# iPhone questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 6, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574 "2018-10-06T19:09:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/21 "2018-10-07T02:55:13Z")
To send a photo by Iphone go to email ,open it like you’re gonna send an email, hold down on the screen and options will pop up( it should say add photo). Pick one, add photo, hit send. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/22 "2018-10-07T02:59:42Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Oh – I don’t want to ‘synch’ the iPhone and the MacBook. I just want to have the iPhone on the network (via Bluetooth) so that I can browse its files and download them onto the Mac. “Browsing files on an iPhone” is not the way things work. iOS does not expose the file system as on a computer or Android. Files belong to the app that creates them. Other apps (or devices) cannot see or work with them directly. Instead you pick a file (from within its app) and then decide what to do with it - like send or share it to another app or machine. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/23 "2018-10-07T03:03:26Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > “Browsing files on an iPhone” is not the way things work. iOS does not expose the file system as on a computer or Android. > > Files belong to the app that creates them. Other apps (or devices) cannot see or work with them directly. Instead you pick a file (from within its app) and then decide what to do with it - like send or share it to another app or machine. However if you have pictures or videos on the iPhone you CAN browse the iPhone as a drive from the Mac. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/24 "2018-10-07T03:18:29Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > However if you have pictures or videos on the iPhone you CAN browse the iPhone as a drive from the Mac. True but I don’t think that extends to ALL files, does it? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/25 "2018-10-07T03:21:23Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > However if you have pictures or videos on the iPhone you CAN browse the iPhone as a drive from the Mac. This is what I want to do. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/26 "2018-10-07T03:23:37Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > To send a photo by Iphone go to email ,open it like you’re gonna send an email, hold down on the screen and options will pop up( it should say add photo). Pick one, add photo, hit send. See post #9. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/27 "2018-10-07T03:46:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > This is what I want to do. [This](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201301) is how I do it. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/28 "2018-10-07T03:48:34Z")
Not to be too pedantic, but Airdrop only uses Bluetooth for device discovery - all transfer is done via WiFi. At this point, **Jonny** , do you have what you need? If not, I can help answer your questions. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/29 "2018-10-07T03:52:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I My email address does not appear, and I’m back to the same list of options. How do I email a picture to myself? > . 1. Is email working on your phone? Send yourself an email from your Mac. Can you see it on your phone? If not, you didn’t configure email on your phone correctly. 2. Have you added yourself in the Contacts app? 3. Can you send an email to your wife? Can she see it on her phone? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/30 "2018-10-07T03:52:22Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > [This](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201301) is how I do it. It says I need the USB cord. It’s out in the car, so I’ll get it tomorrow. Someone posted upthread that I can plug the phone into the computer to get the picture(s). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/31 "2018-10-07T03:55:41Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > 1. Is email working on your phone? Send yourself an email from your Mac. Can you see it on your phone? If not, you didn’t configure email on your phone correctly. See post #9 for the list of what I get when I click the mail icon on the phone’s desktop, or when I click it when I’m in camera. There doesn’t seem to be a way to enter an email address. > [@jasg](#): > > 1. Have you added yourself in the Contacts app? That’s the first thing I did when I entered all of my contacts. > [@jasg](#): > > 1. Can you send an email to your wife? Can she see it on her phone? There doesn’t seem to be any way to write an email. The email button only displays a list of services that aren’t mine, and the ‘other’ option makes me enter stuff (including a password) and doesn’t have any obvious way of sending an email. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/32 "2018-10-07T03:57:47Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Not to be too pedantic, but Airdrop only uses Bluetooth for device discovery - all transfer is done via WiFi. Ok, I’ll be [pedantic](https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-airdrop-how-does-it-work-1994512) :D. (I use AirDrop all the time without a regular WiFi network). > [@](#): > > AirDrop uses Bluetooth to create a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi network between the devices. Each device creates a firewall around the connection and files are sent encrypted, which actually makes it safer than transferring via email. AirDrop will automatically detect nearby supported devices, and the devices only need to be close enough to establish a good Wi-Fi connection, making it possible to share files across several rooms. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/33 "2018-10-07T04:02:22Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > See post #9 for the list of what I get when I click the mail icon on the phone’s desktop, or when I click it when I’m in camera. There doesn’t seem to be a way to enter an email address. > > That’s the first thing I did when I entered all of my contacts. > > There doesn’t seem to be any way to write an email. The email button only displays a list of services that aren’t mine, and the ‘other’ option makes me enter stuff (including a password) and doesn’t have any obvious way of sending an email. You need to go to the Setting app and configure email. Settings : Accounts & Passwords Google for directions if the app doesn’t step through it for you. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/34 "2018-10-07T04:04:50Z")
My Mac says it’s having trouble connecting to iCloud. So I enter a password. It says there is an ‘unknown error’. I try signing in two more times. It tells me I entered the wrong password three times. So I try the recovery, and enter the phone number. It says to enter the code it sent to the phone. Only it didn’t send anything to the phone. So I click ‘Did not receive code’. I do that a couple more times, and it says I’ve requested a new code too many times. So it’s not recognising the password I _think_ is correct, and it’s asking me to enter a code it’s not giving me. I think this may be why I didn’t use iCloud years ago – because it doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/35 "2018-10-07T04:09:07Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > You need to go to the Setting app and configure email. Settings : Accounts & Passwords > > Google for directions if the app doesn’t step through it for you. Do I have to create an iCloud email? Because I’d rather use my real email. I’ve entered it twice, including my password, using the ‘other’ option in Mail. It doesn’t say what it does with the information, nor gives any option to do anything with it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/36 "2018-10-07T04:14:25Z")
Questions are piling up, and it seems everything has to do with everything. Let’s take a step back and take one on at a time. **Problem:** I want to get photos from my iPhone to my MacBook. Let’s start with this: The camera has a share button. I tap that. There is a mail button. How do I use the Mail button to email myself the photo, so that I can receive it on my computer, so that I can save it to my desktop? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/37 "2018-10-07T04:17:51Z")
You automatically get an iCloud email account for free. It’s handy to have, but you don’t need to use it for anything. Typically, people’s Apple ID (which is the same as their iCloud ID) is the email address that they registered with. You can then choose a different name to use on your iCloud email address. BTW - one feature of iCloud which is not widely publicized, but is immensely useful is MailDrop - if you turn this on in “Mail” it will transparently turn massive attachments into downloadable links, so that you can email enormous files, which would other wise cause bounces on the sender’s end or yours. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/38 "2018-10-07T04:18:51Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Questions are piling up, and it seems everything has to do with everything. Let’s take a step back and take one on at a time. > > **Problem:** I want to get photos from my iPhone to my MacBook. > > Let’s start with this: The camera has a share button. I tap that. There is a mail button. How do I use the Mail button to email myself the photo, so that I can receive it on my computer, so that I can save it to my desktop? First of all, how are you storing the photos on the Mac? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/39 "2018-10-07T04:24:25Z")
1. You should figure out what’s up with your iCloud business. If it’s just not working and you’ve never used it before, just start fresh with a brand new Apple ID. Just go on Gmail and create a new account and use that. If nothing else you’ll want to have iCloud for “Find my iPhone.” I also use it to sync my contacts. 2. When you enter your email information it should either finish by displaying a column of check marks or tell you something went wrong. 3. You can back up your iPhone to iTunes using WiFi (not Bluetooth). But to download your photos to Photos, use the USB cord. In iTunes you can choose an option that stops auto sync and basically turns your iPhone into an external drive but it’s not really the smoothest way to use an iPhone and MacBook together. 4. Get more USB cords. Keep one in the car, one with your MacBook, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574/40 "2018-10-07T04:25:46Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Typically, people’s Apple ID (which is the same as their iCloud ID) is the email address that they registered with. Apparently, this is true. But it’s not working. Yet again, I got a popup message that says ‘This Mac can’t connect to iCloud because of a problem with [my email address]. Open iCloud preferences to fix this problem.’ When I click Open iCloud preferences, it asks for my password. I enter the password, and it says ‘an unknown error has occurred.’ So I click ‘forgot’ and enter my phone number. It asks for a code that it says it sent. I don’t receive it. > [@beowulff](#): > > First of all, how are you storing the photos on the Mac? Various folders. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iphone-questions/822574.md?page=3)