How to Add Videos in Unsupported Formats to iTunes

If you’re an avid iTunes user you probably really like the fact that all the media that you purchase from the iTunes Store is added automatically to its Library. That makes it easy to browse through the content that is available and find what you need.

However if you download videos from other sources or record them yourself – they won’t appear in iTunes automatically and will need to be added. That is where you may run into difficulties if your video is encoded in an unsupported format.

“What Formats Does iTunes Support?” 

Unfortunately iTunes has fairly strict restrictions on the formats that it supports and that it will allow you to add to the Library. The requirements are that the video must use a MOV, MP4 or M4V container, MPEG-4 or H.264 video codec, and AAC audio codec.

Anything that does not meet those requirements will not be able to be added to iTunes. In most cases either an error will appear that tells you the format is unsupported, or it simply won’t appear in the Library even after you try to add it.

Convert to a Supported Format

The only real solution to the problem is to convert your video to a format that iTunes does support – i.e. one of the options listed above.

The good news is that is a lot easier than you might think, and there are many video converter software and online platforms that can convert the videos – especially to MP4 with H.264 as it is the most popular format right now. For example you could use Movavi Video Converter for Mac  to convert practically any format to MP4 with H.264.

It should be noted that you can use any other formats if you prefer, but MP4 with H.264 is the most versatile format that iTunes supports.

Import the Video to iTunes

After the video has been converted into a format that iTunes support, you can try to add it to the iTunes Library.

That just takes a few simple steps: 

1. Launch iTunes. 
2. Open the ‘File’ menu. 
3. Click on the ‘Add to Library’ option. 
4. Select the video and click ‘Open’.

If you want the video to automatically be stored in the default iTunes media folder after it has been added, you should check the ‘Copy files to the iTunes media folder when adding to library’ option. It is located in the iTunes Preferences, under the ‘Advanced’ tab.

Once you have imported the video, you can check that it is listed in the Movies section. If it is then you’ve been successful, but if it is not then there may be an issue with the format still.

Assuming everything checks out however, you can customize the metadata of the video so that it has all the details that you want.

Final Words

Aside from converting videos to an iTunes-friendly format, there is simply no other way to add unsupported video formats to iTunes. In fact your options are pretty slim if you don’t want to convert the video, and you may have to use a different media player instead.

On the bright side it really isn’t that difficult to convert videos into iTunes-friendly formats – even if the original video is in a fairly obscure format.

Things to know about the New iPhone XI and iPhone XI Max

It’s been hardly a few months since the iPhone X and the iPhone X Max released, but rumor mills are already afloat with what the new iPhones will have to offer. Last time around there were a lot of rumors on what the iPhone X and X Max had to offer, most of the time these rumors were true. Rumor mills were churning out more truths than falsehoods. But now enough of what was said and done, and to concentrate more on what the new iPhone XI and iPhone XI max have to offer, at least by the rumor gurus.

New Models to talk about: 

Rumor has it that Apple will launch 3 new iPhones that will be successors to the current lineup in stores. These three new iPhones will come out late 2019 and will follow the XS, XS max and XR iPhones.

New Names for the New iPhones: 

There may be no rumors regarding the naming of the new iPhones but it’s an almost sure thing that the new iPhones will be named where their predecessors left off. The iPhone XI and iPhone XI max will follow the XS and XS max.

Important Dates to Look out for: 

It’s not sure as yet when the new iPhone XI and the new iPhone XI max will be released let alone when the phones will reach markets. Date leaks mostly come out weeks before the actual release. But if last year was anything to go by, we may be looking at a late 2019 release with sale being a few days later.

The last iPhone models were announced on September 12th with preorders starting from September 15th and a release on September 21st. The Plus models have similar release dates.

Storage with the New iPhone XI and iPhone XI Max models: 

At present there are no rumors surrounding the storage with the iPhone XI and iPhone XI max models. But According to last year’s models the new iPhone XI and iPhone XI max may come with 64 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB for both models. There will also not be any expandable options with the new iPhones.

Let’s Talk Prices with the New iPhone XI and iPhone XI Max: 

Prices could be very similar to what the current iPhones have going on. AppleCare+ will also be offered as an option with the same monthly and fully paid up plans.

Design on the New iPhone XI and iPhone XI Max models: 

There has been no information regarding the new iPhone XI and iPhone XI max models design. But like last year’s model, the new iPhones could have glass surfaces on both sides as well as rounded edges. Although, there was talk of the new iPhones having no rounded edges.
You may get the same finish options for the new iPhones in space grey, gold and silver options although Apple usually switches up at least one color for every new release.

How to Prevent Apps from accessing your iPhone's Microphone?

Are you wondering how to prevent apps from accessing your iPhone's microphone? Then you have to go through this post.

Recent times, the biggest concern while giving any apps with full access is PRIVACY. Apps with full permission can able to access your personal information that you would never want to share with anyone. The only way to stop getting things worse is to take them into your control.

Knowing about your personal information can make some companies into billionaires. So, here is the article on "How to Prevent Apps from accessing your iPhone’s Microphone?”

In present days, privacy is becoming a more and more important aspect. And, when it comes to providing security, Apple has always been applauded for their privacy settings. Where Android is still lacking behind, because of its ease of developing the applications by almost anyone and update them to the Play Store.

Now if you want to know about How to Prevent Apps from accessing your iPhone’s Microphone? then you can do that with the help of these useful steps in this post.

How to Prevent Apps from accessing your iPhone’s Microphone?

Here is the step by step procedure to follow in order to limit the access to applications that use your microphone.

1. Open the settings app from your home screen menu.

2. Locate and tap on "Privacy" option.

3. You will find an option called "Microphone".

4. Click on the Microphone.

5. All the applications will be listed one by one.

6. Toggle the button to Off for whichever application you want to prevent accessing your microphone.

Wondering what's the big deal in switching off your microphone access to few applications?

For example, there are many applications like Whatsapp, TikTok and more.. that uses your microphone to send messages and record your voices.

There won't be much of a deal with well-established applications, as they might maintain some strict rules and will not misuse your voice data.
But, all companies will not be the same and you will end by paying much loss by providing full
access to those applications. Well, we are not against the usage of different applications, but keeping present technology in mind, privacy is all that matters the most.

Let's discuss about the few important preventions to be taken to improve your privacy.

1. Stop Giving Microphone Access to Apps:

For the very first time when you download and use an application, it will ask you to grant access to your Smartphone’s microphone. While it makes some sense to do it for apps like WhatsApp, but it may not be necessary for a few apps that seem to have more risk factors. If an application asks you for access to the microphone, click on "Don't Allow". Don't worry, even if you do provide access to any application, you can always go into the settings and remove access whenever you want.

We have to remember that stopping the complete access for an application might break its functionality to perform its fullest. For example, if you are using the Amazon application, if you limit microphone access, the voice search feature wouldn't work. If this is your main concern, you can always re-enable microphone access by repeating the steps mentioned above.

2. Disable 'Hey Siri' Feature: 

Not all applications will appear on the same "Microphone" window. Applications like Siri will not show up in those settings and you will need to turn it off using the below steps.

If you want Siri to stop listening for the "Hey Siri" voice all the time, you need to manually disable the feature.

1. Go to the Settings app and tap on "Siri & Search".

2. Go down and turn off "Listen for Hey Siri".

Remember, Siri will use your microphone only when you turn it on, it won't actively listen to all your voices in the background.

3. Virtual Assistant: 

As, Virtual assistants are becoming popular and handy, but we should remember that they’re always listening. Almost all the applications are providing access to either voice search or voice controls. Yes, definitely they make life easy, but one thing we should not forget is that they are active and can track all our voice data. Question yourself as what happens to the audio files they gather?

Like we mentioned before that Apple's biggest strength is the security. Apple has the right to fire a developer’s account promptly upon notice for engaging in outlawed behavior, including but not limited to misusage of user data. Even though Apple provides the uttermost security, they stated that they cannot monitor what developers do with the user's data that they have collected, or cannot prevent the onward transfer of data collected.

Also, all the applications are screened thoroughly before they appear on the App Store. But still, Apple will not take any risk and wants to offer their customers an option to disable the access to your iPhone/iPad’s microphone.

Conclusion: 

And there you have it! Mainly remember that even when you gain full control over the applications you want and set your app permissions the way you like them, the damage can still be unsure about what the third party application developers will do with the info they collect. People will not take this into big notice, because we will not see something very serious so often.

But when it does, the thing will become worse than what we can imagine. So, the safest way to be aware of is not to download applications you don't trust. Many young people nowadays try almost all the applications as they are curious to know what all the applications offer irrespective of popularity. This might cause all the damage in the future, as data is what all that matters us the most on the internet.

How To Decide Between an Apple Watch and a Fitbit

In the market for a good smart watch? But can’t decide between an Apple Watch or a Fitbit? If you are just going to look at price, then the Fitbit smart watch is the one for you. But if you’re looking above the bottom line then the decision becomes all the more complex. Both the Apple watch and the Fitbit are good smart watches but which is the one for you? The decision does not need to be as difficult. Here we look at what both watches have to offer and how all that works for you.

Let’s talk Price with the Apple Watch and Fitbit: 

Let’s begin first with price as many will look at this first when it comes to buying a good smart watch. Both these smart watches are not going to come cheap. The Apple watch will cost you nearly $400 plus an additional $100 if you want the connectivity to go along with it. Fitbit on the other hand will cost you $270, which is clearly the cheapest from both. So if price is your main criteria then the Fitbit smart watch will be the one for you.

If you’re going in for design: 

Both smart watches have a square face which could possibly be attributable to Apple setting the standard. If you’re one for different color wrist bands, then both come with their choice of color options. The cases of both these smart watches too, comes with their own colors so you can color coordinate the cases with the color of the bands.

The design side of the face of the watches is customizable. You can pick from different designs based on your preference of displaying stats more prominently to just seeing the time.

Biometrics with both the Apple watch and the Fitbit: 

This maybe a defining criteria for those looking for fitness tracking. The Fitbit smart watch comes with built in heart rate monitor, which it does continuously, sleep tracking and guided breathing sessions.

The Apple watch on the other hand, not only tracks your heart rate but also comes with a wrist based ECG. The wrist based ECG checks your heart’s electrical signals and how it changes with the level of activity you undertake. You can also use this info by showing it to your doctor. Besides having most of the features similar to the Fitbit, the Apple watch also comes with built in accelerometers, which detects a fall when the user takes a tumble.

GPS on both watches: 

Both watches come with GPS tracking so you know where you’re going on those long morning jogs.

Workout Modes with both Smart Watches: 

Both watches go into various modes while you work out. For example the Fitbit smart watch goes into swim mode while you swim and gives you stats like number of laps, number of strokes and speed. While you run, the Fitbit watch gives other stats and detects when you stop. The Apple watch also does the same.

Both are good smart watches, but the Apple watch is clearly the better bet if you’re looking out for more features. But it does come with a hefty price tag too for all those features.

Tiny Solar Cells Embedded in CLOTHES Can Charge a Mobile Phone

Tiny solar Cells in your Clothes could Charge your smartphone and Smartwatch!

Today the number of gadgets each individual has is a lot, to say the least and all those gadgets need to be charged too. Often the charging bit when it comes to gadgets becomes the tedious part. With people looking out for charging areas when out or running on low battery in areas where you won’t be able to get your device charged. So, to put an end to such problems, researchers at Nottingham Trent University have come up with a possible solution. This possible solution happens to be in the form of tiny solar cells that are incorporated into one’s clothes.

These so called tiny solar cells are the size of fleas, which are embedded into your clothes and generates electricity as you move about in town. They are encapsulated in resin that allows you to wash your clothes and do other normal stuff in them without damaging the tiny solar cells.

The Tiny Solar Cells: 

Researchers at Nottingham Trent University have developed tiny solar cells packed into resin. These tiny solar cells are woven into yarn which is then knitted into textiles.

The tech has been tested by researchers and found to have a very high success rate. These tiny solar cells were able to charge a smart phone and a Fitbit watch.

Dimensions of these Tiny Solar Cells: 

These tiny solar cells are as small as a size of a flea. They cannot be felt by the wearer and does not inhibit any movement when worn. To get to the specifications, these tiny solar cells measure 3 millimeters in length and 1.5 millimeters in width which makes them almost invisible to the naked eye.

The garments used to hold such solar cells are same for all intents and purposes as to any other normal garment worn.

The Big Help such Tiny Solar Cells Provide:

These tiny solar cells will provide a big help when it comes to looking for sockets from which to charge gadgets. Besides this they will also help in reducing carbon emissions and the huge demand that charging gadgets have on an electric grids.

As the number of people using gadgets increases as well as the number of gadgets in the market place too, there is a lot of pressure put on electric grids when it comes to charging these devices.

Power Generated by these Tiny Solar Cells: 

Up to 200 tiny solar cells can give a charge of 2.5 to 10 volts and anywhere up to 80 miliwatts in power. 200 solar cells would span up to 5cm by 5cm in dimensions. With 2,000 solar cells embedded into a fabric, researchers were able to demonstrate charging of a smartphone.

This could open up a lot of doorways of opportunity in charging devices, wearable tech and the way solar cells are embedded into all this. Not only will this novel way help in charging devices in an easier manner but will also help in reducing an individual’s carbon footprint as well.