Tag: iOS

Fixing Google Calendar and Gmail in iOS 7

My Google calendars disappeared while comparing Fantastical 2 with the built–in Calendar app (iOS 7.0.3, iPhone 4S). I mentioned this before, and somehow “fixed” it:

I think I deleted and re–added the account, and all was well. Temporarily.

After some searching, here are a couple articles that explain why I was tripping:

  1. “How to enable push Gmail on your iOS device“. You add an Exchange account for push e–mail. I originally set this up while using iOS 5, and probably followed the same steps over a month ago. Not sure why that continued to work until now.
  2. “A new way to sync Google Contacts“. I was overdue in adding a separate CardDAV account, but was apparently built into adding a Google account process in iOS 7. Also not sure how that worked while I was on iOS 6.

How I fixed things:

  1. In Settings, then Mail, Contacts, and Calendar, delete my Google account (previously configured as Exchange).
  2. Follow the instructions from the support page, “Sync Google Calendar with your iOS device“. The notable difference is adding a Google account, not Microsoft Exchange. You can also turn on Mail or Contacts without configuring a separate IMAP account or CardDAV account, respectively.

Guided Access for iOS and the calculator

I activated Guided Access for iOS 6 after it was mentioned in this Lifehacker post “The Secret Powers Hidden in Your iPhone’s Accessibility Options“. Pretty nifty idea!

If someone asked to use the calculator, to speed the return of my precious iPhone, I’d disable the clearing button.

Get it right the first time! 😉

Close portrait with an iPhone? Try a panorama!

While enjoying breakfast at Peach Cafe with Amy and my mother–in–law, Amy wanted a photo in front of the large heart artwork on the wall.

But, a few problems:

  1. I was four feet away from the artwork. How could I get it and them in the frame?
  2. The restaurant was full, so I wasn’t going to stand up and take a few steps back.
  3. I only had my iPhone, not a DSLR with a wide angle lens.

Solution: Use the panorama feature in iOS 6!

If you haven’t used it in the default Camera app:

  1. Tap Options at the top.
  2. Tap Panorama.

With my iPhone in landscape mode, I tapped the arrow so I’d start taking the photo at the bottom, then asked them to sit still for a few seconds before I pressed the shutter button and panned up.

Note: You don’t need to get to the very end of the “route” when panning to capture the panorama. Just press the shutter after you’ve captured everything you need.

I started the panorama at the bottom of the frame to minimize any movement from them in the final image.

When I processed the photo in Lightroom, another bonus was that the aspect ratio was super close to 3:2. This means we can print a 4“ x 6” photo with minimal cropping.

Most importantly, they loved it! 🙂

P.S. Props to Ryan Brenizer for the idea, which he uses regularly with the Brenizer Method, who was just named American Photo’s Top 10 World’s Best Wedding Photographers for 2013. Congrats!