- Meeting Logistics and Agenda Changes Siena Trigiani welcomed attendees to the Tech Extravaganza on Wednesday, August 6th, 2025, noting the rapid passage of time (00:23:49). Siena Trigiani also announced a change in the agenda, stating that Amanda, originally scheduled to present on “Be My Eyes” and “Inner Search,” would be absent for two weeks and would conduct their tutorial at a later date. The session would instead focus on the iPhone and iPad Control Center, with an iPhone being used for demonstration due to a non-functional iPad (00:24:40) (00:27:33).
- Accessing the Control Center Siena Trigiani demonstrated how to access the Control Center, explaining that one method involves swiping down from the top of the screen with one finger until two blips are heard (00:26:07) (00:30:33). Hans Last inquired about the one-finger swipe, and Siena Trigiani clarified that one slides their finger down from the earpiece until hearing the second blip (01:11:52). Siena Trigiani also explained an alternative method for accessing the Control Center by placing a finger on any status bar item on the home screen and then swiping up with three fingers (01:07:45) (01:10:31).
- Exploring Control Center Features Siena Trigiani guided participants through various Control Center features, including the “Add Controls” button for customization and the “Power button” to view battery information (00:30:33). They also highlighted the status bar information, such as cellular signal and Wi-Fi connection, and the ability to lock screen orientation (00:31:51). Siena Trigiani also discussed Airplane Mode and AirDrop functionality, demonstrating how to toggle them on/off and access their settings (00:33:10).
- AirDrop Control Issues and Solutions Siena Trigiani encountered difficulties changing AirDrop settings using the “Open controls” option, leading them to discover that a double-tap and hold action was necessary to access the desired options, such as “Contacts Only” (00:37:37). Ali Moosa suggested trying to touch the bottom of the device’s screen when using “Open controls” (00:39:19). Siena Trigiani confirmed that the “Open controls” function worked for “Focus” settings but not consistently for other controls like AirDrop (00:48:11).
- Wi-Fi and Cellular Data Controls Siena Trigiani demonstrated how to toggle Wi-Fi on and off by double-tapping the Wi-Fi icon in the Control Center (00:46:38) (00:51:06). They also showed that a double-tap and hold gesture on the Wi-Fi icon would disconnect the Wi-Fi and provide access to Wi-Fi settings (00:49:35) (00:52:48). Similarly, Siena Trigiani explained how to turn cellular data on and off with a double-tap, noting that a double-tap and hold action provided no additional controls (00:54:09) (00:56:58).
- Bluetooth and Personal Hotspot Siena Trigiani explained that to toggle Bluetooth on and off, one must navigate to the “More controls” section (00:56:58). They also demonstrated that a double-tap and hold on the Bluetooth setting would reveal a list of paired devices and provide access to Bluetooth settings (00:58:31). Siena Trigiani also showcased the personal hotspot feature, explaining that a double-tap makes it discoverable and a double-tap and hold toggles its discoverability and off status (01:00:01).
- VPN and Satellite Connectivity Siena Trigiani briefly touched upon the VPN (Virtual Private Network) option, explaining its function of hiding IP addresses and allowing location changes, but noted it was beyond the scope of the tutorial (01:01:24). Siena Trigiani also explored the “Satellite not available” option, which, upon double-tapping, indicated “Satellite available soon” and presented a “Satellite connection demo” option (01:03:04). Hans Last provided additional context on the satellite feature, confirming it as a new and sporadically introduced capability in Canada, designed for use when cellular or Wi-Fi services are unavailable (01:05:41) (01:21:24).
- Customizing VoiceOver Gestures Siena Trigiani elaborated on additional ways to navigate their iPhone using custom VoiceOver gestures, such as a triple-tap for the home screen, a quadruple-tap for the app switcher, a two-finger triple-tap for the notification center, and a two-finger quadruple-tap for the Control Center (01:13:51). They emphasized that these customized gestures make accessing different parts of the screen easier, especially for those who find traditional methods challenging (01:15:17).
- Rotation Lock and System Capture Siena Trigiani demonstrated the “Lock Rotation” feature, explaining how it prevents accidental orientation changes when moving the phone (01:18:35) (01:21:24). They also briefly activated the “Hi-Fi speaker” option, which redirected to “System Capture,” indicating that the phone’s audio was routed through the computer (01:17:03). Siena Trigiani also showed that if music were playing, the Control Center would offer options to navigate tracks (01:18:35).
- Control Center Overview Siena Trigiani provided a comprehensive overview of the iPhone’s Control Center, demonstrating various features such as screen rotation lock, screen mirroring, and brightness adjustment. She explained how to adjust brightness and volume by swiping up or down with one finger, noting that brightness adjusts by 5% increments when swiping up and 10% when swiping down (01:27:54).
- Focus Feature Siena Trigiani detailed the Focus feature within the Control Center, explaining that users can set different focus modes like “Do Not Disturb” or “Work,” which sync across all connected Apple devices (01:30:49). She also showed how to set a specific duration for a focus mode, such as “until 5:00 p.m.” or “until the end of this event” (01:32:25).
- Satellite Service for Connectivity Jeroo & Lionel Russell inquired about connecting to messages or emergency services without Wi-Fi. Siena Trigiani explained that a new satellite feature enables this, and Ali Moosa clarified that Rogers is currently offering this service as a trial, with a monthly fee expected after the beta period (01:34:48). Hans Last added that this feature is likely only available on newer iPhone models, such as the iPhone 14 or 15 (01:39:06).
- Rogers Satellite Beta Trial Details Ali Moosa provided specific details about the Rogers satellite service, stating that it is currently in beta and is free during the trial period (01:40:04). After the beta, it will cost $10/month for the first 12 months, then $15/month, unless included in a user’s plan (01:41:26) (01:47:54). The service supports text messaging in Canada south of the 58th parallel and is open to all Canadians on any mobile carrier (01:46:23).
- Website Recordings Accessibility Ali Moosa asked attendees if they were able to listen to the recordings posted on the website. Siena Trigiani confirmed that recordings are now uploaded directly to the website for easier access after workshops, and Jeroo & Lionel Russell stated they found them very clear and easy to access (01:51:22).
- Control Center Tools Demonstration Siena Trigiani demonstrated various tools accessible from the Control Center, including the flashlight, timer, and calculator (01:54:07) (01:56:41). She showed how to set a timer by adjusting hours, minutes, and seconds, and how to perform calculations using the calculator function (01:55:26) (01:58:05).
- Music Recognition and Watch Pinging Siena Trigiani attempted to demonstrate the music recognition feature, noting that it had not been working recently on either their phone or watch (01:59:49). She successfully demonstrated the “Ping My Watch” feature, which helps locate a lost Apple Watch by making it ring (02:01:12).
- Customizing Control Center Siena Trigiani showed how to customize the Control Center by navigating to Settings and then the Control Center section (02:04:04). She demonstrated how to add and remove controls, explaining that users can fine-tune what appears in their Control Center, including options like “Dark Mode,” “Text Size,” “Magnifier,” and various accessibility shortcuts (02:08:10) (02:10:56).
- Upcoming Events and Schedule Changes Siena Trigiani announced that Techstravaganza 2.0 would be rescheduled to the second Thursday of the month from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Eastern (02:18:51). She also informed attendees that the next week’s session would focus on customizing voice-over gestures (02:20:45).
- Rogers: https://www.rogers.com/mobility/satellite
Techstravaganza, Wednesday, August 6, 2025
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