10 iOS 9 Settings to Change

Get the most out of your iOS 9 experience by turning on and toggling the options that enable new iOS 9 features. Here are the top 10 iOS 9 settings to change when you finish installing the new update.

Apple delivers over a hundred new features, options and changes in the update, and you can see much of what’s new in iOS 9 for a more detailed look at the changes.

We’ll show you the iOS 9 settings to change on your iPhone and iPad after you upgrade to take advantage of the new features and get the most out of iOS 9.

This is a free upgrade for all users with an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch that can run iOS 8. The new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will ship with iOS 9 installed.

iOS 9 Settings to Change

You can use this guide to find the new iOS 9 settings that you need to change to get the most out of this update. If you follow these directions you can save money, make calls in poor coverage areas and make your iPhone battery life last longer.

Set a Six Digit Passcode

With iOS 9 you can set up a new six digit passcode. On iOS 8 the limit for a numerical passcode is four digits, which is easier to guess through brute force.

In iOS 9 adding just two more numbers dramatically increases the security of your iPhone. If you are on a device with Touch ID, you might not have to enter this longer passcode very often.

Go to Settings -> Touch ID & Passcode -> Enter your passcode -> Change Passcode -> Enter your old passcode -> Enter a new passcode twice.

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If the screen shows a 4 digit passcode for your new passcode, tap on passcode options and choose 6 digit numeric code.

Add Discover Card to Apple Wallet

Apple Pay now supports Discover Card and there is a huge reason to add Discover to your Apple Pay account on the iPhone or iPad now.

For the rest of the year Discover Card purchases made through Apple Pay get 10% extra cash back — on top of current offers. This offer covers $10,000 in spending made through Apple Pay purchases.

This includes Apple Pay with your iPhone or Apple Watch in stores or using apps like the Best Buy app and others to get a lot of cash back. Go to Settings -> Wallet & Apple Pay -> Add Credit or Debit Card and follow the directions.

One of the best new Apple Pay and Apple Wallet features on iOS 9 is the option to turn on a shortcut to launch Apple Pay before you get to the cash register.

Go to Settings -> Wallet & Apple Pay -> Double-Click Home Button -> On. This will allow you to double-click your home button with the iPhone locked to pull up Apple Wallet where you can then select the card you need.

New Apple Notes Upgrade Decision

If you update all of your devices to iOS 9, you will likely want to update the Apple Notes app. When you open Notes on iOS 9 for the first time you will see an option to upgrade now, or to wait.

Users who need notes to sync between the iPhone and iPad and an Apple computer should wait to update. The new Apple Notes app cannot sync to Notes on OS X Yosemite or older.

Turn on AT&T WiFi Calling

If you are lucky, you can now turn on and use AT&T WiFi calling in iOS 9. This feature is not available on every phone, nor is it going to work in every location, but it is worth trying. With AT&T WiFi calling on, you can make a voice call over WiFi so that you can still talk when you have poor coverage.

Go to Settings -> Phone -> WiFi Calling -> WiFi Calling on This Phone -> On. 

Follow the steps outlined if it is available for you and continue to set it up. If it is not available you should try again later.

Use the New iOS 9 Battery Widget

With iOS 9 there is a new battery widget for the Notification Center that shows you the battery life of all your connected devices. With this turned on it is easy to see the battery life of your iPhone, Apple Watch, Bluetooth headphones or other Bluetooth accessories.

Pull down the Notification Center -> Scroll to the bottom -> Tap on Edit -> Tap + next to Batteries.

You may not see this if you don’t have an Apple Watch. We are trying to figure out if there is an option for all users.

Set iOS 9 Camera Defaults

If you prefer a specific setting to use for your iPhone camera on iOS 9 you can now set a default for the camera in Settings.

Go to Settings -> Photos & Camera -> Scroll down and choose your default for video and slo-motion video.

The secondary screen lets you know how much each of these will take up on your iPhone.

If you love using Apple Music and you are constantly listening on cellular you might want to turn on the option to listen to Apple Music in high quality while mobile.

Go to Settings -> Music -> High Quality on Cellular -> On.

This will use your data faster, but if you have a large enough plan, this is something to consider.

Set Up Apple News

One of the biggest new features in iOS 9 is Apple News. When you open the app for the first time you will chose the sources you want and the types of news you want to see. You can also see an option for notifications and email alerts.

If you want to change these later you can go to Settings -> News and here you can adjust your Apple News Notifications, background refresh and use of cellular data. This lets you control what you want after the initial setup.

Apple News is an interesting addition to the iPhone and iPad, and you can use it to read about popular topics, trends and your favorite sources — including Gotta Be Mobile.

iOS 9 Low Power Mode

We already walked through how to fix bad iOS 9 battery life, but this iOS 9 setting is one you’ll want to know how to change on a regular basis.

The new iOS 9 Low Power Mode can add several hours to your iPhone battery life by changing a bunch of settings and options with the flip of one switch.

Go to Settings -> Battery -> Low Power Mode -> On. 

You won’t likely want to use this all the time as it disables and changes some features, but when you need to make the iPhone battery life stretch further it is an essential iOS 9 setting to change.

The image above shows that the iOS 9 home screen looks very much like the one on iOS 8. This is not surprising, but you will notice one major change to this screen. 

The new iOS 9 font on the home page carries over through settings and apps. It's surprising how much the look of the system can change with a small tweak to a new font.

From the home screen you can now swipe left to a new search screen, and you can still swipe down to Spotlight from any of the home screen pages.

When you upgrade you will also see options to add iCloud Drive to your home screen. 

Apple adds two new default iOS 9 apps that you cannot delete. Find iPhone and Find Friends apps now come with the iPhone by default. You can hide them in a folder, but you cannot delete the apps. The Find My iPhone app is a very good addition, while Find My Friends is still not as widely used. 

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Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Review

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is hands down the best Galaxy Note ever released. In fact, it’s the best Android smartphone, period.

While the Galaxy Note 5 does have a few compromises to go along with the new design, it’s Samsung’s most premium smartphone so far. It delivers several features the iPhone and other Android competition can’t, with the S-Pen stylus or fingerprint scanner, and is just an all-around fabulous device. The Galaxy Note 5’s premium new design, unbeatable 5.7-inch screen and exceptional 16 megapixel camera earned it a GottaBeMobile Editors’ Choice Award.

It has a beautiful and big 5.7-inch display wrapped in an all-new aluminum design, enhancements to the S-Pen stylus, the latest version of Android and more, all while being smaller than last year’s Galaxy Note. This is a smartphone I can recommend without hesitation.

Samsung sent over a Galaxy Note 5 to review, an AT&T model priced at $739 off contract, or $30 a month for 24 months. It’s an expensive purchase considering it loses features compared to the Note 4, but more on that below. I’ve used it nearly three weeks alongside a trusty Galaxy S6 and Nexus 6, and have come to love its perfect size. It isn’t too big, like older Note phones, and isn’t too small either. I’ll be focusing mainly on the 5.7-inch display, the new S-Pen stylus features and the great camera.

There’s no getting around the fact that this is a big smartphone and may be too oversized for some users. That said, this year Samsung packed better specs, improved hardware and more features into a device smaller than last year’s even though it has the same size screen. That makes the Note 5 finally a device easy enough for most to hold and use with one hand, which has always been a problem for the Note line.

What We Like:

• Unbeatable 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 Quad-HD Display
• 16 Megapixel Camera that’s great for beginners & advanced enough for photography enthusiasts
• Completely revamped all-aluminum and glass design
• Smaller than the Galaxy Note 4, easier to hold and use
• Fast & Wireless Charging

What We Don’t Like:

• No micro-SD slot to expand storage
• No removable or replaceable battery
• Smaller battery than last years Note 4

Bottom Line: Those in the market for a big phone will likely end up getting the Note 5 and will love it. It has everything buyers love about the Galaxy S6 but it’s bigger, better and faster. Samsung has finally put together a well-rounded premium smartphone. The design, camera and screen can’t be beat. The S-Pen has tons of new features that makes it worth using: the fingerprint scanner is better than last year and they added wireless mobile payments (Samsung Pay) that will work everywhere. Not to mention fast charging and fast wireless charging. Then they wrapped it in an aluminum frame that’s better than the iPhone 6.

This phone has it all, does it all and looks good doing it. Samsung thought of everything. The only downside is there’s no micro-SD slot, which is a huge compromise due to the new design. But with 32 or 64GB of storage and the cloud, users will barely miss the micro-SD slot.

Galaxy Note 5 Display

The Galaxy Note 5 has the best screen I’ve ever used. It’s simply gorgeous. It has better colors and a higher resolution than any iPhone with a Retina Display, as well as higher than most HDTV’s. Whether users watch movies, play games, send texts or browse the web everything is bright, crisp and clear.

The biggest factor for me, and buyers, is that it’s the same 5.7-inch size as last year with a 2560 x 1440 Quad HD (2k) resolution, yet the device is physically smaller than the Galaxy Note 4. This is the first Galaxy Note I’ve felt comfortable holding.

Put it side-by-side with most of the competition and it’s somewhat hard to tell a difference, but it’s brighter and has better colors. I enjoy the fact that it has a bigger screen than the competition, but is physically smaller and easier to hold.

Galaxy Note 5 Design

There is no fake leather design on back, plastic that looks aluminum like the Galaxy Note 3 or other awful design flaws. This is a premium smartphone made out of aluminum with clean, chamfered edges and covered in durable, strengthened Gorilla Glass 4 on the front and back. When we say this is Samsung’s best phone we mean it. It’s a shining example of what a “premium” smartphone should be.

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iOS 9 Problems: 5 Things You Need to Know

Today, Apple finally rolled out its highly anticipated iOS 9 update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. And while the update brings numerous features and enhancements to the company’s mobile devices, it also brings problems. Here’s what you need to know right now about iOS 9 problems.

Last week, Apple confirmed its iOS 9 release date for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Right on cue, the company has delivered the iOS 9 update in all of its splendor and it’s now available for iOS users in the United States and around the world.

iOS 9 looks a lot like iOS 8 but don’t let its appearance fool you. The iOS 9 update comes loaded with tons of new features including a revamped Notes application, a new keyboard, enhanced battery life, and a lot more. And according to some iOS 9 users, it also brings problems.

While the iOS 9 update went through a lengthy beta process, the iOS 9 update is a big system upgrade and big system upgrades typically come with a collection of issues.

We’re only a few hours removed from the iOS 9 release and we’re already hearing about some of the initial issues plaguing users. With iOS 9 problems starting to emerge, we want to take a look at everything you need to know about these issues today, tomorrow and in the weeks ahead.

This early roundup offers a look at the issues themselves and some steps to take if you do happen to run into iOS 9 problems on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

iOS 9 Problems Plaguing Users

The iOS 9 update is packed with new features but it’s also causing problems for some iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users.

The earliest iOS 9 problems were related to the iOS 9 download. The iOS 9 download failed for many users right at the initial release time forcing many users to install through iTunes. Those issues appear to have resolved themselves and you should now be able to download iOS 9 Over-the-Air through Settings without any problems.

We’ve also been seeing complaints about iOS 9 downloads getting stuck. This is a common issue with iOS upgrades and fortunately a quick reboot (hold down the home button and power button together until the device restarts) should alleviate those problems.

In the hours since the iOS 9 release, we’re starting to get a read on some of the initial problems plaguing iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users who took the plunge and downloaded iOS 9 today.

In addition to the various installation problems, we’ve also been hearing and seeing complaints about random freezing on iPad, a number of web-related bugs, issues with the Podcast application, problems with the speed of animations, issues moving from the iOS 9 beta to the public release, problems with screen rotation, problems with GIFs, and more. These just scratch the surface.

We expect the list to grow as the hours go on and as more iPhone and iPad users download and install the iOS 9 update. It’s only a little more than two hours old at this point.

Now, it’s important to note that we’re not pointing these out to nitpick. We’re pointing them out to generate discussion (fixes typically come from discussion) and to serve as a warning.

Remember, Apple never forces you to install iOS updates. Take your time with iOS 9 and install it when you’re ready. That could be later today or that could be later this month after the smoke has settled. It’s not going anywhere.

They’re Isolated

It’s important to note that as of right now, iOS 9 problems are isolated. It’s also important to note that we haven’t seen widespread complaints about the issues that normally plague iOS updates.

There are iOS 9 problems, we’ve established this, but none of them (for the moment) appear to be widespread. Typically, major widespread problems affecting millions jump off the page but other than those initial download problems, we haven’t seen any.

We’ve been using iOS 9 on an assortment of devices (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, iPad Air, and iPad mini 2) and we haven’t run into any major problems or bugs in iOS 9. At least not yet.

We also haven’t seen many complaints about bad iOS 9 battery life, major performance issues on older devices, or connectivity problems. These are extremely common after major iOS updates.

The iOS 9 update is only a few hours old and we’re bound to see some of these issues emerge but this lack of volume is a great sign.

Again, it’s important to gather as much feedback as possible before installing major iOS updates. Complaints about iOS 9 will be loud and gain attention but it’s important to note the success stories as well.

How to Fix iOS 9 Problems

If you just downloaded iOS 9 on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and you’re already seeing problems, there’s no need to work yourself into a panic. At least not yet.

We’ve put together a list of fixes for common iOS problems that should help. These fixes include ways to improve iOS 9 battery life, fix poor Wi-Fi connectivity, and more. It’s a great starting point though we encourage you to branch out to other sites if these fixes don’t work or you don’t find your problem.

Apple’s Discussion Forums are always a great place to look for fixes for iOS problems. We’re already seeing users provide feedback there and that should continue for the foreseeable future. We’ve also found the MacRumors community to be a great resource so you’ll want to check there too.

You Can Downgrade to iOS 8.4.1

For the moment, you have another option at your fingertips. If iOS 9 isn’t performing on your iPhone or iPad, you can downgrade to iOS 8.4.1.

Apple is still signing on iOS 8.4.1. The company typically signs off for a week or two before pulling the cord. Once it stops signing off, the downgrade loophole will close up and you’ll be left with iOS 9 and iOS 9 alone.

We’ve put together a step-by-step guide that will take you through the iOS 9 to iOS 8.4.1 downgrade process. Remember, if you’re coming from iOS 8.4 or older, you won’t be able to go back to anything older than iOS 8.4.1.

What’s Next

Apple hasn’t announced an iOS 9.0.1 update. And with no hero level iOS 9 problems jumping out at users, we may not see one for a few days, a few weeks, or ever. So, you’ll need to be extremely proactive if you do run into problems.

We do know that Apple has another iOS 9 update on the way. iOS 9.1 will be coming to all iOS 9 devices sometime in the next few weeks. We don’t have an official date but it looks like it will push in late October or November alongside the iPad Pro.

iOS 9.1 will bring new emojis but it should also bring bug fixes and security enhancements to the iOS 9 operating system.

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Apple Updates iMovie for iOS With 4K Support, 3D Touch, Keyboard Shortcuts, Much More

Apple has updated iMovie for iOS with the ability to edit and share 4K movies, 3D Touch support for the iPhone 6s, and much more.

With a streamlined design and intuitive Multi-Touch gestures, iMovie lets you enjoy your videos and tell stories like never before. Browse your video library, share favorite moments, create beautiful movies, and watch them on all your devices in iMovie Theater. And with the iMovie extension, it’s fast and fun to make every video more memorable — right in the Photos app.

What's New In This Version:
• Create and share movies at stunning 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) on compatible iOS devices *
• Create and share movies with 1080p HD video at 60 frames per second for smoother, more true-to-life action
• Use 3D Touch on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to quickly start a new movie right from the Home Screen
• Desktop-class performance on iPad Pro with the ability to edit multiple streams of 4K video and use shortcuts with the Smart Keyboard 
• Enhanced interface on iPad Pro with full-height Media Browser and pixel-for-pixel 1080 HD Viewer
• Connect a keyboard and use simple shortcuts to edit movies quickly
• Option to hide Media Browser while editing a movie
• Option to disable Ken Burns animation on a photo
• Redesigned Project Details view lets you watch movies and trailers before opening them
• Redesigned Video view lets you see more of your library while browsing videos and photos on iPad
• Improved Inspector controls with easy-to-read text labels on iPad
• Support for Slide Over and Split View when multitasking with the iMovie Extension for Photos
• Redesigned Audio browser in the iMovie Extension lets you easily browse and hear music
• Performance and stability improvements
• Support for Canadian French, Hindi, and Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong)

* 4K support is available on iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPad Pro

You can purchase iMovie from the App Store for $4.99.

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