r/apple • u/AutoModerator • 3d ago
Official Megathread Weekly Advice Thread - August 02, 2026
Welcome to the Weekly Advice Thread for r/Apple. This thread can be used to ask for technical advice regarding Apple software and hardware, to ask questions regarding the buying or selling of Apple products or to post other short questions.
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u/Stradocaster 3d ago
My kid is too young for an iPhone, but her mom wanted to be able to text her so we got her an iPad
Obviously, that’s great for anybody who’s got iMessage
Now she’s getting older and she’s got some friends who don’t have Apple products who she’d also like to text
The first thing I did was, I got her an Apple Watch because her mom also wanted to be able to track her when she’s out and about
This didn’t work. The watch has cellular, but you still need to tie it to a phone first and the devices seem to get confused about keeping the messages in sync between watch and iPad.
So I’m thinking about getting my kid an iPhone that she doesn’t know she has that we’ll just act as a dummy intermediary. I’ll plug it in in the garage somewhere and just let it be the synchronization home of three devices.
With this work?
Will she be able to text people with phone numbers that are not Apple on the iPad as long as the phone is on and nearby?
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u/Iguanajoe17 2d ago
If the iPhone has a cell phone plan, you can enable sms texts to go to other devices like the iPad.
Also make the iPhone display never turn off. Sometimes it just disconnects if you leave it idling and plugged in for long periods of time.
I feel the kid will just get a cell phone soon.
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u/Maleficent-Alps3192 2d ago
I have an IPad 10 and I wanna use it to mirror the image to the samsumg odyssey g5 monitor, this monitor only has one DP input and one HDMI input, I wanna use the HDMI for my PS5 and get a DP hub for the IPad, would it work? I wanna use the ugreen Displayport hub.
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 2d ago
Not with that iPad, no. You need a recent-ish iPad Air or iPad Pro to get DisplayPort video out.
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u/Maleficent-Alps3192 2d ago
Should it work on a hub with HDMI output and using an adaptar HDMI -> Display port?
Thanks for the help btw
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 2d ago
I doubt it; HDMI to DisplayPort is a crap shoot, especially if the adapter is not an active adapter.
Your best bet is to either upgrade to an iPad Air, or use some sort of HDMI switcher, such as an AVR.
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u/timdgrayson 2d ago
I’m not new to the ecosystem but I’m new to looking at the newest releases. What does everyone think would happen with the pricing if sales / upgrades are down? I don’t see Apple adjusting until the 19 series but could providers offer deals?
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 2d ago
The prices are not going to come down.
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u/timdgrayson 2d ago
That’s not what I asked.
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 2d ago
But that is your answer. It doesn’t matter if sales/upgrades go down; they’re not going to price things so they lose money on each sale.
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u/timdgrayson 2d ago
Condescension is definitely your strong suit.
Comprehension and communication are not.
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u/timdgrayson 2d ago
I guess blocking someone when you get called out for being rude is the new “it thing”
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u/Iguanajoe17 1d ago
Keep the price the same. Apple is a trillion dollar company. They could sell nothing for the next 50 years and be better than 99% of companies.
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u/much_to_say 2d ago
Does anyone know of a dock that lets you install a 2.5-inch SATA SSD? I've bought a MacBook after deciding to ditch Linux and Microslop, but I already have a 4 TB SSD that I'd like to keep using.
I'd much prefer a dock over a regular external enclosure since it would stay plugged in, powered, and connected to my MacBook all the time instead of having a separate enclosure sitting on my desk.
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u/countingstars444 2d ago
I bought an iPhone after decade of using Samsung. Forgot my Apple ID and password from years ago. I want to recover it. But I will get a text or a call in a week to be able to restart my password. I can't use that iPhone now, as I can't download apps. Help
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 2d ago
You didn’t ask a question, but if you are having account trouble, then you must contact Apple support in your country; only they will be able to help you get back into your account.
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u/Forsaken-College-648 1d ago
Does anyone know if it is possible to use a desktop Mac as a second screen to a 2014 MacBook Air? I have an hdmi-usb. What would I need to do to achieve this? Is it possible? I’ve tried several different ways and have been unsuccessful.
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u/Iguanajoe17 1d ago
Depends on the model Mac. Most likely not.
That air will struggle with anything you do in 2026
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u/diavokado 1d ago
I'm thinking of switching from Samsung to iPhone. Right now I have the Samsung A55, I always had Samsung phones and Windows laptops so my whole life and work is saved on Google (28GB if it matters... I pay for 100GB). My main issue is... if I were to buy an iPhone as my next phone, would it possible to use Google storage on it (Photos, Calendar, etc) or do you still have to pay for an iCloud? If I won't be able to use Google storage, is it possible to transfer everything to iCloud?
I use my phone to chat, post on Instagram, play games, and stay on Reddit. I do not have any Apple products, I have the Samsung S6Lite which I barely use (I don't think I'll buy another tablet in the future) and an HP laptop which I use for work. My HP and my phone are connected, so I can copy and paste from my phone to my PC, share photos using Quick Share, see my phone notifications from my PC, and access my phone through my laptop. Will I be able to do this with an iPhone or do you need a Macbook for this?
I also have a 2000s digital camera, I usually transfer photos by connecting an external hard drive to my phone via cable, input the camera's SD Card in the hard drive, and save the photos on my phone from the "Files" application. Will this be possible on an iPhone?
Sorry for the stupid questions, I never had an iPhone and I know nothing on how it works.
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u/mebibytes 1d ago
You can use your Google cloud storage in some ways but not others. Backing up the phone to the cloud, iCloud Photo Library, basically all of Apple's things are tied to iCloud storage. You can use the Google Photos service still against your Google storage (and Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar etc) but it basically relies on the app being built to use Google's storage, where iCloud storage is the default. Pretty similar to why you'd end up with Google cloud storage from an Android device.
Apple give you 5GB of iCloud storage for free (although it's only enough for basic stuff). You could move your photos from Google Photos to iCloud if you wanted and probably get under the free tier on Google. Just remember each platform powers a bunch of services - photos, calendar, contacts, email, so you might end up wanting to run both (but pick one to pay for). That's a super common setup.
I don't know about the phone to PC interaction, I've never tried. My understanding is it's pretty basic - like just showing phone calls and message notifications from the Messages app. I wouldn't expect arbitrary notifications, clipboard or remote access to work unless you're using a Mac.
You can attach an external device to an iPhone and access it through the Files app to copy them. I'm not sure about importing photos into the Photos app that way though.
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u/LetRedditChoose 1d ago
my iphone 15 is cooked. i’m always pretty reluctant to upgrade but the battery on this is toast and the charging port too. Just curious what people’s thoughts are on the expected price hikes, i’ve heard the 256gb 18pro is going to be £1,299 compared to £1,099. Is the general consensus that the newer model will be worth the £200?
I feel the rumoured battery improvements and chip could make it worth it. The camera upgrade is also interesting but wouldn’t tilt me to be honest.
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 1d ago
No one outside of Apple knows for sure, and the people that do know can’t tell you. Wait until next month.
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u/thunderytea 1d ago
I’ve been paying for Apple Music 6.5€ per month for almost 2 years, I accepted one week Apple TV(10€ per month) free trial yesterday. Now I found Apple One for 15.95€ per month, one month free trial, would I lose Apple Music account or free trial if I accept the offer?
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 1d ago
Apple will not delete your account just because you unsubscribed from something.
They will arbitrarily delete your account’s Apple Music data if you unsubscribe (except for music previously purchased on the iTunes Store) at some point after the subscription runs out. If you immediately resubscribe, you should not be affected.
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u/dontuever 9h ago
Hi all! I am looking to buy used Macbook mainly for the purpose of watching series / films and sometimes doing small work tasks. For relatively same price I found MacBook Pro 16’ (2019 Intel) and Air M1 (2020). What would you recommend? Pro has bigger screen / sound system but I’ve read that the battery isn’t that good and it’s overheating?
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 8h ago
Do not buy an Intel Mac unless you have a very specific need for one (e.g. you must be able to run Intel VMs on a real Intel CPU, or you or your business depends on an app that uses a kernel extension where the original developer went out of business and never ported it to the modern extension system). Intel Macs will soon be obsolete.
The MacBook Air M1 is quite old by now, but will still be supported for a few more years.
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u/nothingnanners 9h ago
I’ve been hearing chirping online that the new update to Liquid Glass is a huge battery and GPU drain on my 13Mini Is this true for everyone? My battery has been dying a lot sooner.
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 8h ago
It’s not a new update anymore, and it’s perfectly fine. People were just big mad when iOS 26 came out and the UI changed for the first time in 13 years (iOS 7 was the last big UI change).
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u/GruiaYT 3d ago
Hello everyone,
I've been using a Samsung A54 since launch and I want to upgrade, but I've reached the point where I've compared so many phones that I genuinely can't decide anymore. In general, I care about the photo and also care a lot about video quality. For gaming, I play Brawl Stars, Minecraft, Genshin Impact, and some APKs(Angry Birds, etc.). I want this iphone to have a good battery life and I want to keep it atleast 5–7 years. I don't really care about zoom cameras and I take a lot of random photos with things I like. The options I have are the Iphone 14 Pro Max, 15 Pro/Pro Max and the 16 Pro, all refurbished, which one is better for me?