Hot Gadget Hacks Posts

How To: Unlock the Hidden Weather Lock Screen Widget in iOS 12 on Your iPhone

There are a lot of things that make iOS great, but lock screen widgets are not among them. If you want more information on your lock screen other than the date, time, and notifications without having to swipe to a sidebar of widgets, you'd normally look toward Android. However, iOS 12 aims to shake that up a bit with a secret Weather widget for the lock screen — not for the Today view.

How To: Access Your Screen Time Usage Stats Faster in iOS 12 for iPhone

Apple's digital health initiative in iOS 12 includes Screen Time, a settings menu that shows you how much time you spend playing games, reading news, and whatever else it is you do. This menu also lets you schedule downtime away from your iPhone, set time limits for your apps, and more. While this is all great, it's hidden inside the Settings app — but there's a faster way to access this data.

How To: Get iOS 12's Quick QR Scanner on Android

When you hear people say the iPhone "just works," it's because of all the finishing touches Apple adds to iOS. A perfect example of this is the new QR-scanning feature in iOS 12 — by tapping a single button in the iPhone's Control Center, you can scan a QR code within seconds.

How To: Make Your iPhone Automatically Download & Install New iOS Updates

You've been able to install app updates automatically for some time now, but there was no way to install new system updates on your iPhone automatically. To get a new iOS version on your device, you'd go into the settings, then download the update. It would then either install right away or give you the option to install at nighttime. This whole process is easier in iOS 12.

Instant Tuning: How to Quickly Change Notifications Settings for Any App in iOS 12

Apple's notification system for iOS was in desperate need of a revision ever since they removed app grouping for new alerts. In iOS 12, they finally brought that back, new and improved, but Apple has also added more useful notifications features, such as Instant Tuning, which helps you quickly manage how notifications come in for each app — if you even want them to.

How To: Measure Real-World Objects with Your iPhone in iOS 12

Thanks to Apple's ARKit 2.0 augmented reality framework in iOS 12, we now have a "Measure" app built right into our iPhones that can measure real-world objects. No more physical tape measure or ruler. No more guessing. Just whip out your iPhone, open the app, put your camera, and get measurements. Before you do, however, there are a few things you'll want to know.

How To: Force-Close Running Apps on the iPhone X in iOS 12 (It's Easier Than Before)

When the iPhone X was first introduced, it came with an odd way to force-close apps. While all other iPhone continued to use a two-step gesture in iOS 11, iPhone X users were stuck with an annoying three-step gesture that was seen last in iOS versions from at least six years ago. Thankfully, iOS 12 has changed this and makes force-closing apps as simple as it should be.

How To: Set App Limits on Your iPhone to Restrict All-Day Access to Games & Other Addictive Apps

Most of us have, at one point or another, found ourselves glued to our smartphone in a trance-like state, totally unaware of what's around us. Well, Apple has a way to curb overuse with an awesome tool for iPhone starting in iOS 12. It can help nudge us away from our phones to spend more time attending to real-life matters.

How To: Get Nokia's Exclusive Camera App with Pro Mode on Any Android

Nokia's calling card used to be camera quality, a small bright spot compared to the black hole that was Windows Mobile. Since Microsoft discontinued the rarely-used operating system, Nokia phones began to run Android — and now, they're getting back to their camera-driven roots with their Pro Camera mode. What's more, you can experience their camera app on any Android phone.