Author Archives: MacManus.nl

fixed : how to safely block caller without calling the untrustworthy number

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Question :

Over the past few days I’ve had several incoming phone calls from an unknown phone number. Since my iPhone warned me that these were from Algeria (the actual phone number started with +213…) and I don’t know anyone who currently is in Algeria, I did not answer any of these calls as I was expecting them to be fraudulent scams…

Now, I want to block this phone number from ever calling me again…

How do I do that safely ?

 

Answer :

By ‘safely’, you probably mean ‘without running the risk of accidentally calling this number’ right ?

To safely block a caller, this is the procedure :

  1. switch on Flight Mode
  2. block the caller
  3. delete the call from the recent calls list
  4. switch off Flight Mode

Since it isn’t clear from your question if you want to block a caller from calling you over regular mobile network (a.k.a. cellular) or from Whatsapp or from any other audio-calling app, I will outline the exact procedure for cellular (GSM) and Whatsapp-audio below.

Here’s how to safely bock a caller  from cellular (GSM) calls :

  • put your iPhone in Flight Mode
    • swipe down from the top right corner of the screen
    • in the window that opens, click on the Airplane-icon
    • now the Airplane-icon will turn orange and the icons for cellular (GSM), Bluetooth and WiFi will dim (grey out)
    • now your iPhone is in Flight mode
  • then, open the Phone.app (the green icon with the old-fashioned telephone hand-piece in it)
  • in the next window, click on “Recents” (in the bottom row, with the clock-icon)
  • in the “Recents” list, find the untrustworthy caller and click on the info-icon at the far right of it (the blue circle outline with the letter “i” in it)
  • in the next window, scroll down completely
  • there, click on “Block this Caller”
  • then, click on “< Recents” top right to return to the Recents list
  • in the “Recents” list, click “Edit” (top right)
  • now find the untrustworthy caller and click on the red “No Entry” icon that has appeared in front of it (far left of the phone number)
  • then, click “Done” (top right)
  • then, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to get back to the main screen
  • then, switch Flight Mode off
    • swipe down from the top right corner of the screen
    • in the window that opens, click on the orange Airplane-icon
    • now the Airplane-icon will turn gray and the icons for cellular (GSM), Bluetooth and WiFi will switch on (turn blue or green)
    • now Flight Mode is turned off

And here’s how to safely block a caller from Whatsapp calls :

  • put your iPhone in Flight Mode
    • swipe down from the top right corner of the screen
    • in the window that opens, click on the Airplane-icon
    • now the Airplane-icon will turn orange and the icons for cellular (GSM), Bluetooth and WiFi will dim (grey out)
    • now your iPhone is in Flight mode
  • then, open the Whatsapp.app (the green icon with the old-fashioned telephone hand-piece in a cartoon speech balloon)
  • in the next window, click on “Calls” (in the bottom row, with the telephone hand-piece icon)
  • in the “Calls” list, find the untrustworthy caller and click on the info-icon at the far right of it (the blue circle outline with the letter “i” in it)
  • in the next window, scroll down completely
  • there, click on “Block Contact”
  • then, click on “< Calls” top right to return to the Recents list
  • in the “Calls” list, click “Edit” (top left)
  • now find the untrustworthy caller and click on the red “No Entry” icon that has appeared in front of it (far left of the phone number)
  • then, click “Done” (top left)
  • then, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to get back to the main screen
  • then, switch Flight Mode off
    • swipe down from the top right corner of the screen
    • in the window that opens, click on the orange Airplane-icon
    • now the Airplane-icon will turn gray and the icons for cellular (GSM), Bluetooth and WiFi will switch on (turn blue or green)
    • now Flight Mode is turned off

As mentioned, the procedure is similar for all voice-audio calling apps.

That’s it !

Now the caller has been blocked from sending new messages, and you can no longer accidentally call back.

enjoy 😉

fixed : fingerprint not recognised when installing apps on new 2019 iPad

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Question :

Every time I try to download a new app from the AppStore on my new 2019 iPad, I am asked to install using my fingerprint, but when I put my finger on it, my finger isn’t recognized…

What is wrong ?

 

Answer :

What do you mean by ‘it’ ?

Do you mean that your finger isn’t recognized when you press it on the fingerprint-icon on-screen ? If so, you aren’t the first person that happens to misunderstand Apple’s directions, which can be quite confusing : on the 2019 iPad your fingerprint can only be scanned by the actual click-able menu-button that is below the screen (on the front-facing side, beneath the display), so just put your finger on the menu-button and it will be recognized 😉

note : since 2019, only the ‘regular’ iPads have Touch ID and a ‘traditional’ menu-button below the screen, the 2018 iPad Pro and newer all have Face ID (so those have face-recognition instead of fingerprint-scanning)

If that wasn’t the problem, check these :

  • make sure your fingers aren’t wet or greasy ; wipe them with a dry towel and try again
  • make sure the menu-button isn’t wet or greasy ; wipe it with a dry towel and try again

If that wasn’t the problem either, do this to reset your fingerprints :

  • login to your iPad using your on-screen unlock code
  • goto Settings.app (Gear-icon/Sprocket-icon)
  • in the list on the left, click on “Touch ID & Passcode”
  • in the window that opens, typ your passcode (the one that you use to unlock your iPad’s screen)
  • then, at FINGERPRINTS, click on “Finger 1” and delete
  • then delete all other fingerprints (like “Finger 2” and “Finger 3”) if there are any
  • then click on “Add a Fingerprint” and follow the on-screen directions
  • this info from the Apple-website might come in handy if you think this isn’t working as intended : https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201371
  • tip 1 : it is wise to replace all fingerprint namings like “Finger 1” and “Finger 2” to something that makes more sense like “Right Index Finger” to enable yourself to only redo one fingerprint if it turns out that one of your fingerprints isn’t recognized properly
  • tip 2 : the current version of iPadOS seems to have some problems recognizing fingerprints when holding the iPad in landscape-mode (so sideways, for instance when watching a full-screen video) ; this is probably due to the fact that the initial fingerprint-scans were all made while holding the iPad in portrait-mode ; so, as an extra, also include a fingerprint-scan of your right tumb while grabbing your fingers around the bottom-left side of your iPad (so a 90 degree clockwise rotated fingerprint-scan ; as if you were holding the iPad in landscape-mode)
  • then, back in the “Touch ID & Passcode”  make sure that both “iPad Unlock” and “iTunes & App Store” are switched ON (“Apple Pay” and “Password AutoFill” should be turned ON only if you intend to use them on a regular basis, else the should be turned OFF)
  • then exit Settings.app and go test if your fingerprints are being recognized (e.g. by getting a new app from the AppStore)

If that still doesn’t work, try setting up a fingerfrint-scan from a different finger and try again.

If you keep on having problems, go to your local AppleStore or the Apple-dealer where you bought the iPad (or else to an authorized Apple Repair Centre) and have your iPad checked for a hardware-failure of the menu-button.

That’s it 😉

enjoy !

fixed : how to unzip downloaded .zip-file that appears as .exe-file ?

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Question :

I have just downloaded some zipped archives from a support website, and even though most of them were .zip-files that were automatically unzipped by macOS, some are .exe-files which I can’t open or run on my Mac…

What can I do ?

 

Answer :

Sometimes, Windows computers create self-extracting Windows .exe-files instead of .zip-files or .rar-files when creating compressed archives to transport over the internet or using external drives or USB-sticks…

The built-in Unarchive.app in macOS cannot extract these kind of .exe-archives, but various other unzip-apps can.

Just go to the Mac AppStore, find TheUnarchiver.app, download it and use it for FREE ; the .exe-archives will now be extracted as if they were regular .zip-files or .rar-files

enjoy 😉

fixed : put iTunes Music database on external drive to save space

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Question :

My internal HD is too full, so I want to make room for macOS to run smoothly again. As my iTunes Music database is huge, would it be possible to move that database onto an external HD that is continuously connected to my Mac ?

Is there any option to do so ?

 

Answer :

Yes, it is possible to move your entire iTunes Music database to an external HD. Apple does explicitly recommend to use an external HD that is connected to your Mac directly with USB, ThunderBolt or FireWire. (and Apple explicitly recommends against putting your active iTunes or Music.app database on a wireless drive or network drive)

To do this, do this :

  • get yourself an external HD, preferably one that is using a fast cable connection to connect to your Mac ; Samsung currently has some small and very good external HDs using USB-C for this : Samsung T5 Portable SSD
  • plug the external HD into your Mac
  • goto Applications –> Utilities –> Disk Utility
  • open Disk Utility
  • reformat the external HD as “Mac OS Extended”
  • now, in the Finder, create a new folder on the external HD named Music
  • inside that folder, create 2 new folders ; one named iTunes, the other named Music
  • then, in the Finder, goto Users –> [your name]  –> Music –> Music –> Music Library (if you don’t have one, skip the next step)
  • then drag&drop the Music Library folder into the Music folder inside the top-level Music folder on the external HD you have just created
  • …this may take a while
  • then, in the Finder, goto Users –> [your name]  –> Music –> iTunes –> iTunes Library (if you don’t have one, skip the next step)
  • then drag&drop the iTunes Library folder into the iTunes folder inside the top-level Music folder on the external HD you have just created
  • …this may take a while also
  • when done, open the Music.app (or iTunes.app if you are running an older version of macOS)
  • goto Music (or iTunes) in the top-bar of your screen –> Preferences
  • in the window that opens, select the Files tab, and at “Music Media folder location” click on the Change-button
  • in the Finder window that opens, select the Music (or iTunes) folder inside the Music folder on the external HD and click Open-button
  • back in the Files window, click the OK-button
  • now Music.app (or iTunes) will start up using the Music Library (or iTunes Library) on the external HD (and it will keep using the Music Library (or iTunes Library) on the external HD as its default library from now on)
  • check inside Music.app (or iTunes) to see if all your photos are now available (there’s no reason why they wouldn’t but just to make sure…)
  • now start using this setup as your new Music.app (or iTunes) setup, and if you don’t run into any problems in a few weeks (or even months if you need to) you can delete the Music Library (and/or iTunes Library) that was in the Music folder in your Home folder on your Mac’s internal drive to clear up some space

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : put Photos database on external drive to save space

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Question :

My internal HD is too full, so I want to make room for macOS to run smoothly again. As my Photos.app database is huge, would it be possible to move that database onto an external HD that is continuously connected to my Mac.

Is there any option to do so ?

 

Answer :

Yes, it is possible to move your entire Photos.app database to an external HD. Apple does explicitly recommend to use an external HD that is connected to your Mac directly with USB, ThunderBolt or FireWire. (and Apple explicitly recommends against putting your active Photos.app database on a wireless drive or network drive)

To do this, do this :

  • get yourself an external HD, preferably one that is using a fast cable connection to connect to your Mac ; Samsung currently has some small and very good external HDs using USB-C for this : Samsung T5 Portable SSD
  • plug the external HD into your Mac
  • goto Applications –> Utilities –> Disk Utility
  • open Disk Utility
  • reformat the external HD as “Mac OS Extended”
  • now, in the Finder, create a new folder on the external HD named Pictures
  • then, in the Finder, goto Users –> [your name]  –> Pictures
  • then drag&drop the Photos Library file to the external HD you have just created
  • …this may take a while
  • when done, open the Photos.app while pressing the [ALT]-key
  • in the Choose Library window that opens, click on the “Other Library”-button
  • from the pulldown Finder window, choose your new external drive –> Pictures –> Photos Library
  • then click the Open-button
  • now Photos.app will start up using the Photos Library on the external HD (and it will keep using the Photos Library on the external HD as its default library from now on)
  • check inside Photos.app to see if all your photos are now available (there’s no reason why they wouldn’t but just to make sure…)
  • now start using this setup as your new Photos.app setup, and if you don’t run into any problems in a few weeks (or even months if you need to) you can delete the Photos Library that was in the Pictures folder in your Home folder on your Mac’s internal drive to clear up some space

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : cannot print PDF form from macOS Preview.app

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Question :

I have received an eMail from a vendor that includes a dispatchnote PDF that I need to print.

The PDF opens fine in Preview.app, but when I try to print it, everything seems to work fine, only the print doesn’t come out of the printer…

I can’t find the problem : the PDF appears in the printer’s Job List, the status bar fills up completely, the printer makes some noise to indicate that it is receiving data, the print job is deleted from the Job List, and nothing comes out of the printer… there are no error messages, no indication what so ever that something went wrong… the pint just won’t come out of the printer…

I checked to see if there is something special about the PDF-file that might be causing this, but I can’t find anything special about it… the PDF is not locked or anything…

What can I do ?

 

Answer :

Even though it is not clear where this problem comes from, the solution is simple : use Adobe Reader (a.k.a. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC) or Adobe Acrobat Pro if you have it.

To do so, do this :

  • go to https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/otherversions/
  • at Step 1, 2 and 3 set the right OS, language and version, then click the Download Now button to download Adobe Reader
  • when the download is done, install Adobe Reader on your Mac
  • then, open Adobe Reader
  • and open the hard-to-print PDF from Adobe Reader
  • as soon as it starts appearing on-screen, you can press [CMD] + [P] to get to the printing screen
  • from there, just try to print again…
    • note that this is not your regular macOS printing screen, so you might want to check if all settings are to your liking before you give the actual print-commando (you might have to set things like double sided printing again)

The fact that the file is not printing from Preview.app, but it is from Adobe Reader, might indicate that the PDF was created by Adobe Acrobat Pro on Windows and that there is a problem in the version of Acrobar Reader that was used that causes this problem to arise…

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : manually update firmware on Samsung SmartTV

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Question :

I have my Samsung SmartTV set to automatically do its software updates (actually, these should be called automatic firmware upgrades), and when I let my TV search for new software updates, it tells me no new updates were found.

However, on the internet I found info that suggests that newer versions of the firmware are available for my Samsung SmartTV, just not in my region for some reason.

Is there any way to get these upgrades anyway ?

 

Answer :

If you want to upgrade the firmware on your Samsung SmartTV manually, do this :

  • turn on your TV
  • press the MENU-button on your remote control
  • in the window that opens, on the left, select Support
  • on the right, scroll down entirely and select Contact Samsung 
  • on the page that opens, at the bottom, the Model Code is displayed : write this down ! ( eg. “UE50JU6400” or “UE32J5200” )
  • then ‘arrow to the left’ on your remote control
  • then, on the left, select Support
  • on the right, select Software Update
  • now, on the right, the Current Version is displayed : write this down ! ( eg. 1530 )
  • now, on your Mac (or PC), go to https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/search/
    • note : for unknown reasons, go to the UK website, not the US website, to find the latest firmware upgrades
  • there, typ your model number in the entry field and press the ENTER-key
  • all available firmware upgrades for your TV will now be displayed
  • if the latest version that is available for download is newer than the version listed at Current Version on you TV, download the latest version from the website
  • when the download is done, macOS will automatically unzip it for you to a folder with the firmware upgrade in it
    • if your download turns out to be a .exe-file, use TheUnarchiver.app (available for FREE on the Mac AppStore) to unzip it
  • your firmware upgrade file should now be a folder named “T-….”, and have a folder named “image” inside it
  • plug an empty USB-stick into your Mac
    • the USB-stick must be FAT32 formatted (as nearly every brand-new USB-stick will be)
  • then, drag&drop the folder with the firmware upgrade onto the USB-stick
  • when the copying is done, select EJECT to disconnect the USB-stick from macOS
  • then, you can safely unplug the USB-stick from your Mac
  • now, you can plug the USB-stick into your TV
  • then, turn on the TV (if it wasn’t already on)
  • wait for about 2 minutes, then press the MENU-button on your remote control
  • in the window that appears, on the bottom left, select Support
  • then, select Software Update from the list
  • in the next window, select Update Now
  • now, a pop-up window should display “Do you want to search the connected USB device for update files?”
  • if so, click YES
    • if not, make sure your USB-stick is properly plugged into your TV (if that still won’t work… go back to your Mac and check if your USB-stick is okay)
  • when the TV finds valid firmware files on the USB-stick, the text “A new software version is available. Update from version **** to version ****?” will be displayed
  • then, click YES to start the firmware upgrade
  • a window with a progress bar will be shown now
    • note : during the upgrade process, do NOT unplug the USB-stick or turn the TV off !
  • when finished, the TV will shut down and restart by itself
  • just to make sure if the firmware upgrade was successful, click the MENU-button on your remote control
  • then, select Settings, then Support, then Software Update
  • check if the version listed at Current Version is newer than the version you previously had

That’s it… you’re done !

enjoy 😉