iPad – Removing Mail Account
The Mail app on an iPhone/iPad can handle multiple email accounts. To see what accounts are currently set up, go to Settings, Mail, Accounts. If you tap on any of the accounts you can choose whether to include that account in the Mail app, or in Contacts, Calendars or Notes. If you want to completely remove that account from the iPad/iPhone, tap Delete Account.
Linda was using the Gmail app on an iPad and wanted to know how to remove an account from this. Since the meeting, I have installed the Gmail app on my iPad to check how this is done. Launch the Gmail app and tap on your account Circle/Picture at the top right of the app. Then tap Manage accounts on this device. You will then see a list of all the email accounts that have been set up in the Gmail app. Each one has a slide switch by it - you can use this to temporarily turn off the account or turn it back on again. Below each account name, you can tap on Remove from this device to remove that email account.
iPhone 15 Launch Date
We mentioned last time (under Autumn Updates heading) that the iPhone 15 and iOS17 were expected in September – see:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2023/08/
The Apple launch event happened yesterday (12th September). Usually, the phones are available for pre-order just after the event and then will ship about a week later.
There will be 4 phones in the series:-
- Basic iPhone 15 (6.1 inch) – From £799
- iPhone 15 Plus (6.7 inch) – From £899
- iPhone 15 Pro (6.1 inch) – From £999, and
- iPhone 15 Pro Max (6.7 inch) – From £1,199
The iPhone 15 range is the first to use a USB Type-C connector instead of Apple's proprietary Lightning Port. This has happened thanks to regulations in the EU to standardise on Type-C for charging to reduce the waste caused by having different connectors and cables.
For details, see the Apple site at:-
https://www.apple.com/uk/iphone-15/
The Pro version has a new Action Button on the side which can be customised to do a variety of things. It replaces the ringer on/off switch found on previous iPhones. The Action Button function can be changed in Settings, for example it can turn on the flash light, launch the camera app or turn on Do Not Disturb.
The camera has been improved, yet again. The Pro versions can capture “spatial video” which can create 3D images, but you will need to wait for Apple’s Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, which is not yet available, to view 3D images.
You will be able to find product reviews in the coming weeks, but there are some initial views, such as this article from The Verge:-
https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/12/23859756/iphone-15-pro-max-price-features-release-date-apple
The updated versions of iOS and iPadOS (version 17) will be released on the 18th September. We mentioned some of the new features last time and you can read more in this Mac Rumors article:-
https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ios-17/
Battery Life
We has some discussion about the battery life (or lack of it!) on mobile phones. Modern phones, such as the iPhone, are capable of wireless charging. Apple offer a number of wireless charging options - see:-
https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/accessories/all/wireless-chargers
Brian also pointed out that you can get a 'power bank' which is effectively just another battery that you can charge up and then use it to charge you phone. You can search for 'power banks' on Amazon to see a wide range of products.
iPhone 12 Ban in France?
Brian mentioned that France is banning the iPhone 12. The regulators in France have found the iPhone 12 emits above their legal radiation limit. They are banning any further sales of this model and considering a recall of phones previously sold. The iPhone 12 is no longer in production, but Apple is contesting the finding of the French regulator. See this Guardian article from earlier today:-
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/13/france-halts-iphone-12-sales-over-radiation-exposure-levels
Windows 11-23H2
Again, we mentioned the forth-coming annual update to Windows 11 at the last Club and listed some of the new features that will be included. This is now expected to be released on the October Patch Tuesday (10th October) and will be a very quick ‘enablement package’, although it will require a reboot. All PCs that currently run 22H2 will be compatible with 23H2.
It introduces the new AI feature called Copilot. There will be a new Copilot icon on the Taskbar by default which will launch a sidebar with a ‘Bing chat’ style layout. In addition to the Bing chat stuff, you will be able to type instructions for your PC, e.g. “turn on dark mode”.
File Explorer has been re-designed. It adds a ‘Gallery’ option on the left which will show all your photos, including from OneDrive and from iCloud in addition to the local pictures.
The Settings app has a new “Home” option on the left which brings together a few settings including Taskbar, Sound and also subscriptions such as Microsoft 365.
A new Windows Backup app mainly offers a new way to access the OneDrive sync options that already exist. It can also remember some settings, such as which apps you have pinned to the Taskbar.
A new volume mixer, accessible by clicking the volume icon near the clock, allows the volume for different apps to be set independently.
I hope to be able to demonstrate some of these new features at the next Club, which will be the day after this update is released.
The End of WordPad
WordPad is a simple word-processor that has been a free app included in Windows since Windows 95. While it was nothing like as full-featured as Word, it was good enough for many users who just wanted to produce the occasional letter or other document.
On Friday 1st September, Microsoft announced that WordPad will no longer be updated and that it will be removed from Windows in a later release, although no precise date was specified – see:-
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/deprecated-features
It is possible to use the free version of Word online as an alternative by signing in to office.com, or using the Word app on your iPad. You will need to sign in with your Microsoft Account credentials.
LibreOffice is a free and full-featured alternative word-processor for anyone who does not want to pay for Microsoft Office. LibreOffice can be downloaded from here:-
https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download-libreoffice/
Paid Version of Facebook??
It has been reported that Meta might offer paid versions of some of their products such as Facebook and Instagram. The paid versions would be ad-free, so presumably would not need to collect data on users which is required for targeted advertising. This could help Meta to continue operating in areas like the EU where privacy regulations could restrict user tracking. See this GHacks article for more:-
https://www.ghacks.net/2023/09/02/meta-may-launch-ad-free-versions-of-facebook-and-instagram-in-the-eu/
The History of Computing
At the Club in July, John recommended the book Dealers of Lightning by Michael A Hiltzak which looks at work done at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Centre (PARC) in the 1970s.
George asked me to pass on another couple of recommendations:-
Where Wizards Stay Up Late – the origins of the Internet by Kate Hafner and Matthew Lyon:-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Wizards-Stay-Up-Late/dp/0684832674
Accidental Empires – the early history of the PC by Robert X Cringely:-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Accidental-Empires-Silicon-Millions-Competition/dp/0140258264
Robert Cringely the author of the above book, produced a documentary in 1996 called Triumph of the Nerds which you can find here on YouTube:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1yzXkH5Pfo
New Scam Protection
This recent Which? article mentioned a new system some banks are now offering to protect their customers from scammers who call pretending to be from the bank:-
https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/monzo-customers-can-now-check-if-theyre-on-the-phone-to-a-scammer-aOEOE2M1DotL
In particular, Monzo Bank has launched a new feature in its app. Now, when a Monzo customer gets a call from someone saying they are from the bank, they can check the “Call Status” on the app which will indicate if a genuine Monzo Bank representative is currently calling them.
It appears that Barclays have had a similar feature in their app since 2018. By checking the app, a Barclays customer can see the name of the representative calling them.
This looks like a good idea – I wonder if other banks will follow suit?
Without this reassurance that it is a genuine call from your bank, the advice remains to end the call and phone the bank back on a known number, usually from the back of your bank card. Alternately, you can call 159 which can then securely connect you to one of the 16 banks currently signed up to this system.
Windows 11 – Retiring Troubleshooters
Microsoft are retiring (deprecating) what it calls the Legacy Troubleshooters. These can be found in Windows 11 by going to Settings, System, Troubleshoot, Other Trouble-shooters.
These are all being replaced by the Get Help app which can be found using Start Search (i.e. just click the Start button [or press the Windows key] and begin typing Get Help). Just start typing your problem in the app to get help, often by the same troubleshooters you used to get to the old way.
[Troubleshooters are also available in Windows 10 by going to Settings, Update & Security, Troubleshoot, Additional Troubleshooters but I don't think Windows 10 will be getting the new Get Help app].
Paul Thurrott, tech journalist, has an article about this on his web site at:-
https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-11/288680/microsoft-is-quietly-retiring-the-legacy-troubleshooters-in-windows-11
VirusTotal
Linda asked for a reminder about how to check if a website is potentially malicious.
VirusTotal is a service that can check either files or web addresses (URLs) for malware and malicious content. VirusTotal was launched in 2004 by a Spanish company but was acquired by Google in 2012. It uses over 70 antivirus scanners and URL block-listing services, together now (of course!) with AI algorithms, to detect harmful content. We last mentioned VirusTotal at the Club in August 2022:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2022/08/
The service is free and easy to use, just go to:-
https://www.virustotal.com
File
If you have a file you want to check - perhaps something that you have just downloaded - select the File option. Click Choose file and then navigate to and select the file you want to check, then click Confirm upload. The file will be uploaded to VirusTotal and run through 60 or so virus checkers. You will see a summary at the top of the page.
URL (aka Web Address)
If you have a web address you are unsure about - perhaps a link you received in an email or found in an article - select the URL option. Paste the URL into the search box and press the Enter key on your keyboard. Again, you will see a list of results with a summary at the top.
Just give it a try so you are familiar with using it, then you will be prepared if and when you need to use this service.
Windows 10 - Wrong Colours
Linda had an issue with Windows using colours which she did not like.
We looked at the overall Windows colour settings which, in Windows 10, can be found by going to Settings, Personalisation. Here you can select either Colours or Themes to change the overall look. However, all these settings seemed OK in Linda's case.
Since the meeting, I now wonder if this was just an issue with Edge, which has its own colours and themes. In Edge, click on the 3-dots, Settings. Select Appearance in the left-hand column (you may need to click the 3-bars at the top left to show this column). You can then select themes which just apply to Edge.
Windows Notification
Windows notifications pop up briefly in the bottom right of the screen. You often don't have time to read them before they disappear. You will see a symbol with a number in a circle just to the right of the clock on the Taskbar indicating how many notifications you have received. If you click on this symbol, it will show all the notifications in a list. You can delete individual notifications using the X within that item, or remove them all by clicking Clear all notifications.
DVD Player Not Recognising DVDs
Linda raised this issue at the last Club and it was suggested that she try using VLC, the cross-platform multimedia player, to see if this might work - it didn't.
I suggested that it may be a hardware issue with the optical drive. The simplest way to diagnose this would be to try another drive. External optical drives are available for around £20 from Amazon and just connect via a USB port.
Next Session
Wed 11th October 2023 at 2pm by Zoom
