Getting Started With iOS and iPadOS

In this edition of his introductory series of podcast, Thomas Domville discusses and explores the settings available within iOS to control what sounds are played to accompany various actions and events.

In this podcast, Thomas Domville introduces us to Apple’s News app which is new in iOS 9.

News collects all the stories you want to read, from top news sources, based on topics you’re most interested in — so you no longer need to move from app to app to stay informed.

Explore a huge selection of topics from sources including top news organizations and indie publications. Choose the ones you want to add to your favorites so you can get the news that interests you — like business, technology, fashion, sports, and more.

The more you read, the better News gets at understanding your interests, refining the selection of stories delivered to your screen so they are relevant to you. Easily share articles with others and save them to read offline.

In this episode, Thomas Domville demonstrates how to delete your entire iPhone call history or a specific call.

There are several reasons why individuals might choose to delete their iPhone call history or specific call log entries. One common reason is to ensure privacy by removing records of personal or sensitive calls that they wish to keep confidential, especially from others who may have access to their phone. Additionally, deleting old or irrelevant call logs helps maintain an organized call history, making it easier to find important calls and reducing clutter. Sometimes, to prevent misunderstandings or confusion, one might delete a call log entry related to an accidental dial or a call received from a specific number. Furthermore, while call logs take up minimal storage space, clearing them can help free up a small amount of storage on the iPhone, which is particularly useful if there is an extensive call history accumulated over time.

In this episode, Thomas Domville delves into the details of iOS battery health and charging features. He begins by explaining what battery health is and why it’s important for your device’s performance. Then, he explores the various charging options that iOS provides, discussing how each one affects your device’s battery health.

A key part of this episode is the introduction of a new feature that’s only available on iPhone 15 and newer. This feature lets users set a charging limit to 80%, and Thomas discusses its benefits and how it can extend your device’s battery life. He also provides a step-by-step guide on how to set this charging limit on your iPhone 15 and newer devices.

In this episode, Thomas Domville walks through the redesigned Phone app in iOS 26. The episode explains the difference between the new Unified view and the legacy Classic view, shows how to switch between them, and highlights where previously familiar items—like Voicemail—now live. Throughout, Thomas shares VoiceOver-friendly steps and tips to make navigation faster and less confusing.

In this episode, Thomas Domville walks through Safari’s new Tabs layout options in iOS 26, explains the default Compact view, and shows how to switch between Compact, Bottom, and Top tab layouts. The demo is VoiceOver-centric, with practical navigation tips (rotor use, headings, and screen-edge gestures) to make changing this setting quick and repeatable.

Follow these steps to connect your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch to a wireless network.

In this podcast, Steve Sawczyn discusses the Direct Touch Typing input mode first introduced in iOS 8 and shows how it works with VoiceOver.

Introduction

The following guide has been inspired by this episode of the Apfel-Fleger Podcast, a podcast in German for blind users of Apple products. All credit goes to Jürgen Fleger and his friend for discovering and presenting this little trick.

Intro

Have you ever wondered if there was a way your phone could just dial into an automated system without you needing to dial anything? Turns out, you can do just that.

Making the iPhone dial any number

Dialing a number directly within the phone app

Within the phone app, hold the star (*) key. VoiceOver should then say "Comma".

In this episode, Dave Nason explores the changed gestures and button functions on the iPhone X, the first iPhone to ship without a Home button. Although these changes are demonstrated on the iPhone X, they apply to all subsequent iPhone and iPad models that lack this button.

Using alternative gestures as well as the other buttons on the device, all functions involving the Home button can be accessibly replicated. The table below lists affected functions, how to perform them on devices with a Home button, and how to perform them on devices without a Home button.

Introduction

With the recent release of the new iPhone 16e, this means the end of the Home Button for iPhone users. Those who have been using iPhone SE's for years will now have to face not having a phone on the market which has the Home Button. We can't bring Touch ID back, but we can do something about duplicating the function of the Home Button. While many users have adapted in various ways, including performing the gesture, the fact remains that this gesture isn't as simple to perform until you are used to it as hitting a button. Speaking of buttons, I've sent the feedback several times to Apple that this should be an option for the Action Button. As of iOS 18.3.1, this still isn't one, though you can set up a Siri shortcut to assign the Action Button to the Home gesture (discussed below).

In this episode, Thomas Domville takes us through a comprehensive tutorial on how to use the effects and react features in the iOS Messages app. Whether you're a long-time user of the app or just getting started, you'll learn how to add some fun and creativity to your messages by using the various effects and reactions available. Thomas will walk you through step-by-step instructions on how to use these features, including the different types of effects and how to customize them, as well as how to use reactions to respond to messages in a fun and engaging way.

In this episode, Thomas Domville demonstrates the call recording and transcription feature in iOS 18.1. This update brings an exciting built-in call recording capability to iPhones. Recording a call is straightforward: just double-tap the Record button in the top left corner during a call (note that you might need to hide the keypad to see the button). A voice message will notify all participants that the call is being recorded. These recordings are saved directly in the Notes app, which uses end-to-end encryption to keep your conversations private. To review a call, simply go to the Notes app, and you'll find your recordings securely stored there. Additionally, iOS 18.1 offers automatic transcription, generating real-time captions and notes during your call. This feature makes it easy to reference important points later, with transcriptions handled entirely on your device to ensure privacy, with no data sent to external servers.

In this episode, Thomas Domville explains that, prior to iOS 26, the default alarm snooze was fixed at 9 minutes with no way to change it. In iOS 26, you can set a custom snooze duration directly in the Clock app when creating or editing an alarm. The episode walks through the exact steps with VoiceOver cues so screen-reader users can follow along comfortably.

For iOS 18, macOS Sequoia

Intro

As is widely known, a major selling point of Apple devices is the interconnected ecosystem they collectively foster, allowing users to work seamlessly between iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other devices. Some of these features, like iCloud, iMessage, and FaceTime, are facilitated by central servers, whereas others, like the Continuity features discussed in this guide, are largely facilitated by Apple’s proprietary peer-to-peer networking protocols that allow devices to directly communicate with each other.

Keep in mind that this guide is not intended as an exhaustive list or explainer of every feature, but rather an overview of those which I consider to be most useful, and that I feel I have sufficient experience with to comment on their overall utility. Features that involve platforms I don’t personally have experience with, like iPadOS and watchOS, will be mentioned, but not covered in detail.

In this episode, Thomas Domville demos the new Copied Speech rotor option in iOS 26 for VoiceOver. Think of it as a lightweight clipboard history: it remembers what you copied with VoiceOver and lets you paste from the last ten copied items directly via the rotor, making multi-item copy/paste (like app titles and release notes) fast and accessible.

What’s covered / why it matters

In this podcast, Thomas Domville shows us how to quickly and easily move back through menu levels by performing a long-press on the Back button.

Essentially, this functionality is similar to back button history menus that you are probably familiar with from your desktop web browser.

If you receive or initiate a phone call or text message, from a number that isn't in your iPhone Contacts, you may want to add that information to an existing contact or create a new contact.

In this podcast Thomas Domville shows us how to add nicknames to Contacts on iOS.