mac

iTunes Won’t Open? Here’s How to Fix it

Last updated on August 30, 2019

The “iTunes won’t open” issue has been getting more and more popular lately. Especially on Windows computers and often after big updates. Sounds familiar?

That’s not to say that the same issue is non-existent for Mac computers either. So, we’ll be mentioning how to fix it for both Operating Systems and on iPhones as well. That being said, let’s get right into it!

iTunes Won’t Open: Various Fixes

1: How to Fix “iTunes Won’t Open” on Windows Computers

Windows computers are the ones that most commonly face this issue. So, let’s start with that. There are various things that can go wrong and “brake” an application like iTunes. One of the most common ones is big updates that change the “structure” of the OS and sometimes, this messes up a few programs.

At this point, you can either try to repair or re-install iTunes to fix the above-mentioned issue. To repair it, go to:

Settings
Apps
iTunes
Modify
Repair

And while it says “repair”, this is more of an automatic re-installation process. Still, it should fix your issue and work just fine. If not, give it another try with the old, traditional method by going to:

Settings
Apps
iTunes
Uninstall

This uninstalls iTunes. To install them again, simply head over to the official website, download the app again, install it, log in, and pray that everything will work just fine.

If iTunes still refuses to cooperate, your best bet is to uninstall the update which messed up everything in the first place. This can be done by going to:

Settings
Update & Security
View update history
Uninstall updates
Then look for the most recent updates that were installed and remove them

After that, reboot your system and try running iTunes again. And if it still refuses to work, then your last two options are either running it in safe mode or taking it one step further and resetting your whole system.

How to Launch iTunes in Safe Mode and/or Reset Windows 10

Opening iTunes in safe mode is as easy as:

Holding down CTRL + Shift
Open iTunes while still holding down these buttons
And that’s it

If you’ve tried everything and iTunes still refuses to work, then your last line of defense is performing a factory reset. In order to do that, you must go to:

Settings
Update & recovery
Reset this PC
Get started

And here you can select to either keep your files or delete everything. Do keep in mind that no matter which way you go, all of your 3rd party apps will be deleted.

It would be for the best if you could actually perform a clean install. But, this requires Windows installation media, a valid Windows key, and secondary drives or the cloud for backups. It’s basically a whole new process. So, maybe just stick with a simple Windows reset for now.

That’s about all we got for Windows right now. And there a few other minor things that you may try like:

Restarting your system
Checking out the firewall and ensuring that it doesn’t block iTunes
Updating your drivers

And things like that. But, if you’ve tried everything that we mentioned above and it didn’t work out for you, then I highly doubt that such steps will be any more useful.

So, time to move on to Mac now.

2: How to Fix The “iTunes Won’t Open” Issue on Mac Computers

This problem is definitely a rarity for Mac users. But, if you were unfortunate enough to be one of the unlucky few, well, there’s not that much that we can really do.

The first thing that you always wanna try out in such cases is the updates. Always make sure that your system and apps are running their latest versions.

To check for updates on Mac, select the:

Apple icon
Software update

And if any updates are available, then click on the “Update now” button, wait for the installation to finish, reboot your computer, and then try opening iTunes again.

You could also try signing in with a different user account and then logging in back to your own. Alternatively, logging out and back in is worth a try if possible.

Other than that, you can also try some of the more standard fixes like rebooting your PC. But, reinstalling iTunes isn’t an option here. That’s mostly because it’s a core app for Macs and thus we’re not allowed to meddle with it like we can on Windows.

There are a few tricks to bypass that, but they sometimes lead into issues. Not to mention that the newest versions of Mac OS will not allow you to do anything anyway. You could try temporarily renaming the iTunes library folder, though. But, I doubt this will be of much help.

How to Repair Disk Permissions

One thing that may be helpful is repairing the disk permissions. To do that, you must first go into safe mode by:

Restart your Mac and upon boot, hold down the “Shift” key until you see the log-in screen
Log in
Open the Finder
Go to Application
Select “Utilities”
Disk utility
First aid
Then select “Repair Disc Permissions”

Depending on the version of Mac that you’re using, this option may not be available.

3: How to Fix “iTunes Won’t Open” on iPhone

An iPhone gives us even fewer options to work with. Still, let’s take our chances. The first thing you wanna try is restarting the phone. It poses zero risks and it’s something that may be able to fix your issue.

So, to restart an iPhone:

Hold down the power/sleep button
Slide to power off
Hold down the power/sleep button again until the phones powers on
Wait till it’s fully booted
Then give iTunes one more try

If that fails, make sure that you’re running the latest version of the app be heading over to the App Store. You could also try uninstalling and installing iTunes as you would do with any other app.

And if nothing seems to work, the only thing that remains is a factory reset. Of all the things that we’ve mentioned, this is the only one that will delete your data. So, make sure to keep backups on your PC or iCloud.

To factory reset an iPhone:

Go to Settings
General
Reset
Erase all content and settings

After that, simply follow the on-screen instructions. If memory serves right, you’ll need to double confirm your decision and insert your Apple ID for safety reasons.

This will turn your iPhone into a brand-new like state. But, it’ll also delete everything stored in the device.

That’s all for now. If you’ve got any questions or if you feel like there’s a good solution that we didn’t add, you can let us know about it in the comments section down below.

How to Check iCloud Mail on PC, Mac, And Phone

Last updated on July 3, 2019

How to Check iCloud Mail on PC, Mac, And Phone

Learning how to check iCloud Mail on any device is a one-step process. Once you go through it, then it basically becomes a walk in the park really. That being said, let’s get right into it.

A Small Note

While you can you freely use iCloud by itself in any device, certain services are locked down to Apple devices only. And you guessed it, the iCloud Mail is one of them.

Here’s the deal:

Using iCloud Mail should technically be possible on any device
But the creation of an iCloud Mail account is restricted only to those who own either an iPhone or Mac

In other words, if you only have a Windows or Android device and you tried logging in without spotting the Mail, then that’s normal. Apple won’t let you get a mail account unless you already have one of their devices and you need to create it from there.

You can still use iCloud normally with the use of a web browser – anything will do. But, the iCloud Mail isn’t going to be available. Again, that is unless you already own an Apple device which you used to create your iCloud Mail.

Now that we cleared this out of the way, let us move on with the guide.

How to Create an iCloud Mail Account

If you already have an account, then feel free to skip through this step. You can primarily use two kinds of devices to get an iCloud Mail account:

Your iPhone
And your Mac

The setup process is extremely easy in both cases. So, just go with whatever you feel most comfortable with. Just do keep in mind that the steps are slightly different for phones that are running iOS 10.3 or earlier and VS iOS 10.2 earlier devices.

For 10.3 and higher:

Go to Settings
Select your name/Apple ID
Go to iCloud
Enable Mail
Follow any instructions that your phone will give you
And you’ll be good to go

The process on iOS 10.2 devices and earlier is the same with the main difference that instead of clicking on your name, you go straight to the option which says “iCloud”. After that, simply enable your Mail, follow any instructions that your device will give you, and you’ll be set in no time.

If you don’t get any instructions after enabling the Mail, then chances are that you already went through the necessary steps before and just forgotten about it or something.

How to Check iCloud Mail Through a Browser

This is how iCloud looks through a web browser. The reason that you can’t see Mail on this screenshot is because it wasn’t enabled through an Apple device. But, if you’ve followed our previous steps or you’ve enabled it before, then you should be able to see it and get access to it.

It doesn’t really matter what device or browser that you’re using. You only need to make sure that:

You are running the latest version of your browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc)
And that you’ve completed the Mail setup

After that, all you have to do is head over to the home page of iCloud right over here, then insert your login credentials (Apple ID, Password, and potentially the security questions.) and you’ll be good to go.

Once you’re in, all you need to do is select the Mail icon and you’ll be taken to your inbox. Again, this should work with all devices. All you need is a normal web browser and that’s about it.

How to Check iCloud Mail on Windows

Alright, so, getting access to your mail through a web browser is cool and everything. But, what if you want to do it the old fashioned way? Some of us just don’t feel comfortable without our dedicated programs. Well, Apple has you covered.

If you’ve got a Windows PC, you can check your iCloud Mail with mainly 3 ways:

Web browser
Windows app
Universal Windows app

We already talked about the web browser method which works pretty much universally. So, let’s move on to the Windows app. This one should technically work with pretty much any version of Windows including Windows 7 and 8.

All you have to do is head over to this page, click on the “Download icon”, wait for the download to finish, and install the program. Simple as that. After that, all you need to do is log in with your Apple ID and password, select what services you want (Including Mail), and you’ll be good to go!

If you’ve got a Windows 10 machine and you want to use UWP version which is exclusively made for Windows 10, then you can do so by heading over to the MS Store and installing it from there.

How to Check iCloud Mail on Android

It’s not uncommon for some people to own both an Android and an iPhone or at least a Mac and an Android. So, what if you are on the road with your Android phone and you wanna check on your mail?

Well, while there’s not a dedicated app for you, you can still use Gmail to access your iCloud related emails. In most cases, it comes pre-installed with your phone. If you don’t have it, you can easily get it on the Google Play Store.

After that, all you need to do is:

Head over to your Apple ID settings through any browser
Log in
Go to your security tab
Add an app-specific password
Use something that you’ll remember as you’ll need it for Gmail
Now open your Gmail app on your Android phone
Click on your account on the upper right corner
Select: “Add another account”
Select: “Other”
Insert your Apple ID/Mail and the app-specific password that you just created
And you should be good to go

Gmail allows you to use multiple emails on the same app. So, no need to worry about that. Just try not to get confused with your different Inboxes.

By the way, the same process applies and can be used with the Windows’ Mail app. But, there’s no reason to go through this rather troublesome process when you can just use the official program for it, right?

How to To Use The Mail on iPhone And Mac Devices

The Mail service is already pre-installed on your Mac and iPhone device. So, as long as you went through the setup process, you can launch it from your home-screen/apps list and that’s all there is to it. Just make sure that you’ve got it enabled through the settings.

That’s all for now. If you’ve got any questions or in case that something went wrong, do let us know about it in the comments and we’ll get back to you.

How To Use iMessage On PC/Windows

Last updated on May 28, 2019

Looking for how to use iMessage on PC? Well, while the app itself isn’t natively available on Windows, we do have a couple of tricks up our sleeve. There’s an easy way and a hard way. And when we say hard way, we really mean a 90% of it not working. Still, the easy way is bound to work, so, let’s dig right into it!

How To Use iMessage On PC With Chrome’s Remote Desktop Feature

So, as we mentioned above, iMessage isn’t natively available on Windows. But, what if we told you that you can actually use iMessage from your Mac – but from another computer?

In case you haven’t heard about it, Remote Desktop is a sort of feature that allows you to control computers remotely by using other devices like phones, tablets, or even from other computers. There are applications which are dedicated to providing this kind of thing while there also others which provide it as an additional option. We’ll be looking at the second one, Chrome’s Remote Desktop feature.

For this to work, you need to have:

Chrome installed
Chrome’s Remote Desktop add-on
A Mac and a PC
An Internet connection with both of your computers being connected to it locally

So, if you haven’t already, the first thing you need to do is head over to this link and follow the instructions that you’ll be provided with to download and install Chrome on both of your computers.

After that, you also need Chrome’s Remote Desktop extension. You should be able to get it from this link. All you have to do is click on “Add to Chrome”, wait for the installation to finish, and then you should be all set – almost.

Now we need to set things up and you’re ready to go.

Setup

Now that everything is installed, you need to set things up. It’ll take but a minute if you follow these steps (Use your Mac for those):

Open a new tab
Head over to your bookmarks bar at the top left part of your screen and click on “Apps” (Make sure that the “Apps” shortcut is enabled. if not, right click on your bookmarks bar and select “Show Apps shortcut”.
Click on “Chrome Remote Desktop”
Select “Enable Remote Connections”
Wait for the download to finish and choose a PIN

Now that this process is done, your Mac should be ready to be “Controlled” by another computer. All that remains to be done is for you to open your Windows computer, get access to your Mac, and use your Windows PC as if you were using a Mac. To do that:

Make sure that your PC is connected to the same network with your Mac
Open Chrome’s Remote Desktop (Follow the same steps that we provided above)
Head over to “My Computers”
Select your Mac computer which should be detected by now
Input the PIN which you choose
And you should be all set

That’s it for the easy way which is more or less bound to work without any issues. If you’re feeling a bit adventurous, you can follow the hard way as well. However, do keep in mind that you’ll most likely come across numerous issues with this one – if it’ll work at all.

2: How To Use iMessage On PC With VirtualBox

If you’ve got the appropriate software, hardware, and tools for it, computers have the ability to run multiple operating systems simultaneously. So, if your PC is powerful enough, you’ll be able to run both Windows and Mac at the same time, which effectively allows you to get access to iMessage natively.

Now, do keep in mind four things:

You’re doing this through a virtual machine – which means that Mac OS won’t be running natively
Only specific CPUs and motherboards are known for playing well with Mac OS. AMD chipsets are particularly known for not working at all with this
Even if you’ve got the exact hardware that works flawlessly with Mac OS, chances are that you’ll come across numerous issues
This isn’t a detailed guide. We’ll be posting one in the upcoming weeks

That being said, only follow those steps for the lols. If you are serious about getting iMessage to work on your PC, stick with our previous method. It’s the safest, easiest, and verified to work.

Download and install VirtualBox
Find the appropriate ISOs. Medium has already made a right over here
Open VirtualBox and proceed with the installation procedure

If the steps that VirtualBox provides you with don’t make much sense, you can wait until we release our dedicated guide on how to install Mac OS as a virtual machine.

Now, again, even if you do everything right, there is a good chance that you’ll come across issues or that the OS won’t work at all.

That’s all for now. Hopefully, that helped you with your issue. If you’ve got any questions, let us know about them in the comments section and we’ll see if we can help you.

If you liked this article, don’t forget to share it with your friends. Feel free to come back as we regularly post new content including, but not limited to, how-to guides, reviews, listicles, and more! Till next time!

Features to Keep in Mind When Choosing a VPN for Mac

Last updated on March 24, 2019

Features to Keep in Mind When Choosing a VPN for Mac

Getting a VPN for Mac is one of the smartest decisions you can make. It will encrypt your internet connection, making you anonymous online, hiding your online activity even from your ISP. It will prevent anyone from gaining access to your Mac and data, fully protecting your privacy and sensitive information.

However, choosing the right VPN for Mac can be challenging, because there are hundreds of different VPNs out there. How can you know what to look for?

Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the essential features you should look for when choosing the right VPN for your needs.\

The Locations It Covers

It’s vital to check a VPN for all the locations it covers. You don’t want to end up with a VPN that doesn’t allow access to particular servers you need.

For instance, China has a lot of restrictions regarding which servers you can access. If you plan on traveling or moving there, you’ll need a VPN that covers your location.

Reliable Connections

This is extremely important when choosing a VPN. You need to make sure your connections are safe and secure at all times.

Many VPNs have a kill switchthat automatically terminates a connection if a hacker compromises it. It monitors your internet connection and instantly changes your IP address if it detects any intrusion. That way, your sensitive data stays secure.

High Speed

High speed is something everyone expects when surfing the internet, especially if they spend a lot of time online. So, find a fast VPN with a high internet speed across all the locations it covers.

If you plan on doing a lot of online streaming, this is the most important feature to look for. Speaking of streaming, make sure your chosen VPN also comes with unlimited bandwidth.

Multiple Simultaneous Connections

This feature is essential for users who want to simultaneously use a VPN on multiple devices. For instance, if you want your entire family to use your VPN, make sure it allows multiple simultaneous connections. Either that or choose a router-based VPN, which will also enable your entire household to connect at the same time.

Some VPNs allow unlimited devices, while others allow only two or three, for example. So, be sure to check this in advance.

Compatible Devices

You should make sure your Mac VPN provider supports other devices as well. That way, you can connect your Android phone, for instance. If anyone in your family doesn’t use a Mac, they’ll thank you for choosing a VPN that supports their platform. Not all VPNs support every platform, so check this before you pay for a particular service.

Unlocking Region-Blocked Content

A lot of people start using a VPN to unlock region-blocked content. A VPN replaces your real IP address with a new one, virtually putting you in a different geographical location. This is what enables you to access content that’s not available in your area.

For instance, if you wish to access the entire Netflix content, look for a VPN that can bypass the restrictions. This is also useful for traveling to countries with region-restricted websites.

A User-Friendly Interface

You don’t want to jump through hoops to use your VPN for Mac. That’s why you should find one that’s easy to set up and use. Many VPN providers can even virtually set up your network. This is a perfect solution if you’re not really tech-savvy.

24/7 Customer Support

Reliable customer support is one of the most critical factors to look for when choosing a VPN for Mac. If you happen to experience some issues with your VPN, the provider should be available 24/7 to help you out.

Every VPN provider will give you their email address and some – a phone number. However, be sure they also have a live chat on their website. That way, you can quickly resolve any potential issue.

A Free Trial, or a Money-Back Guarantee

Every trustworthy VPN provider will offer you a free trial, or a money-back guarantee. Choosing such a provider will prevent you from ending up with a VPN that doesn’t fit your needs. A free trial will help you explore all the features and see whether or not you’ve made the right decision.

If you find a VPN that checks all your boxes, but doesn’t include one of these two features, walk away. Otherwise, you may get stuck with something you don’t want.

As you can see, choosing a VPN for Mac isn’t as confusing as it may seem at first. Simply think about what you need it for, put everything on paper, and look for those specific features. These tips will help you make the right choice, as they cover the essential features anyone needs in a VPN.