iPhone news Archives | Cool Mom Tech

11 cool features we’re looking forward to in the new iOS 14

Apple’s all set to release the new iOS 14 sometime this fall. And since an operating system update is the only way I’m marking time these quarantine days (Kidding! Mostly.) I was pretty stoked to explore the new features in their preview. And wow,...

The top 10 Cool Mom Tech posts of 2019

by Cool Mom Staff | Link Roundups

We’re going into our 10th year of Cool Mom Tech and our 2nd year of our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook group that’s almost at 4500 members! We know, we can’t believe it either. Every year, we share our 10 most visited posts on Cool Mom Tech. From tech...

The new parental controls on the latest iOS 13.3 update are what you might have been waiting for.

by Liz Gumbinner | Family Safety Apps, Internet Safety

If you’ve got a kid on an iPhone or an iPad, this week’s iOS 13.3 update (as well as iPad OS 13.3)has some serious parental controls that we think you’ll be happy to know about. Introducing Communication Limits Starting his week, there’s a new...

15 big new Apple announcements that parents will actually care about: Privacy, organization, photo editing and more

by Liz Gumbinner | Best Apps, Cell Phones, Home Security, Internet Safety, Smart Appliances, Tips and Tricks

Yesterday, I spent a good two hours live tweeting the bigger Apple announcements at their 2019 developer conference that would be of interest to parents. Like, news about parental controls, photo sharing, and home security? Yes please! News about the 28-core Xeon...

A cool new Do Not Disturb feature on iPhone that’s perfect for parents

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

We’re big fans of the Do Not Disturb feature on iPhone, which, if you’re not familiar, allows you to temporarily block notifications (including texts and calls) with lots of customization too. As you can probably guess, it’s perfect for meetings,...

How to set up the Screen Time app to manage your child’s screen time

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

After finally updating my son’s iPhone SE to iOS 12, I’ve been able to properly utilize the Screen Time app, which by the way, is where you’ll find all the Restrictions you might be familiar with from previous iOS versions. If you’ve got kids...

New emojis for 2019: Getting more inclusive, finally!

by Kristen Chase | Random Coolness

In case you were wondering, there will be 230 new emojis hitting your phone in 2019, and we’ve got the scoop. From more gender inclusive couples to people with disabilities, we’re excited to see a lot more diversity, and let’s be honest, a lot more...

The most hilarious way to organize iPhone apps that we’ve ever seen

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

We’ve seen lots of different ways to organize your iPhone apps, and well, just when we thought we’d seen the best, we discovered this iPhone app organization method from Ian Stanczyk (above). It’s not necessarily the best, but certainly the funniest....

How to set a Live photo as your iPhone’s wallpaper

by Kristen Chase | Tips and Tricks

I tend to be the one who schools my husband on cool iPhone tips and tricks, but this time, he’s the one who schooled me when he showed me how to set a live photo as my iPhone’s wallpaper. I admit, I take a bunch of live photos, but don’t ever watch...

The Otterbox x Pop Sockets phone case is just made for our adorably clumsy kids

by Liz Gumbinner | Cell Phone Accessories

One thing I know about my daughter: She looooves her Pop Socket grip on the back of her phone — and she also tends to drop said phone. A lot. We insisted on an Otterbox phone case for protection long ago, but I may be willing to let her switch it up, thanks to...

NEW: The podcast that helps you be a savvier digital parent in under 15 minutes a week

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Tech in 2010 to help make our increasingly digital lives easier, more organized, more meaningful, and more fun, however old your kids may be.

We love that it's grown to become the go-to source for millions of parents who want commonsense info about tech delivered with a smile.

We even have the privilege of sharing our tips + tricks with The TODAY Show, CNN, HLN, GMA, Nightline, newspapers and magazines around the country, and our favorite -- regular parents who stop us at PTA meetings and ask us how old kids need to be to get a smartphone, and whether they really need to panic about Snapchat.

(Answer: It's complicated.)

We're so glad you're here! And we hope we can help you too.