Latest news with #iOS11
Mint
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Mint
Study finds teen drivers spend 21% of their time on phones while driving
A new study has raised serious concerns about distracted driving among teenagers, revealing that teen drivers in the United States spend as much as 21% of their time behind the wheel looking at their phones. The research, conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, involved survey responses from 1,126 teen drivers across all four regions of the U.S., along with in-depth interviews with a smaller group of high schoolers. The findings paint a worrying picture of how frequently smartphones are used while driving, even when young drivers are aware of the risks. What's particularly alarming is that more than 5% of the total driving time involved glances at phones lasting two seconds or longer, enough to qualify as dangerous, especially at high speeds. Despite being aware that distracted driving is unsafe, most participants admitted to using their phones regularly while driving. 'Distracted driving is a serious public health threat and particularly concerning among young drivers,' said Dr. Rebecca Robbins, the study's lead author. 'Driving distracted doesn't just put the driver at risk of injury or death, it puts everyone else on the road in danger of an accident.' Although 30% of phone usage was attributed to navigation, teens were more likely to use their phones for messaging (40%) and entertainment apps (65%). The study notes that while teens understand the dangers, the behaviour has become normalised due to peer influence. 'Many teens acknowledged that while their parents and peers disapproved of using phones while driving, they often did it because their friends did the same,' the researchers wrote. To address this growing concern, the study suggests that interventions must focus not just on education, but also on shifting social norms and promoting practical steps. Dr. Robbins emphasised the need to 'enable safety features like 'Do Not Disturb While Driving' and physically separate drivers from their phones.' Apple introduced the 'Do Not Disturb While Driving' feature in iOS 11, and a separate study by an insurance company found that 70% of iPhone users have enabled it. However, compliance among teens appears to be low, according to this latest report. The issue isn't confined to the U.S. In India, a 2018 study by the India Road Safety Collaboration (IRSC), an initiative led by IIT students in partnership with Ford, found that 25% of parents admitted to using mobile phones while driving with their children in the car. Although phone use while driving is legally prohibited in India, enforcement remains inconsistent, and violations are widespread, according to traffic authorities. The study comes amid growing debate over road safety laws in the U.S. While some states have imposed stricter rules around mobile phone use while driving, others still allow it under certain conditions. Critics argue that licensing requirements in the U.S. are too lenient, especially for young drivers, and call for stronger enforcement and better training. Parents of teen drivers are being urged to take a more active role in talking to their children about distracted driving and to make use of available technology to minimise risks.
Daily Mirror
02-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
iPhone users amazed after discovering 'hidden' hack to organise home screen
A 'sneaky' iPhone hack that allows you to organise your home screen in mere seconds has gone viral as people had no idea it existed - despite owning Apple products for years iPhone enthusiasts have uncovered a faster method to spruce up their home screens in mere seconds. For countless iPhone owners who have attempted the tedious task of app arrangement, you will be well-acquainted with the absolute pain it can be at times. Typically, this process involves relocating each app individually, whether you're putting them in folders or across various home screen pages – all in pursuit of clustering your games together and segregating your productivity tools. While not every user is fussed about maintaining an immaculate home screen, for the tidiness-inclined, it can take hours to perfect its appearance. And that's excluding the additional fiddling with colour coordination and playful widgets. But what if there were a shortcut that transforms this laborious chore into a breeze? A trick apparently unknown to many has been circulating among Apple fans on social media, suggesting a quicker technique for reconfiguring apps on the home screen – promising to revamp your layout in seconds. The social media account "Today Years Old" divulged the revelation through a video on X, demonstrating how dragging apps one by one is no longer necessary. Initially, the clip shows the conventional process: long-pressing an app, opting to shift it, followed by tediously dragging it to another page. The genius of the video becomes apparent when they unveil the "sneaky" manoeuvre, empowering users to transport multiple apps simultaneously. All you need to do is start dragging an app like you're about to flip it to another screen, then lightly tap the rest of the icons you want to move with your other hand. Before you know it, they're lumped together in one merry band, and you can easily whisk them off to their new page without them tucking into a folder. The X account couldn't contain its disbelief, proclaiming: "Had every iPhone since 2007 and just found out about this feature today. I'm sick." The revelation had other iPhone users scratching their heads, expressing their surprise at just discovering this nifty manoeuvre despite being on the iPhone bandwagon for nearly two decades. A gobsmacked user confessed: "I've had almost every iPhone since the first one to come out. I know most of the tricks and 'hacks' there are for this phone. I had ZERO idea that you could do this. Insane." Someone else posted: "This would have made a few days in my life a lot better had I known this then." Another recounted initially thinking the clip was nothing more than an everyday guide to moving apps around. But they confessed the actual reveal of the hack was "life-changing". But other commenters reminded people that having owned iPhones for decades doesn't necessarily mean you'll know about the hack - as the feature was only added eight years ago during iOS 11's debut in 2017. One individual remarked: "To be fair, this didn't come out until quite recently." Another chimed in with: "That feature was not out in 2007. It recently came out in an iOS update."
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
iPhone Acting Up? Seriously, Clear Your Cache
How many times have you been surfing the web on your iPhone and the loading times of a particular page take forever? Yes, sometimes it can be the website, but if loading times are unusually longer and your internet connection is fine, most likely that's your sign to clear your cache. If you were honest, when was the last time you reset your phone's web cache? Many of us don't think about cleaning the cache until our browsing experience becomes laggy or unbearably slow. Clearing your cache does more than just speed things up, it will also reset the data stored on any of the sites you visit often. So, don't be shocked if you're treated like a guest on your next visit, the site just needs a chance to relearn you. It's a good rule of thumb to clear your web cache every month or two, no matter what browser you use (Chrome, Safari, etc). Trust us, your iPhone will reward you in the long run. If you would also like tips to make your phone run faster, try managing your iPhone's storage. Clearing your cache usually involves clearing website cookies, too. Cookies work similarly to browser caches, except they store information about user data, rather than data on the website itself. Clearing your cookies gives you a chance to reset those preferences, which could improve your browsing experience. Note that clearing your cache and cookies will log you out of sites, which means you'll have to log into them again and reset any preferences. The up-front investment of that time can lead to a smoother experience down the road, and it can be a useful fix if you've recently changed settings that aren't being applied properly. Here are step-by-step guides on how to clear your iPhone's cache, depending on the browser you prefer. Safari is the default browser on iPhones, and you can clear your Safari cache in a few short steps. Starting with iOS 11, following this process will affect all devices signed in to your iCloud account. As a result, all your devices' caches will be cleared, and you'll need to sign in to everything the next time you use them. Here's what to do. 1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone. 2. Select Apps > Safari. 3. Scroll down to History and Website Data and choose Clear History and Website Data. 4. Choose Clear History and Data in the pop-up box -- you can choose anywhere from the last hour to all history. Then you're set! Chrome is another popular browser for iPhone users. Google has simplified the process for clearing your Chrome cache, making it much faster to clear your data. 1. Open the Chrome app. 2. Select the three dots in the bottom right to open more options. 3. Swipe over to Settings in the top menu bar. 4. Scroll down and tap Privacy and security. 5. Tap Delete browsing data to open up another menu. Select the intended time range at the top of the menu (anywhere from Last 15 minutes to All time). Make sure that Cookies and Site Data are checked, along with Cached Images and Files. Finally, hit Delete data at the bottom of the screen. If you're a Firefox devotee, don't worry. Clearing the cache on your iPhone is straightforward. Just follow these steps. 1. Press the hamburger menu in the bottom right corner to open up options. 2. Choose Settings at the bottom of the menu. 3. Select Data Management in the Privacy section. 4. To clear everything, choose Web Site Data at the top of the menu and then Clear All Web Site Data. Alternatively, you can choose to clear just your browsing history, cache, cookies, offline web data, tracking protection or offline files. Clearing your cache removes the website data your phone stored locally to prevent having to download that data upon each new visit. The data in your cache builds over time and can end up being an issue if that data winds up out of date. (My phone had about 150MB of data stored in Chrome when I checked.) Clearing that data gives sites a fresh start, which may fix some loading errors. But clearing your cache also signs you out of pages, so be prepared to sign in to everything again. Most people only need to clear their caches once every month or two. That's generally the point when your browser will build up a cache large enough to start slowing things down. If you frequent a large number of sites, you should err on the side of clearing your cache more often.
Hans India
21-04-2025
- Hans India
What Are QR Codes and How Do They Work on Your Smartphone—No App Needed
QR codes are now a part of everyday life—from scanning menusat restaurants to connecting to public Wi-Fi or even accessing digital once started as a method to track car parts in the 1990s has now become astaple in how we interact with the digital world, especially since the pandemicaccelerated the need for touch-free technology. These Quick Response (QR) codes are you're shopping, signing into a venue, or just checking productinformation, you've likely come across one recently. The good news is: youdon't need to download a special app to scan them. Your smartphone already haseverything you need. What Are QR Codes and How Do They Work? A QR code is essentially a smart barcode. While it mightlook like a simple black-and-white square, it can actually store small amountsof data—typically under 100 characters for common uses, though they can storeup to around 3KB depending on complexity. These codes are designed to be easily scanned. The uniquesquare patterns you see at three of the corners are called finder help your phone's camera recognise the code's position, size, andorientation. Interestingly, their pattern (1-1-3-1-1) was deliberately chosenbecause it's not likely to occur in normal printed materials, reducingaccidental scans. While QR codes can't hold huge amounts of information, theycan store just enough to be useful: links to websites or apps, contactinformation, Wi-Fi credentials, or even authentication tokens. For example,that square on your event ticket doesn't just contain a link—it might include aunique code that validates your identity when scanned at the gate. How to Scan a QR Code on Your Smartphone If your phone is reasonably up to date—specifically, runningAndroid 8 or iOS 11 or newer—it can scan QR codes directlythrough the built-in camera app. No need to mess your phone with additionalapps. Here's how to do it: Open the camera app on your phone. Point the camera at the QR code—make sure the entire code is visible and well-lit. Tap the screen if needed to focus the lens on the code. You should see a notification or link pop up on the screen. Tap the link to visit the website, app page, or location the code is linked to. It's really that simple. Want to Save a QR Code for Later? If you see a QR code you might want to use again, just takea photo of it. On Android, open the photo in Google Photos, then tap the Google Lens icon (it looks like a small camera) to scan the QR code from the image. On iPhone, open the image in Apple Photos, tap the Live Text icon (lines within a frame), and then tap the QR code to follow the link. This way, you can scan it later without needing the physicalcopy in front of you. Should You Use a QR Code Scanner App? Third-party QR code scanner apps are available, but for mostusers, they're unnecessary. Unless you need features like scanning differenttypes of barcodes, saving a history of scans, or generating custom QR codes,your default camera app will do just fine. Most of these apps come with intrusive ads or pushysubscription models, so if you're just doing a quick scan, it's better to avoidthem. If you do need to create a QR code yourself, a safe and easyoption is Adobe's free online QR code generator, which lets you makebasic codes for URLs, text, and contact info. A Word of Caution While QR codes are convenient, they're not risk-free. Scammers have started using QR codes to trick users into visiting fake websites designed to steal personal information or payment details. Be cautious if a code is pasted over another, posted in a random public space, or linked to an unfamiliar site. Modern smartphones and browsers can often catch these phishing attempts, but staying alert and avoiding suspicious links or codes is still smart.
