Mac Format UK - (February 2020)

The option to copy a link only appears for cloud services such as Dropbox: it’s not yet available for iCloud Drive.New features in FilesProper file management is easy on your iPad with this updateIT WILL TAKE 10 minutesYOU WILL LEARN How to use the new features in FilesYOU’LL NEED An iOS device with iOS 13 or iPad with iPadOS For many years, Apple didn’t want anybody to go anywhere near file management on iOS devices: that was something you did on your Mac, not your simpler, streamlined iOS device. That changed in iOS 11 with the introduction of the Files app, which enabled you to access your iCloud Drive as well as third-party services, such as Dropbox. You can use it to play media files, view and annotate documents and send files to apps such as Mail and Messenger, and in iPadOS (plus iOS 13 on iPhone) the Files app has been given some key new features.Files doesn’t look much different in iPadOS, but it’s become considerably more powerful. It had to, because iPadOS introduced support for new kinds of storage: if you have a USB to Lightning adapter, you can move files to and from USB drives, SD cards, SSDs and hard drives. iOS also supports SMB file servers so you can connect to devices such as home networked storage devices. Handy locationsFiles also works a lot more like Finder does on your Mac. You now have a Downloads folder where you’ll find stuff from Safari and Mail, you can compress files and unzip them, and you can create your own folders. You can even scan documents directly into the Files app.One thing that hasn’t made it to Files just yet is iCloud Drive sharing. That’s expected very soon. You can easily share links from Dropbox and other cloud storage services that you link within the Files app, though.Carrie MarshallGenius tip! Files enables you to download files from the cloud. It’s wise to do that for anything important if you can’t guarantee a good connection later.APPLE SKILLSiPadOS/iOS software50 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020 macformat.com @macformat

HOW TO Find your way around Files 1See your stuffAt first glance, Files doesn’t look any different from before. It opens in Recents view, which shows you the most recently used files in your iCloud Drive. You’ll see there’s also a Browse option down at the bottom of the screen.2See all your storageWhen you tap Browse you’ll get this view, with a sidebar showing all your available locations – including attached drives and any cloud storage options – and the main window showing you the currently selected folder.3Scan directly to FilesiOS’s document scanner is now in Files, so you can scan without having to launch a third-party scanner or camera app. Simply tap on the three dots immediately to the right of Browse and select Scan Documents.4Edit locationsThe Browse options also enable you to connect to a networked server such as a media server, or to edit and re-order the list of locations and tags that appears in the Sidebar at the left of the window. Tap Done to finish.5Make your ownApps have been able to make their own folders for ages, and now you can join in the fun. To create a new folder simply long-press in a blank bit of the main screen and you’ll see three options: New Folder, Scan Documents and Info.6Name your folderIf you tap on New Folder you’ll be taken to this really rather large field where you can give it a descriptive name. Type whatever you want to call your folder; or use the little ‘x’ icon if you need to clear the whole field.7Explore the optionsLong-pressing on a file or folder brings up the actions that you can use on it, with file operations such as copying and moving, tagging or favouriting, downloading if it’s in the cloud, or just copying a link for sharing.8Move it aroundIf you select the Move option, you’ll now be able to scroll through the available folders, just as if you were moving a message in Mail. It’s quite a long list if you have a lot of apps installed on your iPhone or iPad.9Zip it upYou can easily compress multiple files, creating a compact .zip file that’s better for sending or sharing. Select the files by tapping Select in the top-right corner and then tap each file so a tick appears. Tap More > Compress.New features in Files APPLE APPSFEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 51| macformat.com @macformat

If you don’t want to use multitasking and want to turn off its gesture support, you can do that in Settings > General > Home Screen & Dock.52 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020 macformat.com @macformatMultitasking in iPadOSDo more things at once with Split View and Slide OverIT WILL TAKE 10 minutesYOU WILL LEARN How to use the new multitasking features on your iPadYOU’LL NEED iPad running iPadOS The first iPads didn’t multitask: you could do one thing at a time and nothing else. A very basic kind of multitasking was introduced in iOS 4 for iPhones, but iPads didn’t get it until iOS 4.2 in 2010. Even then, it wasn’t really multitasking: it was fast app switching and the ability for a very small selection of apps to use a handful of features – such as location services or audio playback – in the background.Today, though, iPads really do multitask. You can run apps in Split View, where two different apps or two copies of the same app run side by side. Or you can run them in Slide Over, where one app hovers over the other(s). New and improvedSome of these features were in iOS 12, but they’ve been improved for iPadOS 13: its version of Slide Over supports up to five apps and Split View runs up to three apps or app windows. There’s also a new App Exposé option that will show you every open instance of a specific app, including any in Slide Over and Split View views. To see it, press and hold on the app’s icon in the iPad dock and then tap on Show All Windows.It’s all very useful stuff, but we’ll be honest: it isn’t always obvious what you need to do in order to do what you want, and sometimes it takes more than one swipe or drag to get Slide Over or Split View to function. But it’s worth persevering with, because iPad multitasking is a real time saver. You’ll get used to the right movements quickly! Carrie MarshallGenius tip! You can drag apps into Split View or Slide Over from Spotlight if you have a keyboard: in an app, use ç+[Space bar] to open Spotlight, then search for an app.APPLE SKILLSiPadOS softwareiPadOS

FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 53| macformat.com @macformat HOW TO Multitask in iPadOS 1Drag it outSlide Over is great for quickly checking documents or messages. To use it, open the main app you want and then slide up to see the Dock. Drag the icon for the second app towards but not onto the edge of the screen.2Drop the appWhen you stop dragging, the second app will appear in a panel at the side of the screen. You can use it like any other app. To move it, drag from the top around the screen. To close it, swipe it off the side of the screen, again from the top.3Slide Over switcherYou can switch apps just within the Slide Over window! Swipe up from the bottom of it to see all apps you’ve used in Slide Over recently – pick one to switch to it. You can also swipe left or right at the bottom of the window to switch.4Use Split ViewSplit View works much like Slide Over, but shows both apps all the time. Follow the same process as you would for Slide Over but this time drag the icon to the very left or right edge. The screen will show your app icons side by side.5Adjust the splitSee that thick divider between the two apps? Press and drag it sideways to change the proportions of the two apps. We use this one a lot with PDFs and documents that don’t automatically resize to fit the app window.6The same app twiceYou can have multiple versions of the same app in Split View: two Pages documents, two folders in Files, two websites in Safari. Just open the app as normal, pull up the Dock and drag the app’s icon to the edge, like usual. 7Drag between windowsIf you open two instances of an app in Split View, you can drag items from one to another. Here we’re dragging a Logic project from iCloud Drive to Dropbox. To close one, just drag the divider to the edge of the screen.8See what’s runningSwipe upwards from the bottom edge of the screen and don’t let go until the thumbnail view appears. This shows your recently opened apps, including Split View pairings. You can also see this by pinching with four fingers anywhere.9See one app’s windowsIf you have multiple windows of one app running, tap and hold on its icon on the Dock, then tap Show All Windows. This shows every instance of it, so you can jump to the right one. Tap the ‘+’ in top-right corner to open a new window.Multitasking in iPadOS APPLE SKILLS

APPLE SKILLSHow it works macformat.com @macformat54 MACFORMAT || Heart-rate tracking and ECGTaking care of your heart is easy with the Apple Watch, here’s howYOU WILL LEARN How heart tracking and ECG work on the Apple Watch, how to take an ECG readingWhile its original intention was not a focus on well-being, the Apple Watch has now become synonymous with health and fitness. There is one physical measure that the device has packed since its launch in 2014 though – heart-rate tracking. While the heart rate isn’t actually the most reliable measure of a person’s cardiovascular health, it’s the simplest to measure, and can provide a basic indication of a possible medical condition. Apple has invested heavily in medical technology in an effort to make the heart-rate tracker as accurate as possible. And that tech also forms the backbone for the more technically-demanding ECG (electocardiogram) tracking, which Apple incorporated in Apple Watch Series 4. Heart rate trackingSo now the science bit: photoplethysmography (PPG) is a method of detecting blood volume changes in a microvascular bed of tissue, allowing a heart rate to be measured non-invasively on the skin’s tissue. And this is how the heart rate tracker on the Watch works.According to Apple: ”Blood is red because it reflects red light and absorbs green light. Apple Watch uses green LED lights paired with light-sensitive photodiodes to detect the amount of blood flowing through your wrist… When your heart beats, the blood flow in your wrist – and the green light absorption – is greater. Between beats, it’s less. By flashing its LED lights hundreds of times per second, Apple Watch can calculate the number of times the heart beats each minute.” These LEDs and infrared diodes are housed in the ceramic back of the Watch. The infrared is the primary system, and takes a reading every 10 minutes in the background even if the watch is not in use. The LEDs kick in as a fail-safe, when the data from the infrared seems inconsistent. The LEDs are used to measure heart rate during workouts, breathe sessions and heart rate variability (the variation in the time interval between two consecutive heartbeats) tests. ECG trackingAn electrocardiogram is a little more complicated. This measures your heart’s rate, rhythm and electrical activity. ECG readings need to be as accurate as possible, and this is one of the reasons it is taking Apple time to get the feature approved by government and medical boards in a number of countries; currently 40 countries have permitted the ECG feature on the Apple Watch. With Apple Watch Series 4, Apple introduced a crystal electrode plate on the back of the Watch and on the Digital Crown for ECG measurements. With the Watch against your skin, you place your finger on the Digital Key factPPG The tech used to measure heart rate is similar to a pulse oximeter. The system illuminates the skin and measures change in light absorption as blood circulates.By flashing LED lights, Apple Watch can calculate the number of times the heart beats each minuteHOW IT WORKSMeasuring ECG on the Apple Watch requires the wearer to maintain a closed circuit.

Heart-rate tracking & ECG APPLE SKILLS macformat.com @macformatFEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 55| Crown to create a closed (or full) circuit between both your hands. The closed circuit allows electrical impulses to flow through the Watch, so that it can measure the impulses as they flow across your chest.AccuracyOne of the biggest concerns over health smarts is accuracy. As they are not tested to the same standard as medical equipment used by professionals, devices like the Apple Watch cannot be used as a substitute for hospital tests.Apple clearly states that the Watch is not 100% reliable, saying: “even under ideal conditions, Apple Watch may not be able to get a reliable heart-rate reading every time for everybody. And for a small percentage of users, various factors may make it impossible to get any heart rate reading at all.” Some factors that can affect accurate readings include skin thickness, perfusion (the amount of blood flowing through your skin), tattoos, and taking part in sports that involve irregular movements (such as boxing, tennis, cricket, etc). The Watch has to be on top of your wrist for the sensors to work, but Apple says the fit of the Watch can also affect readings. It’s also important to keep your Watch and skin clean and dry, as water and dirt can affect the sensors.Apple has made significant improvements to the sensors over the years, and the Watch has been able to identify heart conditions for some users, which Apple has proudly mentioned in its keynotes. Apple’s Health app already provides a comprehensive well-being overview, and the company is looking to expand its health-tracking features into related areas, such as blood pressure and glucose monitoring. Srivats LakshmanEXPLAINED… Taking an ECG reading Key fact While PPG requires contact with the skin, there is a remote contactless version that uses video to analyse subtle changes in the skin colour when blood flows. This is not visible to the human eye. Studies have shown it can be achieved with a regular camera, so maybe one day you’ll be able to read your heart rate using the camera on your iPhone!1Set upTo set up ECG, open Health on your iPhone, and open the Heart option. You should see an option to Set Up ECG App. Follow the steps indicated. Once you have set up the app, you should see it appear on your Watch. If you don’t see the option, update to the latest iOS and watchOS.2Take a readingTo take a reading, open the ECG app and rest your arm on a table or your lap. With your opposite hand, hold your index finger on the Digital Crown, but do not press it. The recording takes 30 seconds, so for the best results, do not move during this reading time.3View resultsOnce the test is completed, you can view results in the Health app on your iPhone. The app classifies results into Sinus Rhythm, Atrial Fibrillation, Low or High Heart Rate or Inconclusive. You can export the results as a PDF to share with your doctor if you want.Irregular Rhythm Notifications need to be enabled on the Watch.Jargon BusterAtrial Fibrillation is a heart condition that causes the heart to beat abnormally fast, or irregularly. There is no known cause, but is known to be impacted by smoking and drinking.

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EDITED BYHOWARD OAKLEYWhat’s inside 58BACKUP ACCESSHow to get around the Time Machine backup changes in Catalina59iOS SOFTWARESwipe away your touchscreen troubles60-61PERIPHERALSRefreshing the parts other tips can’t reach 62-63macOSSage advice to help overcome Mac maladiesContact usEmail your queries and your questions to [email protected] up to date by following us on Twitter @macformatJoin the conversation at facebook.com/macformatGet the latest subscription offers at macformat.comOur resident genius solves your Mac and iOS problemsEXPERT ADVICE58 MACFORMAT|Preserving old Time Machine backups in Catalinait’s not mounted. In addition, Catalina uses different methods to determine what it should back up. These include using snapshots when backing up an APFS volume, with the option of using macOS’s internal database of changes made to the file system, on both APFS and those still in older Mac Extended format. Those are put in new database files in the backup, which won’t work with older versions of Time Machine.To retain your existing backups unaltered, before upgrading to macOS Catalina, make good backups in case you need to revert to them. Turn Time Machine off, and then archive your existing backups. After the upgrade is complete, turn Time Machine back on, and make a new backup set, ideally to a different volume or disk.QI’m preparing to upgrade to macOS Catalina, but gather it upgrades Time Machine backups so they can’t be accessed from older versions of macOS. How can I prevent that?by K E I T H M A S O NATime Machine backups have changed in Catalina, and Apple warns that all backups made by, and converted for, 10.15 won’t work with previous versions of macOS, even Mojave.This is partly because, in Catalina, backups contain three volumes instead of the single boot volume: one for the writeable Data volume, another for the read-only System volume unless you decide not to back that up, and a third for Recovery, normally invisible as In macOS Catalina, Time Machine has the option of not backing system files, but uses a different backup structure from Mojave.

iOS software GENIUS TIPSiOS software Swipe away your touchscreen troubles and rekindle your love of Apple’s mobile devicesiOS software quick-fire questions System stealing iPad storageand features. An excellent starting point is in Settings > General > iPad/iPhone Storage.At the top are recommendations to save significant space which work with just a single tap. Below those is a list of all installed apps with the storage space they’re currently using. Starting at the top, with the apps which are using most space, tap each in turn and consider what you need to keep.When you’ve done that, you may still be able to eke out more space by backing your iPad up, either to iCloud or your Mac, then erasing it using Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Once complete, to restore it from iCloud, turn it on and follow its onscreen setup sequence until it reaches the Apps & Data screen, where you select the iCloud Backup option. Restoring from your Mac backup is performed by connecting it to your Mac, then either using iTunes or the Finder (Catalina) to Restore Backup.How to open a .docx file in Files using Pages?> Although Word .docx files preview properly in Files, iPadOS doesn’t have options to choose which app to open them with; tapping Open may use an inappropriate app. However, you can open them from within the Pages app. This is a current limitation of iPadOS compared with macOS.How to make it easier to enable Low Power Mode?> The easiest access to controls like this is in the Control Centre, which you can access by swiping down from the top right of your screen. To add Low Power Mode to your Control Centre, open Settings then tap Control Centre > Customise Controls and tap on the green next +to Low Power Mode.QWhen I updated my iPad 2 16GB, it alerted me that it was almost full. Most of its storage is now used by the System. I originally bought it as a book reader, but have added apps since. What can I do?by D AV I D S I M P S O NAThis is a well-known problem when keeping older devices with their smaller storage capacities up to date with the latest iOS/iPadOS they can run.Offload as much as you can in the way of apps, their data, and everything else stored on your iPad. Revert it to its original role as a book reader, and keep only essential functions If iPad storage is almost full, offload as much app data as you can macformat.com @macformatFEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 59| iPad/iPhone Storage offers recommendations which can quickly and simply free up storage for you.

GENIUS TIPSPeripheralsPeripherals Thinking inside the box to refresh the parts other tips can’t reachPeripherals quick-fire questions Is there a hub with three USB-C ports yet?> Yes, but it comes with a ‘free’ built-in LG UltraFine 4K display. That offers one additional Thunderbolt 3 port, and three USB-C. Smaller hubs are becoming available now: Belkin promises one with two USB-C ports, and more may come in the future.How to print a PDF which won’t in Acrobat Reader?> Open it using Preview, or another PDF reader, and print it from there. If it still won’t oblige, save it as a different file, and try printing that. If that doesn’t work, printing could be disabled for that PDF, or it could be defective or damaged, and you should obtain a substitute if you can.couple of metres away, as in your case, or a server in California.Your printer tries to negotiate its secure connections using a self-signed security certificate, which is easily forged or cheated. All good browsers should now draw attention to this, and recommend you don’t trust it. Some browsers let you ignore this, but that’s increasingly dangerous because of the growth in sites that exploit such weaknesses.Ironically, the best solution for printers with this problem is to open their settings and switch from using secure HTTPS connections to plain old unsecured HTTP. Those don’t rely on security certificates, and aren’t encrypted either, so should be fine for local connections within your network. You wouldn’t then want to connect to that printer from the internet, although you shouldn’t do that without going through VPN to your router anyway.QWhenever I connect to my networked HP 7740 printer using Safari, I get a warning that ‘This Connection Is Not Private’ and am advised that I ‘should go back to the previous page’. Why, and how can I stop this?by J A S O N VA U G H A NAThis is unusual for a peripheral like a printer, and is the result of the printer’s firmware not fully implementing secure networking connections using HTTPS. Safari and most other web browsers now insist that secure network connections are made using recent versions of Transport Layer Security (TLS), and with valid security certificates which can be traced back to a Certificate Authority. This is to protect you, and applies equally well whether the other end of the connection is a printer a 60 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020Security problems with printer macformat.com @macformatMozilla Firefox lets you install your own trusted certificates in its Preferences, although this isn’t simple for a printer.

Peripherals GENIUS TIPSPeripherals quick-fire questions USB ‘stick’ or SSD for a bootable installer?> Use an SSD if you can. USB memory ‘sticks’ are convenient and cheap, but far slower than an SSD, and less versatile. Not all sticks can be formatted in APFS, and some don’t work properly with Catalina installers. Why doesn’t macOS detect my USB speakers?> There are known problems with USB audio fed through USB-C adapters. It’s worth trying a different cable, perhaps with mini USB-B to C. macOS 10.15.1 is thought to have fixed some of these longstanding issues.FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 61| Go to System Preferences > Accessibility and select the Display item on the left. Adjust your Cursor Size there, and tick the item to ‘Shake mouse pointer to locate’. Then if the pointer is ever hard to find, you can wiggle your mouse or your finger on the trackpad, and the pointer will grow in size.Now shut your Mac down, wait at least 20 seconds, and start it up with the ß key held down using a wired keyboard, to put it into safe mode and clear its caches. Once it has been running for a minute or two, restart it in normal mode and your pointer should behave.QMy MacBook Pro doesn’t get on with my Bluetooth Matias keyboard or Apple Magic Trackpad, which keep disconnecting and reconnecting. Is there something wrong with it?by R I C H A R D S H AWAOccasional disconnect-reconnect cycles can occur with Bluetooth keyboards, trackpads and mice, but should be very infrequent. If they’re common, remove the file com.apple.Bluetooth.plist from the Preferences folder in your top-level Library folder and restart.After that, suspect radio interference problems. If you have Wi-Fi, connect using its 5GHz channels, rather than 2.4GHz which overlaps with the frequencies used by Bluetooth. Give the two networks different names, so you can select connections over 5GHz in their Wi-Fi settings, which usually offers faster speeds anyway.Some USB devices emit interference which affects both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth frequencies. Identify those by testing with the peripherals turned off, and see whether that improves wireless reliability. Sometimes moving a device or changing its cable can fix this.Another trick is to ensure there are no solid or dense objects such as piles of paper between the Bluetooth peripheral and Mac, which can reduce signal strength markedly. Finally, Handoff features, such as AirDrop, can trigger intensive exchanges on both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. If you have another Mac close by, try moving it away so such exchanges won’t overload your Mac’s radio systems.Wireless keyboard and trackpad drop outVanishing pointer after updateIf your pointer becomes hard to see, increase its size and set shaking to help locate it, in the Accessibility pane. macformat.com @macformatQAfter updating to macOS Mojave 10.14.6, the mouse pointer keeps disappearing, although it continues to track properly. Only moving it fast and shaking it makes it reappear. How can I bring it back?by D AV I D H I G N E T TAThere’s nothing in that update which should have affected the visibility of your pointer, but several controls and settings which could have changed its behaviour and had this effect.Bluetooth issue? Remove its preferences file and restart, plus switch Wi-Fi to use 5GHz not 2.4GHz.

GENIUS TIPSmacOSmacOS Shine a spotlight on sagacious solutions to your most maddening Mac maladiesmacOS quick-fire questions macformat.com @macformat62 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020Why did El Capitan stop getting security updates?> Apple stopped providing full security updates for 10.11 over a year ago, but still pushes ‘silent’ updates to its security tools. Open the App Store pane and ensure ‘Automatically check for updates’ and ‘Install system data files and security updates’ are both ticked.Does a Safe Boot check my disks for errors?> This depends on the macOS version. In Mojave and earlier, checks are run, any error repaired and your Mac automatically restarted, but there’s no way to discover what happened. This isn’t true in Catalina, though. If you want to check properly, start up in Recovery Mode and run Disk Utility there.Actions or modifying its dialogs such as those for opening and saving files, try updating, disabling or uninstalling it, as appropriate. One prime candidate for this is an older version of Default Folder X, which will need updating.This can be hard to identify, but two tricks which can help are starting up in safe mode, with the ß key held, and creating a new user account to see if that’s also affected. If that second account turns out to be fine, then you know that it’s something installed in the Library of your Home folder.If you draw a blank with those, try reinstalling the latest version of macOS Catalina, using a fresh installer app obtained from the App Store and Software Update. Another reliable way to do this is by entering macOS Recovery with ç R+ held at startup on a wired keyboard.Flawed Finder in CatalinaQAfter upgrading to Catalina, some Finder actions don’t work properly. Using the Move to Bin command in the pop-up menu sometimes doesn’t work, and trying to drag a file from one folder to another is also intermittently successful. How can I fix those?by D U N C A N B R A C KAThese don’t appear to be known issues with Catalina, suggesting that you have third-party software installed which is causing a conflict, or that your upgrade wasn’t completely successful. Recent versions of macOS have also altered the dwell time that you need to hold a click or a tap for a Finder item to be ready to move.If you have any product which customises the Finder in any way, adding Finder Quick Check when you’ve started up in safe mode by selecting the Software item in System Information.

QEver since the Mojave Supplemental Updates, my MacBook Pro 2016 has stopped sleeping when I close its lid, and continues using its battery at a high rate. How can I get it to sleep normally again?by M I K E G R A I N G E RAThese late updates brought firmware updates for almost all models, affecting functions such as sleep and wake. For some Macs, they brought serious problems such as kernel panics when trying to wake from sleep.macOS GENIUS TIPSCheck your Mac’s firmware is up to date using my free SilentKnight tool from bit.ly/mac348sltkgt. If it isn’t, install the latest Combo updater for Mojave, as only macOS installers and updaters can update firmware.Then reset SMC (bit.ly/mf348rstsmc) and NVRAM (bit.ly/mf348rstnvram), which are involved with functions like sleep. Open the Energy Saver pane, and check that nothing there is now preventing your Mac from entering proper system sleep when its case is closed. Rarely a sensor can fail, something you’d need a service technician to assess.macOS quick-fire questions How can I get Spotlight to reindex my disk?> Open Spotlight and select Privacy. Click on‘+’, add your disk to that list, or drag and drop it onto the window to remove its current indexes. After a few seconds, select it and click on ‘ to remove it, –’forcing new indexes to be built.Why does Disk Utility show two volumes in 10.15?> Catalina creates a new Volume Group, consisting of: a writeable volume named Macintosh HD - Data containing your own apps, Home folder, and more; a read-only volume named Macintosh HD for system files. macformat.com @macformatFEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 63| Check whether your Mac is running the latest and correct firmware, using the free utility SilentKnight.QSince upgrading to iOS 13, my iPhone can’t see the list of tabs open in Safari on either of my Macs. All three are connected to the same iCloud account, with Safari sync turned on. Do I have to upgrade the Macs to Catalina too?by D I C K E N W I N Y A R DAiCloud Tab sharing in Safari works fine for many, but some users just can’t get it to work. It works best when all Macs and devices are running the latest system release, and the current version of Safari. It’s particularly important that your iPhone is updated, as early releases of iOS 13 had many problems. All also need to have a good connection to the same iCloud account: this can’t be shared between users with different Apple IDs.Open the iCloud pane in macOS, and Settings > [your name] > iCloud in iOS. On each, disable Safari from iCloud, close the pane or Settings, then go back in and turn it back on. That’s about all that you can change.Some report that closing all open tabs, force quitting Safari on any iPhone or iPad, and opening Safari again can fix it. To force quit Safari, swipe up to open the App Switcher, then swipe up on Safari’s card to kill the app. On a Mac, close all open tabs and quit the Safari app instead.iCloud Tabs won’t share with iPhoneMBP no longer sleeps when closedSleep settings in your Energy Saver pane are reflected in full detail in the Power item in System Information.With Safari enabled in the same iCloud account, your Mac and iOS devices should share tabs.

The iPhone is the perfect device for photographers. It is a camera that’s always on hand to capture sudden photo opportunities. It is a digital darkroom packed with tools that can fix problems with colour, tone and composition. It’s a portable gallery that lets you display photos on a high resolution display or share shots to thousands of screens via social media. iPhones are also effective photography tools as they draw less attention when you’re taking a photo (compared to using a bulky DSLR camera). As everybody’s staring at phones these days people won’t give you a second glance when you compose your shot. This low-profile provides more opportunities to capture documentary-style street photos for example. Traditional DSLR photographers may look down on an iPhone as it lacks the manual controls and mechanical features that can produce particular effects. For example a DSLR user can choose a wide aperture to create a background blur for a portrait. They can freeze a moment in time using a fast shutter speed, or add motion blur to people and cars using a slow shutter speed. They can swap lenses to capture a wide-angle view or use a telephoto lens for a candid close-up. The release of the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro has narrowed the gap between iPhones and DSLRs. Thanks to telephoto and wide-angle lenses, iPhone photographers have more control over composition. Using the iPhone 11’s Night mode, you can shoot in low light without needing a flash. The enhanced Portrait mode lets you add a background or foreground blur to any objects. Combined with the photo and video editing tools released in iOS 13, you can use your iPhone to create pro standard pictures that look similar to those produced by DSLR cameras.We used an iPhone XR and iPhone 11 Pro for this feature, but you can apply many of our tips, tricks and techniques to older iPhone models.Written byGeorge CairnsDiscover how to shoot, edit and share better-looking photos on your iPhone64 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020235 macformat.com @macformatiPhone photography superguide

FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 65| 1Scroll to zoomTap icons to jump between the iPhone 11 Pro’s Telephoto (2x), Wide (1x) and Ultra-wide (0.5) lenses. Alternatively, drag the wheel to zoom in or out in increments. Up to 2x is an optical zoom. Any higher is digital zoom.2PreviewWhen using the Wide (1x) or Telephoto (2x) lenses, you’ll see a faded preview of the camera feed outside of the captured area. This helps you zoom in or out (or pan to reframe) to include important details in the scene. 3Toggle modesTap this icon to toggle between the Camera app’s shooting modes (such as Slo-Mo, Video, Photo, Portrait, Pano) and other settings such as Flash controls, Night mode, Aspect Ratio, Self-timer and Filters.4Shutter buttonTap here to snap a shot in Photo mode or record a clip in Video mode. In Photo mode, hold the shutter button and slide up/right to record video. Hold the shutter button and then slide down/left for burst mode.5Live PhotoTap here to toggle the Live Photo mode on or off. Live Photo enables you to capture a short video clip that you can process in creative ways, such as mimicking long exposure motion blur produced by a DSLR. (See page 70,)14 macformat.com @macformatCamera app options

People and pets are common subjects for a photograph, or you may prefer shooting urban cityscapes or rural landscapes. Whatever your subject preferences, you’ll find that the iPhone packs all the tools and shooting modes you need to capture a wide variety of subjects, from attractive portraits to majestic vistas. Here are some shooting tips and techniques that will help you capture the shot you’re after. 1Portrait modeDigital SLR cameras have a Portrait mode that uses a wide aperture setting Discover how to capture perfect portraits and scenic landscapesto create a blurred background (or bokeh). This helps complement the sharply focused subject in the foreground. The iPhone 7 Plus, 8 Plus, X and XR models also boast a Portrait mode that uses software to simulate the background blur effect produced by a DSLR. However, these iPhone models can only apply blur to portraits of people. Try shooting a pet and you’ll get a message that the iPhone can’t find a face to work with. Thanks to their extra lenses, the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro’s Portrait modes can apply a selective blur to any subject, which makes these models behave more like DSLR cameras. 2Adjustable blurWhen you snap a shot with a DSLR, you’re stuck with the strength of the background blur due to the lens’s aperture setting. A wide blur-inducing aperture has a small f-stop value such as /1.8. A narrow aperture such as /16 ffwill produce less blur. On the iPhone, you can use the Photos app to adjust the f-stop to dial in more blur and hide unwanted background objects, or reduce the blur to reveal more of the subject’s original background. This handy post-production adjustment gives the iPhone more control over the final look of a portrait’s bokeh effect.HOW TO Use different lenses >1Digital zoomOn single-lens iPhones, such as the XR, pinch to zoom in for a closer view of the subject. This is just a digital zoom though, so will lack the high image quality produced by the dedicated Telephoto lens on the iPhone 11 Pro.2TelephotoTap the 2x icon to select the iPhone 11 Pro’s 52mm lens. This enables you to capture a candid view of your subject without moving from your shooting spot. Perfect for shooting editorial-style stock photos and clips.3Go wideThe iPhone 11’s Ultra Wide lens can be selected by tapping the 0.5 icon. This 13mm lens is perfect for capturing landscapes and cityscapes. It creates elongated figures so is more suitable for places than people.66 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020 macformat.com @macformatPortrait & landscape photography

FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 67| macformat.com @macformatGo to Settings > Camera > Grid to summon a Rule of Thirds grid to help you with your landscape composition.The Pano mode can give a wider field of view than any lens, making it perfect for landscape photography.On the iPhone 11 you can blur the background or foreground of any subject, allowing you to shoot prettier pet portraits.Best third-party apps/Photos extensions3Perfect panoramasThe Camera app’s Pano mode enables you to pan the iPhone to capture a wider field of view in a single image. By default, you need to pan the iPhone left to right to capture a panorama, but if you tap the arrow it will jump to the opposite side of the screen, enabling you to pan from right to left. The Pano mode works best on static landscapes. If the location contains moving subjects, such as people, they can become distorted when the panned video feed is stitched together into a single shot. You can also tilt the camera vertically in Pano mode to capture more of a tall building. The Pano mode can also be used to capture a wider angle of view on iPhone models that lack a Wide or Ultra Wide lens.4High Dynamic RangeLandscapes can suffer from high-contrast lighting. If the camera exposes to capture more highlight detail then the landscape’s shadows can be underexposed. If shadow detail is captured then the brighter sky can be blown out. By setting older iPhones to shoot in HDR mode, they will snap three consecutive shots to capture detail in a landscape’s shadows, midtones and highlights. The three different exposures are then composited into a single well-exposed shot. On the iPhone 11 Pro, you can turn on Smart HDR in the Camera Settings menu to make the Camera ‘intelligently’ blend the best parts of separate exposures into a single ‘best exposure’ shot.5File formatsiPhones such as the 11 Pro can save photos in the HEIC (High Efficiency Image File) format, so that your images take up less storage space. You can go to Settings > Camera > Formats and choose Most Compatible. This saves files as slightly larger JPEGs, which are easier to share online, edit in third-party apps and view on PCs.Lightroom £9.98/month adobe.comLightroom has a more advanced set of retouching tools than iOS Photos. It also boasts a camera mode that can shoot raw .DNG files. This enables you to tease out missing detail without adding compression artefacts, creating professional results.Halide Camera£5.99 halide.camThis app gives you access to DSLR-style camera settings, such as White Balance presets and manual ISO adjustment. Focus peaking enables you to see which areas are sharp. You can also AirDrop its .DNG files to your Mac and edit them in Photos.Shutterstock Contributor Free shutterstock.comAfter shooting a series of photos, upload your favourites to Shutterstock’s stock photo marketplace via the Contributor app. It will even suggest keywords for your shots and the review process can be very quick.

Shooting in low-light locations is a challenge. An iPhone can try using a faster ISO and a wider aperture to make it more sensitive to available light but this can add nasty image noise to your shots. Here are some handy suggestions for capturing better-looking pictures in low-light scenarios.1Summon the flashOne way to cast more light on a subject is to activate the built-in flash by tapping the Camera app’s flash icon. Flash is not an ideal solution though. Discover how to reveal more detail in the dark!A burst of flash can illuminate a person standing close to the iPhone, but it will plunge the distant background into underexposed shadow. Some locations may not permit the use of flash, such as inside a church or museum. 2Use a tripodWhen your iPhone meters a low-light scene it will use a slower shutter speed to let in more light. If you don’t hold the iPhone still enough, you may add unwanted shake-induced blur to the image. By using a tripod, you can keep the iPhone rock-steady during the long exposure. This will cause static subjects such as buildings to look sharp. Moving subjects such as cars and people may appear motion-blurred depending on HOW TO Use the iPhone 11 Pro’s shooting modes >1Night modeHere, the yellow Night mode icon has activated automatically. It has chosen a four-second exposure to capture the scene’s details. After tapping the shutter button, a countdown slider indicates the exposure time.2Motion blurThis Night mode shot was captured with a handheld iPhone 11 Pro. Despite the slow shutter speed of 1/10 of second, the static background looks sharp while the walking person displays motion blur that adds energy to the scene.3Burst modeOn an older iPhone, you can capture a series of consecutive shots by holding your finger on the shutter button. On the iPhone 11, drag left (or down) to trigger Burst mode. A shot number will appear in the shutter button.68 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020The iPhone 11’s Night mode enables you to capture stunning nocturnal cityscapes.Snap night-time subjects without flash or a tripod. macformat.com @macformatMaster low-light photography

macformat.com @macformat4Portrait modeThe Portrait mode’s shallow depth-of-field blur isn’t restricted to portraits of people or pets. You can use it to add bokeh blur to other subjects. Here we used Portrait mode to draw attention to the foreground ivy.5High-key MonoThe High-Key Light Mono setting uses the depth mask created in Portrait mode to isolate the subject from their background. This is a quick way to simulate a high-contrast monochrome studio photo in any location. BestiPhoneographyaccessoriesthe shutter speed, which adds a dynamic sense of movement to the scene. If you have an iPhone 11 model, a tripod is not as essential thanks to Night mode.3Use Night modeOn the iPhone 11 models, you can shoot in Night mode when faced with low-light locations. This enables you to capture a handheld long-exposure while keeping camera-shake blur at bay. Night mode produces astonishingly good results, revealing details such as clouds and stars that are not as visible to the naked eye. Your Night mode shots will suffer less from high ISO speed noise.4Read the metadataTo understand the settings that the iPhone uses in low-light locations, click on a picture in your Mac’s Photos app. Click the ‘i’ icon at the top right. This opens a metadata panel that provides you with the photo’s shooting settings such as ISO (sensitivity to light). The higher the ISO speed, the more sensitive to light your iPhone will be. A high ISO speed such as 2,000 will add ugly particles of picture noise to your low-light shot. When faced with a high ISO speed shot, click on Edit and use the Noise Reduction slider to smooth out the noise.5Shoot in rawPhoto file formats such as HEIC and JPEG compress an image to so that it takes up less space. This makes it harder to reveal colour and detail in low-light shots. With an uncompressed image, such as a .DNG (Digital Negative), you can restore missing detail without revealing as many nasty compression artefacts.Mini Tripod£39.95manfrotto.comThis mini tripod and universal iPhone clamp enable you to capture rock-steady clips and Live Photos. Its small size gives you dramatic low-angle shots. It’s also great for capturing motion blur during long exposures.LED Light Lumimuse£89 manfrotto.comThe ‘Light it up kit’ enables you to light your photo or video subject from an angle and reveal more detail in low-light locations. The kit includes a mini tripod and an LED Light Lumimuse, and you can adjust the intensity of the light.Muvi X-Lapse£12.95amazon.co.ukOn a tripod, your iPhone can capture stunning time-lapse clips that show the ebb and flow of people or clouds at high speed. This clear clockwork tripod rotates very slowly, adding a smooth pan to your time-lapse clips.FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 69|

After shooting a photo or capturing a clip, you may need to tweak its colour, tone and composition to improve it. Fortunately, iOS 13’s Photos app boasts a powerful digital darkroom to counteract common problems. It can also process footage using the same tools, helping clips to make the grade.1Tints and castsYour iPhone needs to capture true colours under various lighting conditions. Get your photos and clips looking their best This can be a challenge due to the different colour temperatures of light. Daylight can cause a shot to look too cold and blue. Artificial light can make skin tones look too warm and orange. Your Camera app will perform an Auto White Balance (AWB) operation to capture cast-free colours. If it can get white objects to be free of blue or orange casts, the rest of the image will have cast-free colours too. If your shots still suffer from colour casts you can counteract these in the Photos app. Tap Edit, then tap the Adjust icon and swipe to the Warmth slider. Drag it left to warm up a cold blue shot or right to cool down a warm orange cast. You can also remove green or magenta colour tints using the Tint slider. Drag it left to counteract a green tint or right to reduce magenta. These fixes will work with stills or clips.2Tonal tweaksIn contrasting lighting conditions, your iPhone may struggle to capture detail in the shadows and the highlights Selectively adjust a back-lit subject to reveal missing shadow and highlight detail.HOW TO Edit Live Photos in iOS 13>1Shoot in Live modeAfter shooting in Live mode, hold your finger on a Live Photo to play a three-second movie. Live Photos can be edited in the Photos app to choose the best frame, adjust colours and tones and even create animations2Set a key frameTap Edit, then tap the Live icon. Trim the start and end point of the Live Photo. Drag the white rectangle to choose the best frame. Tap Make Key Photo to display this frame as the Live photo’s thumbnail.3Adjust clip Tap the Adjust icon and tweak colours and tones to make the clip look its best. Here we’ve increased the Vibrance amount to boost the saturation of the Live Photo’s weaker colours without oversaturating stronger ones.70 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020 macformat.com @macformatMaster image/video editing

macformat.com @macformatTap the F icon then dial in more (or less) background blur.4Animate the clipWhen viewing a Live Photo, swipe up to access its animation tools. Loop plays the clip then mixes it back to the start. Bounce works well with animals as it plays the clip backwards and forwards to create repetitive movement. 5Slow shutter effects On a DSLR camera you can close the aperture and use a slow shutter speed to add motion blur to moving people of objects. You can mimic this technique by applying the Long Exposure animation to your Live Photo.6Long ExposureWe shot this Live Photo on a tripod so that only the people would move. The Long Exposure effect blurred the moving people while keeping the train looking sharp. This technique can turn ocean waves into abstract foamy streaks. Sharing images on social media and elsewhere(even when shooting an HDR image). The Adjust panel’s Shadows slider enables you to lighten underexposed shadows without overexposing highlights. The Highlights slider claws back any missing sky detail without underexposing a darker landscape.3DistortionIf you shoot a tall building from a low angle its vertical walls appear to converge inwards towards the top of the frame. This phenomenon is called perspectival distortion. If you use an Ultra Wide lens, you’ll want to embrace this perspectival distortion as a feature of wide-angle photography. However, when using other lenses you can process the picture to make the walls of a building run parallel with the side edges of the frame. Tap Edit, then tap the Crop icon. Tap the Vertical correction icon. Drag the slider right to reduce vertical perspectival distortion. 4Fun with filtersThe Camera app’s Filter icon enables you to quickly grade a photo or clip’s colours and tones to produce a wide range of looks in seconds. Nine thumbnails act as springboards to create striking effects such as Vivid Warm or Dramatic Cool. You can also produce high-contrast mono effects such as Silvertone. The strength of each filter can be dialled down to achieve a more subtle look.After processing your pics, you may want to share them with friends, family and social media followers. Some social media sites will present a cropped version of your shot. For example, if you share a portrait photo on Twitter, it may be presented in a landscape box that cuts off key parts of the image (such as the subject’s head). Consider cropping a portrait shot as a landscape shape in Photos. Tap Edit, then tap Crop and tick the landscape icon. Drag inside the crop window to reframe the subject. Tap Done. Tap Share, then tap your chosen social media app’s icon. Crop a shot so that key areas will display in your Twitter feed.The Photos app lets you apply filters either before or after you shoot to help you create a specific look.FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 71|

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What’s inside 73SEEK AND SEARCHLost something? Forget hunting round the house, use a tracker74-76QUITE A FOLLOWINGPlay the tag game to keep hold of all your precious kit 76-77FAB FINDERSA look at the best trackers on the market EDITED BYALEX COXhere did I put my keys?Calling them reveals that they are, for some reason, in the tumble drier. Where did my son stash the remote control? Why, naturally, it’s in the bathroom, just where you’d expect to find it. My wallet? Oh, that was in my pocket. The point stands.Being able to make my household items ring is, at least in the context of everything I grew up with, an absolutely ludicrous luxury. One of my key skills is my ability to work backwards and map out the location of random items in my house, because I’ve spent the last 38 years dumping things wherever – it’s my main contribution to the household.Realistically, I’ll still be the guy that galumphs his way around the house sighing deeply while finding that one hairclip that my daughter absolutely must have for school, but only because she’d look silly with a tracker stuck to her head. Don’t think I haven’t considered it.These days it’s okay to be an incredibly disorganised and forgetful person. Seriously. Today’s tracking technology means many of us barely have to think at all…WThe smart home is here – live the Apple dream today!LIVE SMARTERFEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 73| Card-shaped trackers are a great idea, but we’d recommend not putting your wallet in your back pocket.Image credit: TileContact usEmail your queries and your questions to [email protected] up to date by following us on Twitter @macformatJoin the conversation at facebook.com/macformatGet the latest subscription offers at macformat.com

74 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020 Tracking doesn’t, it’s fair to say, have the finest reputation. Few of us actively seek it out, but none of us can avoid it. The web’s biggest entities keep tabs on you everywhere you go online – something which has been one of the most powerful drivers in the rise of VPNs. Automated facial recognition threatens to follow us around on the streets (do we wear full-face masks next?) and tomorrow’s connected cars will, for all their new smarts, no doubt report back on our activities on the road. Even your phone collects a whole host of data; if they need to, the authorities can determine your precise location by triangulating the signal strength of the cell masts your handset is connected to. You’re being tracked, whether you agree to it or not, and while the data that’s being collected often is more on a device level and rarely directly connected to your identity, it’s not a comfortable thing.But there’s a less sinister aspect of tracking, one where you’re in control. Something that might actually help you sleep better at night. Tracking your devices – and, indeed, all of your personal property – is something you should be doing; it can protect you against theft, doubly so if you lock down your devices using secure methods, and (most importantly) it’ll act as some small defence against you losing that expensive device.Apple has been the leader in device tracking for some time – Find My iPhone set the standard starting back in 2010, using cellular tracking to (mostly) pinpoint the location of a lost device. It did ask you to jump through a number of hoops though – your device needed power, the battery-draining Location Services function switched on, and phone service – and it only worked if the stray device doing the tracking was connected to the same iCloud account as the trackee. Find MyFind My Friends utilised the tech in a slightly different way, allowing you to see where your buddies’ devices were, though the initial implementation (which basically let you perform unfettered snooping) was toned down somewhat after that initial launch. The big problem here hasn’t necessarily been privacy, since setting up a link required two-way permission, and the service could be disabled at any time, but one of battery and data: the pull and push of location transfer is heavy on the hardware, and live tracking tends to destroy battery life.Note the past tense there. 2019 marks a big jump – while tracking was added to a host of different devices in the meantime, Find My is now an app in its own right, rolling together the two services APPLE HOMETrack and findImage credits (left to right): Chipolo, TileWant to keep tabs on your luggage while travelling? Try throwing in a tracking device that has a good Bluetooth range.Find My’s lost device network can show you where your Apple kit is, even if it’s hundreds of miles away.a n d e everything else

FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 75| The Find My app looks set to have a new target beyond iOS devices and Apple’s AirPods.Poking around the underlying elements of iOS 13, Apple detectives found references to an item called a ‘Tag’, with the same overall file structure as other proximity-paired devices, as far back as April. Later updates revealed a name – AirTags – and apparently-leaked screenshots have shown these things interacting with Find My in the same way as a lost device.Tag teamThis means that, in all likelihood, Apple will soon be launching its own line of tracking tags, putting the company head to head with established competitors like Tile and Orbit. Apple will be entering the game already holding the higher hand. Integration with the Find My app and its own iBeacon location network is a big plus, and providing the design is right (early assets suggest it’ll be a subtle circular design) and the price isn’t too crazy, we’d imagine a multi-pack is something of a future must buy. No word yet, though, on if the AirTag will feature an internal speaker, or on when it’ll actually hit the shelves. We’ll keep you posted.Got a flighty feline? Attach a tracker and you’ll literally be able to make them ring.Will Apple’s new tracker look like this? Quite possibly.Bags of AirTags

Orbit Glasses£34.99, findorbit.comOrbit’s rechargeable arm-mounted device can help you find your glasses – it even includes a speaker, so you can call them. It does mean, though, that you’ll need to plug in your glasses now and then.Tile Sticker£34.99 (two-pack), thetileapp.comIt’s a little conspicuous, but Tile’s sticker attaches firmly to anything you want it to – we tried one on a frequently-disappearing remote, and it was very effective. No replaceable battery, though.Orbit Card£34.99, findorbit.comThinner (just) than Tile’s three-year Slim tracker, Orbit’s Card is something you can pretty much just put in your wallet and forget about – at least until its battery needs charging (around three months.) into one and adding more functionality besides. It’s still able to do the sanitised location-checking of Find My Friends, and it’s capable of seeking out an iPad, iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch or a set of AirPods, and could soon to be able to find a host more things too (see Bags of AirTags). There’s a lot you can do with Find My, first of which is (yes) finding things. Opening up any of your linked devices shows when and where it was last recorded, giving you an idea of its location even if its battery has run flat – iPhones and iPads can, when they’re critically low, be set to automatically throw a marker up to iCloud so Find My will be capable of seeking them out – and offering up a number of additional options like emitting an audible tone so a locally lost device can make itself known. Beyond locating, Find My can also dish up a measure of security. If you’ve lost a device and can contact it, you can lock it down and add a message for the finder, or even go full bore and erase it if you suspect it’s fallen into the wrong hands. Beacon of hopeFind My’s core hasn’t changed drastically, but one of its most significant upgrades is that it no longer requires any kind of network connectivity at all. Apple’s iBeacon tech is the key: while it’s commonly been used for smart geofencing applications, it allows compatible devices to periodically pulse a low energy Bluetooth signal even when that phone or tablet is in Airplane mode. When any Apple device – not just one from the same owner – picks up that signal from a device marked as lost, it throws up a cryptographically secure report to iCloud of that device’s location. This doesn’t mean everyone knows your lost phone is under that sofa cushion, but iCloud certainly does, and Find My does in turn. And don’t worry about further tracking; the path from your lost device to your seeker is kept private, and if you’re part of the network that helps someone find their lost device, you’ll never know or be able to know. It’s a very smart solution, basically repurposing tech that’s been around for a while; iBeacon first landed with iOS 7 devices over six years ago.APPLE HOMETrack and findAttaching a Tile-type tracker is so easy and, when you need it, it’ll find your missing kit.76 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020Three ways to track anythingImage credits (left to right, top to bottom): Orbit USA, Tile, Orbit USA, Tile

Track and find APPLE HOMEPicking up a tracking gadget is a double whammy: they’ll let you find your things or, if you’ve already found your things, they’ll let you find your phone. A two-way street of efficient finding! And while cool features like 30-day GPS tracking and location-based alerts to remind you (perhaps too late) when you’ve left the house without your keys are locked behind a Premium subscription, we’re definitely leaning towards the Tile Mate as our favourite. It’s just a very mature device, with a strong network backing it up and an excellent app. Right now it’s the best tracker, and tracker ecosystem, you can get.Will it still be our favourite when Apple sinks its teeth into the market? Honestly, that depends on the execution. Tile is great, but Apple’s tech has been thoroughly tested through iOS devices and, as of Catalina, as part of macOS. Find My is a well appointed app that does its job with minimal fuss. All that remains is the hardware – and with three strong competitors already showing how it’s done, we struggle to imagine Apple doing a bad job. Probably the smartest-presented on test, Orbit’s smooth and rounded-off aluminium-cased circle feels sturdy and, despite the generous opening for its internal speaker, it’s IPX6 rated for water resistance, with a tool included to unscrew it when it’s time to replace the battery.Unlike the others, the Orbit’s activation button sits on the side of the case; this is, arguably, a better location, as it mostly avoids accidental presses, though it can be a little fiddly to reach, particularly if you’re trying to use the Keys’ selfie remote feature in a hurry.We were impressed with the Bluetooth range, and Orbit runs its own tracking network – though we’d wager the sample size is on the smaller end, so crowd-finding your keys may be tough. Not the lightest out of the three (that honour goes to Chipolo) but definitely not something that’s going to weigh down your keyring or cat’s collar, Tile’s rounded-square Mate is an attractive and sturdy option. We found it had the highest range of all three, and was the fastest to wake up when it was time to track.We wouldn’t put a huge amount of money on its resilience over time (a week on a keyring saw it somewhat scuffed up) and the front-mounted button is somewhat too easy to accidentally activate, but at least the battery is easy to replace through a sliding cover on the rear.The real win here is the network: Tile is a well established brand with a large number of users, meaning a higher chance of finding your lost items. All of these trackers are, realistically, incredibly similar. They do the same job. Chipolo’s circular Classic, about half a millimetre larger in radius than the Orbit Keys, is the boldest in design, with a bright colour and a hidden button activated by simply squeezing the device. It also contains a speaker which, despite only the tiniest output hole, manages to be loud enough for the job.The big problem here is not the technology – we were able to activate it from a decent distance, and there’s the requisite whisper network for finding further afield – but one of strength. Testing the Classic on a set of keys in a back pocket, the casing came apart on two separate occasions, which is not the most reassuring experience. Orbit KeysTile MateChipolo ClassicFind your keys, your coat, or even your pets with these trackersThe best keyring trackers+++++++++++++++ £23.25 FROM findorbit.com SPECS 34x9mm, 20g £19.99 FROM thetileapp.com SPECS 35x35x6.2mm, 6g £23 FROM chipolo.net SPECS 35x5mm, 5gOne of the coolest trackers out thereTile MateTile’s Premium subscription provides 30-day GPS tracking and location based alerts.FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 77| Image credits (left to right, top to bottom): Orbit USA, Tile, Chipolo, TileTHE WINNER

BACK ISSUES Collect them allMissed an issue?Complete your collection of the UK’s No.1 magazine for Apple fansDownload back issues onto your iOS device at any time and keep them forever in your personal library. bit.ly/macformatipadTo order back issues of the print magazine, go to bit.ly/macformat_backor phone +44 (0)844 848 2852and we’ll post them out to you.NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! SUBSCRIBE TODAY!IN PRINT & ON iOSOur print and digital bundle gets you the real magazine and our digital edition for iPad and iPhone. myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/macformatON YOUR MACRead on the big screen, too! If you prefer to read MacFormat magazine on a Mac, then subscribe with Zinio at bit.ly/ziniomacf IN PRINT ON iPAD & iPHONEISSUE 346 DECEMBER 2019 87 time-saving Mac tips! iPad 10.2in – is it the best yet? Gift guide: 50 high-tech essentials AirPods Pro revealedISSUE 347 JANUARY 2020 Verdict: new 16-inch MacBook Pro! 54 reasons to love your Apple kit Use your iPad as a Mac replacement Tested: Password managersISSUE 345 NOVEMBER 2019 macOS Catalina special! iPhone 11 Pro – is it worth it? iPhone 11 & Watch Series 5 reviewed The best augmented reality apps78 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020 macformat.com @macformat

EDITED BYROB MEAD-GREENFEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 79| Awarded to a five-star product we believe is truly exceptional in its category. Given solely at the discretion of the Editor. Given to a hardware or software product that might not be the very best in its category, but is noted for affordability. Our group test winner gets this award for being the best of its kind when pitted against other comparable products. The MACFORMAT Awards Manifesto – our ratings explained Our reviews are totally independent; we’re not affiliated with Apple or anyone else, nor are we influenced by advertisers. You can trust us to give an honest assessment of a product’s worth.The prices quoted for products are correct at the time of writing and are the best we can find from a reputable online dealer, excluding delivery. +++++ A brilliant thing in all regards, and worth every penny+++++ Strongly recommended; any flaws are only minor concerns+++++ Worth considering, though there may be better options+++++ Notable flaws; look at alternatives as a priority+++++ A waste of your money and everyone’s time; do not buy!Our authoritative reviews help you make more informed choicesBUYING ADVICEWhat’s inside HARDWARE80 Sonos Move 82 Blue Designs Yeti X 83 AOC Q27T184 Logitech MX Collection mouse and keyboard85 HEAD TO HEADBest alternative Twitter apps86-89 GROUPTEST The best in-ear wireless headphonesSOFTWARE90 Adobe Premiere Elements 202092 Mission Control Plus, Jenny LeClue – Detectivu93Pixelmator Photo94Night Sky 795Dead Cells, Podcast Alarm96-97 APP ROUND-UP 6 apps to help you get fitter and healthierAOC Q27T1 p83

APPLE CHOICE Mac/iOS hardwareSonos Move extends Sonos’ reach into your garden and beyond, albeit via Bluetooth rather than by expanding its network onto 4G.For a ‘portable’, water-resistant, drop-protected wireless speaker, the Move weighs a hefty 3kg and retails at £399 – that’s a fair bit heavier and more expensive than most of its ‘direct’ rivals. However, it sounds a whole lot better than most of its rivals, too.The Move sits comfortably at number 1 in a field of one in the £399 outdoor wireless speaker category, while simultaneously taking on the likes of the Naim Mu-so Qb 2 and Bose’s Home Speaker range, as well as the Ultimate Ears’ range of waterproof, portable speakers. It’s not the sexiest-looking speaker, it’s just pretty understated. There are three buttons on the back for setup, power and connectivity, and controls on top to change volume, mute, skip tracks and turn Alexa or Google on and off.For indoors, there’s 4x4, dual-band Wi-Fi with the option of gigabit Ethernet. The Move sits on a very attractive, although barely noticeable, charging pad, and there’s also the option to charge it via USB-C.The speaker uses the same app as all other Sonos speakers, and it can access all the same streaming options – and it supports the all-new Amazon Music HD streaming service, and works with AirPlay 2.Outdoors, the Sonos Move uses Bluetooth 4.2 with AAC and SBC support for improved audio quality. In Bluetooth mode, it’s set up and used just like any Bluetooth speaker – that is, you do not use Sonos’ app. Instead, you stream from Spotify, Tidal or other apps, or use the music on your device. If you’re only going to the garden, you may be able to stay on your home network, as Sonos has increased the Wi-Fi range, just don’t wander too far.The speaker is not waterproof but it is water- and dust-resistant to an IP56 rating. That means it can put up with heavy rain for a limited period, but not total immersion in water. The tough silicone base means it can sit happily on a variety of surfaces, and it’s been Considerably more expensive than most outdoor, wireless speakers, but also considerably better.+++++ Excellent sound Rugged and water resistant Hefty for a ‘portable’ speaker Audio takes a hit when on BluetoothVERDICTtested to withstand being dropped on to concrete from a metre or so. The ‘shadow black’ finish is also designed to stand up to the UV assault of the sun.You get 10 hours of music playback, with a power-saving mode keeping it alive for five days if you don’t use it. The battery is user-replaceable and Sonos will sell replacement batteries, but there’s no word on pricing yet.Top MoveWhile you can quibble about the overall portability of the Sonos Move, the genius of it is that it sounds and acts like any other Sonos speaker, yet it can venture outdoors as well. Audio quality is roughly comparable to the Sonos One when you’re on Wi-Fi and it doesn’t lose too much definition when you go outside and switch to Bluetooth. You can even pair two Moves into a stereo pair, though only indoors. The Move also boasts Automatic TruePlay, which adapts the sound to the speaker’s position in a room, and the room’s acoustic properties. Alexa’s far-field mics – also used to receive commands to Alexa and Google – analyse the sound bouncing back to it from walls and furniture, and adjusts the sound to suit. It works. The speaker sounds really good. It projects a lot of bass from a relatively small box, and has a wide sound field, although you don’t get full 360º sonic projection. You do lose some sound quality with Bluetooth – there’s no aptX support so this might be more noticeable if your phone uses that instead of AAC – but not to a catastrophic degree. The downward-firing tweeter and well-braced woofer – braced so that dropping the speaker doesn’t destroy it – seem to cover a multitude of sins with lower quality sources.The Sonos’ app is quite unwieldy, but that’s a reflection of how many services it works with and the range of features – such as multiroom elements, network storage connections, voice control setup, etc – packed into it. The Move is a premium portable, rugged speaker that provides Sonos audio quality. DUNCAN BELLThe Sonos Move sits at number 1 in a field of one!80 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020Sonos MoveThe most luxe, water-resistant, rugged ‘portable’ speaker£399 FROM sonos.com FEATURES Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (2.4GHz/5GHz), Gigabit Ethernet, weatherproof to IP56, AirPlay 2 compatibleImage credit: Sonos

macformat.com @macformatFEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 81| When winter’s over, you might like to invest in a Sonos Move for your outdoor listening needs…

APPLE CHOICE Mac/iOS hardwareBlue Designs Yeti XA brilliant mic with even better software£159.99 FROM Blue Designs, bluedesigns.com FEATURES Four-capsule condenser array, LED voice indicator, companion app, two control buttons A superb mic that’s perfect for podcasts, streaming and more. + + + + +++ Clear audio recordings Blue VO!CE plugin is superb Helpful LED indicator Quick and easy setupVERDICTRecordings are crisp and clear and sound fantastic82 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020 macformat.com @macformatheadset, and mute your input). The LED indicator seems like such an obvious addition, but it makes a world of difference during recordings – no need to keep glancing at your Mac to check audio levels. You can even customise the LED colour. And if you want to switch recording modes on the fly, there’s a button on the back.The biggest benefit is on the software side. The Yeti X comes with the Blue VO!CE effects suite bundled in, and is a fantastic companion to the mic. Blue VO!CE is essentially a plugin for Logitech’s G Hub app, and enables you to apply a variety of one-click filters and presets that can quickly adjust your voice to achieve a different sound. There are presets for Warm and Vintage, for example, or Crisp and Modern, and if you want more control you can tweak the EQ, compressor levels, noise reduction and more. It’s a superb tool whether you want quick adjustments or more control.The Yeti X may be overkill if you just want to chat to your friends on Skype, but if you record podcasts or stream games, it’s an inspired choice. The LED indicator is a clever touch, while the Blue VO!CE plugin is an essential tool that puts professional-sounding audio within your grasp. ALEX BLAKEThese days, streaming and podcasting are big business.If you’re looking to get a slice of the pie without spending a small fortune, the Blue Designs Yeti X mic is the ideal place to start. It’s the next step up in the Yeti line, and comes with a number of extra features that easily justify its higher asking price.One of those additions is the new four-capsule condenser array inside the mic. While that sounds complex, the outcome is that recordings are crisp and clear and sound fantastic. We certainly weren’t disappointed when we reviewed the Yeti Nano back in MF #333, but the Yeti X goes even further. We were also impressed with the setup, which was quick and simple thanks to the included Micro-USB cable; if all you want is to be up and recording in no time, the Yeti X fits the bill perfectly. It’s designed to be plug and play, so providing you have an app to record your voice (we used Logitech’s excellent G Hub), it should be recognised straight away.The levellersBut it’s the extra features where this mic really excels. The Yeti X adds an LED-based indicator to the front of the device. This shows mic levels in real time, letting you know if you need to adjust the gain or turn things down a bit using the multi-function knob on the front (this can also be used to blend audio output sources, such as from your Mac and your The Blue Designs Yeti X features a new four-capsule condenser array for superior recordings.The microphone’s bidirectional mode is perfect for recording your podcast shows.

AOC Q27T1Good-looking – before it’s even been switched on£279 FROM AOC, eu.aoc.com FEATURES 27in zero-edge IPS, Quad HD (2560x1440) display, 2x HDMI 1.4 ports, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x headphone jack A few minor issues aside, this is a great-looking monitor at an affordable price. + + + + +++ Gorgeous screen Lovely design No USB 3.0 support No height adjustmentVERDICTThe Q27T1 hits the sweet spot as far as mainstream monitors goFEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 83| display, and found that the default settings delivered bright, vibrant colours. The on-screen controls are functional and offer a wide range of options. We easily managed to get the monitor set up for colour accuracy – enabling us to realistically reflect print work. The colour gamut coverage is decent too, with 107% sRGB. The Q27T1 performs brilliantly as an entertainment monitor too – we were able to enjoy Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on Netflix with no obvious light leaks around the edge and with rich, deep blacks in darker scenes. Overall, the Q27T1 completes well against higher-priced panels. Placed side by side with a £600 IPS monitor during testing, we were hard pressed to tell the difference between the two at times.It’s not all good news. The fixed stand means there’s no height or angle adjustment and, while the price is pretty reasonable, you are probably paying a bit of a premium for the Studio FA Porsche name.The 75Hz refresh rate and 5ms response time mean that it’s not necessarily the best choice as a gaming display, although it does boast FreeSync support to sync the panel’s refresh rate with the framerate from the GPU.The AOC Q27T1 is definitely a strong contender in the Quad HD/QHD display market, and the issues we’ve highlighted are minor. If you’re looking for a monitor that combines attractive aesthetic design and impressive performance to complement your existing Mac setup, this is a great choice. PAUL BLACHFORDWhile a lot of engineering effort goes into a monitor’s internal build, when it comes to external appearance many end up as bland black rectangles perched on clumsy stands. AOC’s 27-inch Q27T1, however, shows there’s another way. Designed by Studio FA Porsche, the smart-looking monitor comprises a very thin, zero-edge, 2560x1440 resolution Quad HD IPS panel on a sculptural-looking asymmetric stand. The detailing doesn’t stop there – on the back there’s a really neat cover for the I/O inputs, with just a small opening for the cables. Here you’ll find two HDMI 1.4 ports, a DisplayPort, a 3.5mm headphone socket and power in. There’s no USB-C support, unfortunately, so you’ll need an adapter if you have a recent MacBook Pro, and there’s no USB 3.0 support either.Work and p la yWith Quad HD (AKA QHD) resolution on board, the Q27T1 hits the sweet spot as far as mainstream monitors go – 4K screens can bring potential hardware limitations with older Macs. We connected a 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro via DisplayPort to test the Even the rear has had some lovely attention to detail, with the I/O ports getting a cover.Image credit: AOCThe stylish metal stand supports a very clear, sharp display.

APPLE CHOICE Mac hardware£99.99 each FROM Logitech, logitech.com FEATURES Mouse – Bluetooth, electromagnetic scrolling wheel, gesture button, thumb wheel; keyboard – Bluetooth, full size, numeric keyboard, programmable keys, backlight Expensive - and a bit complicated - but this power mouse/keyboard combo will earn its keep.+ + + + + + + Versatile multi-computer connectivity Good battery life Programmable ExpensiveVERDICTThe multi-computer versatility is the real strength hereImage credit: Logitech84 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020Logitech MX Collection mouse and keyboardfull-size Magic Keyboard, which costs £129 with numeric keypad. Both the mouse and keyboard have USB-C ports for charging the internal battery, with the mouse providing 70 days of battery life, while the keyboard should last for up to five months (although late-night coders who use the keyboard’s backlight a lot may drain the battery a bit more quickly).Looking at optionsThe Options app can be used to control both the mouse and keyboard and, as well as providing predefined commands for apps such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop, it can use the little USB receiver provided with each device to pair the mouse and keyboard with up to three Macs and/or PCs at the same time; the mouse and keyboard simply follow you as you switch from one computer to the other. And, if both computers are on the same network, you can even use the mouse to drag and drop files.Our only minor complaint is that Logitech doesn’t provide a proper manual for the Options app. This is particularly confusing as you can connect the mouse and keyboard using either Bluetooth or the USB receiver, and it took a fair bit of head scratching before we were able to get an iMac and MacBook Air to share the keyboard and mouse properly. It’s worth persevering, though, as that multi-computer versatility is the real strength of the MX Master 3 and MX Keys, and they’ll earn their keep if you regularly need to work with more than just one computer. CLIFF JOSEPHFor Mac power users who want to use their mouse and keyboard to the full, Logitech’s new MX Collection mouse and keyboard provide an impressive – if expensive – alternative to Apple’s own offerings.The MX Collection consists of the MX Master 3 mouse and its matching MX Keys keyboard, both of which cost £99.99 each (plus an extra £10 if you want the optional wrist rest for the keyboard). That’s a lot of money – and it’s a shame that Logitech doesn’t provide a discounted bundle.The mouse and keyboard can be used as standard Bluetooth devices, but they both include an additional USB adapter that acts as a radio transmitter and provides additional features when used with Logitech’s Options app. The MX Master 3, in particular, is a marvel of modern design, with an electro-magnetic mechanism for the scrolling wheel that is virtually silent and frictionless, and allows you to quickly and smoothly scroll through long documents or web pages. There’s a second wheel for horizontal scrolling placed by your thumb, along with additional buttons that can be programmed to perform functions using Logitech’s Options app (although it’s a shame that the mouse is only suitable for right-handed people).We like the design of the MX Keys keyboard, which looks similar to Apple’s slimline Magic Keyboard, but feels a bit more solid, and more suitable for heavy-duty typing or coding. It’s also less expensive than the Versatile control for multiple computers The keyboard and mouse look good, work well, and boast excellent battery life.

Head to head APPLE CHOICEFEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 85| macformat.com @macformat£7.99 FROM Iconfactory, twitterific.com/mac NEEDS OS X 10.11.6 or laterAesthetics + + +++Twitterific goes for a more colourful interface, with a number of themes and app icons that don’t feel particularly suited to the macOS aesthetic. Twitterific moves its options to a bar at the top of the app though, so that takes up less space on the screen. Features + + +++While Twitterific’s interface is simpler than Tweetbot’s, it also boasts some handy features, including the ability to have multiple windows open so you can view your Likes, Mentions, and so on all at the same time. We like Muffles, which minimise, rather than remove, filtered tweets.Customisation + + + + + +Twitterific offers a huge range of customisation options with four light and six dark themes, nine different dock icons and four avatar shapes to choose from. More useful is the ability to record keyboard shortcuts. There’s no way to edit account details as yet, surprisingly.Search +++ + +The search option in Twitterific enables you to choose between tweets and people from the top bar, and you can save your searches for later access. The app also lists trends right below the search bar, so you can easily see what’s happening at a glance.RS£9.99 FROM Tapbots, tapbots.com NEEDSOS X 10.12 or laterTweetbotAesthetics +++++Tweetbot offers a very modern, macOS-style application with a translucent sidebar. It feels at home on macOS Catalina, with bold fonts and a simple black and white colour scheme. You can also view multiple Twitter timelines in a single window using the app’s Column view.Features +++++Tweetbot offers a handy menu bar icon that you can use to view tweets, DMs and mentions. It’s also a great way to quickly compose a tweet. The Profile section prominently displays follower count. You can also see when, and from which device, a tweet was sent by clicking on it.Customisation +++++Tweetbot enables you to edit your display image, header image, account name and description straight from the profile page. There’s also a Light and a Dark mode. The app also lets you set font size and choose between square or circular avatars. Video autoplay can also be disabled. Search +++++Tweetbot’s search bar gives you the option to look for either tweets or users, and you can save your search terms to access them more quickly next time. For some reason, trends is hidden away in a submenu, making it just a little bit harder to see what the current hot topic is.TwitterificVERDICTTweetbot’s simple interface, extensive customisation options and comprehensive feature list make it a good alternative to Twitter’s own app.+++++Twitterific offers a wide variety of customisation options and features that should please most users. It’s not as fully featured as Tweetbot, however.+++++Twitter alternatives for Mac

86 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020A choice selection of Bluetooth buds for all your listening needsBEST IN-EARWIRELESSHEADPHONESReviewed by SRIVATS LAKSHMANON TEST...>Apple AirPods Pro>Libratone Track Air+>M&D MWO7 Plus>Sony WF-1000XM3>Jabra Evolve 65t

Not all earphones follow the same form. Some like the Libratone Track Air+ have a very different design.FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 87| earphones tend to have limited battery life, which is why each of the pairs on test also comes with a charging case – this enables you to pop the earbuds back into the case at the end of a listening session to boost their power up again. We’ve tested for active listening time and how much extra time you get from the charging cases. Note that we’ve listed the maximum times we got from the earbuds; activating noise cancellation does have an impact on battery life.We’ll also look at how robust each of the earbuds on test are and how likely they are to cope with a sweaty gym session or even a soaking in a downpour. An IPX4 rating means they’re splash-resistant, an IPX5 rating means they’re hardier still. … or lower?Cambridge Audio Melomania 1£119.95cambridgeaudio.com If price is critical then CA’s Melomania 1 offer nine hours of listening on a single charge. Sound quality is good too.out and find which ones work best. Long-term comfort is also important – if they’re hurting, then you’re not going to want to wear them.3Battery lifeGood earbuds should offer around five to six hours of listening per charge (without noise cancellation), and ideally around 20-24 hours with the accompanying charging case. This will get you through the week for most uses, unless you wear your headphones all day. 4UsabilityInput methods are important. Some earbuds offer tapping as an input method, others offer buttons. It’s important to know which system works best for you. All of the buds on test work with Siri voice control.Wireless earbuds APPLE CHOICEHow we tested We connected each of these buds to an iPhone 11, and ran a series of music and call tests both indoors and outdoors. We tested the earphones with a variety of music, with and without noise cancellation. Higher…B&O BeoPlay E8 2.0 True Wireless£279.99bang-olufsen.com These luxury in-ear buds, which come with a Qi-enabled case, offer 16 hours of playtime and exceptional sound.1Sound qualityWhether you’re into rock or classical, pop or podcasts, the earbuds you choose should suit the kind of sounds you’re into. Expect crisp, clean highs, reasonably deep but tuneful bass and realistic-sounding mid-range vocals. If cymbals sound splashy, bass is woolly or distorted and vocals are excessively sibilant you might want to make a different choice. Ideally, the earbuds should offer acoustically transparent, balanced sound.2ComfortEars come in a variety of different shapes and sizes and that means finding the best fitting, most comfortable earbuds is key. The earbuds in this test come with different-sized silicone tip options so you can try them Choosing a good pair of wireless earbuds is a tricky process. There are so many options across so many price points, it’s often easy to get lost when trying to make a decision. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. This test pits some of the most popular in-ear wireless headphones against each other, with prices ranging from £179 to £279. Crucially, each pair of earbuds in our line-up is equipped with noise cancellation technology. This helps cut out background sounds, enabling you to focus on what you’re listening to – perfect for commuting on a train or plane or trying to focus on that email in a noisy café.There’s no set of buds that plays as well with your iPhone as Apple’s AirPods. Thanks to their built-in H1 chip, the AirPods (and new AirPods Pro – on test here) offer handy features such as a battery status widget, hands -free Hey Siri and audio sharing that make them super-easy to use. Other earbuds offer different features, functions and input methods and we’ll explore these too.Battery lif eWith great features comes even greater battery demand. Due to their small size, wireless Due to their small size, wireless earphones tend to have limited battery life macformat.com @macformatThings to consider…Everything you need to know before getting started

macformat.com @macformat88 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020Thanks to Apple’s H1 chip, the AirPods Pro are by far the easiest to pair. There’s no app, no button pressing and no confusion. Just open the lid and bring the case near your iPhone and you are good to go. Pairing Master & Dynamic’s MW07 Plus is also quick and easy – just pop the earbuds into your ears and pair them via Settings > Bluetooth. There’s no app to download and install, and no need to fiddle around with the earbuds too much either.Libratone’s Track Air+, Sony’s WF-1000XM3 and Jabra’s Evolve 65t all require companion apps to get set up. While this is a small step, it feels unnecessary especially since none of the apps offer much in the way of additional features. Pairing these three is also a little problematic, since each requires you to power on a particular bud and connect, which isn’t as easy as the AirPods.The AirPods Pro sound good, especially with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) turned on. The sound feels natural, with a good balance between the highs and lows. However, Master & Dynamic’s MW07 Plus are better, delivering much clearer highs and stronger bass without compromising the sound too much. Even with ANC switched off, the audio quality is exceptional. Libratone’s TrackAir+ deliver pretty good highs, but aren’t as clean sounding. However, the companion app does have an equaliser (EQ) to help redress the balance. Sony’s WF-1000MX3 offer a balanced sound with ANC active, but the lows get lost when it’s switched off. Like the TrackAir+, Sony’s companion app has an EQ. The HearThrough mode on Jabra’s Evolve 65t mode is the least pleasant of the group, with voices and sound appearing robotic, although with Passive Noise Cancellation (PNC) active there isn’t any issue, and the bass and treble are well balanced.Apple’s AirPods Pro offer a new pinch input mechanism, on a shorter stem. This is quite hard to operate, especially with gloves. A longer stem would have been helpful. The case is also slightly bigger than the original AirPods’. M&D’s MW07 Plus really stand out here. The metallic case houses two marble-like earbuds that are beautiful to look at. They have physical buttons (two on the left earbud for volume, one on the right for other functions) that are large and easy to press. The left bud on Jabra’s Evolve 65t also has a physical volume button, but it’s smaller and harder to press. The buds are also smaller, making them hard to wear/remove. The Libratone TrackAir+ and Sony WF-1000XM3 both offer tapping as an input method. Libratone’s triangular design stands out, and the buds are just the right size to operate. Sony’s buds are very large, and the case isn’t easy to pocket either. At least its colourful finish makes it stand out; the Libratone and Jabra cases are black.With an IPX4 rating for splash resistance, the AirPods Pro can handle both sweat and the average rain shower, while their five-hour battery life makes them great for outdoor runs. Master & Dynamic’s MW07 Plus go further, offering both 10 hours’ listening time between recharges and an IPX5 rating (resistant to jets of water), making them even safer to use outdoors. However, the stainless steel charging case is heavy at 84g, making it less suited for runs. Like the AirPods Pro, Libratone’s TrackAir+ are also IPX4 rated. With six hours on a single charge, they’re good at lasting the day. Sony’s WF-1000MX3 offer eight hours of listening time, but the lack of waterproofing means they’re more suited to commuting than a sweaty workout. Jabra’s Evolve 65t meanwhile offer five hours of listening time, and are water resistant to IPX5 too.TEST RESULTSTEST RESULTSTEST RESULTSTEST RESULTSTest 1 Initial set-upTest 2 Build & batteryTest 3 DesignTest 4 Audio qualityPairing the earbuds for the first timeHow well will the earbuds last?Checking out looks and usabilityHow good do these earbuds sound?Apple AirPods Pro +++++M&D MW07 Plus +++++Libratone Track Air+ +++++Sony WF-1000XM3 +++++Jabra Evolve 65t +++++Apple AirPods Pro +++++M&D MW07 Plus +++++Libratone Track Air+ +++++Sony WF-1000XM3 +++++Jabra Evolve 65t +++++Apple AirPods Pro +++++M&D MW07 Plus +++++Libratone Track Air+ +++++Sony WF-1000XM3 +++++Jabra Evolve 65t +++++Apple AirPods Pro +++++M&D MW07 Plus +++++Libratone Track Air+ +++++Sony WF-1000XM3 +++++Jabra Evolve 65t +++++APPLE CHOICEGroup test

How do they compare?don’t justify their high £265 cost either, thanks to their poor design and so-so sound quality. Master & Dynamic’s MW07 Plus are unique in every way. With their eye-catching design, stainless steel case and great sound quality there’s really no better alternative here – even if they are the most expensive headphones on test at £279. Master & Dynamic’s MW07 Plus won’t let you down. Whether you use ANC or not, the audio quality will keep you immersed in your music. And with up to 10 hours of battery life between recharges, they’ll also get you through the day. macformat.com @macformatFEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 89| Apple’s £249 AirPods Pro very nearly won the test. However, while they are easy to pair with your iPhone and offer great sound quality, usability isn’t as great – their shorter stems making them trickier to get to grips with. At £179, the Libratone Track Air+ are great value for money. They’re the best option if you’re on a tight budget, and we were impressed with the striking triangular design, sound quality and IPX5 water resistance. Sony’s WF-1000XM3 aren’t for everyone. While they offer great sound quality, the lack of waterproofing is a concern; they’re great for commuting, not for running in the rain. Their sheer size is another letdown. Jabra’s Evolve 65t The 10-hour battery life really makes the MW07 Plus stand out from its competitionNote: The final verdict scores reflect the overall opinion of a product and are not necessarily an average of the criteria listed in the table.From design to performance, outstanding is the themeThe MW07 Plus’s earbuds are clearly brilliant sounding, but I still prefer the design and ease of use I get from the AirPods Pro. I get that the new shorter earbud stems makes using them harder if you have larger fingers though.Paul says…> SPECS> Apple AirPods Pro> M&D MW07 Plus> Libratone Track Air+> Sony WF-1000XM3> Jabra Evolve 65tPRICE£249£279£179£220£265WEBSITEapple.com/ukmasterdynamic.comlibratone.com/uksony.co.ukjabra.co.ukBATTERY PER CHARGE (ANC off)5 hours10 hours6 hours8 hours5 hoursWITH CHARGING CASE24 hours40 hours24 hours24 hours15 hoursINPUT METHODPinchPhysical buttonTapTapPhysical buttonCOMPANION APPNoNoYesYesYesWATERPROOFINGIPX4IPX5IPX4NoIPX5BUDS WEIGHT5.4g each9g each5.6g each8.5g eachL 5.8g; R 6.5gCONNECTIVITYBluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.0INITIAL SET-UP+++++++++++++++++++++++++BUILD & BATTERY+++++++++++++ +++++++++++++DESIGN+++++++++++++ +++++++++++++AUDIO QUALITY+++++++++++++++++++++++++> Overall+++++++++++++++++++++++++Wireless earbuds APPLE CHOICETHE WINNERM&D MW07 PlusMaster & Dynamic’s MW07 Plus earbuds come in a variety of different finishes.

APPLE CHOICE Mac softwareLearn how to fill black edges with a blurred version of a portrait-shaped clip.90 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020 macformat.com @macformatAdobe Premiere Elements £86.56 FROM Adobe, adobe.com NEEDS macOS 10.13 or laterTurn long, rambling video clips into slickly edited social media contentLike Apple’s iMovie, Adobe Premiere Elements 2020 is designed to help video makers import, fix and share their raw clips as tightly edited programmes, complete with professional post-production assets such as titles and transitions.As our iPhones can generate HD and 4K footage, we have the problem of managing an ever-growing collection of video assets. This can involve lots of rummaging through folders in an attempt to find particular clips. With the release of Premiere Elements 2020, it is now easier to manage your video collection and find files quickly. Thanks to Adobe Sensei, the Organiser uses artificial intelligence to analyse your video footage and add Smart Tags that cover common subjects such as sunsets, birthdays, dogs, cats and so on. This is similar to the search tool in Apple’s Photos app, which also auto-tags stills and clips with categories. Premiere Elements 2020 can now organise clips according to faces, so you can search through auto-generated stacks to find and label particular people. The Elements Organiser has been able tag photos for years, so it’s good to see that video assets have now become easier to tag and search for in the 2020 version.Premiere’s useful Guided workspace walks you through the video-making process, covering basic techniques such as importing clips and manually trimming them in the Timeline. Step-by-step text instructions are accompanied by pop-up highlights around appropriate buttons and panels in the workspace, so that you can quickly get to know where key editing features are located and how to use them. This gives Premiere Elements 2020 the edge over iMovie, which lacks an interactive workflow guide for editing newcomers. The Guided workspace also teaches you how to make creative edits such as looping and bouncing an action clip. There are new options here, such as Animated Sky. This enables you to create the effect of adding motion to a static photo. As its name suggests, Animated Sky guides you through the step of replacing a photo’s static sky with a range of animated presets such as clouds floating past a sunset. The guide introduces you to the concept of keying, where you replace a selected colour or tone on one layer with footage from a background layer. You can then explore keying in more detail using the tools in the Expert workspace.Premiere’s Guided workspace walks you through the video-making processYou can easily replace a static sky with a colourful animation using the new Guided Edits.

Adobe Premiere Elements 2020 APPLE CHOICE Develop at your own pace from video-editing novice to expert familiar with advanced post-production tools.+++++ Useful Guided Edits Edit multiple layers Reduce picture noise Unable to import .mov filesVERDICTFEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 91| macformat.com @macformatPillarboxingOne problem faced by novice video makers is how to display portrait-oriented clips in a landscape-shaped screen. If you film with your iPhone held vertically then you’ll see black bars on either side of the clip when watching it on a TV or computer display. Premiere Elements 2020’s new Fill Frame Guided edit shows you how to fill the pillarboxed black edges of the frame with a magnified and blurred version of the video clip. This is a common post-production technique used by news and documentary programmes when presenting iPhone sourced portrait-oriented video clips in a more palatable way.Another new Guided Edit is Time-lapse. This demonstrates how to import a series of stills (such as those shot on a camera’s burst mode) and use Time Stretch to change their duration en masse so that they run together as an animated sequence. You can also apply Time Stretch to video clips and make them run faster like a classic time-lapse sequence. When shooting in low light conditions most cameras will increase their ISO speed to capture more detail, but this has the downside of adding noise. Premiere Elements 2020 boasts a Reduce Noise effect that can smooth away digital noise without blurring key features. This is a useful post-production tool as it gives you the freedom to work with footage filmed indoors or at night.Premiere Elements 2020 certainly helps you to gain video editing skills, taking you through the stages from newbie to more accomplished editor. It has the edge over iMovie when it comes to post-production filters and effects, though its titles aren’t as slick and polished. GEORGE CAIRNSUse a range of drag-and-drop templates to produce creative video collages.Premiere Elements enables you to re-time video to create high speed sequences or run stills together to animate them.

Mission Control; you either swear by it or never use it. For users of Macs with large screens especially – where it’s more likely there will be lots of apps running and windows open – it makes it easy to cut through the clutter.However, Mission Control, useful though it is, isn’t perfect. And, sadly, Apple has done little to add to its features over the years. Step forward Mission Control Plus. This handy little app makes Mission Control even more useful, allowing you to £15.99 FROM Mografi, jennyleclue.com NEEDS macOS X 10.8 or later A delightful mystery adventure that’s set to become a genre classic.+ + + + +++ Adorable characters Keyboard controls VERDICT A simple utility that makes macOS’s Mission Control much more useful. + + + + + + + Improves the use of Mission Control Still need to use mouse to point at windowsVERDICTclose windows while they’re all still displayed on screen. It also has a handful of keyboard shortcuts so you can hide windows, open apps, or quit them quickly.In use, Mission Control Plus is deceptively simple. When launched, it sits in the menu bar. Invoke Mission Control and hover over a window; you’ll see an ‘x’ in the top-left corner, indicating that you can close it. And the five keyboard shortcuts can be toggled on or off from the menu bar.That’s all that Mission Control Plus does. If you use Mission Control, you’ll see just how much more useful MCP makes it. If you don’t use it because of its limitations, this app may be enough to persuade you to try it again.KENNY HEMPHILLAPPLE CHOICE Mac softwareWhen you hover over a window in Mission Control, you’ll see an ‘x’ allowing you to close it.92 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020rooms to its creepy night-time vistas, this is a truly beautiful platform game.Jenny steals the show, supported by likeable secondary characters and excellent writing. Though a little slow to start, gameplay is fun and the story interesting, aided tremendously by Jenny’s endearing personality and a generous helping of humour. If you liked point-and-click style Day of the Tentacle, you’ll love Jenny LeClue.The only issue is that the controls are designed for controllers and don’t make use of your mouse; the game could be better optimised for keyboard players. But we’re being picky – really, you won’t mind when everything else is so good. ALEX BLAKEJenny LeClue is an intrepid young detective with a knack for solving crimes. The invention of a troubled author of failing detective fiction, Jenny must embark on a thrilling advenure, with her trusty journal and magnifying glass in hand.Set in the picturesque small town of Arthurton, the game wins hearts with its gorgeous, colourful art style. From its sun-drenched campus and cosy living Image credits (top to bottom): Rony Fadel, Mografi & Joe Russ£3.77 FROM Rony Fadel, fadel.io NEEDS macOS 10.13 or laterMission Control PlusMission Control gets more usefulCharming murder–mystery puzzlerJenny LeClue — DetectivuYou’ll find yourself gawping at the gorgeous graphics…

Editing is quick, easy and powerful with auto-adjust, based on machine learning, available if you want it.Read from the cloud or local drives, and use the excellent preset looks.FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 93| Pixelmator made its name with slick and powerful graphics apps for Mac and iOS, and now it’s brought its experience to bear on photo editing with Pixelmator Photo for the iPad. There are two main ways to access images – from your Photos library or using the Files tab which shows your Files app, Google Drive, or local downloads. iPadOS is also natively supported with the latest update. Editing can be set to destructive or non- destructive, with the latter option creating a linked file so your original isn’t overwritten. All major photo file formats are catered for, including raw. If you’re running iPadOS, you’ll be able to access files on a USB drive as well as from the cloud or internal storage. The editing tools are well laid out and easy to understand. There’s a Machine Learning (ML) button that uses algorithms to auto-adjust a whole image. The main editing section has ML options for some of the individual edit modules, which is perhaps more useful than auto-changing a bunch of parameters at once. The Crop section can guess at a better crop, and also has manual controls. The Repair tool, with adjustable brush size, lets you draw around any item in a picture to remove it. This works well with smaller objects but, as with all such tools, is trickier in areas with lots of surrounding detail. Desktop levelThe main Edit section comes as close as we’ve seen to providing desktop-class photo editing tools on iPad. There are preset looks – all classy and authentic – and excellent colour, tone and exposure controls. Modules can even be locked to prevent accidental input, or switched off. There’s undo, but no history list. Images can be batch edited using various preset actions for cropping, colour treatment, rotating or sizing, and export. You can create your own batch actions. This is restricted to these parameters for now, but it’s still a great timesaver. Export options are solid, with compressed, TIFF and original formats, scaling, and quality settings all available. Adobe Lightroom for iPad is good, but Pixelmator Photo has a nicer workflow and is very affordable, with no ongoing subscription payments. For photographers of all levels, it’s a fantastic way to edit images and get pro results. HOLLIN JONESThe editing tools are well laid out and easy to understand Slick, powerful, easy to use and affordable. The best iPad photo editor around.+ + + + +++ Excellent workflow Desktop-class photo-editing tools Really affordable No edit history viewVERDICT£4.99 FROM Pixelmator Team, pixelmator.com NEEDS iOS 11 or laterPixelmator PhotoIntroducing the iPad’s go–to photo editorImage credit: Pixelmator Team

With Night Sky’s search you can create Quick Find items and filter out specific celestial bodies.In this view, Night Sky overlays city features for perspective as well as displaying celestial features.94 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020APPLE CHOICE iOS softwareThere’s no shortage of iOS apps for stargazers, but Night Sky is one of the oldest and one of the most impressive. Version 7 adds a host of new features, including a new AR app for Apple Watch Series 5 that uses that device’s built-in compass, enabling you to take Night Sky Live tours on the watch.Perhaps the biggest improvement in version 7 is to Sky View, which has 60 million more stars; eight-times higher resolution for light spectrum textures; sunrise/sunset effects; and a new daylight mode. There’s also a brand new interface that looks fantastic and has a new search mode that enables you to filter searches based on the type of celestial body you’re looking for, as well as a Quick Find mode. Plus, there’s a new planetarium feature designed in conjunction with the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. And you can now view the internal structures of planets, as well as test your knowledge of the night sky with a quiz that supports Apple’s ClassKit, so teachers can keep track of students’ scores.Sky-high upgradeThere are a couple of new premium features, too. One of them alerts you to when the Aurora Borealis is most visible and shows the nearest places to view it. Another new premium feature hooks into Apple Health to allow you to record mindfulness minutes while you gaze at the sky. Night Sky is a brilliant app for absolutely anyone interested in astronomy. Its AR features are particularly good, allowing you to walk through portals onto planets and pull celestial bodies out of the sky to look around them. Great fun! We also like the light pollution tool that finds the closest ‘dark’ places to your location. Overall version 7 is a terrific upgrade, but there are a couple of issues. We found that it crashed on our iPhone XR running iOS 13 a few times while we tested it. And, despite a lengthy tutorial, there’s little help available when it comes to using and getting the most from specific features. We also didn’t like being pestered to upgrade to an annual plan seconds after taking out a monthly subscription.KENNY HEMPHILLAR features allow you to walk through portals onto planets and pull celestial bodies out of the sky An excellent learning tool and a lot of fun. We had some performance problems on an iPhone XR.+ + + + +++ Looks beautiful AR portal Light pollution feature Crashes on iPhone XRVERDICTFree, offers in-app purchases FROM iCandi Apps, icandiapps.com NEEDS iOS 11 or laterNight Sky 7See the stars and planets up close Image credit: iCandi Apps





Dead Cells is a gorgeous action platformer that blends deep gameplay with chastening permadeath that erases your progress.While at first the permadeath may be vexing, even a little unfair, in the end you come to regard it with a begrudging respect. As time progresses and your death count rises, you become wiser and more cautious. Instead of rushing into certain doom, you spend time deliberating upgrades and weapon choices, and hone £1.99 FROM Jonathan Wilson, podcastalarm.app NEEDS iOS 12 or later A simple but effective way to schedule favourite podcasts.+ + + + +++ Easy to use Limited discovery optionsVERDICT A beautiful, challenging game that rewards your smart gameplay choices. + + + + +++ Encourages clever, well-planned tactics Button layout can feel a little overwhelmingVERDICTyour play style. In short, you become a better player.Dead Cells accomplishes this without becoming rote by way of its ever-changing maps. These ensure you never become too familiar with a level’s danger spots. The game comes with an impressive level of depth that’s never overwhelming. Enemies are varied and you could come face-to-face with a clever, resilient monster as soon as you restart. There’s a wealth of weapons, shields, buffs and collectibles to find and utilise, letting you craft your loadout to suit your style.The only niggle is that so many controls are packed into the small screen that it becomes frustrating when you tap the wrong button. Other than that, the rewards are plentiful. ALEX BLAKEiOS software APPLE CHOICEDeath is certain, but each failure pushes you to try again.FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 95| multiple podcasts, not just multiple episodes. A smart recommendation system is promised for future releases.You can set an alarm every day or just for specific days of the week. It works fine but there’s no option to gently fade the podcast in; where a podcast begins with adverts it’s rather like having a radio alarm clock set to your local Radio Fab FM with the volume turned up to 11.Dedicated podcast apps such as Overcast are more flexible and useful, with better discovery features and things such as speed control and silence removal. It’s surely a matter of time before there’s an iOS shortcut enabling them to be alarm clocks. CARRIE MARSHALLPodcast Alarm enables you to download your favourite podcasts and use them to wake you up.Podcast Alarm is a straightforward podcast player that also includes an alarm scheduler. Use the basic but effective Discover screen to browse the curated recommendations or search for something interesting, add them to the queue, then assign them to alarms for specific days. The app can automatically download new episodes from favourites and you can create a queue from Image credits (top to bottom): Playdigious, Jonathan Wilson£8.99 FROM Playdigious, playdigious.com NEEDS iOS 11 or laterDead CellsLearn from your fatal mistakesStart the day with a podcastPodcast AlarmThe Discovery section offers suggestions for you.

96 MACFORMAT || FEBRUARY 2020APPLE CHOICE App round-upThe big stretch of holiday indulgence runs from Christmas through to new year, with barely a letup, and it’s easy to pile on the pounds. If you’re hoping to trim back down for spring, it’s time to think about exercising. We’re not here to recommend intense gym sessions or anything like that – not everyone wants to pump iron or head off at the crack of dawn for military-style bootcamp training. You don’t need fancy kit or an expensive personal trainer either. These apps will help you find easy at-home exercises, so that you can feel a little bit healthier and more active in 2020.Image credit: Google, Fit For Life, Andres Canella6 apps to help you get healthyReviewed by MATT BOLTONWith the help of a few apps, you can get fitter without hardcore trainingThe YouTube community is full of great fitness video creators who can guide you through just about anything. Some run entire courses, while others will suggest exercises you can perform at home with no equipment. The great thing about the videos is you can follow along as they perform them, and get a good look at the form you need to follow.Worried you don’t have time or space for exercise? This app shows you simple workouts you can do anywhere. Kitchen exercises have you using frying pans as weights, car exercises get you working your thighs, desk punches tone your torso, and the ‘cushion tower’ tones your arms on the sofa. So there’s no excuse not to make some time for your health!YouTubeFree NEEDS iOS 11 or laterWakeout! Free (IAPs) NEEDS iOS 12 or laterYoga is brilliant for growing core strength and keeping your joints moving smoothly when time tries to start seizing them up (it works for Madonna and Sting…). This app has yoga courses for specific needs – back pain, weight management, running flexibility, and more – presented in HD video form. It syncs with the Health app, and tracks your progress.Yoga StudioFree (IAPs) NEEDS iOS 10 or later

FEBRUARY 2020 | MACFORMAT 97| Image credit: OliveX (HK), Zen Labs, Bending Spoons Apps Pushups are a great workout because they require your whole body to hold steady. 22 Pushups coaches you to do pushups. That’s it – nothing elaborate or new to learn. You put your device under your chest and it automatically detects how many reps you’ve done and logs it. It just wants you to do what you can, and you’ll see that what you can do grows quickly.22 PushupsFree (IAPs) NEEDS iOS 12 or laterThis may be the most serious of the apps we recommend here. The official Couch to 5K app, it turns you into a runner capable of going the distance from a… er, sitting start. It takes things day by day, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you improve when steered consistently and gradually. And all you have to do at the start is go for a walk.C25K 5K RunnerFree (IAPs) NEEDS iOS 10 or laterThe 30 Day Fitness app creates workouts that take just minutes of your day, and a clever interface shows you what you should be doing for a set length of time in a motion video, with the next exercise also on video, so you know what’s coming up. You don’t need any gym equipment for the exercises – just keep going and use the app to track your progress.30 Day FitnessFree (IAPs) NEEDS iOS 10 or later