MS

Hello, I’m Michael Sliwinski, founder of Nozbe - to-do app for business owners and their teams. I write essays, books, work on projects and I podcast for you using #iPadOnly in #NoOffice as I believe that work is not a place you go to, it’s a thing you do. More…

📲 iPhone

The iPhone is my default smartphone of choice. We also share history, it was unvailed in the same year I launched Nozbe. These posts explain how I use the iPhone as a pocket computer alongside my iPad… and as a phone.

✈️ 📱 📲 ⭐️ What’s in my backpack and tech pouch in 2024?

Monday, January 1, 2024 /backpack24/

Hello and Happy New Year 2024! Today is day 1 and I’m starting off this year with an update to my travel pouch and backpack, now that I’ve upgraded my trusty iPhone 13 Mini to USB-C powered iPhone 15 Pro. This changed helped me to streamline my setup and get rid of many Lightning dongles:

What’s in my backpack and tech pouch in 2024?


⌚️ 📲 🔗 ⭐️ Action button Siri Shortcut for your iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra

Tuesday, November 28, 2023 /action/

Recently I got myself the new iPhone 15 Pro and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and these two devices have one thing in common - Action button which can be configurable. In the beginning I changed its settings on the iPhone to just open the camera and on the watch to start a workout, but after a few days my identity as a productivity guy and founder of Nozbe got the better of me. I decided to tweak this with Siri Shortcuts and create my ultimate “Action Button Shortcut” which you can get here free and adjust to your own liking:

Action button Siri Shortcut for your iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra


📲 9 reasons why I ditched my beloved iPhone 13 Mini for the 15 Pro

Tuesday, November 21, 2023 /iphone15/

This year I’ve upgraded both of my most mobile devices. Apple Watch got upgraded to the beefy Ultra 2 from a small series 7 and the iPhone went from the cute Mini 13 to the iPhone 15 Pro. Here are all the reasons that finally convinced me to drop the small and powerful Mini for the latest iPhone Pro:

9 reasons why I ditched my beloved iPhone 13 Mini for the 15 Pro


🍎 📲 😎 How iOS17 will finally let me digitally split from my wife? New setup for iFamily in 2023!

Tuesday, September 19, 2023 /ifamily23/

This week is all about the new iOS17 - operating system for our iPhones and iPads! Finally it’s coming to our devices and at last I’ll be able to split my main iCloud ID from my wife. An e-divorce of sorts. Nope, I’m not really breaking up with my wife, I love her too much… but we’ll finally be able to have separate iCloud accounts because since 2012 we’ve been using the same main Apple ID/iCloud account on both of our iPhones. Yes, that wasn’t ideal but it worked for us very well. However, as you can imagine it was also frustrating at times, so here’s what iOS17 offers that finally will help us out:

How iOS17 will finally let me digitally split from my wife? New setup for iFamily in 2023!


📱 📲 ✈️ What’s in my travel tech pouch?

Wednesday, May 3, 2023 /pouch/

Two years ago I posted the contents of my backpack and all the tech gear I have there. Until recently that’s how I was carrying all my cables and tech. However recently I re-examined my setup and bought some new pouches and from now on this is how I’m carrying all my gear:

What’s in my travel tech pouch?


📲 ✔️ ⭐️ In 2023 my iPhone Mini has just ONE home screen

Wednesday, March 8, 2023 /iphonescreen23/

Three years ago I published the details of my iPhone 12 Mini Home Screen and I’ve had basically that same app layout on that Mini, later on the iPhone 13 Pro and then on my new Mini. Only this year I decided to shake things up and reduce the Home Screen to just ONE SCREEN and that’s it:

In 2023 my iPhone Mini has just ONE home screen


📲 The joy of iPhone 13 Mini and how it still beats the latest Samsung Galaxy 23 Ultra

Monday, February 13, 2023 /mini13ultra/

Last year instead of upgrading from iPhone 13 Pro to 14 Pro, I “upgraded” to iPhone 13 Mini. I just loved the small form factor and the one-handed use of an iPhone. Today, after half a year I’m still happy with my choice and as Apple probably won’t release any new Mini in the future, I might be tempted to keep this phone for a few more years to come. Crazy, right? However, using it every day what blows me away the most is how powerful this small phone really is, and in some aspects it even runs circles around the latest and the greatest Samsung smartphone - the Galaxy 23 Ultra! No kidding, read on:

The joy of iPhone 13 Mini and how it still beats the latest Samsung Galaxy 23 Ultra


📲 😎 Replacing battery in iPhone SE - my daughter’s first phone!

Monday, January 30, 2023 /battery/

Before we launched the brand new Nozbe I got myself an old 2016 iPhone SE to be able to test if our app is fast enough for this phone and designed well enough to fit this smallest screen on the iPhone. After a few years as I upgraded my iPhones, I put this old vintage one on the wall of my home office and kept it there. Now that my eldest daughter needed her first phone, I decided to give her this one for starters. However, this iPhone’s battery was really bad. So I did some research and decided to buy a new battery on Amazon for around $20 and change the battery myself. What could possibly go wrong?

Replacing battery in iPhone SE - my daughter’s first phone!


🗯 📲 😎 How to enjoy photos of your family on your iOS16 iPhone Lock Screen

Thursday, December 8, 2022 /lockscreen/

My brother, who recently converted back to iPhone from Android, just sent me over this tip and it’s fantastic - if you’re a parent, who has lots of family photos - follow the steps in this article and you’ll thank me later. Thanks to this tip, every hour I see a different photo of one of my three daughters and wife. I love my Lock Screen now! Here’s how to enable it:

How to enjoy photos of your family on your iOS16 iPhone Lock Screen


🗯 📲 😎 CarPlay is why auto makers should just give up on infotainment systems

Monday, November 7, 2022 /carplay/

Last week I was on short holidays with my family and I rented a car. They upgraded me to a BMW 3 series combi (wagon) which was perfect for my family’s needs. This was a new car and I haven’t driven the newest BMWs lately so I was kind of concerned if I’ll get around to understand their infotainment system. Luckily all I had to figure out was how to connect my iPhone Mini with Bluetooth to the system and I was set, as the car was equipped with wireless CarPlay. Here’s why it was brilliant:

CarPlay is why auto makers should just give up on infotainment systems


🗯 📲 AirPodsPro 2 and three extra ways to charge them!

Wednesday, October 26, 2022 /airpodspro/

🗯 📲 AirPods Pro - why I carry them always in my pocket?

Tuesday, September 27, 2022 /airpods/

📲 Instead of the latest and greatest, I’m getting the cutest - why I switched to the last iPhone mini

Tuesday, September 20, 2022 /mini13/

📲 😎 iWallet - an iPhone minimalist wallet that has been with me for the past 9 years!

Thursday, January 27, 2022 /iwallet/

📲 This year I’m going with iPhone 13 Pro. Mini no more!

Thursday, September 23, 2021 /iphone13/

📱 📲 What’s in my backpack? 🎒

Monday, March 1, 2021 /backpack/

📲 Embracing the MagSafe lifestyle

Saturday, February 20, 2021 /magsafe/

📲 ✔️ My new minimalist iPhone 12 Mini Home Screen for 2020

Thursday, January 14, 2021 /iphonescreen/

🚀 📱 📲 Rolling the virtual dice when playing board games! 🎲🎲

Monday, December 21, 2020 /rolling/

📱 📲 Gadgets for a geek like me for 2020 Christmas Holiday season

Monday, November 30, 2020 /gifts20/

📲 First impressions of the ultimate cuteness - the iPhone 12 Mini

Thursday, November 19, 2020 /mini/

🚀 📲 📱 🔗 Psst… don’t tell YouTube that I created a page to watch videos without being tracked 🤫

Thursday, November 5, 2020 /youtube/

📲 Effortless photography. Why taking pictures with a modern smartphone feels like cheating.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019 /photo/

✔️ 📲 My new smartphone - iPhone SE - why I’m voluntarily switching to the slowest smartphone possible.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019 /iphonese/

📱 📲 Quirks and issues when migrating to a new iOS device (case of iPad Pro 11” & iPhone XS)

Tuesday, November 13, 2018 /newdevice/

👨🏼‍💻 📲 How I fell in love with the iPhone X – my review from a productivity guy’s perspective

Monday, January 8, 2018 /iphonex/

📲 3 reasons why I’m enjoying my jet black iPhone 7 Plus so much?

Friday, March 10, 2017 /iphone7plus-jetblack/

👨🏼‍💻 📲 📱 New features in iOS10 and macOS Sierra that will help boost your productivity

Tuesday, July 5, 2016 /sierra/

📲 👨🏼‍💻 iPhone Only on vacation? Why it’s not a good idea to bring your laptop or iPad on vacation.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016 /iphone-only-vacation/

📲 Why I love living on the cutting edge of technology: gadgets, iPhones and Nozbe on latest iOS

Friday, August 28, 2015 /cutting-edge/

📲 Writing code on the iPhone 6 Plus. It can be done! How I wrote my “dice” app…

Monday, August 24, 2015 /code-iphone/

👨🏼‍💻 📲 iPad nano: iPhone’s no longer a one-armed bandit but that’s actually OK!

Monday, June 8, 2015 /ipad-nano/

📲 iPhone 6 plus. It’s all about vertical space. Apple got it right while promoting it wrong…

Friday, March 27, 2015 /iphone-vertical/

📲 How I fell in love with my iPhone 6 Plus… and I wasn’t supposed to enjoy it at all!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 /6pluslove/

📲 📽 🎬 Do-It-Yourself iPhone 6 Plus Wallet - Productive! Show #85

Thursday, November 20, 2014 /iphone6-wallet/

🙁 📲 A sad story of the last one-handed phone ever - my iPhone 5s - my habits will need to change

Tuesday, October 7, 2014 /one-handed-iphone/

📱 📲 ✏️ Will a new 5,5” iPhone convert people to not only #iPadOnly, but more #iPhoneOnly?

Tuesday, September 9, 2014 /iphoneonly/

📲 The phone is just an app I sometimes use on my iPhone

Friday, March 28, 2014 /phoneapp/

📲 💼 ✏️ I, NO robot. Android or iPhone or iPad? It’s beyond specs, let’s talk privacy.

Friday, November 22, 2013 /no-android/

📲 How my iPhone became my minimalist wallet and why I’m loving it

Tuesday, May 7, 2013 /iphone-wallet/

📲 📽 🎬 To buy or not to buy an iPhone 5? - Productive! Show #49

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 /to-buy-or-not-to-buy-an-iphone-5-my-video/

📲 ✏️ iPhone 5 - why I love it but won’t take it just yet

Friday, September 21, 2012 /iphone-5-why-i-love-it-but-wont-take-it-just/

📲 ✔️ Recording and Editing videos on iPhone4S is quick and great!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 /recording-and-editing-videos-on-iphone4s-is-q/

📲 One iPhone to rule them all

Thursday, April 28, 2011 /one-iphone-to-rule-them-all/

📲 ✈️ 🍎 Apple Store “Waiting in line for iPhone 4” experience

Wednesday, September 8, 2010 /apple-store-waiting-in-line-for-iphone-4-expe/

🍎 📲 💼 Thoughts on iPhone 4 - Apple simply ships

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 /thoughts-on-iphone-4-apple-simply-ships/

📲 📖 Power of e-readers and audiobooks - productivity for the impatient

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 /power-of-e-readers-and-audiobooks-productivit/

📲 ✔️ Re-discovering productivity-boosting podcasting

Thursday, February 11, 2010 /re-discovering-productivity-boosting-podcasti/

📲 Google launched an iPhone and forgot to innovate. Where’s the passion?

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 /google-launched-an-iphone-and-forgot-to-innov/

📲 🍎 UX Confessions of an iPhone and Mac paranoid fanatic

Thursday, December 17, 2009 /ux-confessions-of-an-iphone-and-mac-paranoid/

✅ 📲 Preview of the new iNozbe - native iPhone app

Thursday, July 31, 2008 /preview-of-the-new-inozbe-native-iphone-app/