Recently, the OverDrive app was discontinued. In its place is the Libby App. Until recently, Kindle Fire users were unable to access the app on their devices. Luckily, this has changed!
The Kindle Fire app is now available for download in the Amazon App Store. The Kindle Fire Libby App is available for Kindle Fire models made in 2020 or newer. It is also available on the following models:
Device
Year
Fire HD 10
2017
Fire HD 8
2018
Fire HD 10
2019
Fire HD 8
2020
Fire HD 10
2021
Fire HD 10 Plus
2021
Fire 7
2022
Fire HD 8
2022
Fire HD 8 Plus
2022
When visiting the Amazon Libby App download page, there is a box listing if your model of Kindle Fire is compatible with the app.
After downloading the Libby App on your Kindle Fire, there is an option to read e-books either on the app itself or on the built in Kindle app on the Kindle Fire. For more information on how to deliver e-books to your Kindle App, check out our helpful Tech Tips article.
Have you ever been out and about and wondered what kind of flower or species of bird you spotted? Now there is a way you can find out, with the help of your smartphone’s camera.
Google Lens allows you to search for an item with your camera or with an existing photo. It is available on both Android and iOS (Apple) devices.
Android Devices
On Android devices, there are a few ways you can access Lens. On most new Android devices, Lens is enabled by default and can be accessed directly from the camera app. Open the camera app, aim at the item (be it a flower, animal, type of water bottle, etc), and then tap the Lens button. Next, tap the magnifying glass icon to search for the image in your camera’s viewfinder.
Depending on your device, you may need to tap the modes button to access Lens. To learn how to add more modes, check out this helpful video.
Alternatively, you can search a live photo view and a previously taken picture with the Google app.
Open the Google app and scroll down to Discover. Next, tap the Google Lens icon in the search bar. The Lens icon is shaped like a camera.
You can search for either a live view of an item in your surroundings or by using a previously taken picture. To search a live view, point to an object with your camera and tap Search To search with an existing image, tap Photo picker and select a photo. You’ll have the option to search the whole photo or part of a photo.
To search for a specific object in the image: If available, on the object, tap the Select icon . To search for part of an image, tap Select image area , then drag the corners of the box around your selection. Next, scroll to the bottom to see your search results. To refine your search, tap add to your search and add keywords.
Next, give permission for the app to access your device’s camera and if you would like to also photo search using pictures from your photo library, allow access to your photos as well.
Once you have granted the appropriate permissions, you can choose to search a live view or using a previously taken photo.
You can start your search by tapping the camera at the end of the search field . Once you have the item you want to search in view, tap the magnifying glass icon to search.
Next, you’ll see your search results. Scroll down to view more results.
The tabs (homework, shopping, places, etc.) will give you more specific types of results.
Have you used Google Lens to search? Let us know in the comments!
It’s a moment of panic we’ve all had at some point. You reach for your phone or device and it’s not there. You try to call yourself from another phone but you don’t hear your phone ring. Fear not! There is a way you can locate your device, even if it’s in a different location.
Apple has an app called Find My. By default, it comes pre-installed on all devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch).
Setting Up Find My on an iPhone or iPad
There are various ways you can access Find My. The first step is to make sure that it’s enabled on your device.
On an iPhone or iPad, go into the Settings app, and then tap on your name at the top.
From there, tap on Find My on the next screen.
Next, you can verify if Find My is on for that particular device. You can also choose to turn it off if you’d like. If you have more than one Apple device, it will show which device is sharing your location with friends and family you have chosen to share your location with. If you are sharing your location with anyone, they will be listed below underneath family (if you have set up Apple Family Sharing) or friends.
Tapping on Find My iPhone/iPad gives you more options, including the option to turn off Find My (note you will need to enter your Apple ID password if you want to turn it off). Find My Network lets you locate your device even if it’s offline. Send last location sends the location of the device to Apple if the battery is very low.
Setting Up Find My on a Mac
To set up Find My on your Mac, click on the Apple icon in the top left corner of the taskbar and then click on System Preferences. Next, click on Internet Accounts. On the left panel, click on iCloud and then scroll down to Find My. Click on the Options button next to Find My. The options below apply to Mac OS Monterey and later.
Here you can see if Find My Mac is on and you can also choose the option to locate your Mac even if it’s offline. You have the option to turn both of these off. Keep in mind that to turn off Find My Mac, you will need to enter your Apple ID password.
Setting Up Find My on Apple Watch and Other Devices
By default, Find My is automatically set up on an Apple Watch when you pair it with your iPhone for the first time. For more information on using Find My with your Apple Watch, Apple has written up a great how-to article.
Additionally, Find My is automatically turned on when you pair your AirPods with your iPhone or iPad for the first time.
Using Find My
Now that it’s been set up, you can easily locate your missing devices in several ways. On an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can open the Find My App, which has an icon that looks like this:
On a Mac, the Find My app is located in the Launch Pad by default.
When you open the app, you will see a map, along with a dock on the bottom. On the bottom dock, tapping the people icon shows friends and family who have shared their location with you and their locations. The devices tab shows mini icons of your devices and their locations on a map. Your family’s devices are also displayed if you have set up Apple Family Sharing. The items tab is for Find My compatible items such as AirTags. The Me button (on an iPhone and iPad) shows your location and from which device the location comes, as well as the option to turn off sharing your location. On a Mac, these tabs are located on the top left.
Finding a Device on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac
To find a device, tap on the devices tab and then tap on the name of the device you want to locate. It will zoom into the device’s location on a map and give you the address of your device. You’ll have the option to play a sound, which may help if you are near your device’s location.
Finding a Device with a Web Browser
If you only have one Apple device, don’t worry, there is another way you can locate your lost device. Go onto a web browser on a laptop, desktop computer, or another mobile device, and navigate to iCloud.com. Next, click or tap on sign in. Log in with your Apple ID and password. Don’t worry if you have two-factor authentication enabled, simply click or tap the Find Devices on the lower left.
Enter your password again, and then a map will appear. Click on all devices in the top center, and select a device to locate. A map will zoom into the location of your device. There are options to play a sound, put the device into lost mode, or remotely erase the device in the case of an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch.
Putting a Device into Lost Mode
If you cannot find your device, or if it has been stolen, there is also the option to mark the device as lost or remotely erase it. Marking the device as lost causes the following to happen: you will receive a notification on your other devices when its location is available, the activation lock will be enabled so no one can reset your device and link it to their account, a passcode will be required if they try to turn it on, any payments (such as Apple Wallet or Apple Pay) will be suspended, and you will have the option to leave a message on your device displaying a phone number where you can be contacted.
A device can be put into lost mode from any of the Find My apps or on iCloud.com.
Finding a Device with Apple Watch or with Siri
To find a device with your Apple Watch, check out this helpful article from Apple. If you are in the same location as your device but aren’t sure where it is, you can ask Siri to find it if you have a second Apple device. Simply say, “Hey Siri, where’s my [device name]?” If it’s nearby, she will respond, “your [device name] is nearby, pinging it now” and she will play a sound on the device you’re looking for, including AirPods. If your device is not within range, she will say she can’t find it and suggest that you use the Find My app.
Have you used Find My to locate a device? Let us know in the comments!
Depending on how long you’ve had your smartphone, your home screen may be pretty crowded and unorganized. Luckily, there are easy ways you can organize your home screen.
A Home screen is the main screen or screens on a smartphone where you can tap app icons to access the apps you have installed on your phone. In this post, we will discuss the Apple home screen. Stay tuned for an Android home screen post.
Home Screen and Dock
By default, an iOS device (iPhone or iPad) automatically adds a newly installed app to your home screen.
There is a dot for each home screen page you have. At the bottom of the screen some apps are displayed regardless of which page you are on. This area is called the dock.
Moving and Deleting Apps
To rearrange apps, hold your finger down on an empty area of the screen. The apps will start to wiggle and each app will have a minus symbol next to it. From here, drag the apps into the desired order. If there is an app you use frequently, you can drag it into the dock on the bottom of the screen.
Tapping on the minus symbol next to an app gives you several options. Delete app removes the app completely from your device. You will get a confirmation that verifies that you want to remove the app completely. The second option is to remove the app from the Home Screen. This removes the app icon shortcut, but the app is still on your device and can be accessed on the App Library screen.
Using Folders
You can group your apps into folders. For example, if you have more than one weather app, you may want to put them into a folder called Weather. To create a folder, long-press a blank area of the screen until the apps wiggle. Next, drag an app to another app you’d like to group it with. This automatically creates a folder. A default name is given, usually related to the type of apps you are grouping. To change the name, tap on the folder, and then the name of the folder. To remove a folder, drag all items out of the folder.
Long Pressing an App
Holding your finger down on an app icon gives you quick app shortcuts specific to that app. For example, long pressing the Notes app has several options. You can write a new note, a new checklist, scan a document, and more. There is also the option to choose edit home screen to rearrange your app icons.
The App Library
Starting with iOS 14, there is also the addition of the App Library, which lists all of your installed apps in organized groups. With the addition of the App Library, you no longer need to have all of your apps on the home screen. Each screen where you see app icons is called a page.
The App Library is accessed by swiping through all of your existing pages until you get to the last screen.
The App Library organizes all of your installed apps into categories such as social, utilities, and more. You can also search your app library to easily access any of your currently installed apps.
If there is an app that is in your App Library and it’s not on one of your home screen pages, tap into the search box. You will get a complete list of all your installed apps in alphabetical order or you can search for a particular app.
If an app is in your App Library but not on your home screen, locate the app in the app library. Once you have located the app, long press on the app icon and tap on add to home screen.
Home Screen Settings
There are several home screen settings you can change depending on your preferences. Go to the Settings App, then Home Screen (Home Screen & Multitasking on a iPad). You can choose whether newly downloaded apps should be added to the home screen or only the app library and whether you want to see notification badges in the App Library. On an iPad, you will also get the option to change app icon size and whether you want to show or hide the dock. Also in iPad settings, you have the option whether you want to see suggested and recent apps in the dock. The image below is a screenshot of the iPad settings.
Have you used any of these methods to organize your home screen? Let us know in the comments!
It’s probably happened to you at least once, it’s late and you’re just starting to fall asleep and then your phone either vibrates or chimes with some type of notification. Luckily, there are ways to easily avoid your iPhone or iPad disturbing you when you just want some peace and quiet. Android users: there will be a future post detailing how to use a similar feature on Android devices.
Apple has a built-in feature on their devices (iPhone, iPad, and Mac books) called Do Not Disturb or Focus, depending on which version of iOS or mac OS you are using. For devices running iOS 15 and later, Do Not Disturb is incorporated into the Focus app. When Do Not Disturb/Focus is active, you won’t get app notifications, texts, or calls.
Getting Started
To get started on an iPhone or iPad, go into the Settings app. Focus can be used on a schedule, or on an as-needed basis. Tap on Focus to begin.
From there, you’ll see several options. If you tap on Do Not Disturb, you will get options for how you would like to use Do Not Disturb. Set up different options for general do not disturb, sleep, or when you’re at work. There is also the option to add a custom mode such as when you’re driving, working out, and more. For people who have more than one Apple device, you can share your Focus schedule across your devices. This schedule will be shared if Share Across Devices is selected.
If your Focus Status is on and someone tries to message you, there will be a message stating that you have notifications silenced, and they will be given the option to notify you anyway, in case of an emergency. If the person messaging you taps notify anyway, you will receive a regular text notification.
What if you don’t want to give people that option or you want to turn it off for certain contacts? MacReports has written a helpful article with instructions on how to turn off that feature or turn it off for certain contacts.
Do Not Disturb Options
Tapping on Do Not Disturb will give you various options. You can select which people or apps you would still like to receive notifications from. For those with iOS 16, you can have a different lock screen picture when Do Not Disturb is on, as well as a different set of home screen icons.
Scheduling Do Not Disturb
If you’re like me and you’re a set-it-and-forget-it kind of person, you can set a schedule for when Do Not Disturb turns on each day. You can even set a different schedule for different days of the week. Simply scroll down and set up your custom do not disturb schedule.
Smart Activation is basically Apple using past device behavior to determine when you would like to activate Do Not Disturb. Diving in even deeper, you can control the behavior of certain apps when Do Not Disturb is on. For example, you can choose which messages you would like to see, select if you’d like dark mode to come on, turn on low power mode, or more.
Driving, Fitness, and More
For more information about Do Not Disturb, Sleep, and Work modes. Apple has written up a thorough set of instructions. Included in those instructions is how to set up a custom mode that can include while you’re driving, exercising, and more.
Have you tried out Focus? Let us know in the comments!
and select a photo. You’ll have the option to search the whole photo or part of a photo.
. To search for part of an image, tap Select image area 
, then drag the corners of the box around your selection. Next, scroll to the bottom to see your search results. To refine your search, tap add to your search and add keywords.
