Tag Archives: iOS

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

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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 šŸ˜‰

fixed : contact Microsoft Office Helpdesk

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Question :
I have questions about Microsoft products that go beyond regular issues that are documented in the FAQ. Previously, I would contact the Microsoft telephone Helpdesk ( NL 020-5001500 ), but if you call that number nowadays, you just get a voice message telling you to go online since the Helpdesk is no longer supporting direct contact to callersā€¦

But on the website mentioned, I am getting stuck in a loopā€¦ any progress I make sends me back to the same page were I can only typ a question, but there is no chat option given, even when specifically asking for ā€œtalk or chat to helpdeskā€ā€¦
Even Google searches or searching anywhere else on the Microsoft website, doesnā€™t get me to a page with a chat optionā€¦ Even the Microsoft-owned chatbots ChatGPT or BingChat AI canā€™t help meā€¦

What can I do ?

Answer :
Microsoftā€™s telephone helpdesk used to be greatā€¦ but the options for contacting Microsoft are a complete messā€¦ unbelievable !
But there is a chat helpdesk, but finding and contacting it is very complexā€¦ hereā€™s how to :

  • Do this on a computer (it can be done on an iPhone, but the web chat interface is not really suited for that)
  • Go to the Microsoft website using this link :
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/home/contact
  • Ā in the search field typ ā€œtalk to agentā€ and (click ā€œDoneā€ and) click the blue ā€œGet Helpā€ button
  • scroll down and click the blue ā€œContact Supportā€ button
  • on the next “Tell us a little more about your problem” page, select your product or service from the pop-up list (activate the list by clicking on the triangular arrow on the right of the selection box)
  • when the second pop-up list appears, select your support category
  • then click the blue ā€œConfirmā€ button
  • on the next page, click on ā€œChat with a support agent in your web browserā€
  • on the next page check if the email address shown corresponds to the one of the Microsoft account you are having problems with, if not typ the correct account email address first, the click the ā€œConfirmā€ button
  • now, wait for the live chat will start

    NOTE :Ā 
  • If you would prefer to chat in your local or native language, you need to tell this in the chat to the English speaking agent…
    (unfortunately, at the time of writing, the autoranslate service is not working and waiting queues for local language chats are extremely long, so chatting in English is about your only option…)

    That’s it !
    enjoy šŸ˜‰

fixed : make screenshot of car’s Apple CarPlay screen

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Question :
I want to share a picture of the screen on my car’s display to explain something over Whatsapp. I know I could just take a photo, but is it possible to make a screenshot like on a Mac or iPhone ?

Answer :
Yes, it is possible to make a screenshot of your car’s CarPlay screen. In fact, it’s as simple as making a screenshot of your iPhone screen :
– first, connect your iPhone to your car’s navigation display (usually by connecting a USB-cable)
– then, wait for the CarPlay screen to appear on your car’s navigation display
– then use the CarPlay to get to the screen you would like a screenshot of
– then, take your iPhone, and make sure it’s unlocked
– now make a screenshot of your iPhone screen by pressing the ON/OFF and Volume UP buttons at the same time
– then save the screenshot by either doing nothing (or by clicking on the small preview to enlarge it and clicking “Done” and “Save to Photos”)
– then, open the Photos.app on your iPhone and there you’ll find not only the screenshot of your iPhone screen but also a screenshot of your car’s CarPlay screen saved as a photo that you can share (or edit) just like any regular photo

That’s it !

enjoy šŸ˜‰

fixed : I can’t find the correct flag symbol in Whatsapp

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Question :

When I am typing messages in Whatsapp I sometimes want to include emoji like the flag of my country… so I open the emoji list and I get overwhelmed by the number of flags available, so I pick the flag that looks like the one I want, only to find out after posting that it turend out to be the flag of another country… quite embarrassing honestly…

I live in The Netherlands, so this happens quite often, since our Dutch flag is nearly identical to the Luxembourg flag and in tiny emoji size is easily mixed up with the flags of Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Egypt…

Is there any way to always pick the correct flag ?

Answer :

Yes, there is, and it’s rather simple… just do this :
– if Whatsapp is open, make sure the regular typing filed is available and the keyboard is visible
– then just typ the name of the country you want in full (with or without a starting capital)
– now in the text correction suggestions bar just below the typing field, the correct flag will turn up as a suggestion on the right
– just click on that to insert it into your message

That’s it !

enjoy šŸ˜‰

fixed : typing a degree symbol ( superposition-O ) on your iPhone

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Question :

Is it possible to typ the ‘degree symbol’ ( the mini-version of the letter O or number 0 next to the top of a letter or number ) on your iPhone ? If so, how do I do that ?

Answer :

Yes, and doing so is rather straight forward – if you know where to look :
– on your iPhone (in iOS) open an app that you can use to typ texts (like Notes, Mail or Whatsapp)
– typ your text as usual until where you need the degree symbol
– then long-press the number 0 key and a popup will appear where you can select the degree symbol, just click it to insert

That’s it

enjoy šŸ˜‰

fixed : one Red Pin cannot be added to custom My Guides folder in Apple Maps

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Question :

I am working in Apple Maps.app on my Mac and now I have made a lot of Dropped Pins / Red Pins that I have gathered in a custom My Guides folder. I have just created another Red Pin that I also want to add to this custom My Guides folder, but when I do the exact same thing to add it as I did earlier, for some reason that is impossible for this Red Pin since the name of the custom My Guides folder is not appearing… the only option given is “New Guide” for some reason…

What is wrong ? How can I fix this ?


Answer :

This seems to be a bug in Apple Maps.app (especially Maps version 3.0) on macOS… To fix this, do this :

  • close Apple Maps.app on your Mac
  • then, open Maps.app on your iPhone
  • swipe un the pull-up window (with the Search field) so the More Info window fills the screen
  • scroll down to the Red Pin you want to add
  • if you don’t see it right away, you might need to dig a little futher by clicking on one of the “More” buttons (on the right, next to each chapter)
  • when found, click on the Red Pin and it’s info will open in a new window
  • then, click on the ‘three dots’/More-button and choose “Add to Guides” from the pop-up menu
  • now, the complete list of My Guides you have will be visible (even the ones you were not able to select on your Mac)
  • Click on the custom My Guides folder and you will be able to add the Red Pin to that custom My Guides folder

    That’s it !

    enjoy šŸ˜‰