fixed : how to link AliExpress Standard Shipping to a generic track&trace-app

Question :
I use AfterShip.app for tracking & tracing all the packages that are being send to me (or by me). Now I have ordered something from AliExpress that is being shipped to me through AliExpress Standard Shipping. But in AfterShip.app there is no Carrier named AliExpress or something alike…

Can I still track&trace AliExpress Standard Shipping ?


Answer :
Yes you can.
‘AliExpress Standard Shipping’ is a shipping service executed by Cainiao (formerly China Smart Logistics). So just put Cainiao as the Carrier and your shipment will be trace-able.

Thet’s it !
enjoy 😉

NOTE :
Amazon’s own shipping in Europe is a shipping service executed by Swiship, so if your track&trace-app doesn’t have Amazon Shipping listed (or when choosing Amazon Shipping it turns out that your track&trace code isn’t recognised), try Swiship as the Carrier.

fixed : how to download a video from LinkedIn

Question :
I was scrolling through some LinkedIn pages as I came across an instructional video on a subject I am interested in. Since I want to be able to view this video offline also, I tried to download it directly from LinkedIn, but simple methods for doing that don’t work, as it is an embedded video.

Is there any way to download this video from LinkedIn to my Mac ?

Answer :
Yes, there is.
To download a video from LinkedIn (or X/Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest or Vimeo), do this :
– first, if it’s an video that has been reposted, click back to the original post
– then, click on the More (3 dots) button in the upper right corner of the post
– from the pulldown-menu, click “Copy link to post”
– open the online video downloader : LinkedIn Video Downloader
– then, paste the URL(that is on your ividsible clipboard) in the fetch field and click DOWNLOAD
– wait a few moments and the video will appear on screen (on the ExpertsPHP.com website)
– then, click the “Download Video File” button and you will find the video in your Downloads folder on your Mac

That’s it !
enjoy 😉

NOTE : this same method works for embedded videos from X/Twitter, Tiktok, Pinterest and Vimeo also. You just need to copy the URL of the original post and use the corresponding online video downloader :
X (Twitter) Video Downloader
TikTok Video Downloader
Pinterest Video Downloader
Vimeo Video Downloader

fixed : iCloud syc error – Desktop files on Mac have ‘cloud exclamation mark’-icon

Question :
I was trying to access some files I have created on my Mac from my iPad, but the files that are in folder XYZ on my Mac’s Desktop are different from the ones that I can see in that same Folder XYZ when I access it from the Files.app on my iPad. Some files in Folder XYZ are the same and some are not… closing/quitting the Files.app on my iPad and reopening it doesn’t help… And when I look on my Mac, the files that are invisible on my iPad turn out to have a ‘cloud with an exclamationmark’-icon next to them on my Mac… I’ve also checked on my iPhone, and there I get to see the exact same content of Folder XYZ as on my iPad, but not the ones that are on my Mac…

This appears to be an ICloud syncing problem, but how do I fix it ?

Answer :
Yes, this is a syncing problem that iCloud sometimes runs into…
since there is no forced sync or manual sync option, this is how to fix it :
1- make sure that your Mac, your iPad and your iPhone all run the newest version of their OS (macOS, iPadOS, iOS)
2- make sure that your Mac, your iPad and your iPhone are all connected to a stable internet connection (either over Wifi or Ethernet)
3- make sure that you are logged in on iCloud with exactly the same account on all devices (Mac, iPad, iPhone)
4- if all the above is in place, restart your Mac without remembering open windows (to increase you chances on fixing this iCloud syncing problem, restart your iPad and iPhone as well)
5- wait for your Mac to restart/reboot entirely before doing anything else on it
6- wait for iCloud to sync back and forth amoung your Mac, iPad and iPhone (depending on the amount of files you have in your iCloud folders and your internet speed this may take up to 10 minutes or even longer)

That’s it !
…in 99% of the cases, this simple solution will fix your iCloud syncing problem
enjoy 😉

fixed : eBook bought on iPhone not visible in Books.app on Mac

Question :
I recently bought an eBook in Apple’s Books.app on my iPhone. When I opened the Books.app on my iPad it automatically appeared there, but when I opened the Books.app on my Mac I didn’t appear…

How do I fix this ?

Answer :

There are various reasons why this problem may occur, but 99% of the time this problem can be fixed by doing one of the following (just start trying the first, then the second, etc.) :

-1- Make sure that iCloud sync is switched on for all devices

  • on you iPhone, go to Settings.app
  • in the Settings page, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon on the top)
  • in the Apple ID page that opens, click on “iCloud”
  • in the iCloud page that opens, click on “Show All”
  • in the Apps using iCloud page that opens, scroll down and make sure that the switch at “Books” is switched ON (a green switch)
  • then, swipe up the entire page to close the Settings.app
  • then, on your iPad (if you have one), go to Settings.app
  • in the Settings page, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon top left)
  • in the Apple ID info that appears, click on “iCloud”
  • in the iCloud info that appears, click on “Show All”
  • in the Apps using iCloud info that appears, scroll down and make sure that the switch at “Books” is switched ON (a green switch)
  • then, swipe up the entire page to close the Settings.app
  • next, on your Mac, click on the Apple icon (top left in the menu bar)
  • from the pulldown menu, choose “System Settings”
  • in the window that appears, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon top left)
  • in the Apple ID info that appears, click on “iCloud”
  • in the iCloud info that appears, click on the “Show More Apps” button
  • in the popup window that appears, scroll down and make sure that the switch at “Books” is turned ON (a dark grey switch)
  • then click the “Done” button and close the Settings window by clicking on the small red button top left
  • now, open the Books.app on all your devices and check if the eBooks you’ve purchased in Books.app are now available on all devices

    If that did not work, try this next solution :

    -2- Make sure that you are logged in to exactly the same iCloud-account on all devices
  • on your iPhone, go to Settings.app
  • in the Settings page, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon on the top)
  • in the Apple ID page that opens, check that the iCloud-account that has purchased the eBook is showing
    if not : scroll down, click on “Sign Out”, follow the instructions and after logging out, log in now using the correct iCloud-account
  • then, on your iPad (if you have one) go to Settings.app
  • in the Settings page, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon top left)
  • in the Apple ID info that appears, check that the iCloud-account that has purchased the eBook is showing
    if not : scroll down, click on “Sign Out”, follow the instructions and after logging out, log in now using the correct iCloud-account
  • next, on your Mac, click on the Apple icon (top left in the menu bar)
  • from the pulldown menu, choose “System Settings”
  • in the window that appears, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon top left)
  • in the Apple ID info that appears, check that the iCloud-account that has purchased the eBook is showing
    if not : scroll down, click the “Sign Out” button, follow the instructions and after logging out, log in now using the correct iCloud-account

    now, open the Books.app on all your devices and check if the eBooks you’ve purchased in Books.app are now available on all devices

    If that did not work (or not entirely, because the eBook is showing on your iPhone and iPad, but it isn’t showing on your Mac), try this next solution :

    -3- Manually download the purchased eBook to your Mac
  • on your Mac, open the Books.app
  • in the Books window that opens, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon bottom left)
  • in the Account window that pops up, clcik on “Books”
  • in the page that opens, make sure that the “All” button is clicked, then click on “Recent Purchases”
  • in the “Recent Purchases” page that opens, find the eBook you are looking for and click on the “Cloud download”-icon next to the eBook’s cover picture
  • now the icon will start spinning and the eBook will appear in Books.app’s library

    That’s it !

    enjoy 😉

fixed : share EPUB (with digital watermark) accross Books.app on iPhone, iPad and Mac

Question :
I want to purchase an eBook that is not available in Apple Books. I have found it is available on the website of a bookstore in EPUB (with digital watermark) version. It seems like I should be able to download it after purchase and then read it in Books.app on my iPad or iPhone, but is it also possible to read it in the Books.app on my Mac ?

How do I do that ?


Answer :

Yes, you can buy an EPUB (with digital watermark) [ a.k.a. EPUB with social DRM ] and then read it on Apple’s Books.app on either iPhone, iPad or Mac. To do that, do this :

NOTE : if you buy an eBook on Amazon, it will only be available in the Kindle.app (that will automatically sync across your devices also), but getting a Kindle eBook into Apple’s Books.app is problematic… so if you prefer to read all your eBooks in Books.app, avoid buying eBooks on Amazon.

  • first, make sure that you are logged into your iCloud account on your iPhone, your iPad and your Mac (with the same iCloud account)
  • on your iPhone (or iPad) go to the online bookstore that sells the eBook in EPUB (with or without personal watermark or Social DRM)
  • purchase the eBook
  • when the download link appear, click on it
  • now the eBook will be downloaded to the Files.app on your iPhone (or iPad), which means it will be visible on the Desktop of your Mac also (which is automatically synced in iCloud)
  • now, on your iPhone (or iPad), click on the eBook in the Files.app and choose “open in Books”
  • now, the eBook will open in Books.app and is ready for reading
  • it will stay in the Library of your Books.app
  • if you have iCloud syncing switched on (most of us have) the eBook will now be available for reading in Books.app on your iPhone, your iPad and your Mac
  • if the eBook is not showing up on all devices, recheck in Settings.app if iCloud-syncing is switched on for Books.app
  • if you want to manually add the eBook to your iPhone or iPad, do this :
    • – open the Files.app and find the eBook
    • – click on the eBook and choose “Open in Books”
    • – then wait for the eBook to open in Books.app
    • if you want to manually add the eBook to your Mac, do this :
    • – on your Mac, find the eBook on your Desktop (or in the Desktop folder)
    • – Option-click (right-click) on the eBook icon
    • – from the pulldown menu that appears, choose Open With > Books
    • – now wait for the eBook to open in Books.app

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : no internet connection while WiFi and LAN are okay (after running Jaksta)

Question :
I was running an app (Jaksta Media Recorder) that crashed. Now I am no longer able to make any connection to the internet from macOS using my regular settings. Safari, Apple Mail.app and Whatsapp for macOS can no longer get propper connection to the internet.
I have tried resetting my internet modem, and my VPN now works, but the apps still cannot get a propper internet connection… so it appears to be a DNS problem, but changing DNS servers didn’t help…

What can I do to solve this ?


Answer :
As you might have expected, Jaksta Media Recorder has caused this problem when it crashed… to fix it, do this :
– restart your Mac
– do not startup any apps, startup the Jaksta Media Recorder app first
– when the Jaksta Media Recorder window opens (where you can see your previous downloads a.k.a. recordings) go to the bottom left corner and put the slider (that is turned ON automatically) in the OFF position
– then quit the Jaksta Media Recorder app

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

Note : Jaksta Media Recorder for Mac is no longer being supported, as of 2023 Jaksta is a Windows-only app, so if you run into any problems with Jaksta for Mac you are pretty much left hanging… so, if you’re looking fro an alternative for Jaksta, see this post :
fixed : current version (or replacement) for Jaksta downloader app on macOS