Articles by Matt Cone
Matt Cone is a technical writer at Fastly. He has experience creating documentation for organizations like Linode and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Matt’s first book, Master Your Mac, was published by No Starch Press. To get in touch with Matt, visit https://www.mattcone.com.
How to Find Your iPad's IP Address
January 17, 2021
Your iPad is assigned something called an IP address when it connects to a Wi-Fi network. Other devices that are connected to the same Wi-Fi network can use this unique identifier to transfer information to and from your iPad. If this sounds confusing, it might help to think of an IP address as your iPad’s home address. Just like physical mail, which is routed to your home via a unique address, digital information is routed to your iPad using an IP address.
How to Forward Text Messages to Your iPad
January 17, 2021
Many text messages are still sent as SMS/MMS text messages, and you can forward these text messages from your iPhone to your iPad so they appear in the Messages application on your iPad (you can also respond to the text messages from your iPad). This is a great feature for people who want to do all of their texting from their iPad. Here’s how to forward text messages to from your iPhone to your iPad:
How to Forward Text Messages to Your Mac
January 17, 2021
Not everyone owns an iPhone, and that means that many text messages are still sent as SMS/MMS text messages. You can forward these text messages from your iPhone to your Mac so they appear in the Messages application on your Mac (you can also respond to the text messages from your Mac). This is a great feature for people who want to do all of their texting from their Mac.
How to Disable Siri on Your iPhone
January 16, 2021
Siri is Apple’s virtual voice assistant. Freely available on all of Apple’s devices, including iPhones, Siri can help you find information, add calendar events, and send email. While many people find Siri helpful, some people find it distracting. Others worry about the privacy implications of their voice commands being sent to Apple. In any event, there’s a quick and easy way to turn off Siri on your iPhone. Here’s how to disable Siri on your iPhone:
How to Mute the Sound on an iPad
January 16, 2021
iPads play a variety of sounds by default. That can be nice when you’re using the iPad in the comfort of your home, but potentially awkward when you’re sitting in the office or airport. Many of the newer iPads don’t have physical switches to mute sound, so you have to use software to mute the sound. Here’s how to mute the sound on an iPad: Placing your finger on the top-right corner of the screen, pull down, as shown below.
How to Disable the Big Mouse Pointer on Mac
January 15, 2021
By default, all Macs come with the Shake mouse pointer to locate feature enabled. This feature is designed to help you locate the mouse pointer on your screen quickly by making it big when you shake the mouse or move the pointer quickly with the trackpad. Some people find this feature distracting during presentations and day-to-day use. Fortunately, there’s a quick and easy way to disable the big mouse pointer on your Mac.
How to Lock the Screen Rotation on an iPad
January 15, 2021
By default, your iPad will switch around the screen rotation to adjust to whatever orientation you’re holding the iPad. You can disable this feature to temporarily lock the screen rotation on your iPad. That way, the screen won’t rotate when you adjust the iPad. Here’s how to lock the screen rotation on an iPad: Adjust the iPad so the screen rotation is the way you want it. Placing your finger on the top-right corner of the screen, pull down, as shown below.
How to Set Bash as the Default Shell on Mac
January 15, 2021
Every new Mac uses the Z shell (Zsh) by default, but you can quickly and easily switch the default shell back to Bash. There are several reasons you might want to do this. For example, you may need to be using the bash shell to execute bash scripts on a Mac. Tip: Not sure what shell your Mac is using? You can check using the instructions in How to Tell What Shell Your Mac is Using.
How to Change Your iPhone's DNS Servers
January 14, 2021
Just like in macOS, you can change the DNS servers on your iPhone. This can significantly speed up Safari and other iPhone apps that use the Internet. For a general introduction to DNS, and to learn why you would want to change the DNS servers on your iPhone, see How to Change Your Mac’s DNS Servers. Before we start, you should know a couple things about how iOS handles DNS. First, these instructions only work for Wi-Fi connections - iOS does not allow you to change the DNS servers when connected to cellular networks.
How to Disable Siri on Your Mac
January 14, 2021
Siri is Apple’s virtual voice assistant. Freely available on all of Apple’s devices, including Macs, Siri can help you find information, add calendar events, and send email. While many people find Siri helpful, some people find it distracting. Others worry about the privacy implications of their voice commands being sent to Apple. In any event, there’s a quick and easy way to turn off Siri on your Mac. Here’s how to disable Siri on your Mac: