SFCT.NET - Technology Help & Repair for Seniors in the SF/Bay Area. PC, Mac, iOS training.

Technology Class: Games on Mac, Online Games, and AI Tools   Whether you want a quick round of chess, a puzzle from the App Store , or a free online game, your Mac has plenty of safe, free options to try. Native Mac Games Mac computers include a built-in Chess app as part of the operating system — findable via Spotlight search or the Applications folder The Chess app allows playing against the computer; difficulty settings may be adjustable Voice commands can be used to direct the game via a microphone button The Chess app has a user guide (not an animated tutorial) that explains voice commands Chess is described as a native game — software installed directly on the device, not accessed via the internet Mac App Store Overview The App Store is accessible via the Apple menu → App Store Key categories include: Arcade / Play — games; Play offers free access if you have an Apple subscription Create — photo editing, music, graphic design tools Work — productivity apps lik...

Mobile Photography Masterclass: Apple Photos Walkthrough, AI Editing, and Printing Options  Organizing Apple Photos , editing with mobile AI tools, and printing 4x6 photos at home with a compact printer. Recap of Previous Session Topics covered last session: cloud backup (iCloud, Google Photos, Amazon Photos, Dropbox), Android photo editing, iPhone photo editing intro, and photo scanning Reminder: avoid using duplicate cloud services unless intentionally keeping redundant backups Apple Photos App — Interface Walkthrough Shared Albums : Albums shared with or by others, e.g., for group events where everyone contributes photos Recent Days : Auto-generated by Apple to encourage engagement with recent photos Albums : User-created, for personal categorization by trip, person, or event; removing a photo from an album does NOT delete it from the library Utilities section includes: Favorites : "Heart" a photo to bookmark it for quick access (e.g., passport photo); removing a...

  iPhone & Android Photo Editing: AI Tools & Apps Class Class Context & Recap This is a continuing technology class at SFCT ( sfct.net ), focused on photos on the phone Previous class covered Apple device releases, the new iPhone, and iOS updates; iOS 27 is now available Jason plans to demo iOS 27 next week; today's class covers iOS 26 features since most students are still on that version Key iOS 27 teaser: AI will be able to expand photo borders by filling in edges that weren't originally there Photo Backup & Storage Reminder Services covered previously: iCloud, Google Photos , Amazon Photos Recommendation: only use one backup service — using multiple results in duplicate or triplicate copies and extra storage fees If using Google Photos, make sure iCloud photo backup is turned off, and vice versa iCloud sync demo: once enabled, all photos appeared immediately on a second device, showing the value of cloud storage even if a phone is lost Android (...

 Apple Devices, Photo & Video Editing Class Apple Product Updates (Announced Yesterday) Comparing Apple products : Visit apple.com , hover over a product category (e.g., iPhone, AirPods , Watch), and use the "Compare" option in the dropdown menu; most categories support comparison except Apple Vision Pro (only one model) New AirPods : Announced with new features (heart rate sensing during workouts, hearing test) aimed at attracting buyers before they upgrade to AirPod Pro Priced lower to appeal to cost-conscious buyers who don't want to spend ~$250 on AirPod Pros Some users use AirPods as hearing aids via Transparency Mode (amplifies voices, reduces ambient noise), though battery life (3–5 hours) is a limiting factor compared to dedicated hearing aids Siri integration coming: hold down AirPods to talk to Siri without taking out your phone Upcoming AirPod Pros : Will include a camera to sense the environment, enabling AI interaction through audio — Apple'...

  Digital Photography & Photo Editing — September Class 9.3.2026 Class Overview September's monthly topic is digital imaging, photos, and photo editing Session covered the evolution of cameras, smartphone lens differences, phone-to-computer syncing, and basic photo editing in Apple Photos Camera Evolution & Smartphone Lenses Cameras evolved from film → dedicated digital cameras (which disrupted Kodak) → smartphones Smartphones started with one camera, then added a selfie lens , then a telephoto lens for zoom, then a wide-angle lens Participants noted that some phones only have two lenses; the two-lens models typically pair a normal lens with a wide-angle (0.5x), not a telephoto The telephoto (zoom) lenses — 4x and 8x optical — are only on the most expensive iPhone models Samsung once made a phone with a physical camera-style lens that extends out; trade-off is bulk Optical Zoom vs. Digital Zoom Optical zoom : mechanical movement of the lens itself; maintains ima...

Technology Class: AI Email Tools, Apple Pay & Q&A   History of Email Email originated in 1965 at MIT as computer-to-computer communication over early intranet/telephone lines, long before the public internet Consumer email only became practical in the 1990s with dial-up internet; major early providers included AOL , CompuServe , and Hotmail (Microsoft's first major free service) Core email functionality (compose, subject, send, reply) has remained largely unchanged since then AI Writing Tools in Email Gmail app and macOS Mail both offer AI writing assistance via a small star/nebula icon (Apple calls it " Apple Intelligence ") "Help me write" (Gmail): Compose a reply without reading the email — just describe what you want the AI to write (e.g., validate the team, highlight an event, ask three questions), then tap Create AI reads the email content and generates a contextually relevant, signed reply Proofread (macOS Mail): Highlight your ...

  iOS Mail App: Features, Settings & Email Management Overview This is part of an ongoing tech class series, with previous sessions covering web-based mail (e.g., gmail.com , yahoo.com ) and client-based/software mail (e.g., Mac Mail, Outlook) Today's session focused on using email on iPhone/iOS , including the Apple Mail app , provider-specific apps, and key settings Class notes are available at sfct.net for reference Why Use a Mail App on Your Phone Websites like gmail.com are not well-designed for small screens, which is why mail apps exist Most users are already using a client-based mail app on their phone without realizing it, even if they use web-based mail on a computer The default iOS mail app (Apple Mail) is set up automatically when configured at the Apple Store Navigating the iOS Mail App Bottom toolbar buttons: trash, move to folder, reply/reply all/forward, and compose new message Top arrows allow sequential navigation through messages without ret...

Email Clients vs. Web-Based Email — Technology Class 8/13/2026   Class Overview & Resources This is a recurring weekly technology class; notes and AI-generated summaries are posted after each session at sfct.net Participants are encouraged to slow the instructor down or revisit the blog notes if content moves too fast New participants were welcomed at the start of this session Last Week's Recap: Spam Filters Covered how to set spam filters at the source — by logging into your email provider's website (e.g., gmail.com , mail.yahoo.com , outlook.com ) Marking emails as spam or "not spam" on your phone does not fix the root issue; it must be done via the web-based interface How Email Storage Works Emails are stored in the cloud on your provider's server, not on your local device All devices (phone, computer, tablet) connect to the same server, which is why they stay synced automatically — no button required Sync speed varies; some systems are faste...

  Email Inbox Safety, Spam Management, and Filters Workshop Overview This is a class session covering email inbox safety, how email works, and practical strategies for managing spam and junk mail Participants appear to be older adults, many using free email services such as Gmail , Yahoo , AOL , and iCloud Email Inbox Safety Using your inbox as a filing cabinet for important documents (contracts, tax records, attachments) is not recommended Free email providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, AOL, etc.) have no obligation to recover lost or deleted emails since you are not paying them If your inbox is compromised or deleted, recovery is unlikely Saving attachments to your local computer's documents folder is safer than keeping them in your inbox Even paid email providers may only keep backups for 30 days — and some free providers (e.g., Yahoo) delete from the spam folder after just 7 days Web-Based vs. Client-Based Email Web-based email : Accessed through a browser ( gmail.com...

Digital Decluttering: iPhone Storage, Photos & Videos Class Class Overview Topic was digital decluttering — cleaning up iPhone storage , photos, and videos Class notes and schedule available at sfct.net (instructor's website); participants were shown how to add it as a home screen bookmark Rebooting & Device Maintenance Rebooting clears temporary/cached files, similar to emptying a vacuum cleaner bag — not urgent but helpful periodically Debate on rebooting daily: may slightly wear mechanical parts on older computers, but less relevant for modern devices Traditional SATA hard drives have moving parts (spinning disc + arm like a record player); Solid State Drives (SSDs) have no moving parts and are used in all modern phones/iPads To check drive type on a PC: go to Disk Utility — SATA = mechanical, SSD = solid state If a computer is ~10 years old, upgrading was recommended Password Management Forgetting a phone/iPad PIN can require wiping the entire device...

Mac & iPhone Photos Management Class Internet Accounts Management Accessible via System Settings > Internet Accounts on Mac, and Settings > Apps > Mail > Accounts on iPhone Users should expect at least two accounts : iCloud (always present on Apple devices) and their personal email ( Gmail , Outlook , Yahoo , etc.) Only the Mail feature should typically be enabled for all accounts; Calendar, Contacts, and Notes should be consolidated to avoid duplication across services If an old email address is tied to external services, users should update those accounts or re-register with their current email if the provider doesn't allow email changes This topic will be revisited next week if needed Photos App: How It Works The Photos app maintains a library that organizes photos by date taken, location, and device metadata (e.g., camera model, f-stop , ISO ) Scanned or imported older (non-digital) photos may inherit the scan date rather than the original date...