Family Tech Support (PDF Import)

Hello family! I've thought about creating a text thread like this for a long time - I wanted to create a sort of family tech support space dedicated to sharing stuff about Apple products, specifically.

First, I strongly advise you mute notifications for this group message (Tap on the top of the window - find "Hide Alerts" and toggle it on)

Nothing I will share here is time-essential and it would make me feel better if I can freely send you stuff without worrying about it intruding on your day.

                        Amber Wade

Thank you for creating this! It'll be really helpful

  Jenny Wade

Love this idea David! Thanks

Eileen Long

Great idea

Renee Godbee

Sat, Aug 14, 1:59 PM

                   Perfect to start on moms birthday         . Happy birthday mom, love you so much! Hope you have an awesome day!!!

Jenny Wade

How did Brooke's moving into dorm go?

              Renee Godbee

Just left

Sat, Aug 14, 8:52 PM

       $d"!%&

Just left

 Jenny Wade

Aw sorry that's hard. I cried hard when we left Amber. She did too and so did her roommate

Renee Godbee

She left b/f me to go to a rush mtg, no time for crying

Jenny Wade

Well that's probably good for her. Hugs Renee

Renee Godbee

              Eileen Long

Beautiful

      Jenny Wade

Jenny Wade

So so pretty! So good u took pics.

Renee Godbee

Well everyone was annoyed with me

Jenny Wade

Well in the future they will be glad. I often forget to take pics

Sun, Aug 15, 7:57 AM

Amy Ruiz

Those are great pics! The room looks amazing. Can't believe our sweet Brookie is in college already. Where did the time go

Renee Godbee

I know . Way too fast. Have fun in Puerto Rico! Did you finally make it?

                                              Sun, Aug 15, 9:31 AM Happy happy Birthday Mitch! Hope u have a great one!

Carlos Ruiz

Jenny Wade

                   Gfycat via #images

Amy Ruiz

Happy birthday Mitch!! Wish you all were here with us

    Jenny Wade

Great pic! Hope u all have a blast!!

Mitch Godbee

Thanks everyone! Is there is Hurricane coming to PR?

Renee Godbee

El conquistador! Love that place . Is palomino island opened up yet?

Amy Ruiz

There is a tropical storm right now. The island is closed today Bc of the storm but open tomorrow. The storm is only supposed to last one day. Fingers crossed!

We did get an hour at the water park before it closed

    Mitch Godbee

We did that on Renee's birthday about 6 years ago

      Amy Ruiz

It's awesome here!

Eileen Long

That is amazing

Amber Wade

Sun, Aug 15, 7:36 PM

Mon, Aug 16, 10:18 AM

                   David, I have a tech question for you. My phone is glitching and I'm not able to install the new update. Do u know how to fix this?

Mon, Aug 16, 2:52 PM

Is it trying and failing or just saying you can't? It might be

time to check out Settings -> General -> iPhone Storage

Mon, Aug 16, 5:09 PM Yes. I restarted my phone and that seemed to help!

Mon, Aug 16, 6:15 PM

Amy Ruiz added Brooke Godbee to the conversation.

            Amber Wade

Amy Ruiz

Brooke how is rush going?

Renee Godbee

She got all 11 houses back so she's busy . Goes to A D PI tomorrow

Brooke Godbee

Super busy but having tons of fun! I feel confident in my convos w these girls and the nerves are definitely going away

Eileen Long

Wow that's a lot

Amy Ruiz

That's awesome Brooke! I knew you would be amazing. So proud of you

Renee Godbee

Any, ADPi is 2nd in grades. Really high ranking Amy not any stupid phones

Amy Ruiz

Of course they are smart. They chose me

Renee Godbee

How's PR?

Eileen Long

She is a star

Renee Godbee

She's worked her butt off!

Amy Ruiz

She is a star!

Eileen Long

There is no stopping Brooke when she wants something she won't quit until it's done. Amazing

                                                                                                                                   Amy Ruiz

Amy Ruiz

PR is amazing. El Conqistador is awesome. We go zip lining in El junque tomorrow and then to old San Juan the next day

    Eileen Long

Looks amazing

Renee Godbee

Palomino island! My favorite

Amy Ruiz

So fun! Would love to all come together some time

                           Jenny Wade

Looks amazing

       Sun, Aug 29, 7:48 PM

Hey guys! I thought I'd give you some time to turn "Hide Alerts" on for this group message, but now I suppose I can explain what I'm trying to do here.

If you've been wondering what on Earth I've been doing with my time this year, the answer is largely learning to help people with their technology. Frankly, I'm still not very good at it - I know I'm much too wordy and tend to confuse easily - but I'm personally very grateful to have finally begun realizing what it means to add value to others' lives, despite how long it took.

One huge realization I've had about Apple products, specifically, is that Apple has completely departed reality in terms of how the vast majority of its customers use their devices day-to-day. I have already done a lifetime's worth of editorializing (complaining) about this, and have realized that my time would be more productively spent helping those closest to me understand the tangible results manifested as changes to their phones.

So to be clear: this chat is not for David to complain at abstract length about consumer technology. I'm going to do my best to be as simple as possible, but please feel free to call me out if I slip.

call me out if I slip.

What I WOULD like to do is answer questions like Amber's (much more promptly than I did) and eventually discuss the upcoming release of iOS 15 (in the next few weeks, by most estimates) in frank terms.

Two resources Apple DOES offer which are sometimes useful.

The iPhone User Guide (sortof an owners manual-ish document.) https://books.apple.com/us/book/iphone-user-guide/ id1515995528

The Tips app, which is more of a "look how cool this is" experience. If you're ever in a long line or something, you might find it interesting. DEFINITELY disable notifications for it, though. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tips/id1069509450

                 Eileen Long

I really appreciate your concise and swift answers to my cries for help. It is usually something simple for you but hard for me to figure out.

            Eileen Long

So true

That sortof brings up something I would hope I don't have to say:

There really are no dumb questions here. I cannot emphasize that enough.

Remember that when your technology makes you feel dumb, these days, it's almost always because some feature/ function has been subtly abstracted away from your control. imo, nobody talks about this enough.

Something I can start with: this one video is all you need to watch regarding the most recent controversies surrounding CSAM + iMessage filtering.

Imo, Joanna Stern's (someone I've looked up to my whole adult life) videos for the Journal are THE most concise,

adult life) videos for the Journal are THE most concise, balanced, and effective reporting on Apple, ever, basically.

       Apple's Software Chief Explains 'Misunderstood' iPhone Child-Protection Features (Exclusive) | WSJ

youtu.be

   Jenny Wade

Sat, Sep 11, 2:13 PM

Hey David. I am thinking about getting a new phone. The 12 Pro Max. What ya think- and they said the 13 will be out soon. Should I wait for that one?

   Sat, Sep 11, 3:17 PM

Definitely wait until Monday at least. That's the new iPhone

announcement.

     Jenny Wade

Ok. Didn't realize it was that soon. Do u know if it's going to have much better features etc?

Carlos Ruiz

Always newer better features on the new models.

I try not to speculate but the price for the 12 Pro Max might go down a bit.

                       Jenny Wade

Do u know how much it typically goes down? Our local store said they so far are not cheaper. And they only had one left

$100 used to be the norm but I'm not sure now.

Mon, Sep 13, 10:06 AM

I was wrong about the event guys - it's tomorrow. Going to

try and use today to finish up my guide for you for iOS 15.

Mon, Sep 13, 3:28 PM

Did u mean the newest phone comes out tomorrow?

                      Jenny Wade

         Yup! If you really want to watch it, you can.

       Apple Event

apple.com

  Jenny Wade

Thx David. Is it long?

Jenny Wade

They'll start with the iPhone first, most likely. And this is a pre-recorded presentation instead of a live one so it should be short. If you're not doing anything else, ya might tune in... Even I have found the pre-made events extremely boring, though.

                 Well I have a ton to do. I got two job offers today.     . They r both part time and would have been great but we r officially moving to MN. I am going to substitute teach.

Amy Ruiz

What were the jobs?

Jenny Wade

One was to work as a BOA for our local Edward Jones Office. It would have taught me a lot. The other is with the schools here in Boone to substitute teach

Amy Ruiz

BOA?

Go with at Edward Jones. They are headquartered here and I need someone to help me invest. Who better than you!

Carlos Ruiz

I agree with Amy!

Jenny Wade

I can't they don't want to train me with me leaving It would just be a Branch Office Admin

Eileen Long

Right now substitute teaching seems less stressful since you are leaving

Jenny Wade

Yes. And I would like to have some experience for all the work I did to get my certificate.

                                                                                    Eileen Long

Mon, Sep 13, 7:19 PM

Tue, Sep 14, 7:16 PM

For anyone curious about the event today, the iPhone 13

For anyone curious about the event today, the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro are... more of what the 12 and 12 Pro were going for (an obsession with camera performance, largely.)

       The New iPhone 13 Lineup: The MacStories Overview

macstories.net

                          The new iPad Mini, though, is notably the first *genuinely cute* hardware product from Apple in years, imo. It's also the standout value product from today, I think.

Preview them to your heart's content in Apple's Store app.

Apple Store

Shopping designed around you

           Renee Godbee

Cool info! Thx David!

Also, iOS 15 is officially scheduled to come out next Monday, the 20th.

Wed, Sep 15, 11:26 AM

9 new iPhone 13 features you should know before you buy

inputmag.com

  Jenny Wade

Thx David. I appreciate u sharing.

      Wed, Sep 15, 7:02 PM

This is just a trailer but Peter Kafka has been a favorite of mine forever and it really is the perfect time for Land of the Giants to take on Apple, Inc.

Thu, Sep 16, 8:01 AM

            Land of the Giants

Recode ÿPodcasts

Jenny Wade

Interesting. A lady on there said we don't wanted to be the United States of Amazon. Any thoughts David on that? They think it's taking over and that powerful?

Thu, Sep 16, 9:17 AM

Maybe one or two insightful ones. I guess I have been on a personal "boycott" of Amazon since it was just an online book store but I've never needed it to be an ethical one.

I just like nice things, and Amazon on a superficial level is nothing but an incredibly effective de-value machine. It's like the ultimate American supervirus borned, loved, and sustained by our infamous compulsion to sacrifice any and all other considerations for convenience. (Personally, I find this habit notably self hating, not selfish.)

That's a lot of words but basically: even something as simple as the microfiber cloths i used to order in bulk every once in a while from Amazon Basics can be IMMEDIATELY outdone in quality AND value with like... the slightest bit of research/browsing outside of Amazon's given default answer to any product need. Instead of just ordering them again a few weeks ago, I decided to take the time to find what "pro" computer hardware people use and bought a set of 12 directly from a company that really are machine washable.

Because I like nice things I buy the pens that show up in amazon results from Goulet Pens' website instead knowing that:

1. it might take a week instead of 40 hours to arrive...

BUT...

2. Goulet throws in a hand-written thank you note with ink samples and ships using very cute packaging. They also throw a sucker in, the idea of which I really appreciate.

As opposed to receiving JUST the pen from amazon wrapped in like one entire roll of scotch tape. Even if it would have been faster and a few dollars less.

Thu, Sep 16, 8:10 PM

I do agree we should try to support small businesses and

places with quality products

Renee Godbee

Good points David! I have become quite lazy in my Amazon ease of purchases. You've inspired me to look elsewhere next time

                 Jenny Wade

                 Thu, Sep 16, 9:48 PM

Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys America! | Netflix Official Site

netflix.com

    Fri, Sep 17, 5:23 PM

This is worthwhile only because it shows in pictures how to trigger a manual iCloud backup of your phone if you don't have automatic ones set up.

Frankly, the actual update process is so much more refined these days that it's a bit silly how much emphasis is still put on backups... Especially for those who use iCloud, generally.

Mon, Sep 20, 4:12 PM

hey guys, just a head's up: The Big Update has now been available for 3 hours and I haven't seen or heard about any disastrous new new bugs. what I have noticed are more

          iOS 15 upgrade checklist: How to get your iPhone ready for Apple's big Monday update

cnet.com

disastrous new new bugs. what I have noticed are more almost down-to-earth echoes of what I've been saying so urgently (read: they seem to agree with me?.)

basically, iOS 15 pretty certainly takes the crown for the most generally boring numerical update to this operating system, ever.

considering, here's a very lukewarm but definitely comprehensive review before I actually send you what I wrote lol

       iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 review: foundational fixes

theverge.com

  Mon, Sep 20, 8:13 PM

      Not Delivered

      Not Delivered

     

iOS 15 Is Here: The iPhone Software Update's Small Tricks Make a Big Difference

The Wall Street Journal ÿNews

   3 Replies

If you have Apple News, Joanna Stern is my all time favorite pick for explaining Apple-related anything insightfully and succinctly. And without BS more than anyone alive.

     Renee Godbee

Should we do the update for 15?

well, that's up to you. and by that I mean... one of the big changes you'll notice in the update screen is that you have the option to wait. if you have time, reading as much as you can stand of my own guide before you hit the button couldn't hurt.

  iOS 15 Reviewed for My Family

bilge.world

     Tue, Sep 21, 9:36 AM

Family

iCloud Drive

   Read

 iCloud Photo Sharing

bit.ly

       iCloud Photo Sharing

bit.ly

  Tue, Sep 21, 1:03 PM

 iOS 15 is available today

apple.com

     Here's Apple's own press release about what has and has not been added.

  Tue, Sep 21, 5:28 PM

iOS 15 Is Here: The iPhone Software Update's Small T...

The Wall Street Journal ÿNews

3 Replies

This link takes you to the full video, at least.

Tue, Sep 21, 6:53 PM

Tue, Sep 21, 9:01 PM

                  iOS 15: Top 10 Tips for Apple's New iPhone Software Update

wsj.com

       iCloud Photo Sharing

icloud.com

                very first time noticing this when I first woke up this morning and all at once realized how Shared With You is actually going to be looking in *my* life lmao.

  Renee Godbee

I opened one & thought idk what this is lol

Yeah I've wondered a lot about what the Shared With You asides in the various apps are going to look like for you guys... Feel free to send screenshots if you see something particularly weird or needing explanation.

      This doesn't necessarily have anything to do with iOS 15, per se, but it is somewhat concerning.

It would appear that Meagan's old MacBook Pro from no later than 2014 - wherever it may be now - is still associated with my iCloud account but only through the Find My network.

Apple technology's particular blend of persistence AND obfuscation is starting to become a disruptive pain in the ass, at the very least.

For the first month of owning this phone, for instance, GARY's old contacts were aggressively and repeatedly surfaced for no reason from the depths of ... iCloud???? i can only suppose.

as in, i gave up trying to fix them for a while. you all turned into

" I. C. E. eILEEN"

"I. C. E. rENEE"

and so on.

to a degree that would NOT have been amusing or charming in the slightest had I been in any other life situation.

(I do actually have specific solutions for these Contacts/ Calendar/Reminder-related problems so please speak up if you're having trouble.)