Latest news with #ZachMcAuliffe
CNET
2 days ago
- General
- CNET
You Can Change Your iPhone's Default Alert Tone in 3 Easy Steps
Changing app alert tones is a great way to distinguish between apps on your iPhone. That way you can know when you get a text, as opposed to an email, without taking your iPhone out of your pocket. And while you could always change tones for certain iPhone apps and alerts, you couldn't change the general alert notification until Apple released iOS 17.2 in 2023. After the release of iOS 17 in 2023, some iPhone users complained online about Apple changing the default alert tone. Some people said the new alert tone wasn't loud enough to wake them up if their security system went off, and one person said they relied on an older tone to alert them about care responsibilities for their parents. Now, you can change the default tone to better suit your needs. Here's how to change your iPhone's default notification tone. Easily change your default alert tone 1. Open Settings. 2. Tap Sounds & Haptics. 3. Tap Default Alerts. From Default Alerts, you can preview and select familiar-sounding alerts, like Tri-tone, or explore older tones (like Bell) by tapping Classic near the bottom of the menu. You can also choose None, which will silence your alert tone but leave your haptic alert (the vibration pattern for an alert) on. Don't want any default alert tone? You can choose None. Screenshot by Zach McAuliffe/CNET You can also change your haptic alerts if you want. How to change your haptic alert tone 1. Open Settings. 2. Tap Sounds & Haptics. 3. Tap Default Alerts. 4. Tap Haptics. From this menu, you can choose vibration patterns like Accent (a short, single vibration) or SOS, which vibrates SOS in Morse code. If you choose Synchronized, your haptics and alert tone will work in tandem. If you don't want a vibration, you can choose None. There's also an option to create a custom vibration pattern. Tap Create New Vibration in the Haptics menu, and you'll be taken to a screen that reads, "Tap to create a vibration pattern." You can tap quickly on your screen to make a short vibration pattern or press and hold to make a longer, single vibration. When you're finished, tap Save, then name your pattern and it automatically gets selected as your default alert haptic. For more iOS news, here's all the features included in iOS 18.5 and iOS 18.4. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet and what we hope to see in the upcoming iOS release.
CNET
3 days ago
- Health
- CNET
Enable This Hidden iPhone Feature. Your Eyes Will Thank You
According to my iPhone, I spend more than 8 hours a day on my phone -- yikes. I'm sure I hold my iPhone close to my face at times, especially at night, and that might be why my eyes feel uncomfortable sometimes, like I've got something in them. Luckily, there's a hidden iPhone feature that could help me -- and others -- take better care of our eyes called Screen Distance. Read more: Screen Time Matters When It Comes to Your Eye Health CNET The feature warns you when you're holding your iPhone or iPad too close to your face, sort of like having a parent tell you to sit farther back from the television or computer screen. Although having a screen near your face might not harm your eyes, it could stress and irritate them, according to health care organization Cedars-Sinai. Thankfully, this iPhone feature aims to help reduce eyestrain. According to Apple, it could even lower the risk of myopia, or nearsightedness. Here's how to turn Screen Distance on and give your eyes a break. Turn on Screen Distance 1. Open Settings. 2. Tap Screen Time. 3. Tap Screen Distance. These screens appear the first time you access Screen Distance. Screenshot by Zach McAuliffe/CNET Then you'll see two screens explaining what Screen Distance is and how it works. Tap Continue on both screens, and Screen Distance automatically turns on after these screens. Both screens appear only the first time you go into Screen Distance. Now, after holding your iPhone too close to your face for a few minutes, your screen gets blocked by a message reading, "iPhone May Be Too Close." When you hold your iPhone too close to your face for too long, Screen Distance blocks your screen. Zach McAuliffe/CNET Your screen remains blocked until you hold your iPhone farther away. Then, your screen shows a checkmark, and you have to tap Continue to remove the block. Read more: How to Beat Eyestrain, According to Optometrists Turning off Screen Distance Screen Distance is a useful iOS feature that may reduce eyestrain and even decrease the risk of nearsightedness. However, if you find the warnings more annoying than helpful, here's how to turn Screen Distance off. 1. Open Settings. 2. Tap Screen Time. 3. Tap Screen Distance. 4. Tap the toggle next to Screen Distance. Now you can go back to holding your iPhone as close to your face as you want without interruption from your phone -- or your parents. For more iOS news, here's all the features included in iOS 18.5 and iOS 18.4. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet and what we hope to see in iOS 19.
