David Crookes

Contributor

David Crookes has been writing professionally for close to 30 years and, as well as a great fondness for gaming, space, film, music, history, health and politics, he's largely specialized in technology for much of his career. He particularly focuses on Apple devices, having admired the company's tech since using iMac G3 in 1998. He also developed a fondness for the older Macintosh LC III that he later used in his first job as a newspaper reporter.

Since becoming a freelance writer, he has written for a wide number of publications including the Apple-focussed magazines iCreate and Macworld as well as Micro Mart, Web User, T3, Retro Gamer, MagPi, Computer Shopper, Gadget and 3D Artist. His love of gaming has seen him write for Retro Gamer, GamesTM and Wireframe among others and, despite his love of Apple, he still uses a PC – working for PC Pro and once writing for Total PC Gaming.

One of his joys is helping others to use technology which has led him to writing many “how to” tutorials explaining many ways of getting the most out of various devices. He's become an expert user of the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. He also likes to kick back with a gaming session on an PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X | S while getting his retro fix on an Evercade handheld.

Latest articles by David Crookes

Grok 3 is free to all X users — here's how to use it

By David Crookes Published 13 May 25

Grok 3 is now free for all X users. Here’s a simple guide to help you start using it today.

Grok

how to find your lost Android phone with Google

Worried a phone is stolen? Here’s how to find out

By David Crookes Published 11 May 25

Got a feeling your phone has been reported lost or stolen? Put your mind at rest by following these steps.

Phones

Get started with Hume AI — how to set up voices and talk naturally

By David Crookes Published 1 May 25

Create audio scripts using different voices, or have a chat with an AI bot your choice.

You can schedule your Mac to turn off and on — here's how

By David Crookes Published 29 April 25

You can ensure your Mac powers on and shuts down on specific days and times.

Computing

How to hide apps on your iPhone — keep sensitive content private

By David Crookes Published 26 April 25

Learn how to hide and lock apps on your iPhone to keep sensitive information, games, or purchases private from prying eyes.

Phones

You can extend your iPhone screen lockout time — here's how

By David Crookes Published 23 April 25

Learn how to stop an iPhone screen fading to black at inopportune moments by extending the screen lockout time.

Phones

How to get started with Ideogram — what you need to know to create the best AI images

By David Crookes Published 10 April 25

Ideogram allows you to combine images and stylish text to create a host of designs, here's how to do it.

ChatGPT running on phone with laptop in the background

How to get better results from ChatGPT by asking one simple question

By David Crookes Published 4 April 25

Learn how to get better results from ChatGPT by asking this one simple question.

You can bring back full-screen calls on iPhone — here’s how

By David Crookes Published 24 March 25

iPhone users can restore full-screen incoming call alerts instead of small banners. This guide explains how to enable the setting easily.

iPhones

Hate it when your Ring doorbell alerts you all the time? Here's how to schedule motion detection

By David Crookes Published 20 March 25

Prevent your Ring video doorbell from alerting and annoying you at inappropriate times.

Smart Home

Your iPhone has a custom voice command feature — here's how to use it

By David Crookes Published 19 March 25

Get your iPhone to perform a host of tasks by simply asking for them.

Browsers

You can change your iPhone's default browser — here's how

By David Crookes Published 18 March 25

Learn how to change your iPhone’s default browser in just a few steps and switch from Safari to your preferred option.

Browsers

It's easy to edit PDFs on your Mac — here's how to do it for free

By David Crookes Published 4 March 25

This guide reveals how to edit a PDF on Mac without the need to buy any extra software.

Computing

Stop using Command+Shift+3 — try these Mac screenshot shortcuts instead

By David Crookes Published 3 March 25

Learn how to take a screenshot on Mac whether you want to capture a full screen, a portion or a particular window.

Computing

MacBook Pro 16-inch 2021 sitting on a patio table

You can speed up your Mac by clearing its cache — here's how

By David Crookes Published 2 March 25

Learn how to clear cache on your Mac to free up space, improve performance, and fix minor issues.

Computing

Your iPhone can help you relax with calming background sounds — here's how to turn them on

By David Crookes Published 1 March 25

Learn how to use iPhone's Background Sounds feature to play calming ambient audio for better focus and relaxation.

Phones

Your Mac has a built-in screen recorder — here's how to use it

By David Crookes Published 27 February 25

Discover how to use your Mac's screen recording feature in 9 easy steps.

Computing

This iOS 18 feature lets you share your favorite podcast moments — here’s how to do it

By David Crookes Published 26 February 25

With iOS 18, you’re able to share timestamped podcast episodes to ensures others get straight to the good bits.

Phones

How to enable live captions on your Mac — transcribe speech in real time

By David Crookes Published 26 February 25

Live captions make any Mac audio readable—discover how to set up this built-in accessibility tool.

Computing

How to transfer data from Android to iPhone

By David Crookes Published 24 February 25

Easily transfer data from iPhone to Android using Move to iOS, Google Drive, or other simple methods. Here’s how to do it.

Phones

AirDrop settings on an iPhone with a MacBook in the background.

How to transfer files from an iPhone to Mac — every method explained

By David Crookes Published 23 February 25

There are numerous ways you can connect your iPhone and Mac for easy file sharing.

Phones

An image showing Shazam open on an iPhone

This iPhone feature lets you identify songs using the action button — here's how it works

By David Crookes Published 21 February 25

With your iPhone's action button you can now identify songs, here's how it works.

Phones

You can use a QR code to share your Wi-Fi password — here’s how

By David Crookes Published 20 February 25

Learn how to use a QR code to share your Wi-Fi password, using the Passwords app on iPhone.

Phones

With iOS 18.3 you can adjust your iPhone flashlight's beam width — here's how

By David Crookes Published 20 February 25

By adjusting your flashlight's beam width, you can decide how intense and wide you want it to be. Here's how to do it.

Phones

iOS 18.3 lets you restart your iPhone from the Control Center — here’s how to do it

By David Crookes Published 19 February 25

Learn how to restart your iPhone from the Control Center, with iOS 18.3.

3 Comments

Phones

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