Reduce Data Usage When Web Browsing on iPhone with Chrome osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Reduce Data Usage When Web Browsing on iPhone with Chrome

The latest versions of Chrome for iOS offer an optional data compression feature that uses Google servers to further compress web pages visited before accessing them from your iPhone or iPad. Put simply, toggling this setting can help to reduce your cellular data consumption when browsing the web within the Chrome app for iOS, and for some users it may even offer a bit of a speed improvement to their mobile web browsing experience too.

This is a reasonably new feature, so you’ll need to update to the latest version of Chrome for iOS to get access to the feature. If you’re not sure if you have it, check the App Store for any updates and download what is available before beginning.

1. Launch the Chrome app if you haven’t yet


2. Go to any webpage, then access the Chrome Settings by tapping on the [=] menu button alongside the URL bar, choosing “Settings” from the pull-down menu options


3. Scroll down near the bottom and select “Bandwidth”, then choose the “Reduce Data Usage” option
   

   

   
   


4. Flip “Reduce Data Usage” to ON then tap “Done”


5. Use Chrome as usual, the effect is automated

Once the feature has been turned on, the Data Usage settings panel in Chrome will convert into a ‘Data Savings’ graph, demonstrating the amount of bandwidth that has been saved by compressing pages before downloading them to the device.

As noted in the app Settings, neither SSL (secure sites and pages) or Incognito (anonymous browsing) pages are included in Chrome pre-compression.

Because most of the web is reasonably compressed these days, you’ll probably see between a 5%-15% reduction in bandwidth on average over time. That may not sound like much, but if you’re frequently hitting the data caps on your cellular plan and it’s because you’re browsing the web often, it can make a difference between getting whacked with overage charges or falling within the limits.

To be perfectly clear, this only impacts web browsing through the Chrome app in iOS, and it has no effect on any other form of data transfer through the iPhone or cellular iPad, and no impact on Safari. For the time being, this is limited to the mobile versions of Chrome, so if you rely on the personal wi-fi hotspot to tether your Mac to the phone and are running into excess data usage issues, you’ll need to follow some other tips to reduce that. Considering how handy this is, and how Chrome offers built-in bandwidth usage charting on the desktop through a hidden internal feature, it’s certainly possible the desktop Chrome apps will adopt such a feature in the future. We can hope the native Safari browser will get something similar too.

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Reduce Data Usage When Web Browsing on iPhone with Chrome osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Reduce Data Usage When Web Browsing on iPhone with Chrome

The latest versions of Chrome for iOS offer an optional data compression feature that uses Google servers to further compress web pages visited before accessing them from your iPhone or iPad. Put simply, toggling this setting can help to reduce your cellular data consumption when browsing the web within the Chrome app for iOS, and for some users it may even offer a bit of a speed improvement to their mobile web browsing experience too.

This is a reasonably new feature, so you’ll need to update to the latest version of Chrome for iOS to get access to the feature. If you’re not sure if you have it, check the App Store for any updates and download what is available before beginning.

1. Launch the Chrome app if you haven’t yet


2. Go to any webpage, then access the Chrome Settings by tapping on the [=] menu button alongside the URL bar, choosing “Settings” from the pull-down menu options


3. Scroll down near the bottom and select “Bandwidth”, then choose the “Reduce Data Usage” option
   

   

   
   


4. Flip “Reduce Data Usage” to ON then tap “Done”


5. Use Chrome as usual, the effect is automated

Once the feature has been turned on, the Data Usage settings panel in Chrome will convert into a ‘Data Savings’ graph, demonstrating the amount of bandwidth that has been saved by compressing pages before downloading them to the device.

As noted in the app Settings, neither SSL (secure sites and pages) or Incognito (anonymous browsing) pages are included in Chrome pre-compression.

Because most of the web is reasonably compressed these days, you’ll probably see between a 5%-15% reduction in bandwidth on average over time. That may not sound like much, but if you’re frequently hitting the data caps on your cellular plan and it’s because you’re browsing the web often, it can make a difference between getting whacked with overage charges or falling within the limits.

To be perfectly clear, this only impacts web browsing through the Chrome app in iOS, and it has no effect on any other form of data transfer through the iPhone or cellular iPad, and no impact on Safari. For the time being, this is limited to the mobile versions of Chrome, so if you rely on the personal wi-fi hotspot to tether your Mac to the phone and are running into excess data usage issues, you’ll need to follow some other tips to reduce that. Considering how handy this is, and how Chrome offers built-in bandwidth usage charting on the desktop through a hidden internal feature, it’s certainly possible the desktop Chrome apps will adopt such a feature in the future. We can hope the native Safari browser will get something similar too.

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Remove Provisioning Profiles from an iPhone to Stop the Expiration Alert osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Remove Provisioning Profiles from an iPhone to Stop the Expiration Alert

Provisioning profiles are typically installed onto iPhones and iPads for development and testing purposes, but non developers may wind up with them on their iOS devices too, whether from testing an app or installing something like GBA4iOS from the web. For non-developers, this usually goes unnoticed until they get one of the “Provisioning Profile Expiration” alerts on their device, informing them that a profile will expire in however many days. As many users have discovered, simply deleting the related app does not remove the provisioning profile, which is often why they see the expiration alert. So, here is how you can remove the profiles from any iOS device.

Note: You will not see a “Profiles” option in Settings if the device does not have a provisioning profile installed. Devices with multiple profiles installed will find all of them here.

Remove Directly from iOS

1. Open Settings and head to “General”


2. Scroll all the way to the bottom and choose “Profiles”


3. Select the provisioning profile you want to remove


4. Tap the out of place* looking “Remove” button, then confirm the removal of the profile

(* The “Remove” button looks weird because it uses the graphic from iOS 6 and prior, even on iOS 7 and newer.)

Generally, removing the profile directly from the device is thee easiest way to go, but if there’s trouble you can turn to Xcode from the Devices list, a third party tool called Cupertino, or the iPhone Configuration Utility, with the latter being the easier option for those who don’t have Xcode.

Removing Provisioning Profiles with iPhone Configuration Utility

1. Download iPhone Configuration Utility if you don’t have it yet


2. Attach the device to the Mac or PC and launch the app


3. Select the device in the Configuration Utility app, then choose the “Provisioning Profile” tab


4. Locate the profile to delete, then choose the “Remove” option

Once the profile is gone from the iOS device, the alert message for that specific provisioning profile shouldn’t appear again.

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Resolving systemstats CPU Usage Issues Causing Sluggishness in OS X osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Resolving systemstats CPU Usage Issues Causing Sluggishness in OS X

The systemstats process is used to retrieve information about system statistics and power usage, and though it usually runs unnoticed in the background, the systemstatsd and systemstats processes have been known to randomly go haywire in OS X, eating up 100%-300% or more CPU while slowing down a Mac.

Generally, there’s nothing to concern yourself with if you see systemstats spike up Activity Monitor or top for a short amount of time, and many standard Mac functions may cause it to temporarily appear. For example, the systemstats process is triggered on the MacBook line by looking at the Energy usage option from the OS X battery menu, and other users may see it briefly when adjusting other Energy settings. The problem arrises when the process is running constantly at very high CPU usage for no apparent reason, and that’s what we’re going to address here.

Killing the Errant systemstats Process

Simply killing the systemstats process works to resolve the CPU usage and slowness problem for almost all occurrences in OS X.

Terminal: For those who like using the Terminal for it’s speed, conquering the gone-wild systemstats process is just a matter of dumping out the killall command:

sudo killall systemstats

sudo is necessary because the systemstats process runs as root.

Activity Monitor: Many users will prefer to stay within the OS X GUI, and Activity Monitor also offers the ability to forcibly quit the process as well:

1. Open Activity Monitor, use the “Search” feature to look for ‘systemstats’


2. Select the errant systemstats process and choose the (x) button to force quit


3. Repeat if there is more than one process running taking up inordinate amounts of CPU

This should immediately solve the problem, though if you’re continuously trying to access battery or system usage then you will see the process appear again.

If you continue to encounter the issue, resetting the SMC may resolve lingering problems.

Additionally, disabling App Nap may also resolve remnant and spontaneous problems with systemstats if they only occur upon system wake or boot.

Disabling systemstats

This is not recommended and it may have unintended consequences beyond disabling property battery and power management monitoring, including the App Nap feature, but you can disable systemstats but unloading the daemon from launchd. This should be limited to advanced users only:

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstatsd.plist

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.daily.plist

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.analysis.plist

Note this will also lead to an end of all the ‘powerstats’ reports from appearing further in Console System Diagnostic Reports.

Again, disabling systemstats is not recommended. Those changes can be reversed by reloading the daemon back into launchd with the following three commands:

sudo launchctl load -F /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstatsd.plist

sudo launchctl load -F /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.daily.plist

sudo launchctl load -F /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.analysis.plist

You’ll want to reboot the Mac for full changes to take effect, in either case.

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How to Block iMessage Senders in Messages for Mac osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® How to Block iMessage Senders in Messages for Mac

The Messages app is the native instant messaging client for OS X which supports everything from iMessage, Facebook chat, to AIM. Though users have long been able to block senders from AIM and Facebook, the iMessage protocol was notably void of a block feature on the Mac until the OS X 10.9.2 update. Now changed, you can block specific contacts from sending your Mac any iMessages too, though you’d be forgiven for missing the addition of the feature or for simply overlooking it when scouring around in the Messages app preferences.

Blocking iMessage Senders from Messaging You in OS X

This will block all iMessages from the recipient from arriving to the Mac Messages client:

1. From the Messages app in OS X, pull down the “Messages” window and visit “Preferences”


2. Go to the “Accounts” tab and select the iMessage account from the left side menu


3. Choose the “Blocked” tab


4. Click the [+] plus button to navigate through the Contacts book to select a sender(s) to block

If the person you want to block is not contained in your Contacts, add their email address and/or phone number manually to the list.

A blocked user receives no notification or receipt that they are blocked, so feel free to block that certain someone or annoying so-and-so who won’t stop pelting your Mac with iMessages.

Though it’s a fairly minor change, the ability to block iMessage senders directly in OS X is a very welcome feature. Prior to this, specific iMessage senders could have been blocked from the iOS side of things from an iPhone or iPad, but their messages would awkwardly continue to arrive through the Mac client.

By the way, if you’re trying to block people just to get some temporary peace and quiet and not to truly block them, you might be better off scheduling the Do Not Disturb feature on your Mac to prevent hassling messages and notifications in general. It’s one of the better ways to focus during your most productive hours, and is highly recommended for OS X users who are easily distracted to implement.

Unblocking iMessage Senders in OS X

Decided you want to get all those iMessages from Crazy Cousin Carla again? The process of unblocking is almost the same as blocking:

1. Head back to the Messages app “Preferences”, then back to the ‘Accounts’ tab


2. Choose your iMessage account from the left side menu


3. Now select the “Blocked” tab


4. Select the user(s) to unblock from the list, then hit the Delete key or press the [-] minus button to remove them and receive their iMessages again

Similar to blocking, there is no notification to the unblocked user that their sender status has changed.

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How to Re-Download OS X Mountain Lion Installer from OS X Mavericks osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® How to Re-Download OS X Mountain Lion Installer from OS X Mavericks

Though it is generally recommended for users to keep their Macs up to date with the latest system software, not everyone wants to run OS X Mavericks on all of their Macs, and in some situations older Macs may not support the latest version of OS X anyway. Additionally, there are circumstances where users looking to update from Snow Leopard or OS X Lion may want to go to OS X Mountain Lion instead of Mavericks for compatibility reasons, or to avoid some of the potential issues discussed here by readers with Mail app and iCloud syncing that have frustrated some using current versions of 10.9.1 (those are since resolved with 10.9.2, update to avoid those issues). With OS X Mountain Lion officially off the App Store though, you can’t just search for it and choose to re-download, but that doesn’t necessarily mean users can’t retrieve the installer again.

Important Note: This is really a trick aimed at advanced users who know why they want an older version of OS X. Using the downloaded installer will not work to revert from a Mac with Mavericks to Mountain Lion. Users who wish to downgrade from OS X Mavericks to Mountain Lion should follow these instructions instead, but be aware that it requires a backup from the prior OS X version. If you’re experiencing unusual problems with Mavericks, you may want to try a clean install. Finally, do not attempt to install OS X Mountain Lion on a newer Mac that shipped with OS X Mavericks pre-installed, the installation of 10.8 will fail because it does not support the newest hardware while 10.9 does.



To be able to get the older version of OS X from the Mac App Store again, you must have obtained OS X Mountain Lion from the App Store at some point in time, thus tying it to your Apple ID and Mac App Store account. This works even if it was originally on another Mac than what is currently in use. If you did not buy, download, or install Mountain Lion from the App Store with an Apple ID, this will not work.

1. Open the App Store application as usual, from /Applications/


2. Go to the “Purchases” tab


3. Scroll through the list until you find “OS X Mountain Lion” – do not use the Search box because it will try and fail by looking within the wider Mac App Store


4. Click on the grey “DOWNLOAD” button


5. You will find a message saying “Would you like to continue? OS X 10.9 is already installed on this computer. Are you sure you want to download OS X 10.8?” – click ‘Continue’
   

   

   
   


6. Wait for the full download to complete (it’s about 5GB) and find the “Install OS X Mountain Lion” application in the /Applications/ directory

Now that you have the installer handy,you can create a boot installer for Mountain Lion if you want to perform a clean installation of 10.8 on another compatible Mac.

As mentioned before, we generally recommend keeping up to date with the latest version of OS X supported by a Mac, which for most machines is OS X Mavericks. You can build a USB installer for Mavericks

Technically, you can also re-download the OS X Lion installer this way too, though it would be hard to imagine a scenario where a user would want Lion over OS X Mountain Lion, let alone OS X Mavericks.

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Remove Provisioning Profiles from an iPhone to Stop the Expiration Alert osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Remove Provisioning Profiles from an iPhone to Stop the Expiration Alert

Provisioning profiles are typically installed onto iPhones and iPads for development and testing purposes, but non developers may wind up with them on their iOS devices too, whether from testing an app or installing something like GBA4iOS from the web. For non-developers, this usually goes unnoticed until they get one of the “Provisioning Profile Expiration” alerts on their device, informing them that a profile will expire in however many days. As many users have discovered, simply deleting the related app does not remove the provisioning profile, which is often why they see the expiration alert. So, here is how you can remove the profiles from any iOS device.

Note: You will not see a “Profiles” option in Settings if the device does not have a provisioning profile installed. Devices with multiple profiles installed will find all of them here.

Remove Directly from iOS

1. Open Settings and head to “General”


2. Scroll all the way to the bottom and choose “Profiles”


3. Select the provisioning profile you want to remove


4. Tap the out of place* looking “Remove” button, then confirm the removal of the profile

(* The “Remove” button looks weird because it uses the graphic from iOS 6 and prior, even on iOS 7 and newer.)

Generally, removing the profile directly from the device is thee easiest way to go, but if there’s trouble you can turn to Xcode from the Devices list, a third party tool called Cupertino, or the iPhone Configuration Utility, with the latter being the easier option for those who don’t have Xcode.

Removing Provisioning Profiles with iPhone Configuration Utility

1. Download iPhone Configuration Utility if you don’t have it yet


2. Attach the device to the Mac or PC and launch the app


3. Select the device in the Configuration Utility app, then choose the “Provisioning Profile” tab


4. Locate the profile to delete, then choose the “Remove” option

Once the profile is gone from the iOS device, the alert message for that specific provisioning profile shouldn’t appear again.

Email this Remove Provisioning Profiles from an iPhone to Stop the Expiration Alert to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box! Subscribe for free today!

Resolving systemstats CPU Usage Issues Causing Sluggishness in OS X osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Resolving systemstats CPU Usage Issues Causing Sluggishness in OS X

The systemstats process is used to retrieve information about system statistics and power usage, and though it usually runs unnoticed in the background, the systemstatsd and systemstats processes have been known to randomly go haywire in OS X, eating up 100%-300% or more CPU while slowing down a Mac.

Generally, there’s nothing to concern yourself with if you see systemstats spike up Activity Monitor or top for a short amount of time, and many standard Mac functions may cause it to temporarily appear. For example, the systemstats process is triggered on the MacBook line by looking at the Energy usage option from the OS X battery menu, and other users may see it briefly when adjusting other Energy settings. The problem arrises when the process is running constantly at very high CPU usage for no apparent reason, and that’s what we’re going to address here.

Killing the Errant systemstats Process

Simply killing the systemstats process works to resolve the CPU usage and slowness problem for almost all occurrences in OS X.

Terminal: For those who like using the Terminal for it’s speed, conquering the gone-wild systemstats process is just a matter of dumping out the killall command:

sudo killall systemstats

sudo is necessary because the systemstats process runs as root.

Activity Monitor: Many users will prefer to stay within the OS X GUI, and Activity Monitor also offers the ability to forcibly quit the process as well:

1. Open Activity Monitor, use the “Search” feature to look for ‘systemstats’


2. Select the errant systemstats process and choose the (x) button to force quit


3. Repeat if there is more than one process running taking up inordinate amounts of CPU

This should immediately solve the problem, though if you’re continuously trying to access battery or system usage then you will see the process appear again.

If you continue to encounter the issue, resetting the SMC may resolve lingering problems.

Additionally, disabling App Nap may also resolve remnant and spontaneous problems with systemstats if they only occur upon system wake or boot.

Disabling systemstats

This is not recommended and it may have unintended consequences beyond disabling property battery and power management monitoring, including the App Nap feature, but you can disable systemstats but unloading the daemon from launchd. This should be limited to advanced users only:

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstatsd.plist

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.daily.plist

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.analysis.plist

Note this will also lead to an end of all the ‘powerstats’ reports from appearing further in Console System Diagnostic Reports.

Again, disabling systemstats is not recommended. Those changes can be reversed by reloading the daemon back into launchd with the following three commands:

sudo launchctl load -F /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstatsd.plist

sudo launchctl load -F /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.daily.plist

sudo launchctl load -F /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.analysis.plist

You’ll want to reboot the Mac for full changes to take effect, in either case.

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Remove Provisioning Profiles from an iPhone to Stop the Expiration Alert osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Remove Provisioning Profiles from an iPhone to Stop the Expiration Alert

Provisioning profiles are typically installed onto iPhones and iPads for development and testing purposes, but non developers may wind up with them on their iOS devices too, whether from testing an app or installing something like GBA4iOS from the web. For non-developers, this usually goes unnoticed until they get one of the “Provisioning Profile Expiration” alerts on their device, informing them that a profile will expire in however many days. As many users have discovered, simply deleting the related app does not remove the provisioning profile, which is often why they see the expiration alert. So, here is how you can remove the profiles from any iOS device.

Note: You will not see a “Profiles” option in Settings if the device does not have a provisioning profile installed. Devices with multiple profiles installed will find all of them here.

Remove Directly from iOS

1. Open Settings and head to “General”


2. Scroll all the way to the bottom and choose “Profiles”


3. Select the provisioning profile you want to remove


4. Tap the out of place* looking “Remove” button, then confirm the removal of the profile

(* The “Remove” button looks weird because it uses the graphic from iOS 6 and prior, even on iOS 7 and newer.)

Generally, removing the profile directly from the device is thee easiest way to go, but if there’s trouble you can turn to Xcode from the Devices list, a third party tool called Cupertino, or the iPhone Configuration Utility, with the latter being the easier option for those who don’t have Xcode.

Removing Provisioning Profiles with iPhone Configuration Utility

1. Download iPhone Configuration Utility if you don’t have it yet


2. Attach the device to the Mac or PC and launch the app


3. Select the device in the Configuration Utility app, then choose the “Provisioning Profile” tab


4. Locate the profile to delete, then choose the “Remove” option

Once the profile is gone from the iOS device, the alert message for that specific provisioning profile shouldn’t appear again.

Email this Remove Provisioning Profiles from an iPhone to Stop the Expiration Alert to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box! Subscribe for free today!

Resolving systemstats CPU Usage Issues Causing Sluggishness in OS X osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Resolving systemstats CPU Usage Issues Causing Sluggishness in OS X

The systemstats process is used to retrieve information about system statistics and power usage, and though it usually runs unnoticed in the background, the systemstatsd and systemstats processes have been known to randomly go haywire in OS X, eating up 100%-300% or more CPU while slowing down a Mac.

Generally, there’s nothing to concern yourself with if you see systemstats spike up Activity Monitor or top for a short amount of time, and many standard Mac functions may cause it to temporarily appear. For example, the systemstats process is triggered on the MacBook line by looking at the Energy usage option from the OS X battery menu, and other users may see it briefly when adjusting other Energy settings. The problem arrises when the process is running constantly at very high CPU usage for no apparent reason, and that’s what we’re going to address here.

Killing the Errant systemstats Process

Simply killing the systemstats process works to resolve the CPU usage and slowness problem for almost all occurrences in OS X.

Terminal: For those who like using the Terminal for it’s speed, conquering the gone-wild systemstats process is just a matter of dumping out the killall command:

sudo killall systemstats

sudo is necessary because the systemstats process runs as root.

Activity Monitor: Many users will prefer to stay within the OS X GUI, and Activity Monitor also offers the ability to forcibly quit the process as well:

1. Open Activity Monitor, use the “Search” feature to look for ‘systemstats’


2. Select the errant systemstats process and choose the (x) button to force quit


3. Repeat if there is more than one process running taking up inordinate amounts of CPU

This should immediately solve the problem, though if you’re continuously trying to access battery or system usage then you will see the process appear again.

If you continue to encounter the issue, resetting the SMC may resolve lingering problems.

Additionally, disabling App Nap may also resolve remnant and spontaneous problems with systemstats if they only occur upon system wake or boot.

Disabling systemstats

This is not recommended and it may have unintended consequences beyond disabling property battery and power management monitoring, including the App Nap feature, but you can disable systemstats but unloading the daemon from launchd. This should be limited to advanced users only:

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstatsd.plist

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.daily.plist

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.analysis.plist

Note this will also lead to an end of all the ‘powerstats’ reports from appearing further in Console System Diagnostic Reports.

Again, disabling systemstats is not recommended. Those changes can be reversed by reloading the daemon back into launchd with the following three commands:

sudo launchctl load -F /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstatsd.plist

sudo launchctl load -F /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.daily.plist

sudo launchctl load -F /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.systemstats.analysis.plist

You’ll want to reboot the Mac for full changes to take effect, in either case.

Email this Resolving systemstats CPU Usage Issues Causing Sluggishness in OS X to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box! Subscribe for free today!

How to Block iMessage Senders in Messages for Mac osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® How to Block iMessage Senders in Messages for Mac

The Messages app is the native instant messaging client for OS X which supports everything from iMessage, Facebook chat, to AIM. Though users have long been able to block senders from AIM and Facebook, the iMessage protocol was notably void of a block feature on the Mac until the OS X 10.9.2 update. Now changed, you can block specific contacts from sending your Mac any iMessages too, though you’d be forgiven for missing the addition of the feature or for simply overlooking it when scouring around in the Messages app preferences.

Blocking iMessage Senders from Messaging You in OS X

This will block all iMessages from the recipient from arriving to the Mac Messages client:

1. From the Messages app in OS X, pull down the “Messages” window and visit “Preferences”


2. Go to the “Accounts” tab and select the iMessage account from the left side menu


3. Choose the “Blocked” tab


4. Click the [+] plus button to navigate through the Contacts book to select a sender(s) to block

If the person you want to block is not contained in your Contacts, add their email address and/or phone number manually to the list.

A blocked user receives no notification or receipt that they are blocked, so feel free to block that certain someone or annoying so-and-so who won’t stop pelting your Mac with iMessages.

Though it’s a fairly minor change, the ability to block iMessage senders directly in OS X is a very welcome feature. Prior to this, specific iMessage senders could have been blocked from the iOS side of things from an iPhone or iPad, but their messages would awkwardly continue to arrive through the Mac client.

By the way, if you’re trying to block people just to get some temporary peace and quiet and not to truly block them, you might be better off scheduling the Do Not Disturb feature on your Mac to prevent hassling messages and notifications in general. It’s one of the better ways to focus during your most productive hours, and is highly recommended for OS X users who are easily distracted to implement.

Unblocking iMessage Senders in OS X

Decided you want to get all those iMessages from Crazy Cousin Carla again? The process of unblocking is almost the same as blocking:

1. Head back to the Messages app “Preferences”, then back to the ‘Accounts’ tab


2. Choose your iMessage account from the left side menu


3. Now select the “Blocked” tab


4. Select the user(s) to unblock from the list, then hit the Delete key or press the [-] minus button to remove them and receive their iMessages again

Similar to blocking, there is no notification to the unblocked user that their sender status has changed.

Email this How to Block iMessage Senders in Messages for Mac to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box! Subscribe for free today!

How to Block iMessage Senders in Messages for Mac osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® How to Block iMessage Senders in Messages for Mac

The Messages app is the native instant messaging client for OS X which supports everything from iMessage, Facebook chat, to AIM. Though users have long been able to block senders from AIM and Facebook, the iMessage protocol was notably void of a block feature on the Mac until the OS X 10.9.2 update. Now changed, you can block specific contacts from sending your Mac any iMessages too, though you’d be forgiven for missing the addition of the feature or for simply overlooking it when scouring around in the Messages app preferences.

Blocking iMessage Senders from Messaging You in OS X

This will block all iMessages from the recipient from arriving to the Mac Messages client:

1. From the Messages app in OS X, pull down the “Messages” window and visit “Preferences”


2. Go to the “Accounts” tab and select the iMessage account from the left side menu


3. Choose the “Blocked” tab


4. Click the [+] plus button to navigate through the Contacts book to select a sender(s) to block

If the person you want to block is not contained in your Contacts, add their email address and/or phone number manually to the list.

A blocked user receives no notification or receipt that they are blocked, so feel free to block that certain someone or annoying so-and-so who won’t stop pelting your Mac with iMessages.

Though it’s a fairly minor change, the ability to block iMessage senders directly in OS X is a very welcome feature. Prior to this, specific iMessage senders could have been blocked from the iOS side of things from an iPhone or iPad, but their messages would awkwardly continue to arrive through the Mac client.

By the way, if you’re trying to block people just to get some temporary peace and quiet and not to truly block them, you might be better off scheduling the Do Not Disturb feature on your Mac to prevent hassling messages and notifications in general. It’s one of the better ways to focus during your most productive hours, and is highly recommended for OS X users who are easily distracted to implement.

Unblocking iMessage Senders in OS X

Decided you want to get all those iMessages from Crazy Cousin Carla again? The process of unblocking is almost the same as blocking:

1. Head back to the Messages app “Preferences”, then back to the ‘Accounts’ tab


2. Choose your iMessage account from the left side menu


3. Now select the “Blocked” tab


4. Select the user(s) to unblock from the list, then hit the Delete key or press the [-] minus button to remove them and receive their iMessages again

Similar to blocking, there is no notification to the unblocked user that their sender status has changed.

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How to Re-Download OS X Mountain Lion Installer from OS X Mavericks osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® How to Re-Download OS X Mountain Lion Installer from OS X Mavericks

Though it is generally recommended for users to keep their Macs up to date with the latest system software, not everyone wants to run OS X Mavericks on all of their Macs, and in some situations older Macs may not support the latest version of OS X anyway. Additionally, there are circumstances where users looking to update from Snow Leopard or OS X Lion may want to go to OS X Mountain Lion instead of Mavericks for compatibility reasons, or to avoid some of the potential issues discussed here by readers with Mail app and iCloud syncing that have frustrated some using current versions of 10.9.1. With OS X Mountain Lion officially off the App Store though, you can’t just search for it and choose to re-download, but that doesn’t necessarily mean users can’t retrieve the installer again.

Important Note: This is really a trick aimed at advanced users who know why they want an older version of OS X. Using the downloaded installer will not work to revert from a Mac with Mavericks to Mountain Lion. Users who wish to downgrade from OS X Mavericks to Mountain Lion should follow these instructions instead, but be aware that it requires a backup from the prior OS X version. If you’re experiencing unusual problems with Mavericks, you may want to try a clean install. Finally, do not attempt to install OS X Mountain Lion on a newer Mac that shipped with OS X Mavericks pre-installed, the installation of 10.8 will fail because it does not support the newest hardware while 10.9 does.



To be able to get the older version of OS X from the Mac App Store again, you must have obtained OS X Mountain Lion from the App Store at some point in time, thus tying it to your Apple ID and Mac App Store account. This works even if it was originally on another Mac than what is currently in use. If you did not buy, download, or install Mountain Lion from the App Store with an Apple ID, this will not work.

1. Open the App Store application as usual, from /Applications/


2. Go to the “Purchases” tab


3. Scroll through the list until you find “OS X Mountain Lion” – do not use the Search box because it will try and fail by looking within the wider Mac App Store


4. Click on the grey “DOWNLOAD” button


5. You will find a message saying “Would you like to continue? OS X 10.9 is already installed on this computer. Are you sure you want to download OS X 10.8?” – click ‘Continue’
   

   

   
   


6. Wait for the full download to complete (it’s about 5GB) and find the “Install OS X Mountain Lion” application in the /Applications/ directory

Now that you have the installer handy,you can create a boot installer for Mountain Lion if you want to perform a clean installation of 10.8 on another compatible Mac.

As mentioned before, we generally recommend keeping up to date with the latest version of OS X supported by a Mac, which for most machines is OS X Mavericks. You can build a USB installer for Mavericks

Technically, you can also re-download the OS X Lion installer this way too, though it would be hard to imagine a scenario where a user would want Lion over OS X Mountain Lion, let alone OS X Mavericks.

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How to Re-Download OS X Mountain Lion Installer from OS X Mavericks osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® How to Re-Download OS X Mountain Lion Installer from OS X Mavericks

Though it is generally recommended for users to keep their Macs up to date with the latest system software, not everyone wants to run OS X Mavericks on all of their Macs, and in some situations older Macs may not support the latest version of OS X anyway. Additionally, there are circumstances where users looking to update from Snow Leopard or OS X Lion may want to go to OS X Mountain Lion instead of Mavericks for compatibility reasons, or to avoid some of the potential issues discussed here by readers with Mail app and iCloud syncing that have frustrated some using current versions of 10.9.1. With OS X Mountain Lion officially off the App Store though, you can’t just search for it and choose to re-download, but that doesn’t necessarily mean users can’t retrieve the installer again.

Important Note: This is really a trick aimed at advanced users who know why they want an older version of OS X. Using the downloaded installer will not work to revert from a Mac with Mavericks to Mountain Lion. Users who wish to downgrade from OS X Mavericks to Mountain Lion should follow these instructions instead, but be aware that it requires a backup from the prior OS X version. If you’re experiencing unusual problems with Mavericks, you may want to try a clean install. Finally, do not attempt to install OS X Mountain Lion on a newer Mac that shipped with OS X Mavericks pre-installed, the installation of 10.8 will fail because it does not support the newest hardware while 10.9 does.



To be able to get the older version of OS X from the Mac App Store again, you must have obtained OS X Mountain Lion from the App Store at some point in time, thus tying it to your Apple ID and Mac App Store account. This works even if it was originally on another Mac than what is currently in use. If you did not buy, download, or install Mountain Lion from the App Store with an Apple ID, this will not work.

1. Open the App Store application as usual, from /Applications/


2. Go to the “Purchases” tab


3. Scroll through the list until you find “OS X Mountain Lion” – do not use the Search box because it will try and fail by looking within the wider Mac App Store


4. Click on the grey “DOWNLOAD” button


5. You will find a message saying “Would you like to continue? OS X 10.9 is already installed on this computer. Are you sure you want to download OS X 10.8?” – click ‘Continue’
   

   

   
   


6. Wait for the full download to complete (it’s about 5GB) and find the “Install OS X Mountain Lion” application in the /Applications/ directory

Now that you have the installer handy,you can create a boot installer for Mountain Lion if you want to perform a clean installation of 10.8 on another compatible Mac.

As mentioned before, we generally recommend keeping up to date with the latest version of OS X supported by a Mac, which for most machines is OS X Mavericks. You can build a USB installer for Mavericks

Technically, you can also re-download the OS X Lion installer this way too, though it would be hard to imagine a scenario where a user would want Lion over OS X Mountain Lion, let alone OS X Mavericks.

Email this How to Re-Download OS X Mountain Lion Installer from OS X Mavericks to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box! Subscribe for free today!

How to Re-Download OS X Mountain Lion Installer from OS X Mavericks osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® How to Re-Download OS X Mountain Lion Installer from OS X Mavericks

Though it is generally recommended for users to keep their Macs up to date with the latest system software, not everyone wants to run OS X Mavericks on all of their Macs, and in some situations older Macs may not support the latest version of OS X anyway. Additionally, there are circumstances where users looking to update from Snow Leopard or OS X Lion may want to go to OS X Mountain Lion instead of Mavericks for compatibility reasons, or to avoid some of the potential issues discussed here by readers with Mail app and iCloud syncing that have frustrated some using current versions of 10.9.1. With OS X Mountain Lion officially off the App Store though, you can’t just search for it and choose to re-download, but that doesn’t necessarily mean users can’t retrieve the installer again.

Important Note: This is really a trick aimed at advanced users who know why they want an older version of OS X. Using the downloaded installer will not work to revert from a Mac with Mavericks to Mountain Lion. Users who wish to downgrade from OS X Mavericks to Mountain Lion should follow these instructions instead, but be aware that it requires a backup from the prior OS X version. If you’re experiencing unusual problems with Mavericks, you may want to try a clean install. Finally, do not attempt to install OS X Mountain Lion on a newer Mac that shipped with OS X Mavericks pre-installed, the installation of 10.8 will fail because it does not support the newest hardware while 10.9 does.



To be able to get the older version of OS X from the Mac App Store again, you must have obtained OS X Mountain Lion from the App Store at some point in time, thus tying it to your Apple ID and Mac App Store account. This works even if it was originally on another Mac than what is currently in use. If you did not buy, download, or install Mountain Lion from the App Store with an Apple ID, this will not work.

1. Open the App Store application as usual, from /Applications/


2. Go to the “Purchases” tab


3. Scroll through the list until you find “OS X Mountain Lion” – do not use the Search box because it will try and fail by looking within the wider Mac App Store


4. Click on the grey “DOWNLOAD” button


5. You will find a message saying “Would you like to continue? OS X 10.9 is already installed on this computer. Are you sure you want to download OS X 10.8?” – click ‘Continue’
   

   

   
   


6. Wait for the full download to complete (it’s about 5GB) and find the “Install OS X Mountain Lion” application in the /Applications/ directory

Now that you have the installer handy,you can create a boot installer for Mountain Lion if you want to perform a clean installation of 10.8 on another compatible Mac.

As mentioned before, we generally recommend keeping up to date with the latest version of OS X supported by a Mac, which for most machines is OS X Mavericks. You can build a USB installer for Mavericks

Technically, you can also re-download the OS X Lion installer this way too, though it would be hard to imagine a scenario where a user would want Lion over OS X Mountain Lion, let alone OS X Mavericks.

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Improve Activity Monitor Reporting Speed in OS X with Update Frequency osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Improve Activity Monitor Reporting Speed in OS X with Update Frequency

Many advanced Mac users have noticed that Activity Monitor appears slower these days when the app is updating CPU, Memory, Disk, Energy, and Network data, with the monitoring app apparently no longer offering real-time system resource statistics. Instead, Activity Monitor now defaults to offering a general aggregate of system use that feels relatively delayed. Well it’s not in your head and it doesn’t just feel delayed, it actually is delayed, as the new standard setting for Activity Monitor no longer updates system stats and usage every second or two, it waits a full five second before updating the app. While this provides a broader average of performance and resource usage, it may be inadequate for many advanced users who are accustomed to a more responsive task manager. For those who prefer to have more real-time resource data on their Macs, you can adjust the change interval back to the more aggressive reporting speed that existed prior to the change that arrived with OS X Mavericks.

Adjusting the “update frequency” setting not only impacts how fast process activity changes in the primary Activity Monitor window, but it also adjusts the speed of updates shown in the CPU usage indicator for the apps Dock icon.

1. Open “Activity Monitor”, found within the /Applications/Utilities/ folder or through Launchpad


2. Pull down the “View” menu and go to “Update Frequency”


3. Select the desired update frequency setting out of the three choices:
   
   
   
   • Very often (1 second) – aggressive, practically real time task and process observation and management
   
   
   • Often (2 seconds) – a reasonable middle setting that is significantly more responsive than the default 5 second setting, while not as aggressive or taxing as the real time resource updates
   
   
   • Normally (5 seconds) – this is the new default choice, it may feel too slow for power users who are accustomed to immediate response from activity monitor and process management
   
   
   
   

Power users will almost certainly want to use the “Very often” option for maximum responsiveness, though the “Often” option is reasonable as well. If you’re using the Activity Monitor to troubleshoot errant processes or weird behavior, the faster the update frequency the better, whereas if you use Activity Monitor primarily as a means of casually observing CPU stats from the apps Dock icon to determine appropriate system behavior, then you may find the 2 second or 5 second options to be tolerable.

Somewhat ironically, Activity Monitor itself can also impact performance to a limited extent by aggressively monitoring system resource usage, perhaps why Apple chose the more averaged “5 second” option as the new default for OS X. For most purposes though, the hit from running Activity Monitor is minimal at beset, and most users won’t notice any meaningful degradation to performance or battery life by changing the update frequency setting. If you’re concerned about that, keeping the setting at “Normal (5 seconds)” for general Activity Monitor usage and selectively changing it to the “1 second” choice for troubleshooting, force quitting errant apps and processes, or general task management is entirely reasonable.

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Improve Activity Monitor Reporting Speed in OS X with Update Frequency osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Improve Activity Monitor Reporting Speed in OS X with Update Frequency

Many advanced Mac users have noticed that Activity Monitor appears slower these days when the app is updating CPU, Memory, Disk, Energy, and Network data, with the monitoring app apparently no longer offering real-time system resource statistics. Instead, Activity Monitor now defaults to offering a general aggregate of system use that feels relatively delayed. Well it’s not in your head and it doesn’t just feel delayed, it actually is delayed, as the new standard setting for Activity Monitor no longer updates system stats and usage every second or two, it waits a full five second before updating the app. While this provides a broader average of performance and resource usage, it may be inadequate for many advanced users who are accustomed to a more responsive task manager. For those who prefer to have more real-time resource data on their Macs, you can adjust the change interval back to the more aggressive reporting speed that existed prior to the change that arrived with OS X Mavericks.

Adjusting the “update frequency” setting not only impacts how fast process activity changes in the primary Activity Monitor window, but it also adjusts the speed of updates shown in the CPU usage indicator for the apps Dock icon.

1. Open “Activity Monitor”, found within the /Applications/Utilities/ folder or through Launchpad


2. Pull down the “View” menu and go to “Update Frequency”


3. Select the desired update frequency setting out of the three choices:
   
   
   
   • Very often (1 second) – aggressive, practically real time task and process observation and management
   
   
   • Often (2 seconds) – a reasonable middle setting that is significantly more responsive than the default 5 second setting, while not as aggressive or taxing as the real time resource updates
   
   
   • Normally (5 seconds) – this is the new default choice, it may feel too slow for power users who are accustomed to immediate response from activity monitor and process management
   
   
   
   

Power users will almost certainly want to use the “Very often” option for maximum responsiveness, though the “Often” option is reasonable as well. If you’re using the Activity Monitor to troubleshoot errant processes or weird behavior, the faster the update frequency the better, whereas if you use Activity Monitor primarily as a means of casually observing CPU stats from the apps Dock icon to determine appropriate system behavior, then you may find the 2 second or 5 second options to be tolerable.

Somewhat ironically, Activity Monitor itself can also impact performance to a limited extent by aggressively monitoring system resource usage, perhaps why Apple chose the more averaged “5 second” option as the new default for OS X. For most purposes though, the hit from running Activity Monitor is minimal at beset, and most users won’t notice any meaningful degradation to performance or battery life by changing the update frequency setting. If you’re concerned about that, keeping the setting at “Normal (5 seconds)” for general Activity Monitor usage and selectively changing it to the “1 second” choice for troubleshooting, force quitting errant apps and processes, or general task management is entirely reasonable.

Email this Improve Activity Monitor Reporting Speed in OS X with Update Frequency to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box! Subscribe for free today!

Improve Activity Monitor Reporting Speed in OS X with Update Frequency osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Improve Activity Monitor Reporting Speed in OS X with Update Frequency

Many advanced Mac users have noticed that Activity Monitor appears slower these days when the app is updating CPU, Memory, Disk, Energy, and Network data, with the monitoring app apparently no longer offering real-time system resource statistics. Instead, Activity Monitor now defaults to offering a general aggregate of system use that feels relatively delayed. Well it’s not in your head and it doesn’t just feel delayed, it actually is delayed, as the new standard setting for Activity Monitor no longer updates system stats and usage every second or two, it waits a full five second before updating the app. While this provides a broader average of performance and resource usage, it may be inadequate for many advanced users who are accustomed to a more responsive task manager. For those who prefer to have more real-time resource data on their Macs, you can adjust the change interval back to the more aggressive reporting speed that existed prior to the change that arrived with OS X Mavericks.

Adjusting the “update frequency” setting not only impacts how fast process activity changes in the primary Activity Monitor window, but it also adjusts the speed of updates shown in the CPU usage indicator for the apps Dock icon.

1. Open “Activity Monitor”, found within the /Applications/Utilities/ folder or through Launchpad


2. Pull down the “View” menu and go to “Update Frequency”


3. Select the desired update frequency setting out of the three choices:
   
   
   
   • Very often (1 second) – aggressive, practically real time task and process observation and management
   
   
   • Often (2 seconds) – a reasonable middle setting that is significantly more responsive than the default 5 second setting, while not as aggressive or taxing as the real time resource updates
   
   
   • Normally (5 seconds) – this is the new default choice, it may feel too slow for power users who are accustomed to immediate response from activity monitor and process management
   
   
   
   

Power users will almost certainly want to use the “Very often” option for maximum responsiveness, though the “Often” option is reasonable as well. If you’re using the Activity Monitor to troubleshoot errant processes or weird behavior, the faster the update frequency the better, whereas if you use Activity Monitor primarily as a means of casually observing CPU stats from the apps Dock icon to determine appropriate system behavior, then you may find the 2 second or 5 second options to be tolerable.

Somewhat ironically, Activity Monitor itself can also impact performance to a limited extent by aggressively monitoring system resource usage, perhaps why Apple chose the more averaged “5 second” option as the new default for OS X. For most purposes though, the hit from running Activity Monitor is minimal at beset, and most users won’t notice any meaningful degradation to performance or battery life by changing the update frequency setting. If you’re concerned about that, keeping the setting at “Normal (5 seconds)” for general Activity Monitor usage and selectively changing it to the “1 second” choice for troubleshooting, force quitting errant apps and processes, or general task management is entirely reasonable.

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How to Jailbreak iOS 7.0.6 with Evasi0n osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® How to Jailbreak iOS 7.0.6 with Evasi0n

The popular Evasi0n utility has been updated to support jailbreaking iOS 7.0.6. Though iOS 7.0.6 is a minor version change to iOS, it includes an important security fix that prevents potential man-in-the-middle attacks and/or data interception from occurring, thus it is highly recommended for all users to install as soon as possible, including those who jailbreak their iPhones and iPads.

Using the updated Evasion tool is basically the same as before, but individuals who are currently jailbroken on a prior version of iOS should take a few additional steps before attempting to run it with their devices. Additionally, users who updated to iOS 7.0.6 via the Software Update mechanism on their devices will need to perform a fresh install before being able to complete a successful jailbreak. Whichever the situation, grab the appropriate version of Evasi0n for Mac or Windows below, and then follow the simple procedure outlined to successfully jailbreak a 7.0.6 device.

1: Download Evasi0n for iOS 7.0.6

The Evasi0n7 utility with 7.0.6 support is officially versioned as 1.0.6, grab the appropriate link below:

Once you have the evasi0n utility, you may need to reinstall iOS 7.0.6 on the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch as outlined below before proceeding further.

2: Jailbreaking iOS 7.0.6 Successfully

Devices must be updated with iTunes, not OTA, to prevent failure with the new evasion tool. This is easy to do, even if you’re already running 7.0.6:

1. Back up the iPhone / iPad to a Mac or PC through iTunes


2. Update to iOS 7.0.6 through iTunes
   
   
   
   • Important: if the device is already on iOS 7.0.6 as updated through OTA, perform a fresh install of iOS 7.0.6 with iTunes by using the “Restore” function
   
   
   
   


3. Optionally but likely desirable, restore from the recently made backup now that the device has been updated to the latest version of iOS


4. Now run the newly downloaded evasi0n utility to complete the jailbreak as usual

Though there are mixed reports of successful jailbreaking after installing the iOS 7.0.6 through OTA update, there are many more reported problems occurring. Thus, it is recommended to follow the steps outlined above, as it should prevent any potential issues from occurring during the jailbreak process.

If the jailbreak fails or the device gets stuck on the Apple logo during the process, the device was likely updated through OTA rather than a fresh install from iTunes. If that is the case, just restore from iTunes to get started again properly.

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Help Protect a Mac from the SSL / TLS Security Bug (Until a Fix Arrives) osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Help Protect a Mac from the SSL / TLS Security Bug (Until a Fix Arrives)

Apple recently released iOS 7.0.6 with an important security update for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch users – if you have an iOS device, you should install that update right away. Though the 7.0.6 bug fix description was initially vague, further information we’ll detail below points to just how potentially serious the security issue is (or was) – basically, someone could intercept your data given the proper circumstances – and while the problem has been patched on the iOS side, the same security flaw exists for OS X for the time being.

Yes, Apple will likely push a bug fix to Mac users in the near future, and all Mac users should install that update right away when it arrives. Until then, you can take some simple precautions to help protect yourself and your Mac from harm. Though this is general advice focused on helping to prevent trouble from the active OS X SSL/TLS security bug, these simple tips are actually good basic network security protocol to follow in general. Advanced users will probably already know what to do (or rather, what not to do), but if you’re unfamiliar with good network practice then you may learn something new.

3 Easy Tips to Help Protect a Mac from the SSL / TLS Security Flaw

1. Avoid all untrusted networks – that mysterious open wi-fi router that you sometimes connect to when your internet is slow because your brother/mom/roommate is streaming Netflix? Don’t connect to it. The router that doesn’t ask for a password at the local coffee shop? Avoid it. Connect to trusted and secured networks only, whether they’re at work, school, or home. It can’t be said enough; do not join any untrusted wireless networks until the machine has been patched.


2. Check your web browser with GoToFail to determine if the browser itself is vulnerable – if it is found to be vulnerable, consider temporarily using another updated web browser until the flaw has been patched (the latest versions of Chrome and Firefox are reportedly fine for now)


3. Be sure the trusted wi-fi network uses WPA2 security active – this means it requires a password when connecting to the router, though you will still want to double-check the network is using WPA2. While this alone is not a guarantee of protection or security, it does lower the likelihood that a nefarious character is on the network. Wide open password-free networks are like the wild west and anything goes, avoid them. For those with their own wi-fi routers, remember that WEP is outdated and insecure, always use WPA2 security for wi-fi passwords.

While using a different browser and protected network is better than nothing, the importance of being on a protected network (and patching your devices when possible) can not be emphasized enough. To better understand why, a theoretical attack using the SSL/TLS vulnerability is described by CrowdStrike as follows:

“To pull off the attack an adversary has to be able to Man-in-The-Middle (MitM) network connections, which can be done if they are present on the same wired or wireless network as the victim. Due to a flaw in authentication logic on iOS and OS X platforms, an attacker can bypass SSL/TLS verification routines upon the initial connection handshake. This enables an adversary to masquerade as coming from a trusted remote endpoint, such as your favorite webmail provider and perform full interception of encrypted traffic between you and the destination server, as well as give them a capability to modify the data in flight (such as deliver exploits to take control of your system).”

To put it simply, an attacker could use this flaw to intercept data, like email, passwords, banking information, communications, basically anything, if the attacker is on the same network as you, or is otherwise able to get between your computer and a remote server. This is why it is so important to avoid untrusted networks, it greatly mitigates risk.

Those interested can read additional technical information about the bug at ImperialViolet, and some more simplified details at Wired.

So, let’s summarize: iOS devices should update to iOS 7.0.6 or iOS 6.1.6 NOW, using a trusted network. iOS users should actively forget wi-fi networks they do not trust. No user of any device should join untrusted networks until they install the appropriate patch, and are probably better off avoiding untrusted networks in general. All Mac users should install the appropriate security update for OS X right away when it has been released (yes, we’ll post about it when it’s out). It’s not a guarantee, but by following that advice, you’re certainly better off than not.

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iOS 7.0.6 Released with Security Fix for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® iOS 7.0.6 Released with Security Fix for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Apple has released a small update for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, versioned as iOS 7.0.6 with a build number of 11b651. The security update notably includes a fix for SSL connection verification and weighs in between 13MB and 36MB, depending on the iOS device being installed upon.

The initial release notes bundled with the iOS 7.0.6 update are very brief, stating simply “This security update provides a fix for SSL connection verification.” Apple elaborates a bit further on their knowledge base article, providing the following details for what the update resolves:

"Impact: An attacker with a privileged network position may capture or modify data in sessions protected by SSL/TLS

Description: Secure Transport failed to validate the authenticity of the connection. This issue was addressed by restoring missing validation steps."

It is possible some other minor bug and security fixes are included in the release, though due to the small size of the download users should not expect much.

Downloading iOS 7.0.6

The easiest way to download iOS 7.0.6 is through the Over-The-Air update mechanism, accessible through the Settings app > Software Update. Choose “Download and Install” and agree to the terms and conditions to start the update process. Despite being a minor update, it can take a while to install as the ‘verifying update’ process lingers for a while on the home screen, before rebooting to the Apple logo where the actual firmware update occurs. Users can also choose to update through iTunes.

It is always advisable to back up iOS devices before updating system software, even with small releases like this.

iOS 7.0.6 IPSW Direct Download Links

Users who prefer to use .IPSW firmware files to update devices manually can choose to download the complete update directly from Apple’s servers using the links below:

In addition to iOS 7.0.6, Apple also released iOS 6.1.6, which includes the same security fix, for iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 4th generation devices that are not able to run iOS 7. The build number for iOS 6.1.6 is 10b500. An update to Apple TV, versioned as 6.0.2, is also available.

A more sizable update is expected to arrive in the coming weeks with the iOS 7.1 public release, which is currently in beta.

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How to Batch Convert DOCX Files to TXT Format with textutil in OS X osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® How to Batch Convert DOCX Files to TXT Format with textutil in OS X

The Mac includes a fantastic command line tool called textutil which allows for quick text file format conversions, translating almost any text or word document type into another. We’ve discussed textutil for a variety of uses, but typically it has been for one-off conversions of a specific file into a new file type. This time around we’ll focus on batch converting a group of files that are in the common Microsoft Office “DOCX” format, which is basically a compressed XML version of a classic Office DOC file, into a simple TXT or RTF file format, which has greater compatibility.



Because textutil is a command line tool, users should be somewhat comfortable using the terminal before diving in, this is reflected in the first examples shown for those who know the command line well enough. If you’re new, though we will try to make it easy enough that almost anyone at any skill level with OS X should be able to follow along.

Batch Converting DOCX to TXT / RTF with textutil

For those who are adept at using the command line, the syntax necessary for batch docx to txt or rtf file conversion is as follows:

Convert DOCX to TXT:

textutil -convert txt /path/to/DOCX/files/*.docx

Convert .docx to .rtf :

textutil -convert rtf /path/to/docx/files/*.docx

The “-convert txt” or “-convert rtf” flag tells textutil to convert the files into the given format, and the rest of the command string is simply a path to the files in question. Then, a wildcard * is used with the .docx file extension to tell textutil to convert everything in that specified directory.

The freshly converted rtf or txt files will appear in the same directory as the original .docx files, the original dock files will not be overwritten or modified. That’s it, you’re all done. Obviously the txt file format is more universally readable than rtf, but RTF files maintain some formatting better than txt. Use whichever is necessary, or depending on the complexity of the docx files in question.

Batch Converting DOCX to TXT for Mac Terminal Newbies

If the above was over your head, don’t worry, you can make the process a bit easier by using a combination of the Finder and the Terminal, thanks to the print full path trick:

1. Navigate in the Finder file system to the directory where the docx files are located which need to be converted, or drag the docx containing folder to the desktop


2. Open the Terminal application, found in /Applications/Utilities/


3. Type the following command syntax, adding a space at the end of ‘txt’, but don’t hit return yet:
   

   textutil -convert txt

   
   


4. Go back to the Finder, now drag & drop the docx containing folder into the terminal window to print out the full directory path into the terminal


5. Add at the end of the directory path “*.docx” without the quotes, the resulting command string at the terminal prompt should look something like this:
   

   textutil -convert txt ~/Desktop/MyDocxFiles/*.docx

   
   


6. Hit return to complete the batch conversion

The new .txt files will appear almost instantly in the same folder as the original .docx files, they even have the same file name with the exception of the new file format extension. If you can’t tell the old file from the new files apart, be sure you have file format extensions set to visible in the Mac Finder to easily show the difference.

Thanks to James Harvard for the tip idea.

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Can You Charge the iPhone Faster with AirPlane Mode? osxdailynews.blogspot.com

osxdailynews.blogspot.com ® Can You Charge the iPhone Faster with AirPlane Mode?

If you follow the general tech world through just about any medium, be it Twitter, Pinterest, or blogs, you may have seen a pretty bold battery charging claim gaining popularity lately, usually something along the lines of: “charge your iPhone twice as fast just by switching it into AirPlane Mode!” The theory behind that claim being that toggling AirPlane Mode on disables all communication radios and wireless transmitters in the device to make and receive calls, use cellular and wi-fi data, or have access to the GPS feature. It sounds great, maybe even reasonable since those things can drain the battery, plus switching airplane mode on is super easy, but does it actually work?



You’ll find plenty of iPhone and Android users who absolutely swear by the fast charging AirPlane Mode trick, but our own tests were much less convincing. In fact, after casually switching between the two charging options (airplane on, and airplane off as usual) over multiple charges, we couldn’t really notice a difference in charge time from various points of a drained battery. If there is an expedited charging speed that is offered through AirPlane Mode, it’s probably fairly minimal, maybe somewhere between 3-10 minutes for an iPhone 5, 5s, or 5c. Admittedly, this isn’t a scientific observation by any means (does anyone want to sit still and watch two iPhones charge side-by-side for 3 hours three different times? Probably not, let us know if you do), but presumably if the claim of charging “twice as fast” was actually true, you would certainly observe a difference almost immediately.

Considering the bold claims and widespread nature of the magical AirPlane charging recommendation, we dug a little deeper trying to find some technical details, perhaps the best of which came from a commenter on Lifehacker, who cited the power consumption and charge rate of the iPhone and charger itself, calling any potential benefit “marginal” at best, perhaps around 2%:

“Hmm, the benefit is marginal, at best. Considering the iPhone5′s 1,440 mAh battery capacity and stated 225 hour standby time, steady state power consumption is 6.4 mA. Factoring in inefficiencies, let’s round that up to 10 mA. If you use the included charger to charge at 500 mA, you’re talking about getting back just 2% of that charge rate. Even if you turn off the phone, the improvement is likely to be more psychological than practical. So, in other words, feel free to keep you phone on while charging. Now, playing a high-CPU-demand game on max screen brightness, that’s a slightly different matter. If power usage goes up to say 100 mA or more, you might actually notice an extension of charging time under those intensive conditions.”

Is turning on AirPlane Mode worth a 2% faster charge time over the course of a couple of hours while missing out on texts, phone calls, data, emails, and whatever else you use your phone for? You can decide that on your own.

So while we’re not convinced it’ll make much of a difference in how long it takes to charge your iPhone, if you do this regularly and have some data to back it up, let us know your own results.

By the way, if you do actually want to charge your iPhone as fast as possible, the best thing you can do is plug it into a wall outlet and not use the phone while it’s charging. Powering the bright backlit display and using heavy data usage does actually use power, so by not using either you can expedite the process a tad. From a 0% charge, the iPhone will usually be back to 100% in around 3 hours or less.

Aside from that, it’s usually best to focus on preserving battery by turning off unnecessary background activity, unused location services, and various eye-candy features. It works.

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