I’ve been a very busy bee, writing two new books and updating five more just since early August. The latest three are out today from Take Control Books, a trio that relate to the iOS 14/iPadOS 14 update several days ago and the upcoming macOS 11 Big Sur release that Apple hasn’t yet scheduled.

Upgrades are available to all buyers of any previous edition. If you’re a new purchaser, you can add all three to your shopping card and get 30% off—Take Control’s standard discount for 3 or more books!

Take Control of iOS & iPadOS Privacy and Security (254 pages, $14.99). I’ve been revising and expanding this book across a decade now (and across six names!). For the last five editions, I published it myself, and now it’s back at the Take Control mothership.

The book covers all the ins and outs of managing networking connections (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, personal hotspot, AirDrop, AirPlay, and more), handling privacy (including how Safari blocks tracking and reports it, COVID-19 contract tracing, privacy settings for apps, location tracking), and security (creating good passwords, using two-factor authentication, tracking a lost or stolen device, and maintaining security for your data in transit, over Wi-Fi or any network).

As with all my books, they’re well illustrated, full of step-by-step instructions, and dive deeply into how something works and how to change it to fit your needs.

This edition is fully updated for iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 (as well as Big Sur), with new sections on Apple’s improved anti-tracking methods and Safari reporting, Wi-Fi Private Address for deterring real-world tracking of your devices by their Wi-Fi ID, and many changes relating to location-based and app privacy. (If you purchased any previous edition, you can get an inexpensive update. Look for email from Take Control Books or directly from me. Contact Take Control if you haven’t received an upgrade offer.)

Take Control of Your Apple ID (124 pages, $9.99). The Apple ID is the cornerstone of Apple’s online ecosystem for account management, purchases, and device ownership. Yet we all know how frustrating and confusing it can be to manage your Apple IDs with iCloud, purchases, and hardware. This book explains the basics with an enormous amount of troubleshooting advice, and workarounds for aspects of account control that Apple doesn’t offer.

One of the key things the book does is explain how to work with a common split for most people, where we have one Apple ID for iCloud sync and email, and another used for digital purchases (media, apps, and subscriptions). Apple supports this, but it’s a fussy bit of crammed-together tech that I dig into.

In this edition, I expand coverage to include details on Apple’s revival of the recovery key for Apple ID, a way to both lock out password changes outside of Apple hardware and to recover an account if you lose access to devices. (It’s not fully baked yet, though, so I warn you of that here and in the book; an update will come out when Apple fixes the broken parts.)

I also expand on how Apple manages and supports payments. In the process, I discovered Apple has not just Apple Pay (tap to pay/online card payments) and Apple Card (a branded MasterCard) and Apple Cash (a rebate-earning card and person-to-person payment system), but also Apple Store Gift Card, Apple Account (a name for balances for digital purchases), Apple App Store & iTunes Gift Card, and (in the U.S. only) Apple Gift Card. Whew. Wow.

I’ve also added two chapters. Family Sharing is more expansive than ever, and it’s deeply tied into one’s Apple ID account. I go into the particulars of using it and managing it in this new edition. I’ve also added a chapter on subscriptions, as Apple has expanded and interwoven those options, which are also connected to your Apple ID.

(Previous buyers receive upgrade pricing; look for email from Take Control Books.)

Take Control of Wi-Fi Networking and Security (132 pages, $12.99). This stalwart book has its origins almost 20 years ago, and it continues to help people work through multi-platform wireless networking management, setup, and troubleshooting. It covers Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS/Chromebook, as well as providing insight into whether mesh or conventional Wi-Fi will work for you. This is a relatively minor update, putting in the latest details for Android, iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, and updating pricing and model numbers for recommended equipment. (It’s a free update for previous purchasers of the book.)