Category Archives: tips & tricks

fixed : 70mai A800 dashcam WiFi connection error

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Question :

I just bought the best dashcam I could find for an affordable price : the Xiaomi 70mai A800 4K Ultra HD video with WiFi, GPS and ADAS driver assistance built-in.

I can’t get it to connect properly to my iPhone over WiFi however… I can find the 70mai WiFi network in the list of available WiFi networks in the iOS Settings-app, and I can connect to it, since it is shown as the connected WiFi-network… but the WiFi icon (the pie-shaped triangle) isn’t shown in the upper right corner of my iPhone… and when I startup the 70mai.app and click on the “70mai Dash Cam A800” in the “Please add 70mai devices”-window, I get an error : “Unable to get Wi-Fi connection Please enter [Settings – 70mai] to open location permission and then connect the device.” …and when I click on the “Go to open it”-button, the Settings-app opens …there I can set Wi-Fi, but that is already connected to the 70mai WiFi-network…

What is going on… how can I fix this ?

 

Answer :

The solution is simple, but you didn’t understand the given directions… probably because the the error message isn’t really straight forward : it’s in awkwardly translated English and the button only links halfway to where you need to adjust the settings…

First, make sure you are using the right iOS-app : you need the 70mai (Worldwide) app that can be downloaded here.

Then, do this :

  • connect the 70mai A800 dashcam to power
  • open the “System Settings” page (the icon is a hexagram with a dot in it)
    • Note that there’s no touch-screen so you should use the 4 buttons below the screen to navigate through the on-screen menu-structure
  • On the Settings page, you need to set “Wi-Fi hotspot” to “Enable” :
    • select “Disable” (at the top line, right of “Wi-Fi hotspot”)
    • in the “Wi-Fi hotspot”-page that opens you will see the name of the WiFi-network (at “Wi-Fi SSID”) and the WiFi-password (at “Password”)
    • remember these (or leave this screen open)

Then, open the 70mai.app on your iPhone and do this :

  • on the first page (simply called “70mai”) click the “Add device”-button (the only button on-screen)
  • in the “Please add 70mai devices”-page that opens, scroll down to “70mai Dash Cam A800” and click on it
  • when you get the “Unable to get Wi-Fi connection Please enter [Settings – 70mai] to open location permission and then connect the device.” error message, click on “Go to open it”
  • now the Settings.app will open, but it won’t always on the same page inside the Settings.app
  • so, make sure you go to the main Settings-page and clcik on “Wi-Fi” in the list
  • when the “Wi-Fi”-page opens, select the 70mai WiFi-network (with the name that was listed at Wi-Fi SSID”) from the list of “Other Networks” (or “My Networks”)
  • if the WiFi-password is required, use the “Password” that is (or was) displayed on the dashcam’s screen
  • now, even when the 70mai WiFi-network is connected you will still see 4G (or 3G or some other mobile data indication) instead of the WiFi-icon in the top-right corner of your iPhone screen
  • then click on “<Setttings” top-left
  • back in the main Settings-page, scroll all the way down to “70mai” (in the list of apps that starts after “Game Center”) and click on it
  • in the “70mai” page that opens, set “Location” to “While Using the App”
    • you could also set it to “Always”, but that isn’t a great idea since the 70mai WiFi-network is rather poorly protected
  • now, open the 70mai.app again
  • in the “Please add 70mai devices”-page, click on “70mai Dash Cam A800”
  • now, the “Turn on Wi-Fi hotspot”-page will open with a picture that resembles the “Wi-Fi hotspot” page that is displayed on the dashcam
  • there, you should click on “Dash cam WiFi hotspot is turned on” (eventhough it appears to be greyed-out) so a green checkmark will appear
  • then click “Next”
  • on the next page (the “Connect to WiFi hotspot”-page) click “Connect”
  • now the Settings.app will open again, check that the 70mai WiFi-network is listed at “Wi-Fi”
  • then, open the 70mai.app and you will see a countdown-circle on your iPhone and you will hear a voice from the dashcam
  • so, go to the dashcam screen and tap the button bottom-right to confirm
  • now you will see what the dashcam is ‘seeing’ / ‘recording’ in the 70mai.app on your iPhone

…that’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

Note that you can adjust various dashcam settings (like the Speaker Volume, Video Resolution, Parking Surveillance, ADAS Driver Assistance, etc.) by clicking on the 3dot-icon top-right in the 70mai-app screen.

 

 

 

fixed : Google Authenticator.app crashes in iOS

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Question :

I need the Google Authenticator.app on my iPhone to generate a authentication code for one of the online (Google) services I need to use on my Mac.

This used to work great, but now, whenever I start the Google Authenticator.app it quits during startup…

I already tried shutting down my iPhone and restarting it, but that didn’t help… the problem persists.

So… how can I fix this ?

 

Answer :

The way to solve this problem with Google Authenticator.app is the same as what you would do with any cashing iOS-app : delete and reinstall.

…but in the current versions of iOS, it is slightly more complicated to remove and reinstall an app from iOS, because Apple has now included the option to delete the app but keep the connected data / information in case you want (or need) to reinstall the app later on.

To delete and reinstall an app from iOS (e.g. Google Authenticator.app), do this :

  • open the Settings.app on your iPhone / iPad
  • in the next window, click on General
  • in the next window, click iPhone Storage
  • in the next window, find Google Authenticator (or any other app you want to delete and reinstall) in the list of apps on the bottom
    • note that the list of apps is not alphabetical, but based on the amount of data an app uses… so if you have lots of apps finding the right one may be a little complicated… you will probably need to scroll almost the end of the list, as Google Authenticator is usually listed for about 15MB
  • click on the name of the app you want to delete (“Authenticator” with the gray-on-white Google’s G logo)
  • in the next window, click “Offload App” (in blue) first
  • when done, click the “Reinstall App” when it appears
  • then exit
  • then open the Google Authenticator.app to check if it runs & works properly
  • if it does, your problem is solved !
    • when the app still crashes, do this :
    • open the Settings.app
    • then click on General
    • then click on iPhone Storage
    • then find (Google) Authenticator in the list of apps, and click on it
    • now, in the next window, click “Delete App” (in red)
      • BEWARE that this does delete all additional data and info that was stored with the app on your iPhone ; if that’s passwords that you have in iCloud (or somewhere else in a cloud service, on your computer or offline in writing) you’re okay… but if it might be photos, videos or documents that you do not want to lose… do NOT click “Delete App”, and try “Offload App” again
    • then exit
    • now open the AppStore.app
    • click on the Search-button (bottom right)
    • click on the seach-line (in gray, on top, with the looking glass and “Games, Apps, Stories and More” in it)
    • then typ the app’s name : Authenticator
    • then click the Search-button
    • in the window that opens, scroll down to the app you need (make sure it’s exactly the one you need, since sometimes various publishers have apps with very similar naming)
    • then click the blue Get-button next to the app’s description to reinstall the app
    • when done, open the app and check if the app runs & works properly

That’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

Β 

fixed : quickly create GIF from QuickTime or MP4 video

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Question :

For my social media I regularly want to create a .gif-animation from small clip out of an .mp4-video file that I have, but I don’t have a lot of video-editing skills or specialised software.

Is there a simple way to do this ?

 

Answer :

There are lots of ways to do this. And no video-editing skills are required to do the most basic, but with some editing you can quickly get better results.

I would recommend buying the $5 GIF Brewery 3 from the Mac AppStore and doing the editing in QuickTime (or iMovie).

The recommendations for a good GIF-animation for most social media are (suggested by .gif-database GIPHY) :

  • duration of about 6 seconds (shorter is better)
  • file size close to 8MB (smaller is better)
  • video resolution of 480 pixels (or 720 pixels maximum) on the shortest side (depending on either landscape or portrait view, or square, or any custom size)
  • total number of frames of 100 maximum (less is better)

If you just want to turn part of an existing video into a GIF, do this :

  • get GIF Brewery 3 from the Mac AppStore ( the $5 price tag is worth it if you plan on doing this more frequently )
  • first, open the video source in QuickTime.app
  • then, in the top menu bar, click on “Window”
  • then, in the pulldown menu, click on “Movie Inspector”
  • then, check out the number that is at “Encoded FPS” and remember it (you need this later)
  • then close QuickTime.app
  • now, open your source video in GIF Brewery 3
  • then, in the video slider below your video, slide the green slider to match the first frame of your desired GIF
  • and slide the red slider to where you want your GIF to end
    • click on the PLAY-button (black triangle left of the video slider) to preview your GIF
    • if the preview-length is not okay, readjust the green and/or red slider to improve your clip
  • now, in the editing window, click on the Resize-button top left
  • then, in the popup window, make sure “Maintain aspect ratio” is checked
  • then, move the Scale-slider until either Width or Height is 480px (if the clip size is less than 5 seconds, you could also stop the Scale-slider at 720px)
  • now, in the editing window, click the Settings-button top right
  • then, at “Frames Per Second” set the fps to match the “Encoded FPS” of the original video
    • again, click on the PLAY-button (black triangle left of the video slider) to preview your GIF
    • if the preview-speed is too slow, adjust the Speed-slider to a higher value (anything less than 110%, even 103%, will usually do)
    • if the preview-speed is too fast, adjust the Speed-slider to a lower value (anything over 95% will usually do)
  • then, make sure there’s a checkmark at “Optimize GIF colors”
  • then, adjust the ColorCount-slider to 48
    • again, click on the PLAY-button (black triangle left of the video slider) to preview your GIF
    • if the preview looks okay, leave the ColorCount-slider at 48
    • if the preview looks too dark or otherwise odd, adjust the ColorCount-slider to a higher value like 96, 128, 216 or 256, but make sure to set it as low as possible
  • then, click the “Create”-button (at the bottom, slightly right of the middle, with a beer glass in it) to generate the GIF
  • then, click on the Save-button (bottom right)
  • in the popup window, type the name you want your GIF to have, set the location where you want it stored and click the Save-button
  • then, browse the Finder to find the GIF’s icon and ALT-click on it
  • first, select “Get Info” from the popup menu and check if the file size is 10MB or less
    • if the file size is over 10MB, go back to GIF Brewery 3, lower at least one of the values you have set there and create an extra version of your GIF that has a file size of 10MB or less
    • as mentioned before, the main values you can adjust are :
      • Length of the clip
      • Scale / Resize (might make the picture more grainy)
      • Frames Per Second / FPS (might make motions less fluent)
      • Color Count (might make the colors less vibrant)
  • then, ALT-click on the GIF’s icon again and select “Open with” from the popup menu and select your internet browser (probably Safari) to preview the animated GIF
  • If you are happy with the end result, you are ready to post the GIF on your social media
    • if not… redo your editing and try again

That’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

Β 

fixed : macOS Big_Sur installer hangs at 95%

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Question :
I just downloaded the new macOS 11 Big_Sur on my Mac mini (2018) and started installing. But even though it said that installing would take about 28 minutes, it’s now about 40 minutes and the installer hangs, the screen is black with just the white Apple-logo and an installer bar that hangs at about 95%.

What can I do ?

 

Answer :

Just wait for about 15 to 20 minutes more, and it might just finish the last 5% of the installing process. If it doesn’t, press the power button on your Mac mini until it shuts down completely. Then, restart your Mac mini by pressing the power button again.

Note : this will probably work for any Mac, but it has been tested only on Mac mini (2018).

That’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

Β 

fixed : edit Photos.app pictures in Photoshop

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Question :

In iPhoto I used to be able to edit my pictures in Adobe Photoshop. In the current Photos.app it automatically opens the built-in editor that can’t do everything I’m planning to edit (like cutting out or blurring out some parts of the picture). And when I click on the ‘Other…’-button (the circle with 3 dots in it – inbetween the Info-button and the Heart-button) I do get some editing options like Markup and searching the AppStore to find an editing app, but Photoshop isn’t listed… even when clicking “Manage…” there’s no way of adding Photoshop…

What is the easiest way to edit pictures from my Photos.app database in Photoshop ?

Answer :

The option to edit your Photos.app pictures directly in Photoshop is still available, but it’s somewhat hidden. To get it, do this :

  • in Photos.app select the picture you want to edit (if you are in the built-in editor already, click the Done-button top-right)
  • make sure the correct picture is shown enlarged, that the menu-list (Photos, Memories, People, Places, etc.) is shown at the left, and that the Edit-button is shown top-right
  • ALT-click on the picture (right mouse-click) and the popup-menu will be shown, then click on “Edit With”, then select Adobe Photoshop [ or goto the top menu-bar > Image > Edit with > Adobe Photoshop ]
  • so… the picture you want to edit will open in Photoshop, and you can edit it there
  • now, when you save the edited picture in Photoshop, it will be saved in Photos.app [ the version of the picture in Photos.app will be updated to the Photoshop-edited version ]

That’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

fixed : CarPlay option not available on iPhone

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Question :

My car doesn’t have buit-in navigation, but the onboard system supports Apple CarPlay. I have connected my iPhone to my car both through USB and Bluetooth, but my car only connects to my iPhone for Contacts and telephone… I can’t get access to my iPhone apps like navigation…

I have looked up info on CarPlay online, and it is said everywhere that there should be a CarPlay option in the General.app listed in the same chapter containing AirDrop, AirPlay&Handoff and Picture-in-Picture… immediately below those Picture-in-Picture… but there is none…

My iPhone is just over a year old and I am running the latest version of iOS, so that shouldn’t be a problem, especially since my friend’s iPhone 6S immediately connects to my car’s CarPlay when he plugs in the lightning-to-USB-cable…

What is wrong ?

 

Answer :

If you have Siri turned off, the CarPlay option won’t show.

So, to fix your problem, do this :

  • on your iPhone, goto the Settings.app > Siri & Search (in the same chapter as General, Control Center and Display&Brightness, just below Wallpaper) > switch ON “Allow Siri When Locked” and preferably also “Listen for Hey Siri” and/or “Press Side Button for Siri”
  • then turn Bluetooth OFF and back ON on your iPhone
  • then turn WiFi OFF and back ON on your iPhone
  • then goto the Settings.app > General > CarPlay
  • if CarPlay isn’t listed, just wait a few minutes or restart your iPhone
    • press&hold the ON/OFF-button and the VolumeUP-button simultaneously until the “Slide to power off” slider appears
    • then slide the PowerOFF-slider so the screen goes black
    • then press&hold the ON/OFF-button until the Apple logo appears and your iPhone restarts and says you SIM must be unlocked
    • then touch the screen and typ your screen unlock code (6 digits) in the first (black) screen
    • then typ your SIM unlock code (4 digits) in the second (white) screen
  • then, again, goto the Settings.app > General and check if CarPlay is now listed
    • if CarPlay still isn’t listed, repeat the entire process
  • now reconnect your iPhone to your car using the Lighting-to-USB-cable and your car’s display will now be able to show your iPhone’s apps also
    • if the app you want to use isn’t listed, goto Settings.app > General > CarPlay and make sure that you add all apps that you would like to use
    • if no apps are available on your car’s display, use another Lightning-to-USB-cable

That’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

Β 

 

fixed : use cheap referee watch for field hockey

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Question :

Since my Dutch field hockey club strongly advises against using my iPhone or AppleWatch to do time registration when I’m referee (even though there are various referee apps available), I have bought myself a low budget referee watch : the StopTec RW-100.

This €20 referee watch is primarily a soccer (football) referee watch, but it is advertised as being a general referee watch for all kinds of sports, like field hockey.

The watch looks and feels good, but both the manual and the buttons on the watch aren’t very intuitive when you prefer ‘Japanese style use’ (i.e. figure out how it works without reading the manual).

How do I use the StopTec RW-100 as a field hockey referee watch ?

 

Answer :

Check out the one-page manual included here.

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First (before the match), set the Game Time on the watch to match the true game time. A soccer (football) match is 2 x 45 minutes, so it is already set to countdown 45 minutes. An international field hockey match is 4 x 15 minutes, so you need to set it to 15 minutes. And a Dutch field hockey match is 4 x 17,5 minutes, so to match that, you need to set it to 18 minutes and rely on the alarm beeper that goes of 30 seconds before the countdown reaches zero.

  • press theΒ MODE-buttonΒ to get into Game Time Countdown view
  • press theΒ ENTER-buttonΒ for at leastΒ 3 seconds
  • after hearing the signal sound, press theΒ START-button to adjust the game time countdown
  • when the game time is set, press theΒ ENTER-buttonΒ to return to the Game Time Countdown view

Then (during the match), keeping track of the time is rather simple :

to start the game time countdown : press the LAP-button (top-left)

to stop the game time countdown (in case of a time-out) : press the LAP-button again (the stopwatch will automatically start running to track the time-out duration)

to resume the game time countdown : press the LAP-button again

to reset the game time countdown : make sure the countdown has stopped, then press the LAP-button for 3 seconds

And (during the match), you can also keep track of a penalty time (only one penalty time at the same time though…) :

to start the penalty time stopwatch : press the START-button (top-right)

to stop the penalty time stopwatch : press the START-button again

to reset the penalty time stopwatch : make sure the stopwatch has stopped, then press the START-button for 3 seconds

Note : you can get the StopTec RW-100 referee watch on Amazon DE, Amazon UK or Amazon US and it is good to know that any lookalike watch, sold under various brand and product names (e.g. Leap Referee watch or Firelong Referee watch or SWatch Sports Coach or VGEBY Sports watch), is supposed to work the same.

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