3D Touch came into our lives in 2015 when Apple launched the iPhone 6s.
The feature, which measures the intensity of a finger pressing on an iPhone screen and then brings up context sensitive menus and actions, does certainly make tasks quicker and easier.

If you don’t use 3D Touch on a daily basis, or don’t know how to use it at all, here are 5 handy hints that will get the ball rolling for you.

First off, there are different kinds of 3D Touch actions available:
* Quick Actions: These enable faster and more direct access to frequently used features, such as pressing firmly on a home screen app icon to bring up a list of app-specific options.
* Peek and Pop: Pressing a little firmer on an app gives you a peek at content (think of it like a preview); pressing even harder lets you “pop” to the content you were previewing.
* Pressure Sensitivity: 3D Touch allows your iPhone to measure exactly how hard you are pressing, enabling new levels of control and interactivity. For example, pressing harder in a drawing app might make a thicker line.

1. Get quick access to iPhone settings with 3D Touch

If you 3D Touch the Settings icon, you will get direct access to the following options:
– bluetooth
– Wifi
– Mobile data
– Battery

Selecting any of the options will take you directly to that section of the Settings app. This will definitely save you significant time over using the traditional navigation.

2.  Navigating text with 3D Touch

Trying to correct spelling errors or needing to retype part of a sentence is an everyday occurrence for some. Traditionally, you would need to tap into the line of text to change the cursor’s position. With 3D Touch, however, you can turn your keyboard into a trackpad and simply move your finger to where you want the cursor to be.

Important notes:
* Make sure you are currently in the line of text you want to modify.
* With the keyboard on the screen, press firmly on it and move your finger.
* This will allow you to move your cursor position to where you want it to be.

3. Use 3D Touch to manage your photo library

The Photos app offers another of the best implementations of 3D Touch. In Photos, you can move through and manage your photo library all in one go.
• Open Photos.
• Tap Photos in the bottom left.
• Press firmly on any image in your list and it will pop into view.
• Swipe up and you will now have options to manage your photo.
• Now you will be able to get your photo library in shape much more quickly.

4. Reply quickly to messages

With iOS 10 and 3D Touch together, you gain the ability to quickly reply to messages without even leaving the app you are in. This is a huge timesaver. 
If you have notifications turned on for messages coming in, you can reply using 3D Touch without leaving what you are currently doing.
◦ Make sure you have notifications turned on in Settings.
◦ When you see a notification for a new message come in, press firmly on it.
◦ You can reply within the notification and get back to what you were doing.

5. Take a photo

With 3D Touch, you can take a photo much more quickly from your iPhone’s home screen. Just press firmly on the camera icon to bring up its Quick Access options:
◦ Take Selfie
◦ Record Video
◦ Record Slo-mo
◦ Take Photo

In the last few days Apple has released their Beta software for both iOS devices (iOS 10.3) and MacOS Sierra (MacOS 10.12.4).
Even though they are still in the testing phase, and not available for the whole populace, here is what you can look forward to with Apple Betas:

macOS 10.12.4 Beta

The new Apple Beta for macOS brings Night Shift to the desktop platform.
Night Shift debuted on iOS devices in iOS 9.3 and since then has been altering the brightness of displays worldwide.
The idea of Night Shift was to alter the display’s brightness to a warmer colour at night. Some studies suggest that by doing so, Night Shift was helping users fall asleep easier at night by reducing the amount of cool colours that keep your brain active and alert.

Apple asks developers to test the following on Mac:
• Night Shift preference for automatically shifting the colors of your display to the warmer end of the spectrum after dark.

• Siri support for checking Cricket scores, schedules, and player rosters from the Indian Premier League and International Cricket Council.

• Dictation support for Shanghainese.

• Displaying, manipulating and generating PDFs with system-provided APIs.

It is unclear if any other major features are part of the macOS beta. As far as we can see Apple’s release notes for macOS 10.12.4 beta 1 don’t mention any major improvements or additions.

iOS 10.3 Beta

Finding your AirPods case is about to get easier thanks to the Find My AirPods feature.
The new feature allows you to locate or play sounds on the lost pair of wireless AirPods. The feature however only works from the iOS device you most recently used the AirPods with, and only if the AirPods are in the case. When activated, your AirPods will emit a noise that gradually gets louder, for a few seconds. Apple definitely recommends removing your AirPods from your ears if you plan on testing that feature.

Other additions include support for cricket scores. You can now ask Siri for scores and stats from the Indian Premier League and International Cricket Council.
Siri can also be used to pay and check the status of bills. You can use Apple’s AI assistant to organise a ride with apps like Uber and Lyft.

Hopefully, we can expect the new software in the very near future.

New Year

Everyone at the Mac Aid office hopes you had a fantastic holiday period with family and friends, that you are all well rested and looking forward to the year ahead.

As we at Mac Aid look back on 2016, we see the year brought some changes for the team.
We said hello to a few new faces, and goodbye to a few familiar ones.
We tackled some interesting projects, and met some new people along the way.

So far, 2017 has shaped up to be a busy year indeed!
With many different projects underway, and still more to come, we are looking to grow the team.
This will ensure we continue to provide the best experience possible for our clients.

We thank you for your patience and support as we endeavour to deliver top quality support to all of our clients.

Merry Christmas!

Mac Aid will be running limited services for the Christmas period.

The team’s final day in the office is December 22nd.

From the 23rd of December, through to the 8th of January, Mac Aid will have a skeleton crew operating.
The full team will return back to the office January 9th.

If you have any issues or queries, please do not hesitate to call the office during this period. Alternatively, you can email our support address.
A technician will help you as soon as they are available.
The entire team at Mac Aid wishes you a safe break, and looks forward to seeing you in 2017!