Tag: iOS

How To Make and Receive Phones Call and Texts On Your Mac

The following information is based on OS X 10.10 Yosemite and iOS 8.1. If you are running an earlier version of either OS the information might still useful but you may have to look in different system preferences.

Using your iCloud account, Handoff lets you start something on one device -- e.g., writing and email or using a web site on your iPhone -- and instantly pick up where you left off another devices. The app you need appears in the lock screen, app switcher and Dock on your Mac. Handoff works with your favorite apps like Mail, Safari, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Maps, Messages, Reminders, Calendar, and Contacts. And clever developers are building Handoff into their apps.

One clever feature of Handoff is the ability to use the cellular features of your iPhone to make and receive phone calls and send and receive SMS messages. Apple calls this feature Continuity. I love this feature.

Quite often when I'm at home using my iMac or reading on my iPad, I'll get a call on my iPhone. Sometimes I may have my iPhone charging or I left it in another room. I don’t want to get up. I don’t want to leave what I’m doing and go get my phone. Voila, with Continuity I see the incoming call on my Mac or iPad. With a flick of the wrist and a click of the mouse I can answer that call. Right on my Mac.

When a call comes in I can see the caller’s name, number, and profile picture. I can even choose ringtones just like on my iPhone. Dude, this is so cool!

The Continuity feature also works for SMS messages via the Messages app. I send text messages to my friends and family, some of whom have BlackBerries and Android phones, right from my Mac’s keyboard.

Ok, this all sound great, but how do you set it up and use it?

Apple's support site has the official requirements but you'll need a free iCloud account, an iPhone 5 or 6 with an activated carrier plan and running iOS 8.1 and a 2012 (or later) Mac running OS X Yosemite.

For Handoff and Continuity to work your iPhone and your Mac must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network and you will need to enable Bluetooth on each device. On your iPhone and/or iPad, go to Settings-> General-> Handoff & Suggested Apps and make sure Handoff is On. If you’re out of Wi-Fi range, your Mac can connect to your iPhone’s personal hotspot.

On your Mac, open System Preferences and go to General. Select “Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices.” If you don't see this setting, your Mac may not support Handoff.

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system preferences, os x
Enable Handoff in the General section in System Preferences

On your Mac, open the FaceTime app. Go to FaceTime->Preferences and turn on “iPhone Cellular Calls.” You can exit FaceTime once this step is complete.

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facetime, preferences
In FaceTime Preferences make sure iPhone Cellular Calls is checked.

Next, go to System Preferences, and sign out and then sign in again to your iCloud account. I’m not sure why this step is required but things won’t work unless you do this.

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incoming call, notification, os x
Incoming call notification using Handoff
You are now all set to answer phone calls on your Mac. You might want to test this out by having a friend or family member call you. If everything is working, your iPhone will ring and then a second or two later, you’ll see a notification pop-up on your Mac.

Making calls requires a little more work. You can make calls by selecting a contact from the Contacts app and clicking the little blue telephone icon.

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contacts, os x
Click the little blue icon to make a call.

OS X will notify you of the outgoing call with a pop-up.

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outgoing call, notification, os x
Outgoing Call using Handoff
Once a call is connected OS X will use your Mac’s built in speaker and microphone. End the call when you like or hit mute for some privacy. Another cool feature is that if you are calling someone who has answered on another Apple device you can switch the call to a video call. Sweet!

Sending and receiving SMS messages on the Mac is easy. Open the Messages app, type in the recipient's phone number, and start type. It's no different from doing it on your iPhone. You can use emoticons and attach images and video.

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messages, os x, screenshot
From your Mac you can send SMS messages to anyone

My iPhone 6 and iCloud have become the hub of my digital communications. Being able to extend the capabilities of my iPhone to my Mac and make and receive phone calls and SMS messages has been a time saver.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Visual storytelling with the Storehouse.co App

Storehouse.co is an iOS app and a web publishing platform for creating visual stories. I have used the app only for a short time and published a whopping four stories, but I used it to create my narrative before publishing my stories on this blog. Storehouse.co is to Instagram, as Medium is to Tumblr. Every user gets a profile, and my stories can remain private, or I can publish them to my Storehouse. co profile page. Not only can I create photo journal-type narratives, but I could also lose hours reading the wonderful photo adventures of the many users of the platform.

Tell stories with photos and videos. Whether you're on the iPhone or iPad, creating stories has never been easier or more fun. Seamlessly combine photos, videos, and text into a beautiful story.

The app is the only way to upload videos and images to a story. Once an account is created, you create a story by uploading and laying out photos and videos and entering some descriptive text.

The app has a social media aspect to it. I linked Storehouse to my Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. Storehouse will then check if any of my followers or people I follow use Storehouse. I can select whom I want to follow from that list or browse through the public feeds for interesting stories to read or people to follow.

Tapping the white circle brings up a story editor. I can import images and videos from the iOS photo library, Instagram, Flickr, or Dropbox or shoot straight from the app. This is easier done on the iPhone. It takes a lot of work to keep the iPad steady while taking a photo.

Once images are imported, I can add text or layout and resize the photos. The image editing interface is simple: tap and drag. A blue outline around a selected image allows the user to crop or reposition the image. Storehouse supports up to 50 photos and videos per story, but videos must be 30 seconds or less. I can pinch to zoom in and out or drag to pan the photo. The images are edited non-destructively. I can undo all my changes. Fonts are limited to Normal, Header, and Quote. The Quote font is the largest and is best used to make a text stand out. Once you have your story how you want it, you can tap the publish button to push it out to the world.

Tapping the little house button brings you to the main feed. From here, you can tap to read a story. It's easy to show appreciation to your fellow Storehouse authors by posting a comment. Once you get to the end of a story, you can tap the call-out icon to post a comment. There is a button for reporting either the story or a rude comment. I've never used the re-blogging feature.

Although both apps contain the complete feature set, the stories and photos are stunning on the larger screen of the iPad Air.