186 practical guides for our iPhone apps, in 13 languages. Pick yours:
18 guides
A talking clock for iPhone and Apple Watch that says the time at the interval you choose.
A talking clock is only useful if it keeps speaking with the screen locked. Five things to check before you pick one, and how Voice Clock does on each.
Read guideAn iPhone that speaks the time on its own is usually VoiceOver, an Apple Watch setting, a Shortcuts automation or an app. How to find which one and turn it off.
Read guideTaptic Time taps the time on your wrist when you hold two fingers on the watch face. How Digits, Terse and Morse Code work, and when a spoken time fits better.
Read guideA talking clock that speaks all day should stop at night without you remembering. How Quiet Hours in Voice Clock work and how they differ from iPhone Focus.
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An AR sky map for iPhone: point it at the sky to name stars, planets and constellations.
The December solstice 2026 is on 21 December at 20:50 UT (3:50 p.m. EST). Day length for your city, earliest sunset, and what to see on the longest night.
Read guideMars and Jupiter pass 1.2° apart before dawn on 15-16 November 2026, in Leo near Regulus. Best mornings, times for five cities, how to tell them apart.
Read guideThe last two supermoons of 2026: the Beaver Moon on 24 November and the Cold Moon on 24 December, the closest full Moon of the year. Times, moonrise, tips.
Read guideThe Leonids are expected to peak on 17-18 November 2026, with a half Moon that sets near midnight. Expected rates, best hours, and Mars and Jupiter in Leo.
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A calculator you talk to: say the numbers, check each one on the tape, hear the total.
Most voice math on a phone hides what it heard. Voice Calculator puts every number on a tape you can check and fix, then reads the total out loud.
Read guideAdd the tip to the total first, then divide by the number of people. Worked examples for even splits and for paying for what you ordered.
Read guideCount by denomination, multiply each stack, add the lines, then subtract the starting float. A method that leaves a written trail when the drawer is off.
Read guideDivide the price by the amount to get the price per unit, then compare. Worked examples for grams, ounces and count packs, plus the shelf-label traps.
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Resize, compress, watermark and convert hundreds of photos at once, on the device.
Resizing photos one at a time is slow. Two ways to resize many at once on iPhone: the free Shortcuts route and Batchly, with the long-edge trick photographers use.
Read guideiPhone's Files app renames one file at a time. How to batch rename photos on iPhone: Shortcuts, or Batchly, which renames every selected photo in one go.
Read guideHow to name photos on iPhone so they sort: YYYY-MM-DD dates, numbers with leading zeros, prefix or suffix. Then rename a whole batch at once with Batchly.
Read guideResale apps crop photos differently: Poshmark now frames covers in 3:4, Depop is square, Vinted and Facebook Marketplace publish no pixel size. How to prep a batch.
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Picture-book mnemonics for every JLPT kanji, N5 to N1, with a Today's Kanji widget.
A kanji mnemonic links the shape to a meaning with a small scene. How they work, examples, when to write your own, and who they don't suit.
Read guideKanji came from Chinese characters, so many look and mean the same. But shapes were simplified differently, readings differ, and some meanings drifted.
Read guideJapanese mixes three scripts in one sentence: kanji for meaning, hiragana for grammar, katakana for foreign words. What each does and which to learn first.
Read guideN2 is usually put at about 1,000 kanji and N1 at about 2,000, close to the full jōyō list. Why there's no official list, and how to study at the top levels.
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Encrypted chat with people nearby over Bluetooth, with no internet or cell signal.
Most walkie-talkie apps need Wi-Fi or mobile data. What still works with no signal on iPhone, and why voice notes over Bluetooth are not live push-to-talk.
Read guideYes, you can send photos, voice notes and files on iPhone with no internet, using a Bluetooth chat app with someone nearby. Steps and limits.
Read guideFlight Mode Chat has public channels for everyone nearby and private chats for one person. When to use each and what both can and cannot do offline.
Read guideShip Wi-Fi can be slow or paid. A Bluetooth chat app lets you message travel companions nearby without it, but only people who run the same app.
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A quick-draw reflex game: hold the phone like a holstered revolver, flip on the signal.
Liked the duels in Red Dead Redemption 2? How its duel works, how a phone quick-draw game differs, and what Cowboy Duel offers if you want more standoffs.
Read guideRoad design assumes reaction times far longer than a tap test shows. Why, what it means for stopping distance, and what a phone game can't tell you.
Read guideOnline F1 start-light tests time a click when five lights go out. How that compares with a motion test on a phone, and why your scores won't match.
Read guideIn athletics a reaction under 0.100 seconds counts as a false start. Why that line exists, and how reaction games catch people who guess.
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