Are you tired of watching those stupid ads before you view a video clip on a news app? Every time I open up my app for NBC, CBS or Smart News on my iPhone, I have to endure at least ten seconds of an ad before I can view the video clip… but I finally found a way to beat it.

First, start by clicking on the video clip – the ad pops up. Now click on the ad, and at the bottom of it, a sliding bar appears with three symbols on the bottom. They are the Start Arrow, and to the left and right of it are circles with the number 15 inside of them.

Press on the circle with the “15” in it on the right side, and the slider bar moves quickly forward. Remove your finger and press again, and it slides forward really fast. Do this until the slider bar gets to the end, and you just beat looking at the entire ad. Your video clip will start up now.

Here is another trick for you iPhone users that really helps you move your curser around a document so that you can edit it. For example, I have a document open on my Notes App, and I need to change a word located in the middle of the document. I can press my finger and move it around until I find the word, but half of the time a menu pops up wanting me to copy it or select it. Then I have to start all over to get it just right, so the curser is to the left of the word I want to edit or change.

Well, here is an easier way that works even better. With the keyboard showing on the bottom of your Notes document, just press down firmly on any key on the keyboard and start moving your finger. The curser now appears up in the document and moves around. If you want to quickly move to the very top of your document, all you need to do is tap on the top of the screen where the time or battery level is displayed.

Want to quickly share your Wi-Fi password with another iOS 11 user? Make sure you’re connected to the Wi-Fi network you want them to use, and then have them go to Settings > Wi-Fi and click on that network. In a few seconds, you will get a prompt asking if you want to share your password.

Another annoying thing I hate is after you install an app, you keep getting messages to rate the app. Here is a way to stop those messages. Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store, and then toggle In-App Ratings & Reviews to off.

Would like to scan documents into Notes? This is a great feature! Just open up Notes, click the + sign, then choose Scan Documents. The Camera App will fire up, and you then just need to follow the prompts to position your iPhone camera lens over the document laying flat on a table. This feature was introduced in iOS 11.

Also, did you know that you can scan QR Codes directly from the Camera App? Just open up the Camera App and point it at the QR Code you want to scan.

Here is a way to enable a single-handed keyboard if you like to type with one hand. This is a new iOS 11 feature. Press and hold on the Emoji button to bring up the options for a left- or right-handed keyboard.

If you want to power off your iPhone without pressing buttons, just go to Settings > General, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Shut Down.

Send your computer-related questions to mauimist8669@yahoo.com.