Tips

Concerns over privacy may come and go, but Apple always has your back. The iPhone, iPad and iPod touch have built-in features designed to protect your data. iOS offers several options to control which apps have access to the hardware on your device. Apps such as Facebook are widely suspected of eavesdropping on conversations. Whether this is true or not, there's an easy way to check which apps have permission to listen using the on-board microphone.

Apple recently launched a new Families webpage featuring tips on how to keep kids safe on their iOS device. It covers everything from the safe browsing to Apple's "Ask to Buy" tool. Ask to Buy allows the master device of a Family Sharing account to approve or decline any app downloads. Here's how to set up Ask to Buy on your iOS device:

When it counts, missing an incoming phone call on the iPhone can be a problem. While the volume can be cranked up to the maximum, there are situations where vibration can help. There's another option built into iOS that's designed to offer visual alerts. Incoming calls or alerts can trigger the LED flash on the back of the device to blink.

Like with any other computer your iPhone can become a bit sluggish after you've downloaded a few too many apps. Luckily there is a simple way to get your iPhone to start running faster again. All you have to do is clear your RAM.

Clearing your RAM removes information that isn't needed to free up memory and make your iPhone run smoother. Here's how:

Asking Siri questions verbally can be convenient, and Apple has designed its personal assistant to operate completely hands free with Hey Siri. This voice functionality takes on new importance with products such as the HomePod. There are situations, however where iPhone and iPad owners may want to access Siri without making any noise. In quiet areas where speaking out loud would be disruptive, Siri can be used silently with Type to Siri.