Split Screen Not Available on iPad
Tony had previously been able to use the split screen function on his iPad by tapping the 3-dot Menu icon at the top right and selecting the option to position the app to the left or right half of the screen. Recently, these options had disappeared from the 3-dot Menu.
It seems that this function had become disabled, maybe by an update. It is enabled by going to Settings, selecting Multitasking & Gestures and turning on Split View & Slide Over.
For more on this, see this Apple Support article:-
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/ipad/ipad08c9970c/ipados
Emergency Alert Test
The second test of the UK Emergency Alert System took place last Sunday (Sept 7th) at 3pm. All phones with a 4G or 5G connection should have received the alert.
You need to ensure Emergency Alerts are enabled. On Android devices, go to Settings and use the search box to search for "Emergency Alerts". On iPhones, Go to Settings, Notifications and scroll down to the bottom and ensure Government Alerts are turned on.
If you want to refer back to the alert message, do one of the following:-
On Android
As above, go the Settings and search for Emergency Alerts. Look for Emergency Alert History.
On iPhone
Go to Settings, Notifications, Emergency Alerts.
Digital Wallet Scams
The main Digital Wallets are Apple Pay and Google Wallet which enable you to pay in shops by using your phone or watch. Before you can use these apps, you need to enter the relevant card details and follow the on-screen process which will link to your bank for approval. In general, Digital Wallets are very secure. All your details are encrypted and it does not store your actual card number. Because of this extra security, the limit of £100 per transaction which applies to a contactless payment with a physical credit card does not apply to contactless payment using a Digital Wallet. You can also add loyalty cards to the wallet, reducing the number of physical cards you need to carry around. Bankrate, a USA company offering financial guidance, explain more about digital wallets:-
https://www.bankrate.com/banking/what-is-a-digital-wallet/
However, this recent Which? article describes how some fraudsters have found a way to steal your card details:-
https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/how-fraudsters-could-steal-your-card-without-it-leaving-your-wallet-aBr2y9W3kbxm
As with many scams, this will probably start with a fake ad on Facebook or a phishing email which goes on to ask you to enter your card details into a fake web site. The scammer will immediately use the card details to try to set up your card in their Digital Wallet. This will cause your card-provider to send you an OTP (One Time Passcode) via SMS or email and the scammers web site will ask you to enter this code which the scammer will use to complete the Digital Wallet setup on their device.
None of this can happen if you avoid getting hooked in by clicking links in the fake ad or phishing email. Also, if you are using a Digital Wallet, make sure you turn on push notification of transactions, then you would know immediately if there was a payment that you had not authorised.
If your card-provider has a smartphone app, it could be possible to use this to authenticate, rather than having a OTP sent, which might also circumvent this scam.
Google Pixel 10 Phone
Google recently announced their latest version of the Pixel phone series – the Pixel 10. Starting prices are as follows:-
Pixel 10 - £799
Pixel 10 Pro - £999
Pixel 10 Pro XL - £1,199
Pixel 10 Fold - £1,749
Reviews suggest it is an excellent phone with an AI-enhanced camera. For example, the new Camera Coach feature suggests improvements to your composition. The Pixel 10 also ditches the physical SIM socket in favour of eSIM only. It includes wireless charging using the Qi2 (pronounced “chee 2”) standard for magnetically attached chargers. The Qi2 standard is very similar to Apple’s “MagSafe” charging system. It has aligning magnets and a minimum charging capacity of 15 watts.
For full details, see this article from Ars Technica:-
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/google-pixel-10-series-review-dont-call-it-an-android/
Talking about MagSafe, Linda asked how this would work with a phone case. For charging to work correctly and efficiently, the case needs to be MagSafe compatible. These are available from Apple and from third-party suppliers such as Mous:-
https://uk.mous.co/collections/magsafe-cases
iPhone 17
Apple held an event yesterday at which they announced the new versions of iPhone together with new AirPods Pro 3 and new Apple Watch. You can watch the Apple event on YouTube:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3KnMyojEQU
Tech Radar describes the event and the new products here:-
https://www.techradar.com/tech-events/apple-iphone-17-event-everything-apple-announced-and-9-things-we-learned
There are the usual 3 versions of the phone – iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. In addition, there is a new thinner and lighter version called iPhone Air. All the phones should be available by the 19th of September. The starting prices for these phones are:-
iPhone 17 - £799
iPhone 17 Pro - £1,099
iPhone 17 Pro Max - £1,999
iPhone Air - £999
Unlike Google, Apple do not currently offer a folding phone.
The cameras have all been improved and feature a square image sensor, so you do not need to rotate the phone to take a portrait or landscape shot. Also, the front camera now has the “Center Stage” function to keep you in the middle of the frame.
These new phones will run the new iOS26 software. We talked about this at the Club back in June after it was announced at Apple’s WWDC (World-Wide Developer Conference) on 9th June – see the blog of the June Club:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2025/06/
Reviewers have now had chance to try out some of the new functions and features of iOS26. The “Liquid Glass” feature has had mixed reviews and it seems Apple have made a number of changes/improvements in response to feedback.
“Call Screening”, which can automatically answer calls from unsaved numbers and ask the caller for their name and reason for calling, seems to have some positive feedback from some reviewers. Also, “Hold Assist” can take over when you would just be listening to music while on hold, and it will alert you when a human starts to speak. Reviews suggest this is quite useful, although sometimes it would confuse a human voice with a robot voice.
You can read more about iOS26 in many articles, including this one from Engadget:-
https://www.engadget.com/mobile/ios-26-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-update-before-the-iphone-17-launch-135749395.html
One tip I came across relates to the new Safari layout which hides things like the sharing function behind a 3-dot menu button. Apparently, if you go to Settings, Safari and change Tabs to Bottom, some users found this looks more familiar.
The new AirPods Pro 3 feature live translation which you can see demonstrated in the Apple Event video (see above). If both parties wear Air Pods Pro 3, they can effectively converse with each other in their own language and the Air Pods will translate. This is getting close to the fictional “Babel Fish” in Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” or the Universal Translator in Star Trek! Note that Google also offers some similar translation functions using its Translate app and Goole Pixel Buds – you can read more about that here:-
https://support.google.com/googlepixelbuds/answer/7573100?hl=en-GB
Phone Trade-In Scam
Brian related a phone trade-in scam. He purchased a new Samsung S25 from what later turned out to be a dealer on a marketplace. Some weeks later, the phone was locked by Samsung. It turns out the the dealer purchased the phone from Samsung on a trade-in deal, but never sent the trade-in device to them, so they subsequently blocked the new phone. Fortunately, Brian was able to return the phone to the marketplace for a full refund. Perhaps best to buy new phones directly from Apple, Samsung, Google etc or from one of the shops of the 4 main carriers (EE, O2, Vodafone or Three).
Next Session
Wed 8th October at 2pm by Zoom
