Dorchester — Feb 14th 2017

Mick explained how to make full use of Calendar on both Macs and IOS devices. Assuming one is using iCloud, the calendars are synchronised on each device. Make, modify or delete an entry and the update will be pushed to the others via iCloud. To make a new entry on the Mac just click in on the calendar roughly where you want to make the entry and the enter detail window opens. On IOS you click on the plus sign top right. Mick showed how you can set up repeating entries with a wide range of options including Custom. How calendars are displayed can be set via Mac Preferences & IOS settings. You can have as many separate calendars as you like each with its own colour. These can each be turned on and off for viewing, so you can have a calendar specific to an activity e.g. fishing, by switching just that calendar on you can see all the relevant fishing commitments. Mick showed how by Control Clicking on a calendar name it can be shared with one or more specified contacts or made public. The share can be read only or allow access to make and amend entries.

Syncing the calendar was a good opening to the second topic of the evening iCloud and iCloud Drive. Mick explained the difference, that iCloud does the synchronising of Calendar, Contacts etc. between devices whilst iCloud Drive stores files that all devices have access to. iCloud happens automatically, providing the user is signed into the SAME Apple iCloud account on each device and synchronising is turned on for the specific Apps in the Preferences and Settings. Update on one device e.g, Contact information and this is pushed up to the Cloud from where it is pushed on to other devices as soon as they are connected. Mick showed how to select which Apps sync, using iCloud Preferences on the Mac and iCloud Settings on IOS. Even if not using iCloud Photo Library photos, as part of the iCloud sync service, photos can be pushed from one device to the others’ "My Photo Stream" folders where they will remain for 30 days or until the folder contains 1000 pictures. The photos are permanent in the camera roll of the source device and can be copied from My Photo Stream to other permanent folders. Mick pointed out that only Apples’s Mail will sync via iCloud, syncing for other email service is carried out by the provider using IMAP. If there is an error in syncing, Mick showed how, by logging in to iCloud on a Mac browser, you can check whether it is the sending or receiving device which is at fault. To do the same on an IOS device a standard browser will not work, but there is a free App, iCab Mobile on which you can.

Mick then showed that iCloud Drive is Apple’s Cloud storage system on which the user can store any file and can create folders etc. However by default iCloud Drive has folders specific to each Apple App, e.g. Text Edit, Pages, Numbers , Keynote etc. These folders only show in the finder once they have a document stored in them. You can create additional folders on iCloud Drive and store any type of file in them. Apple Apps such as Pages, Keynote etc use their specific folders on iCloud Drive. You can access a different folder by selecting “location” on the IOS Apps opening screen.

After the break, David showed how the opening screen for Keynote looks on his iPhone. Some files have the cloud with down arrow to show they are available to be downloaded. Once downloaded a file is saved on the device and the cloud sign disappears. Deleting a file by pressing until it wobbles, then trash, reveals the option to remove from device or from all devices.

During the talks re iCloud and Calendar it was apparent that some members might have more that one Account trying to synchronise data for example iCloud and Gmail. Members checked their Account settings and several did have more than one account synchronising the same data. Most switched to limiting syncing to iCloud only.

David went on to show the various ways to increase the size of text when reading and writing emails including customising the toolbar. He then demonstrated Full Screen, Split screen and Mission Control. For split screen to work “display as separate spaces” must be ticked in System Preferences, Mission Control.

Finally we took a look at the emergency option on the startup screen on an iPhone. In addition to be able to dial emergency services, that can also display health settings which have been entered in the Health App. As a matter of standard procedure, medics on an accident scene will immediately check the injured/unwell party’s Smart Phone to check medical notes such as Allergies & Reactions, Medications, blood type, emergency contacts etc. This info is entered on the Health App via the Medical ID option. You have the option to allow access to this info on Locked Screen.

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