introduce you to some of the most advanced and easily overlooked productivity boosters hiding away in your phone’s invisible holding space. Copy these tricks into your noggin, and before you know it, you’ll be slashing all sorts of wasted seconds out of your day.
[Psst: Love shortcuts? My Android Shortcut Supercourse will teach you tons of time-saving tricks for your phone. Sign up now for free!]
Android clipboard trick No. 1: The quick on-screen copy
First up is a feature specific to Google’s own fully featured Android software, as seen on its self-made Pixel phones (and if you don’t own a Pixel, don’t worry: Almost all of the tips after this will work on virtually any Android device!).
So Pixel palmers, take note: Anytime you’re in your phone’s Overview screen, you can copy any text from any app thumbnail, right then and there — regardless of whether it’s the type of text you’d typically think of being copy-friendly or not.
First, make your way into your Pixel’s Overview area — either by swiping up and holding from the bottom of your screen with the current Android gestures system or by tapping the square-shaped button at the bottom of the screen, if you’re still using the old legacy three-button nav setup.
Next, press and hold your finger onto the text you want within any Overview thumbnail — or, if you’d rather, tap the “Select” option at the bottom of the screen to have your Pixel select all available text and then narrow it down as needed.
Once you’ve got any text selected, tap “Copy” in the pop-up menu that appears.
JR
And that’s it: The text you selected will now be on your system clipboard and ready for speedy pasting wherever you want it.
All convenience aside, what’s especially cool about this trick is that it allows you to copy text from things like system menus and even text from inside images in a thumbnail, where such actions wouldn’t usually be possible.
Speaking of which…
Android clipboard trick No. 2: The image text copy
No matter what kind of phone you’re using, you can snag text out of any image — be it a screenshot, a photo of a document or whiteboard from the real world, or even a snapshot of a turtle with a top-secret message scrawled onto its shell — simply by opening up the Google Photos app.
Once you’re in Photos, find the image you want to copy from — either in the main Photos tab or in the app’s Library area, if it’s a screenshot or something you’ve downloaded.
Open up the image and tap the “Lens” option along its lower edge.
Select “Text” from the menu that comes up, then use your finger to highlight the specific portion of text you want.
JR
At that point, you can either tap “Copy text” to bring the text onto your Android clipboard for future pasting — or you can tap “Copy to computer” to copy the text directly onto a connected computer’s clipboard for pasting anywhere on that front. (It probably goes without saying, but you’ll need to have a computer where you’re actively signed into the same Google account in Chrome in order for that option to appear.)
And while we’re thinking about Lens…
Android clipboard trick No. 3: The real-world text copy
Google Lens is one of Android’s most underappreciated superpowers. In addition to its integration in Photos, Lens can actually look for text right in front of your face and then copy it onto your clipboard, directly from the real world.
If you’ve got a Pixel, fire up your camera and look for the “Modes” option in the sliding menu at the bottom of the screen, then tap “Lens” from there.
With any other kind of Android device, download the standalone Lens app and then open it from your app drawer.
Either way you get there, once Lens is open, just tap the “Text” option at the bottom of its main screen and then point your phone at anything with text on it.
Press and hold your finger on any text in your view and look for those same “Copy text” and “Copy to computer” options.
JR
Pretty spiffy, wouldn’t ya say?
Android clipboard trick No. 4: The swift clipboard share
So far, we’ve thought about fancy ways to get text onto your Android phone’s clipboard. Now it’s time to start thinking about all the things you can do with that text once it’s present.
Up first: In addition to the handy “Copy to computer” option built into Lens, Android’s got a simple system for sending text straight from your clipboard to any other Android device or Chromebook in your area with a couple quick taps.
It’s a freshly rolled-out feature for the current Android 13 version, so you will need to be running that software in order to use it.
Provided you’ve got Android 13 on your device:
Copy text from anywhere on your phone.
Look for the little pop-up that appears in the lower-left corner of your screen immediately after you copy. (Note: Samsung for some reason didn’t include this element in its version of Android 13. Sorry, Galaxy pals!)
Tap the little icon within that pop-up that looks like a computer with a phone inside it, then pick from any compatible device in the area to share the text you copied.
JR
And if you don’t have Android 13 or you need an easy way to share text with other kinds of computers, fear not — ’cause our next clipboard trick is exactly what the geek-doctor ordered.
Android clipboard trick No. 5: The universal connected clipboard
The Android 13 clipboard sharing setup is nice and all, but there’s an even more versatile way to connect the clipboard from your Android phone to the clipboard on any kind of computer you’re using.
The secret is a clever little app called Clipt.
All you’ve gotta do is install Clipt on your phone and then install the companion Chrome extension on whatever computer you’re using — Windows, Mac, Linux, you name it.
Sign into the same account in both places, and boom: Anything you copy from anywhere on your computer will immediately be inside your Android phone’s clipboard and ready to paste.
You can send text from Android to your computer, too, though one extra step is required — due to some system security measures within Android in that area.
This is one of my all-time favorite Android hacks. You can read all about the ins and outs of the setup and how to make the most of it in this separate guide.
Android clipboard trick No. 6: The clipboard-keyboard connection
The trick we just went over is fine and dandy for sharing stuff from your clipboard to other environments — but what about when you want to find text you’ve copied right within Android?
The quickest way to access your system clipboard on your phone is via Google’s excellent Gboard keyboard.
If you aren’t already using Gboard, install the app and set it up — then:
Open Gboard by tapping in any blank text field anywhere on your phone.
If you see a clipboard icon on the keyboard’s top row, tap it. If you don’t see any such icon, tap the three-dot menu icon within that same area and then tap the clipboard icon on the panel that comes up.
Make sure the tiny toggle in the upper-right corner of the Gboard clipboard interface is in the on position — with the switch pushed over toward the right. If it isn’t, tap it to turn it on, then follow any prompts that appear to grant the permissions it needs to operate.
Now, one more bit of one-time setup before we get this show a-goin’:
Open up the full Gboard settings menu by tapping the three-dot menu icon in the keyboard’s top row and then selecting “Settings” from the panel that pops up.
Tap “Clipboard.”
Make sure all of the options that appear on the next screen are activated and in the on position.
Elicit the tiniest yip of satisfaction and/or do a delightful little arm-flapping dance in your chair.
With all of that out of the way, you’ll start seeing two helpful clipboard-related additions:
Anytime you copy text from anywhere on Android, it’ll automatically appear as a one-tap suggestion within Gboard’s top row whenever the keyboard’s next open. You can tap it to insert the text into any text field, anywhere on your phone.
You can also pull up the most recent bits of text and even images you’ve copied from anywhere by tapping that clipboard icon in Gboard’s top row (or within its three-dot menu area, if you don’t have it in a top-row position).
JR
And another trick worth surfacing in that same Gboard clipboard interface…
Android clipboard trick No. 7: Your clipboard save-board
You can actually save important items within your Android clipboard area and then pull ’em up anytime, anywhere for easy ongoing access.
It’s a great way to keep commonly used text snippets or maybe even screenshots at your beck ‘n’ call and available for instant pasting whenever you need ’em.
And it couldn’t be much easier to set up:
Open up Gboard again and tap that same clipboard icon we were just talkin’ about.
Press and hold your finger onto any item you’ve copied recently — text, image, you name it — then look for the “Pin” option that pops up. (And if you don’t see any recently copied items there, by golly, go copy something!)
Tap “Pin,” then scroll down in the Gboard clipboard view to find your item there and waiting.
JR
You can pin multiple bits o’ text and/or images into that area, and all it takes is a single tap of your sticky fingie insert any pinned item in any text field you’ve got open.
And finally…
Android clipboard trick No. 8: Image paste magic
When we think about our phone’s clipboards, most of us tend to focus on text. But it’s worth emphasizing: You can copy images onto your Android clipboard, too, and then paste ’em directly into lots of different places.
Try this:
Open up a web page in Chrome — any random web page (though I highly recommend one with photos of bespectacled monkeys).
Press and hold your finger onto an image within the page and select “Copy image” from the menu that comes up.
Now, go start a new email within Gmail or open a thread within the Android Messages app.
Press and hold your finger onto the open text field and tap the “Paste” option that appears — or, if you’d rather, pull up that Gboard clipboard interface and look for your recently copied image there to tap it.
And hey, how ’bout that?!
JR
Whatever image you copied will instantly be inserted into your message, without any extra effort required.
Not bad for an area of Android that’s almost always out of sight, eh?
Get even more advanced shortcut knowledge with my free Android Shortcut Supercourse. You’ll learn tons of time-saving tricks for your phone!
If you use both Apple and Windows devices, then you should also be using iCloud for Windows. It’s an app for your Windows system that enables you to access iCloud data and features from your PC.
To get started, first download the app from Microsoft’s App Store.
Microsoft
iCloud for Windows is avalable in MIcrsofot’s App Store.
What is Apple’s iCloud?
iCloud is an essential component across the Apple universe. It’s used to share iCloud Drive files, sync contacts, devices, and other personal data, and to provide access to a variety of Apple’s services including key apps such as Photos and Mail. You also get access to limited collaboration and sharing features along with a powerful password manager.
Apple understands that many of its customers rely on multiple platforms for different tasks, using, for exmple, an iPhone and a Windows PC. With that in mind, it recently introduced new applications to replace iTunes for Windows, including dedicated TV, Music, and device management apps.
It is also why the company works to make iCloud services cross-platform through the iCloud for Windows app; in addition to being a free download from Microsoft’s App Stores, it’s also available directly from Apple.
Then app requires a PC running Windows 10 (the 64-bit May 2019 Update or later) or Windows 11.
What do you get in iCloud for Windows?
Once installed on a supported Windows system, iCloud for Windows lets you access files on iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and Tasks (with Outlook), and your Safari Bookmarks — you just need to login with your Apple ID.
You can also use iCloud Keychain as a password manager.
The iCloud Passwords app lets you check your account information, update it, delete it, and add new accounts — and itwill automatically sync across all your iCloud devices. It will also generate rock-solid passwords and 2FA codes for you.
iCloud for Windows supports advanced imaging formats that may be of use to Apple-centric professionals. Since 2021, it’s been able to handle Apple ProRes and ProRaw formats for video and photos.
How iCloud files work as if they were on your PC
iCloud for Windows uses the same tech Microsoft relies on for OneDrive’s Files On-Demand feature. That means items stored in iCloud Drive will appear in Windows File Explorer, just as if they were on your PC.
Files on-demand also enables direct integration between Windows 11 and iCloud Photos from within the Windows Photos app. To use this, you must install iCloud for Windows on the PC, sign in and choose sync photos. Once set up, images stored in iCloud become natively available on your PC. There were some reports of teething problems when this feature first arrived, but these seem to have been resolved.
A Microsoft tech note explains that files on-demand works by storing small 1k files on your device that provide your system with a direct link to the content you have stored online. It lets you review that content and download it seamlessly with a click; in most cases you’ll experience only a short delay while the content downloads and opens for you.
The idea is that Microsoft’s cloud files API lets third-party developers (such as, in this case, Apple) create apps that store data in the cloud in a way that merges the experience of handling online and offline data.
What can you do with iCloud for Windows?
Once installed and set-up, iCloud for Windows lets you work seamlessly across devices and platforms — making it super-easy if you use a Windows machine at work, a Mac at home, and an iPhone or iPad at other times.
It means you can:
Access your iCloud Drive files using File Explorer.
Download files and folders to your PC.
Store items in iCloud Drive and access them using an iOS device, macOS or Windows system, or online at iCloud.com.
Share and collaborate on iCloud Drive hosted files from within File Explorer; edits will be synced across all your devices.
Create and share albums of images and videos online or see them in Windows Photos on supported systems.
Update and manage your iCloud account.
Store, use, and create passwords using iCloud Keychain.
There is one snag: if you use a managed Apple ID, iCloud for Windows will not be supported.
How do I download and install iCloud for Windows?
Installation is relatively straightforward:
First you must set up iCloud on an Apple device (Mac, iPad, iPhone), after which you must download the iCloud for Windows app to your compatible PC, install it, launch it, and then sign in with the Apple ID you created on your Apple device.
Once you are signed in, you can choose which iCloud options to use.
Is iCloud useful for enterprise pros?
Apple’s big selling point for iCloud is the security and privacy it provides, along with the ability to share and collaborate on documents and other files shared in iCloud Drive.
Apple recently improved iCloud with Advanced Data Protection, which encrypts almost all your iCloud data.
Can I access iCloud online?
If you use a Windows PC, but cannot install iCloud for Windows, you can still access a great deal of your iCloud content and services through a standards-compliant web browser.
To do so, navigate to iCloud.com and login with your Apple ID. The recently revamped service lets you access numerous features, including Photos, Mail, iCloud Drive and Contacts. You can also use online versions of Apple’s iWork suite of productivity apps.
The result: any Windows user is only ever a few clicks away from their content, even when using a borrowed PC. Find out more about iCloud online here.
What are the system requirements for iCloud for Windows?
To use iCloud for Windows, you’ll need running Windows 10 or later (64-bit).
There are some additional software requirements for specific use:
Using Mail, Contacts, and Calendars requires you to be running Outlook 2019 or later on your PC.
For password management, you need to be using Chrome 100 or later, or Edge 100 or later.
For bookmark syncing, you need Chrome 100 or later, Firefox 92 or later ,or Edge 100 or later.
Where can I find out more about iCloud?
Here are some previous reports that should help you get more from iCloud on any supporting platform:
Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.