Tag Archives: iOS12

Gone to the Dark Side

27 Sep

Two days ago, I found out that iOS13 can be downloaded already but truth be told, I wasn’t keeping tab on it. It was M2 who mentioned to me when I spoke to her. She’s doing great by the way, enjoying college life to the max in Ireland.

Anyway, I downloaded the update for my iPhone XR. And my… my… new features to learn! The biggest thing was of course the Dark Mode, which I enabled. Like a Jedi gone bad, I gravitated to the dark side. Bwahahaha…. I couldn’t resist. Seriously I enabled it to only activate after dark, perfect for reading in bed or low light environments, as what Apple envisioned.

The other new fun thing I discovered – creating my very own memoji. This feature was available since iOS12 but I never used it. According to reviews, it’s now more refined and more fun to use. I’m glad to have discovered it now as it’s rather delightful, and my memoji looks pretty close to the real me. I’m a good memoji I must say! Heheh.

The other thing that I was fiddling with was Shortcuts which somewhat works for me and not. Apps that I use constantly, I can’t seem to add to the menu. User problem? I think this will take me some time to figure out.

Nonetheless, I seem to embrace the latest changes well. Gotta keep up with technology even if this means leaping over to the dark side with glee.

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A Lovely Surprise, Part 2

28 Feb

I am really loving my new iPhone XR. Why didn’t I change earlier and subjected myself to such aggravation with the battery issue of the old phone?

The best feature so far for me is the Face ID and swiping upwards to unlock the phone without having to fuss keying in the password. And I don’t miss the Home button, something I once dreaded I couldn’t do without.

Oh… and I don’t have to carry a power bank anymore! No more worrying about the phone dying on me as it can last almost three days after a full charge with my usage pattern. Three days! So cool.

As for the size of the phone, hmm… I am still adjusting to get used to it because this is a like/don’t like issue.

I like it for the big screen size because it makes reading easier. But being bigger, it’s cumbersome to hold. And bigger means heavier, it is not comfortable to keep in the pocket of the pants. And if I wear my Uniqlo jeans, it sits in the most awkward position in the front pocket, poking me in all positions. So most times I put the phone in the handbag but this then adds weight to the handbag. Sigh…

Also being bigger, the phone is now a two-hand operation device. I find myself preferring to use both hands instead of having the keyboard moved to one side to type. Seriously, some adjustments to get used to with this giant.

But generally, there’s more positives––the interface, the battery lifespan and other cool stuff––to this upgrade and I have embraced them well enough. In time, I will forget my old once-reliable iPhone5S which is now retired to the bedside.

I must admit though, there are some nights I find myself holding it out of nostalgia and wonder in amazement how did I managed with this minuscule thing and its screen for the past five years?

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A Lovely Surprise

15 Feb

It was supposed to be my birthday present this year from hubby but my iPhone5S had other plans. It just didn’t want to cooperate and be good. The battery issue…

When we went back to hubby’s hometown for Chinese New Year, my internet connection was with the phone and data. There was no wifi at the in-laws’ place so this rendered the iPad useless without connection unless I sync it to the phone which was unnecessary.

So using just my phone, the battery problem spiked; I could feel the heat at the back of the phone if I use it too long. So much so, in a day I had to charge several times. I literally had to live with the lightning cable and power bank if I don’t stay put and have the power socket nearby.

My problem started when I updated to iOS12 last year. Prior to the update, when the phone was still on iOS10.3, it was fine. The battery could last a day without any issues or even longer with minimal usage. But after the update, the phone just couldn’t support the newer iOS. Even without usage, left idle after a full charge, the battery would drain to half. When things are not right, it escalates the problem. Sigh…

After holding out for so long, I finally replaced my once-reliable Apple iPhone5S. I must say, it was good while it lasted. Thanks for being such a wonderful device the past five years. But I have to retire it and move on because I cannot take the battery aggravation anymore. And it’s pointless to change the battery because the cost to do so is not worth it.

It’s been a week with me now joining the legion of oversized smart phone users with my spanking brand new iPhone XR. A lovely surprise indeed.

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Where’s the Bluetooth Icon?

18 Jan

There are some things in life we take for granted. Like the Wifi symbol, it must show when there’s connectivity or the Bluetooth symbol to show that it’s turned on.

I didn’t realize the Bluetooth icon was dropped (from its usual top right place) by Apple when I updated to iOS12 last year. Maybe because I don’t use it often (syncing my Mi Band2 only once in a blue moon) and the phone automatically connects to my car whenever I get in without me having to fuss over it. So the disappearance went undetected.

It came as a mild annoyance in early January when I discovered that my Mi Band2 suddenly could not connect to my iPhone5S. How could this be? It could connect in December when we were in Penang. Anyway, I must have been having a bad day because I decided to give a one-star on Mi Fit’s Review on the AppStore, highlighting the inability to sync problem. But I didn’t pursue further after that and left it as is.

Two nights ago, the app had an update. And I thought, Aha! They must have read my review and decided to fix the bug. So I updated the Mi Fit app, thinking the syncing would be resolved.

But nothing happened. Hmm.

The Mi Band2 still could not sync and that was when I discovered that the Bluetooth icon went missing. Initially a sense of panic kicked in. Oh no! My phone has developed another illness. Already dying with the battery issue, now this?! I was aghast.

I had done the ‘Forget this Device’ step, rebooted the phone and yet, the Bluetooth icon couldn’t be seen nor can the phone detect the band. It was so frustrating, I even contemplated giving up my Mi Band2 if the problem persisted. The survival of my phone was more critical. Then I read up in forums and learnt that the Bluetooth icon was dropped. Eeesh.

Another last resort attempt…

I deleted the Mi Fit app but not before syncing all the data to the Health app and downloaded it again. Crossing my fingers, I signed in and voila! My Mi Band2 finally synced. Phew. What an unnecessary scare that was.

As for the missing Bluetooth icon, I’ve decided to manually manage its appearance, opening Control Center and swiping it ON or OFF now that I know the little icon won’t be sitting on the top right anymore.

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To have it ON or OFF, that is the question!

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Embracing Change, Part 2

9 Nov

These days I am wondering if my decision to update to iOS12 was a good one. While I have gotten used to the new iOS now, I think my iPhone5S has not and cannot handle the change or something is not right with the phone. The battery drain problem has gotten worse.

It may last a day if I don’t use it but such a scenario is highly unlikely in this age of constant connectivity. And with minimal usage, it can’t even last half a day. Note half a day!

There was once the battery was down to 54% and I was at the grocery store. One quick snap of a picture and a phone call, the battery power plunged drastically to one percent!!! One percent, how is that even possible with a conversation less than a minute with M2 just to confirm the choice of cereal?

And that wasn’t the first time it happened. Then two weeks ago, the phone had 54% (again) and I was updating some apps. It was fine, the next minute, it dropped to 16%. Something is obviously very wrong.

I was hoping not to jump the gun to wish an early death for my beloved iPhone5S but it looks like now, this decision has been taken out of my hands. Sigh.

I am contemplating whether to just change the battery to resuscitate and save the phone. Hmm… Something to really think about. Otherwise, I may have to upgrade to a newer model sooner than later, something I am not keen to do yet. We shall see. For now, the powerbank is a must have.

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Creepy Siri

28 Sep

Over the year, my iPhone5S has been acting weird when it comes to Siri. While this assistant may be a useful feature for most, Siri’s helpfulness for me is bordering on creepy.

First of all, I must say I never use it because Siri doesn’t quite understand my Asian accent. I left it as is because I was not aware or may have forgotten that I can disable this feature! How silly of me.

So every now and then in the office, in the quiet of the moment and out of the blue, Siri would trigger, asking me a question or telling me an answer! Creepy. How is this possible when I did not even interact with it, much less touch the phone?!

It’s even creepier in the past when I am in bed at night, there’s no sound or loud noises, Siri suddenly activated itself, a couple of times no less! Gulp.

I brushed those several creepy occurrences aside, but recently I mentioned to M2 and she told me I can disable the feature and proceeded to show me how to do it. Phew.

On top of this and with the phone recently updated to iOS12, I don’t foresee Siri behaving creepily ever again. Unless of course I reactivate it…

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Embracing Change

24 Sep

Recently Apple launched their new range of iPhones for 2018/2019. Cool babies I must say but pricey. As for me, I am still with my trusty iPhone5S, adamant not to upgrade or update.

It took me a long time to update from iOS7 in the past. And when I finally did, a whole new world opened for me as far as my phone’s usage was concerned and got me thinking that I should have done it earlier. Oh well.

Currently, my phone’s still on iOS10.3.3 as I held off updating to iOS11 because I didn’t like the new features then when M2 showed them to me on her iPad. Being a dinosaur, I must admit I don’t like change because it’s cumbersome to learn new things.

But now with iOS12 being available and somehow it’s pretty cool especially compared to iOS10.3.3, I don’t mind updating. With the iPhone5S included in the list for the update, I am convinced and decided to take the plunge.

One reason for making this decision is that my phone’s battery has been acting wonky of late. Maybe with the update, the battery drain problem can be stabilized? Nonetheless, the situation is making me wonder if the phone is showing signs that it may not last as long as I would like it to. Shudder…

So if I ever come to the point where I need to change my phone, obviously I’d like an upgrade to one of the new models that were launched. And it’d be good that the dinosaur in me is also prepared to deal with the new iOS12. But until then, let’s not jump the gun to wish for an early death for my faithful phone and just enjoy the new iOS on my current iPhone5S.

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