Category Archives: iOS & iPadOS (iPhone iPad etc.)

fixed : retrieve WiFi-password from iPhone [without hacking]

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Question :

We have a password-protected WiFi-network at our local sports club. My iPhone automatically logs on when I’m near, but now my son is a member too and he would also like to connect to the WiFi when he’s around. Problem is, nobody seems to know the password… I’ve typed the password once long ago, but I didn’t write it down… Is there any way to see the password that is stored on my iPhone ?

 

Answer :

Yes, but you need a Mac and iCloud for it.

To be more precise : you can’t retrieve passwords on your iPhone (or iPad) the way you can on your Mac, by just opening the Keychain utility.

But there’s a way around this :

  1. on your iPhone, go to Settings –> iCloud
  2. there, make sure “Keychain” is set to “On”
  3. then, on your Mac, go to Apple [top left corner] –> System Preferences –> iCloud
  4. in the window that opens, make sure there’s a checkmark in front of “Keychain”
  5. then, on your Mac, click anywhere on your desktop
  6. then make sure “Finder” is displayed top left, next to the Apple-icon
  7. then press the [SHIFT]+[CMD]+[U] key-combo on your keyboard
  8. in the window that opens (named “Utilities”) double-click on the “Keychain Access” icon
  9. in the window that opens (named “Keychain Access”) select “iCloud” from the list on the left
  10. now, find the name of the WiFi-network you are interested in, and double-click on it
  11. in the window that opens (named like the WiFi-network), make sure the “Attributes”-tab is selected
  12. then, put a checkmark in front of “Show password:”
  13. in the (unnamed) window that opens it is said ‘Keychain Access want to use the “Local Items” keychain.’ typ your Administrator’s password and click “OK”
  14. now, the WiFi-password you are looking for will be displayed in the previous window (at “Show password:”)

…that’s it !

enjoy 😉

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fixed : get rid of “purple paper plane” arrow-icon in iOS

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Question :

Today, I noticed there was a “paper plane”-icon on the top menu bar of my iPhone. More accurately described, it is a “point of a hunting arrow” icon, and sometimes it’s grey, and sometimes it’s purple.

What does it mean ? And how do I get rid of it ?

 

Answer :

The “point of a hunting arrow” icon means that you one or more apps are using Location Services on your iPhone (or iPad), which might drain your battery, especially when the icon is outlined in purple.

There are 3 versions of the Location Services icon (a.k.a. “paper plane” or “point of a hunting arrow”) :

1- a purple Location Services icon will appear next to an item that has recently used your location.

2- a grey Location Services icon will appear next to an item that has used your location within the last 24 hours.

3- an outlined purple Location Services icon will appear next to an item that is using a geofence. (*)

(*) geofence = virtual perimeter around a location. Apps use geofencing to notify you when you arrive at or leave these locations, but…  if an app is constantly checking to see whether or not you are within it’s virtual perimeter, and you are nowhere near this will drain your battery…

 

To get rid of the Location Services icon (a.k.a. “paper plane” or “point of a hunting arrow”) :

  • open the Settings.app –> Privacy –> Location Services
  • in the window that opens, you can choose to switch off Location Services entirely, or select the apps from the list and choose their Location Services setting one by one
  • the primary advice is to set all apps that have the ‘outlined purple’ Location Services icon next to them to “Never”
  • the secondary advice is to set all apps that you do not regularly use to “Never” also

More info on Privacy and Location Services in iOS8 and iOS9 can be found on the Apple-website :

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203033

 

…that’s it – enjoy !

😉

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fixed : battery empty extremely quickly on new iPhone

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Question :

I recently got a new iPhone 6 and after about a week, for some reason it’s battery was empty with half a day, even on days when I rarely made any calls, played any games or made any photos.

Any idea what the problem could be ? (besides a problematic battery)

 

Answer :

In iOS9 you have the option to quickly check what apps have been using the most battery power lately. To do so :

  • open the Settings.app –> Battery
  • in the window that opens, wait for the rest of the page to load under “BATTERY USAGE” (this might take a few seconds)
  • when the loading is complete, a list of apps is displayed together with the percentage of battery power they’ve used in het “Last 24 Hours” (or in the “Last 7 Days” if you click on the other tab-label)

If any odd apps show up in this list, make sure to always close these immediately after usage. To do so :

  • double-click on the MENU(fingerscan)-button
  • in the view that opens, select any app you need to close by putting your finger on it, the swipe up

…if that doesn’t help, there’s another service that might be draining your battery : Location Services. To shut down al unwanted and unneeded Location Services, do this :

  • open the Settings.app –> Privacy –> Location Services
  • in the window that opens, there’s no need to shut down Location Services right away, but you should go down the list of all apps that have would like to have your location info
  • see if there is any app that is marked by an purple outlined arrow, and set the setting for this app to “Never”

…that’s it – enjoy !

…and if that doesn’t fix your battery problem, visit an AppleStore an let them check the quality of your iPhone’s battery

NOTE : the purple outlined arrow indicates an app that is constantly checking if you have arrived within it’s geofence, meaning it can start using your location since you have entered “it’s area”… this constant checking of availability costs a lot of power and is draining your battery…

more info on this is displayed at the bottom of the list of apps in the Location Services window

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fixed : international YouTube for teenagers on age restricted iPad

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Question :

My children have an age-restricted iPad, but ever since Google/YouTube upscaled the age-restriction of the YouTube-app to 17+ in 2015 they can no longer view YouTube video’s on their iPad, not even in Safari.

As they are young teenagers, I would like to enable them to view YouTube videos on their iPad, but I don’t want to upscale their age-restriction to 17+ for a few years.

Is there any way to do this ?

 

Answer :

Since Google (the (step)mother of YouTube) upscaled the age-restriction to 17+ in 2015, they have also introduced the new YouTube Kids-app which has just a 4+ age-restriction.

You can get the YouTube Kids-app here :

iOS YouTube Kids-app

…however, as Google advertises this as a “made for ages 5 and under”, this is not for teenagers…

on top of that, the YouTube Kids-app is only available in the US iTunes store, even though it’s claimed to be available in most international languages…

…luckily, there are some alternatives for international teenagers :

iOS VideoTube-app

iOS Tubex Video and Music-app

iOS Tubex Free Music and Video Player-app

all three are available internationally and only have a 12+ age-restriction

and even tough both Tubex-apps use the same name, they are entirely different apps made by different developers…

note that none of these are endorsed by either YouTube, Google or Apple, but that doesn’t have to be problematic of course…

enjoy !

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fixed : can’t delete unnamed app without icon from iPad

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Question :

I have an icon on my iPad that has a generic icon and no name. If I double click it, the name turns into “Waiting…” and nothing happens, even after a long wait. If I try to delete it, I get the small X-tag, and if I click on it, I get a window saying :

Delete ‘  ‘

Deleting ‘  ‘ will also delete all of its data.

…and two options to click on : “Delete” and “Cancel”

…still no name of the app is given, and since the icon is generic (a.k.a. “empty” ; showing only a greyish-white icon with a dark grey grid, some circles and diagonals) I still don’t know how to delete it.

What can I do to fix this ?

 

Answer :

For some reason (unknown and probably irrelevant also) this app has stalled during an update or even during it’s initial install. To figure out the actual name of the app, do this :

  • in iOS, go to “Settings” –> “General” –> “Restrictions”, and make sure you have permission to delete apps and change accounts
  • then, go to “Settings” –> iTunes and App Store and log out
  • then, when in iOS8, go to “Settings” –> “General” –> “Usage” –> “iCloud” –> “Manage Storage” ; in the next window, click on “Backups” ; in the next window, click on “Show all apps”
  • or when in iOS9, go to “Settings” –> “General” –> “Storage & iCloud Usage” –> “STORAGE” –> “Manage Storage”
  • now find the app that has a generic icon in the list of apps you see
  • write down the name of that app (the one with the generic icon)
  • then, when the Menu-button has a white square icon on it, restart your iPad (or iPhone) by simultaneously pressing the Menu-button (below the screen) and the ON/OFF-button (on the right top edge of your iPad’s/iPhone’s housing, hold this key-combo until your iPad/iPhone shows a white Apple-logo on a black screen, then release
  • or, when the Menu-button has fingerscan, restart your iPad (or iPhone) in the way described in this post
  • when the reset is done, login to your iPad (or iPhone) if you have an access pincode on it
  • then, go to “Settings” –> iTunes and App Store and login
  • then, when in iOS8, go to “Settings” –> “General” –> “Usage” –> “iCloud” –> “Manage Storage” ; in the next window, click on “Backups” ; in the next window, click on “Show all apps”
  • or when in iOS9, go to “Settings” –> “General” –> “Storage & iCloud Usage” –> “STORAGE” –> “Manage Storage”
  • now find the app has still with the name that you wrote down (this app may or may not have a generic icon now) and click on it
  • in the next window click “Delete App”
  • then click the Menu-button to get back to the main screen
  • then go to the “App Store”-app –> “Purchased” –> “Not on this iPad” (“Not on this iPhone”)
  • in the list, find the app with the name you wrote down and (re)download it from the App Store by clicking on the ‘cloud with blue downward arrow’-icon behind its name
  • when the app starts downloading, click on the Menu-button to return to the main screen
  • finally, turn restrictions back on if you had any initially (in “Settings” –> “General” –> “Restrictions”)

…that’s it – enjoy !

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fixed : can’t pair iPhone to Bluetooth JVC car stereo

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Question :

I have paired my iPhones to my JVC KD-X250BT car stereo in the past, and this has worked great ever since. But when I recently switched to a new iPhone I had to upgrade the Bluetooth iPhone-pairing I couldn’t get it to work any longer… even with the manual at hand I couldn’t figure out how to do it… the manual doesn’t reflect the actual situation, and I can’t remember how I did the pairing previously…

What is the right procedure ?

 

Answer :

As you mentioned, the JVC KD-X250BT manual isn’t exact, so it isn’t very helpful…

So here are the right procedures for pairing and unpairing your iPhone(s) to and from the JVC KD-X250BT car stereo [ these directions might also work for other JVC car stereo sets ] :

paring your iPhone :

  • on your iPhone [ only if it has been paired before ] – in Settings under Bluetooth : delete JVC UNIT (*)
  • switch Bluetooth OFF
  • switch Bluetooth ON
  • in Bluetooth, at Devices : select JVC UNIT
  • on your car stereo – the text BT PAIRING is displayed
  • check if the code displayed on your iPhone is exactly the same as the code on your car stereo display
  • if so, – on your car stereo – press once on the MENU-button (the main big round tuning button) to accept
  • and – on your iPhone – click OK
  • now pairing is in progress : – on your car stereo – PAIRING is blinking on your display
  • when pairing is successful : – on your car stereo – your display says COMPLETED
  • now – on your iPhone – check in Settings under Bluetooth if JVC UNIT is registered as Connected ; if not, initiate the connection by selecting JVC UNIT from the list

…that’s it : you’re done 😉

 

unparing an iPhone that’s not around :

  • switch OFF Bluetooth on all iPhones (and other Bluetooth-devices around) in your car
  • on your car stereo –  press and hold the MENU-button (the main big round tuning button) until DEMO is displayed on screen
  • turn/dial the MENU-button until BLUETOOTH is displayed on screen, then click
  • then turn/dial to DELETE PAIR, then click
  • then turn/dial until the iPhone’s name is displayed, then click
  • then turn/dial to DELETE YES, then click
  • when DELETED is displayed, the unpairing is complete
  • to finish, switch Bluetooth back on in all devices that previously had it

…that’s it !

(*) unpairing an iPhone that you have nearby :

  • on your iPhone – go to Settings, then choose Bluetooth
  • in the list of paired Bluetooth-devices (MY DEVICES), click on the ‘info-icon’ at the right of JVC UNIT
  • in the screen that opens, click on ‘Forget This Device’ and wait…
  • when you’re automatically put back into the previous screen and the JVC UNIT is no longer in the ‘MY DEVICES’-list, you’re done…

…that’s it 😉

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fixed : old hard reset procedure doesn’t work on new iPhones with finger scan

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Question :

I just encountered an error (or bug) in iOS forcing me to do a hard reset on my iPhone, but when I try the good-old reset-procedure by pressing both the MENU- and POWER-button simultaneously, there’s no reset… just a click-sound and a screenshot photo being taken…

What’s going on ?

 

Answer :

For all iPhones (and iPads) that still have the MENU-button (*) without fingerscan [ so all iPhones up until and including the iPhone 5 and 5c ], the procedure for a hard reset is :

  • make sure you have the PIN-code of your SIM-card at hand
  • press and hold the MENU- and POWER-buttons (*) of your iPhone/iPad simultaneously until the entire screen turns black and the Apple logo reappears
  • then release both buttons and wait for the screen to go back to normal
  • and when asked, enter the PIN-code to unlock your SIM-card

…that’s it

For all iPhones that have the new fingerscanning MENU-button (*) [ so all iPhones starting from the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 and newer ], the above procedure does no longer work, so there is a new procedure for a hard reset :

  • make sure you have the PIN-code of your SIM-card at hand
  • press and hold the POWER-button (*) until the screen goes fuzzy and the ‘slide to power off’-slider appears
  • then release the POWER-button and slide the slider to the right to turn the iPhone off
  • wait for the screen to go black
  • then press and hold the POWER-button until the Apple logo (re)appears
  • then release the POWER-button and wait for the screen to go back to normal
  • and when asked, enter the PIN-code to unlock your SIM-card

UPDATE : since iOS 9.3 the ‘old’ procedure for a hard reset was re-introduced as an extra for the newer fingerscanning iPhones, so these can now also be reset by simultaneously pressing & holding the MENU- and POWER-buttons 

…that’s it

(*) the MENU-button is the button that is on the front side of your iPhone or iPad just below the screen :

  • on iPhones up until the iPhone 5 and 5c, the MENU-button has a ’rounded square’ icon on it
  • on iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and newer, the MENU-button has no printing on it, but it has an (invisible) fingerscanning-sensor inside

…the POWER-button is the button that is used to turn the iPhone/iPad screen ON and OFF :

  • on iPhones up until the iPhone 5c and 5s, the POWER-button is on the top-side of the iPhone (just like it is on iPads)
  • on iPhone 6 and newer, the POWER-button is on the right-side of the iPhone

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