Gadget Hacks How-Tos
How To: Make Contact Photos Look Sharper & Less Pixelated on Android
For every contact photo you add, Android keeps two copies. The first is stored at a 720p resolution, and this is used for high-definition imagery when you're looking at a full-sized contact card. But the second image is only 96 pixels by 96 pixels, and this is used for all thumbnails throughout the operating system.
How To: Apple Flaw Lets Thieves Completely Reset Your Apple Watch & Get Away with It
There's a recently discovered flaw by iDownloadBlog that lets thieves reset a stolen Apple Watch without a hitch, which is the result of Apple not including the Activation Lock feature that iPhones have had since iOS 7.
Xposed 101: How to Activate a Newly-Installed Module
The Xposed Framework is a very powerful platform on top of which smaller modules can run to make changes to the Android system and various other apps. Installing modules is just as easy as sideloading any Android app, but afterwards, you'll need to activate the module and reboot your device.
Android Basics: How to Enable Developer Options & USB Debugging
Many Android utilities use Android Debug Bridge, or ADB for short, to send commands from a computer over to your phone or tablet. This enables such utilities to run terminal commands that, in some cases, wouldn't be possible on Android without root access.
Android Basics: How to Install BusyBox Commands
If you're a rooted user, you've probably heard the term "BusyBox" by now. Many mods require these powerful root commands, but the process of installing BusyBox can be a bit confusing for the uninitiated.
How To: Apple Watch Vulnerability Lets Thieves Use Apple Pay Without Your PIN
No, your Apple Watch isn't totally hacker-proof, despite what some have claimed.
How To: Make Your Mac Look & Feel More Like Your iPhone
Is your Mac starting to feel messy and sluggish after using iOS 8 on your iPhone every day? Even with all of the iOS-friendly features built in to Mac OS X Yosemite, your Mac can still feel kind of "old" in comparison to an iOS device—but it doesn't have to. Using the tips and tricks below, you can easily make your Mac desktop or laptop look and feel like iOS 8 in no time.
How To: Root Almost Any Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge Without Tripping KNOX
Both the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge have had root methods available to them before the phones were even released, but the problem with these existing root methods is that they would trip the KNOX counter on your device.
How To: Change the Display Orientation & Digital Crown Position on the Apple Watch
There are more ways to wear an Apple Watch than just the default one. Out of the box, an Apple Watch is set up to be worn on your left wrist with the Digital Crown on the right side. But what if want the Digital Crown facing the opposite way? Or what if you're left-handed and want the Watch on your right wrist instead?
How To: Get iPhone Emojis on Your HTC or Samsung Device (No Root Needed)
It's hard to not to like the look of iOS emojis. Sure, Samsung and other Android phones have emojis, but they're all kind of goofy-looking. And since iPhone emojis continue to be viewed as the standard, it comes as no surprise that you can actually get them on Android—and without root!
How To: Find Updates for Non-Play Store Apps on Android More Easily with ApkTrack
The Google Play Store may have fewer restrictions that its iOS counterpart, but that doesn't mean that all apps make the cut. Ad blockers and Xposed modules that bypass paywalls have never had a place on the Google Play Store, which makes tracking their app-updates a painful process.
How To: Add Notification Count Badges to the Status Bar on Android
As it stands, Android's notification system is one of its biggest strengths—but that doesn't mean it couldn't use a few tweaks here and there. For one thing, when you receive multiple notifications from the same app, there is no indication as to exactly how many notifications you've received.
How To: Make Incoming Notifications Automatically Wake Your Android's Display
Unlike the Moto X with its Active Display or the Nexus 6 and its Ambient Display, some devices (especially those now running Lollipop) do not include a function that permits the display to turn on upon getting new notifications while the device remains locked or the display inactive.
How To: Get Crowd-Sourced Tech Support for Any App on Android
As with any software, Android apps can occasionally suffer from bugs. But finding the root cause of such issues can often be difficult, and reporting bugs is a cumbersome experience.
How To: Get Emoji Suggestions with Any Android Keyboard
Some third-party keyboards, like SwiftKey for example, include a convenient feature that suggests emojis as your type based on the content of what you're saying. Unfortunately, many keyboards, including most stock ones, don't include this function.
How To: Remove the S Finder & Quick Connect Buttons from Your Galaxy S6's Notification Panel
Samsung is known for its added features, but occasionally, these can cross the line between functionality and bloat. For many users, this is the case with the "S Finder" and "Quick connect" buttons that are hard-coded into the notification tray on most Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge variants.
How To: Use Your Chromecast to Make PowerPoint Presentations from Your Android
Chromecast is so small and portable that it would seem to be a perfect device for making PowerPoint presentations. But even now that you can mirror your Android device's display, there are still a few issues.
How To: Keep from Running into Things When Walking & Using Your Phone
We have all seen videos of people walking off of platforms and into street signs because they were too distracted by their phones to pay attention. This has become such a problem that cities have even considered fining pedestrians for texting and walking.
How To: Get in Shape with These Five Fitness Apps for Your Apple Watch
With the high rate of obesity in the United States, it's fantastic to see the massive wave of fitness tools available, even if it's just a trend. And with the companionship of your Apple Watch, keeping track of your progress or fitness goals has never been easier. As my LA Fitness intercom repeatedly announces, "What gets measured gets improved." (Corny, but very true.)
How To: Disable ANY Bloatware App on Your Android Device (No Root Required)
Due to the way Android works, you normally need to be rooted to uninstall the pre-loaded system apps, aka bloatware, that came with your device. This is because the underlying files for these apps are stored on your system partition, which can only be modified with root-level access.
How To: Order Food Directly from Google Search on Android & iOS
Google constantly adds useful little features to stay on top of the search engine heap. Recently, we've seen them add "Find my phone" functionality, as well as the ability to set alarms and send directions to your Android phone or tablet.
How To: Install the Latest Google Clock & Calculator Apps on Your Galaxy S6 (Or Other Android)
Many of Google's stock Android apps are some of the best options out there—especially now that they've all been made over with Material Design. But generally, as these are pre-installed system apps, they cannot be used on non-Nexus devices.
How To: Mirror Your Android Notifications Over to Your Nexus Player
With our internet-connected devices growing in number by the year, it would be nice if they could somehow all be interconnected. This is becoming commonplace for our tablets, smartphones, and laptops, but our media streaming boxes still seem to be isolated in their own little worlds.
How To: Disable or Mute Annoying App Notifications on the Apple Watch
With audible alerts and subtle vibrations, the Apple Watch makes it difficult to miss incoming notifications. But soon enough you'll realize that not every notification is worth receiving on your Watch and can ultimately render the experience annoying under particular circumstances—like when your popular Instagram post floods in notification after notification.
How To: Control Music Playback from the Side of Your Galaxy S6 Edge’s Screen
The Galaxy S6 Edge comes with a useful feature called Information stream that allows you to view quick tidbits of info with a quick back-and-forth swipe on the edge of your display while the screen is off. Apparently, Samsung left the door open for third-party plugins to use this feature, and now we're starting to see an influx of useful additions.
How To: Turn Your iPhone into a Spy Camera Using Your Apple Watch
With the purchase of my new Apple Watch, the days of striving to be a James Bond-like spy have never been closer to fruition. Granted, talking to your wrist in public can look pretty pretentious, and I may very rarely do it, but let's get real—you look like 007!
How To: Add a Battery Meter & System Stats to the Information Stream on Your Galaxy S6 Edge
Exclusive to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, "Information stream" is a screen feature that lets you see quick, at-a-glance information with a simple swipe while the screen is off. It also supports plug-ins, or additional streams of information that can come from third-party sources. So developers are starting to come up with nifty little add-ons for Information stream, and the team at 3C has some cool new system feeds that might come in handy.
How To: Listen to YouTube Videos in the Background on Android (No Root Required)
When you think about it, YouTube may actually have one of the largest music collections on the planet. This is why, at $10 per month, Google's new YouTube Music Key subscription is a solid value for many users, especially with its inclusion of Google Play Music.
Web Prank: Create Your Own Legit-Looking News Stories by Editing Current Ones Online
On the internet, everything is possible, even if it's not grounded in reality (check no further than anything The Onion publishes). Witty headlines combined with clever photo edits make even the most absurd topic seem like a serious news story. Some of these stories are so convincing that they even fool news organizations, such as the New York Times and even the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party. While some of us can tell when something sounds a bit off, others (like our paren...
How To: Use the Secret 'Vulcan Salute' Emoji on Your Apple Watch
While some of the additions to the emoji keyboard in iOS 8.3 have been criticized for actually doing the opposite of their intended purpose, they've been well received overall. But the biggest winner of the new emojis was one that actually wasn't even released—the "Vulcan salute" emoji.
How To: Get a Feature-Packed, iPhone-Like Lock Screen for Your Galaxy S6 or Other Android Device
With an Android device, you can replace almost any default app with a third-party offering. Don't like your home screen app? Replace it. Tired of the text messaging interface? Upgrade it. The same can be said for Android's lock screen. But while many third-party lock screen apps are available, so far, only one has been designed with the Samsung Galaxy S6 and its fingerprint scanner in mind.
How To: Use Any Standard Watch Band with Your Apple Watch
Your Apple Watch only looks as good as the band that it's bound to, but if you're looking to purchase one directly from Apple, expect to spend anywhere from $149 (for the Milanese Loop) to $449 (for the Link Bracelet).
How To: Install a Custom Recovery on Your Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge
In the realm of Android mods, none is more powerful than a custom recovery. This is installed in place of the stock offering, and it lets you back up your entire system, flash mods, and install custom ROMs.
How To: Remove the Boot-Up Sound on Your Galaxy S6
Mobile service providers have an uncomfortably strong grip on the Android platform as a whole. For instance, all four U.S. versions of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge play their carrier's obnoxious jingle every time they boot up. You don't get any say in the matter—if you buy your phone from one of the big 4, you're a walking audible billboard.
How To: Add a Pop-Up Dictionary to Any Android App for Quick & Easy Word Definitions
When you're browsing the web, going through emails, or reading a book or magazine, you'll occasionally come across a word or phrase that you haven't seen before. This would be a perfect time to have some sort of built-in dictionary lookup service, but most Android apps lack such a feature.
How To: The Easiest Way to Record Your Android's Screen Using a Mac
As a Mac and Sasmsung Galaxy S6 user, I quickly realized that the two devices don't play well with one another out of the box, and using ADB commands to record my Android's screen isn't as simple as it is would be with a Windows PC.
How To: Root the Samsung Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge
Thanks to leaks and hard working developers, rooting tools for brand new Android devices are usually available right around the time of the smartphone's release, if not earlier. The Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are no exception.
How To: Bored? Have Fun Chatting with a Bot About Anything & Everything on Android
We all have those moments where we're bored or lonely, and in those times, just having anyone to talk to would be awesome. But maybe your friends are all busy, or everyone you know is at work and nobody's responding to your text messages.
How To: 13 Ways to Extend & Save Battery Life on Your Apple Watch
While the Apple Watch does have up to 18 hours of battery life each day on a full charge, your results will vary depending on how often you use it and what you're actually doing with it.
How To: Add Custom Replies for Messages on Your Apple Watch
The display on the Apple Watch is way too small to even attempt typing on it, which is why the Messages app only allows for responses using default replies or by speaking a message. But you won't always be able to speak a message, and often the default replies will be too generic to want to use.