Microsoft Support & Discussions

If you use Facebook for iPhone and iPad on a regular basis in conjunction with the Facebook Messenger app, you are probably already familiar with the amount of spam messages you can receive. Just like email, Facebook has become a great place for advertisers and marketers to troll. However, Facebook does have a setting that lets you take a little more control over what messages end up in your inbox. Here's how to access it! How to get spam out of your Facebook inbox on iPhone and iPad Launch the Facebook app. Tap on the More button in the bottom navigation. Tap on Privacy Shortcuts, it's towards the bottom. Tap on Who can contact me?. Tap on Strict Filtering. …

Microsoft has announced a new foldable Bluetooth keyboard that works on cross-platform devices. Dubbed the Universal Foldable Keyboard, Microsoft's latest accessory works with iPads, iPhones, Android smartphones and tablets as well as Windows tablets. Also announced is compatibility with Windows Phone, starting with Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2 as well as Windows 10 for phones, which is scheduled to launch later this year. The keyboard is portable, and connects to two devices simultaneously, with buttons available for toggling between the two. We'll be bringing you details on availability and pricing as soon as they're announced. What are your thoughts on the latest ke…

When people switch from Android to iPhone, one of the reasons they cite the most is — quality of apps. That's just why there's never been a better time to switch to iPhone. Whether you're tempted for yourself or looking to help the Android user in your life, the all-new, all-better iPhone 6 and iPhone-6-plus make the move more compelling than ever — especially for the high quality apps. Quality vs. quantity Both the App Store and the Google Play Store are now home to upwards of a million apps. The sheer number is almost impossible to comprehend, let alone experience. Many of the most popular apps exist on both platforms. Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instag…

On Monday at Mobile World Congress, Microsoft announced two new, affordable Lumia phones, the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL, which “give people the flexibility to do more anywhere, and at any time,” writes Stephen Elop, executive vice president of the Microsoft Devices Group, in a blog post. Elop also shares that at the event, Microsoft unveiled a super-lightweight universal keyboard that works with iPads, iPhones, Android devices and Windows tablets, as well as a new offering with AT&T in the U.S. that will help small- and medium-sized businesses succeed with tools to collaborate and share. “From devices with the smallest screens to devices with the largest screen…

Messages is the most popular app on the iPhone. There are tons of features you can activate with just a tap. It's got even more, however, that you can access with long presses, swipes, and other gesture shortcuts. If you have enough time, you can figure them all out. Or you can just read all about them right here and instantly master your messages! Pull to search Just like on the Home screen where you can touch and pull down to access Spotlight search, you can touch and pull down from any mailbox to bring up search for mail. Start typing and Mail will show you any messages that match. Swipe to go back Another system-wide gesture, any time you're…

If you're experiencing issues with the headphone jack in your iPhone 5c and software troubleshooting just isn't doing the trick, a DIY repair may be required. Symptoms of a defective or faulty headphone jack can include distorted sounds, crackling, sounds cutting in and out, and in some cases, no sound at all. In rare cases, a faulty headphone jack can also cause regular sounds to not work if iOS thinks headphones are plugged in when they're not. If any of these scenarios sounds like something you're experiencing, follow along and we'll walk you through where to get parts and tools and how to DIY replace the headphone jack in your iPhone 5c for a fraction of the cost o…

Spacetime Studios has announced their next game — Call of the Champions! Creators of hit mobile MMORPGs like Arcane Legends and Pocket Legends, Spacetime Studios says Call of Champions will be a free-to-play MOBA-themed fantasy game and, what's more, it will be released for the iPhone and iPad sometime this year. In the Call of Champions arena, players will be able to control one out of over twenty different Champions across five distinct classes, each coming equipped with their own unique playstyle and special abilities. Players will be immersed in a fiction that takes place in a time beyond the cosmos as they take on the role of a godlike entity that controls C…

Siri, originally created as a stand-alone App Store app by Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer, and Tom Gruber, was bought by Apple and integrated into iOS 5 for the iPhone 4s launch in 2011. A digital assistant with sequential inference and context awareness, Siri answers questions and executes commands not in a vacuum but in relation to whatever questions and commands came before. As Siri to find you a Starbucks and it will pull up a list of locations close to where you are. Ask for directions and it knows Starbucks is where you want to go and brings up the best route to get you there. Apple has been steadily increasing Siri's abilities as well. The company has added partne…

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Apple CEO Tim Cook once again reiterates his and the company's views on privacy. In the second of a two-part interview, Cook stated that everyone should have the right to keep their personal data private, no matter what others might believe. From Telegraph: None of us should accept that the government or a company or anybody should have access to all of our private information. This is a basic human right. We all have a right to privacy. We shouldn't give it up. We shouldn't give in to scare-mongering or to people who fundamentally don't understand the details. Cook doesn't believe that governments need access to private information to combat terrorists.: …

British band Hot Chip is giving you an incentive to buy their new album, rather than stream it. I was already looking forward to British electronic music band Hot Chip's new album Why Make Sense?, which comes out in May. I won't download it from iTunes, though. I plan to buy it in physical form, because they're doing something really cool with the LP and CD. The Verge reports that the Wallzo-designed cover of the album has been hacked by visual artist Nick Relph. Domino Records, the music label publishing the album, will use what they call "a unique and bespoke printing technique" to offer 501 different color variations of the cover art. Combined with subtle…

The iMore show brings you everything you need to know about the week in iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple! On this episode Priority podcast intercept! Apple has sent out invitations to a 'Spring Forward' event in March. We'll be there, but before we go we got Serenity Caldwell, Peter Cohen, Georgia Dow, and Rene Ritchie together to share their expectations! Subscribe in iTunes: Audio Subscribe in RSS: Audio Download directly: Audio Show notes Apple holding 'Spring Forward' special event on March 9! Here's what to expect from Apple's March 9 event Apple Watch: The options we're all choosing and why! Hosts Serenity Caldwell Peter Cohen Georgia Dow Rene R…

Sprint announced today that it has partnered with Best Buy to offer an exclusive unlimited plan, fittingly called the "Best Buy One Plan," through the retailer starting at $60 per month with a leased 16GB iPhone 6. The Best Buy One Plan allows customers to lease a 16GB iPhone 6 starting for $60 per month with unlimited talk, text and data. While Sprint specifically names the 16GB flavor of the iPhone 6 in the press release, it notes that other devices are available for lease at different price points. The cost is for a two-year contract, but customers also have the option to choose a 12-month lease option for an extra $10 per month. Additionally, anyone who starts a …

Media player VLC is making its triumphant return to the App Store. The versatile media player returns with some important new features, including native support for Plex Media Servers, custom URL schemes, and much more. VLC is now ready for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, among other things. The app has actually received two updates since developer VideoLAN started preparing for its return to the store. Below is the full list of changes found in both updates: What's New in Version 2.4.1: UI improvements Reliability improvements for UPnP and WiFi Sharing Updated decoders Changes in 2.4.0: Support for iPhone 6 and 6+ Native support for plex media…

Because of all the chatter Microsoft has released Windows 7 retail versions for downloads. http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-now-allowing-downloads-of-retail-windows-7-copies/?tag=nl.e589&s_cid=e589&ttag=e589&ftag=TREc64629f

TypeSnippets is a new keyboard for iOS 8 that makes text expansion visual. Instead of typing your email address or phone number over and over again, TypeSnippets lets you create shortcuts that you only need to tap to activate. Where tools like TextExpander allow you to simplify text entry by creating small, text-based snippets for commonly-used phrases or pieces of information, TypeSnippets takes that simplicity a step further by making your snippets visual and tappable. You can build your snippets in the TypeSnippets app. Tap Create a Snippet to get started, then add things like your name, an email signature, and more. When you use the TypeSnippet keyboard in…

InstaPDF, the popular Mac and iOS app that lets you easily scan documents and pictures as PDFs and upload them to the cloud, has been updated to version 4.0 on both platforms, bringing a number of nifty new features along for the ride. With version 4.0, InstaPDF for Mac has scored some new features to make managing your files a tad easier. Firstly, users can now easily drag and drop documents between their InstaPDF account and their computer. Additionally, the app has picked up a number of keyboard shortcuts, as well as single-click management for bundles. It's important to note, however, that this is a public beta, so you may run into some bugs here and there. …

For many families, next week is March break, when the schools close and the kids come home. If they're coming home to iPhones and iPads, there's a lot to keep them busy — and learning! Whether you're going on vacation or enjoying a much-deserved staycation, there are plenty of apps both built-into the iPhone and iPad and available on the App Store to help pass the time and make the most of it. If you're looking for some projects to get creative with, we originally filmed these for the summer, but they work just as well for the spring. Learn a new language with Duolingo on your iPhone or iPad Make a vacation travel trailer with iMovie on your iPhone or iPad! Make …

Military Masters is a new battle tactics game for iPhone and iPad that centers on tactical vehicular combat. You'll build a collection of land, sea, and air vehicles to help you take on your friends in real-time PVP combat. Military Masters lets you assemble and upgrade a massive stable of vehicles. Each vehicle has special abilities that can turn the tide of battle if deployed wisely. You'll take these tanks, boats, and planes and more into real-time battle against other players. As part of the multiplayer, you're able to team up with others. Clans can be created with up to a dozen other players, who can provide tactical and logistical support for clan member…

iPhone owners who also have a Microsoft Band can now download an update to the Microsoft Health app for iOS. The update bring a number of features to the app. Here's the change log for the new version: Bike Tile: Lets you track your heart rate and calorie burn. Outdoor rides will also track speed, distance, and elevation. Quick Read: Helps you read text, email, and other notifications quickly. A large font size and the rapid succession of words enable you to read messages while in motion and without having to scroll. MapMyFitness Integration: Effortlessly save and upload your workout data to MapMyFitness. HealthVault Integration: Easily share your Microsoft He…

If Twitter is where you hang your social hashtags, we've got two great ways for you to stay up to date with iMore! For those who prefer a carefully curated experience, we have the main @iMore account. It brings you the very best of our original content — features, editorials, opinions, reviews, guides, and the most important news. It won't flood your feed, but it will make sure you know about everything that matters. For those who want absolutely every story we publish everyday, we have the @iMore_firehose account. It will bring you every story, including every bit of news we link to from morning to noon to night. It'll make sure your feed always has the latest and …

We're inching ever-closer to the start of the 2015 baseball season, and the MLB At Bat app for iPhone and iPad has been updated accordingly. Some of the main highlights of the update include a refreshed UI, expanded player search, and Spanish language support. Here's a rundown on what's new in version 8.0 New UI for all 30 team pages & the league-wide scoreboard (iPhone only) Player search expanded to include all active and historical MLB player cards (iPhone only) Re-designed UI for the newsreader (iPhone & iPad) Team-by-team statistical data filters (iPhone only) Native resolution to optimize At Bat for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Easy access to every …

Vimeo has been updated to version 5.2, adding support for Google's Chromecast. Owners of the device can now cast to it directly while watching a video in the app. When you have a Chromecast set up, start watching a video in full screen and tap the casting icon that appears. You'll be able to continue browsing while your current video plays. Vimeo has also fixed a number of bugs. Moving from portrait to landscape should now work properly, video sizes will now display correctly, and Watch Later videos under password protection will now show up in Downloads. The company promises that more updates to the app are on their way soon. You can download Vimeo 5.2 from the A…