iOS Feature - Location Based Reminders

This is not a brand new feature however I recently discovered it myself and find it extremely useful.

Reminders in themselves are nothing amazing, Apples reminder app is location based and therefore has capabilities to remind when arriving or leaving a specific location.

So an example would be to put my gym bag into the car when i get home so I don't forget tomorrow, or a reminder to take my lunchbox home when I leave work.

Open the reminders app click + and type in your reminder

Click on the right arrow to get more options

On a Day will apply to a specific date and At a Location will apply to the location and when I leave or When I Arrive

How to enable multiple Google Calendars on your iDevice

This post assumes you have successfully setup your Gmail and calendar on your iDevice, but are struggling with more than one calendar. In Gmail you can have multiple calendars (great if you keep your social life separate from work, or you could have a shared work calendar with certain individuals only. Regardless the use I found it tricky to get it to show on my iPad and iPhone.

Two Calendars as seen on gmail.com

Simply browse to m.google.com/sync on your device using Safari. Login with your Gmail credentials.

http://www.m.google.com/sync manage device page

Now select the device you wish to enable the calender for make sure that the calendar is ticked. The other options relate to email.

Options view make sure you tick the calendar you want to enable on the iDevice.

Save and open calender on your iDevice you should see the newly added calender under the options.

How to install settings shortcuts on iPhone or iPad (non-jailbroken)

While all the iDevices settings are easily accessible from the settings icon, some people prefer a quick (single click) method for turning WiFi or off for example.

I placed them all in one folder called Quick Settings

Luckily Jeff Broderick, has made this very simple and visually attractive interface. Simply head over to his website http://brdrck.me/settings/ and select the shortcut you want to create. This simple tweak uses url schemes to access system settings.

Once on the developers page choose the setting you want to have a shortcut for, and install the profile.

WiFi install profile screenshot

Install as many as you like and group them in anyway you like.

iOS5 Feature - Restrictions

This feature allows the user to control and restrict the content allowed on the iDevice. This is great for parents who want to keep they children away from age inappropriate apps, music or movies.


The resitctions options are accessed through Settings, General

Settings - General - Restrictions

 Restrictions (here you will be asked for a Passcode).

Entering your Restrictions Passcode

Under the Movies section you choose which, or none you allow or disallow.

Movies Restriction settings

My personal favourtire is the Apps section, here you can play a pretty cool trick on someone. Since not many people know about this feature they do not have a passcode setup. This means that you can create on when you access restrictions on their phone.

From there go to Apps and change from Allow All Apps to,

Allow All Apps (Default setting)

  Don't Allow Apps

Setting changed to Don't Allow Apps

Once you accept and go back to the home screen all the apps will have disappeared. Of course all that needs to be done to get them back is to allow them again. As an added bonus when they re appear they will have lost their folders if they were sorted into them.

iOS5 New Feature - Keyboard Shortcuts

This is a fun and useful feature, it allows the user to define custom phrases. Basically thx can be thanks, or omw can On my way!. A very useful one would be eml and this should be your email address. Now you wont have to type in your email or other repeated phrases or words just the shortcuts.

Settings, General, Keyboard shortcuts

Go to Settings, General, Keyboard lower down are the shortcuts. Adding or modifying is easy.

Which leads me to the best part, this feature is awesome to use for a practical joke. Adding the shortcut "late" and phrase "late form the strip club" for example will leave the user confused.

Awesome feature for practical joke.

iOS5 upgrade APN settings (South Africa)

I noticed that after the iOS5 upgrade on the iPad and iPad2 the Vodacom APN settings were gone and the iPad's complained about a cellular data connection. To fix this do the following:


So for South Africa Vodacom use "internet" and MTN use "myMTN"


Go to Settings Celluar Data APN Settings type in myMTN (MTN) or internet (Vodacom). No username or password, leave them blank.

iPad2 iOS5 APN settings

iOS5 Feature - Upgraded Camera

One of my favourite upgrades of iOS5. The Camera function has been overhauled. Quick access to the camera from the lock screen just double tap the home button while the phone is locked or the screen is off.

In landscape mode users can take photos by pressing the volume up key as the shutter. Connect the earbuds and the volume up button (on the earbuds) acts as a remote trigger. If Photo Stream is enabled in iCloud the photos are automatically and wirelessly shared to all iDevices.

Quick access camera even from lock screen

A grid has been introduced, this is a great feature when shooting landscapes it helps keep the horizon level, and rule-of-thirds composition.

Grid function turned on

Swipe left to right while in the camera to access the photos (Camera roll).

The pinch zoom has finally made it to the camera function.

Pinch zoom function...long overdue

AE/AF lock, by touching and holding anywhere on the screen and waiting for the blue square or the AE/AF lock to appear at the bottom. to undo just tap anywhere on the screen once.

Auto Exposure/Auto Focus Lock

Most of these features work on both front and rear facing cameras.