Multizone | All our technotes
If we've published it, you can find it here.
iOS 12.5.1
iOS 12.5.1 fixes an issue where Exposure Notifications could incorrectly display logging profile language. Exposure Notifications was the one new feature in iOS 12.5, backported from later releases of iOS. It lets you opt-in to the COVID-19 Exposure Notifications system on your iPhone which enables Privacy-Preserving Contact Tracing. System availability depends on support from your local public health authority. At the moment, the UK COVID-19 apps do not support iOS 12.5.1 iOS 12.5 also provided some security updates and Apple recommend it for all users of devices that can be updated to iOS 12.5 - iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPod touch (6th generation).
TL:DR — Install right away. COVID-19 Exposure notifications system support, Bug fixes, and security fixes.
Step by step instructions
- Open 'Software Update' from 'Settings -> General'
- Download and install, a restart is required and it takes some time
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Microsoft Office for Windows or Mac
Nobody likes software subscriptions, especially when you feel like you've paid multiple times over for the same old table editor from 1985. Surely it should be better now! Anyway, its like tax, its unavoidable. So instead why not make a one time purchase, to install all the classic office apps on one PC or Mac - its cheaper, perfectly legitimate, legal and genuine software and theres no recurring fee. These special deals may not be around forever but the cost is far less than a subscription over three years so if you dont need all the bells and whistles of a cloud purchase then this could be for you! These products are available for instant download and delivery via a genuine product key. We are a happy customer!
Microsoft Office 2019 Home and Business for Mac or PC: One-Time Purchase
Apple Magic Mouse in Black
Apple Magic Mouse: Bluetooth, rechargeable. Works with Mac or iPad; Black, Multi-Touch surface. Can easily be paired to work with Windows, see how to use an Apple Magic Mouse on Windows 11 PC
Apple 2020 MacBook Air
Bargain M1 based Mac. Light, small and good for all laptop workloads. Battery life up to 18 hours. No noise!
Apple MacBook Air (M1, 2020), 13” Retina Display, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera, Touch ID
Various configurations and condition at Amazon UK
iPhone 13 mini 128GB - Midnight
The last iPhone Mini - Model A2628
5.4-inch Super Retina XDR display with OLED, A15 Bionic chip with 16-core Neural Engine, 5G, Gigabit LTE, and 802.11ax Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, Dual 12MP Ultra-wide and wide cameras, Digital zoom up to 5x, 4K video recording, 1080p HD video recording.
Belkin USB-C Multimedia Hub with Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI
The Swiss army knife of USB-C connectors
2 USB-A ports, 1 USB-C power pass-through, 1 HDMI port for 4K 30 HZ, 1 Gigabit Ethernet port, and 1 SD card reader Works with Chromebooks, iPads, MacBooks, Windows computers with USB-C, Useful!
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Apple once provided technical guidance on using an external drive as a home folder location in macOS. However, if such documentation still exists, it is now elusive.
Using an external, removable drive for a home folder requires meticulous attention to ensure it remains continuously powered. If it disconnects—particularly during a system update—macOS may fail to locate the designated mount point. In my case, this resulted in macOS replacing my home folder’s mount point (an external SSD) with a freshly initialised directory, complete with default user folders and documents.
TL:DR – One suspects that even the Genius Bar might take some considerable time to pinpoint such an obscure failure mode.
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Read more: A warning about External Drives for Home folders on macOS
What on earth is a warrant canary?
"As of 10 September 2025, we have not received any court orders subject to being kept secret."
Above is an example of a warrant canary which is a published statement that a service provider has not had a notice issued by a court as of a given date that comes with a gag order. If the notice is removed users can assume a service provider has been served such a notice and as such is compromised. The idea is that users would be informed without a breach of an order made by a court. This is made more actionable when regular transparency reports are produced by the service provider.
Warrant canaries are used to address concerns about transparency and government surveillance, but their effectiveness has legal gray areas. Courts haven't definitively ruled whether failing to update a warrant canary violates a gag order.
In the UK, where this site is hosted, the powers concerned are regulated by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 as amended to date and penalties could range from a fine to up to five years in prison. In the US they are regulated by the Patriot Act 2001. Both of these regulations have criminal penalties for disclosing the existence of such notices where such disclosure is prohibited.
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Amazon Fire TV Cube - Hands-free streaming media player with Alexa, Wi-Fi 6E, 4K Ultra HD
Fire TV Stick 4K Max features and functionality, plus:
- Twice as powerful as Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
- Hands-free voice control: simply use your voice to control your TV, smart home and connected devices. No remote required.
- Lets you control your compatible satellite set-top box with your voice and Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced.
- HDMI port so you can connect and control other entertainment devices with just your voice, USB-A 2.0 for added storage, Ethernet port 10/100 Mbps for wired access.
- Includes Alexa Voice Remote Enhanced (includes TV controls).
TL:DR – I just take this device for granted "Alexa turn on the TV" has just become totally normal. It works well, no issues in the whole time I've had it. It always sets the input to Amazon though, so you have to manually switch to Virgin Media, Blu Ray or whatever.
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First ever Warzone victory.
I play far too much Call of Duty® Modern_Warfare® and dont play much 'Warzone' but Im a completionist and want to get the ribbons for my officer progression. I'm not great at Warzone and often get wiped out very early on. But this time. Well this time was special. I missed the guy in the window, and my airstrike was off target but it definitely spooked them! And we won. Phew.
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macOS Big Sur and VMware Fusion
It is easy to install macOS Big Sur as a virtual machine in VMware Fusion on a Intel based Mac provided you create a bootable installer from which to install the Mac operating system. Using macOS Big Sur in a virtual machine in VMware Fusion is expressly permitted by the macOS licence agreement provided you are running on Apple hardware and you obtain macOS Big Sur legally from Apple.
It runs beautifully and is perfect for testing and development workloads.
TL:DR — Get VMware Fusion, Install VMware Fusion, download macOS Big Sur from Apple, create a bootable USB of macOS Big Sur and it can be installed in VMware Fusion just perfectly.
- Details
Read more: Install macOS Big Sur in VMware Fusion on a Intel based Mac
- How to remove bloatware from a Windows 10 VM
- Microsoft 'Your Phone' - step by step
- MacBook Pro (13-inch M1 2020)
- Q: How do you get an iOS app to run on an M1 based Mac?
- Belkin USB-C Multimedia Hub with Gigabit Ethernet and HDMI
- Install macOS Mojave in VMware Fusion on a Mac
- Install macOS Catalina as a virtual machine in VMware Fusion
- Remember Symbian? Some screenshots and notes
- Goodbye Intel, Hello Apple Silicon
- Hancock's Half Hour.
- The Highest-Valued Startups in the World in 2024
- Apple's iPhone SE (2nd generation) for iOS development