Gadget Hacks How-Tos — Page 128 of 336

How To: Get Back Lock Screen Widgets in Android Lollipop

Being fixated on all of the great additions to Android 5.0 Lollipop, it can be a little difficult to take notice in the features that went missing. For instance, lock screen widgets. It's speculated that the lack of practical use for lock screen widgets and the implementation of the revamped Lollipop lock screen may have lead to their departure, but some of us want them back!

How To: Use Your Android's NFC Reader to Turn Your Computer On

NFC, or near-field communications, is a hardware feature that has been built into most Android phones for the last four years. It's essentially a low-power data connection that can be used to initiate a quick command by bringing your device within range of a compatible receiver, be it tap-and-pay with Google Wallet, a file transfer via Android Beam, or a Tasker profile triggered by a specific NFC tag.

How To: PIN-Protect Photos, Log-in Credentials, Credit Card Info, Notes, & More with Keeply

In the weeks before Apple officially released iOS 8, consumers were abuzz over rumors that a new feature would password-protect your photos and text messages from prying eyes. Unfortunately, this ended up being untrue, though we did cover some alternatives to protecting your important information using some built-in features and a third-party app. Now, there's a new iOS app that can do it all.

How To: Increase the Sound & Quality of Your Mac's Speakers

During a power outage at my apartment this year, I watched movies on my MacBook Pro instead of on my television. While I had no complaints about the screen size, I did have an issue with how low the audio coming from my speakers was. External speakers would help, but I don't want to buy them or lug them around every time I want to watch a movie.

How To: Choose Which Apps Are Allowed to Start Up Automatically on Your Nexus 5

By default, any app that requests a certain permission can run automatically as soon as you start your device. Since Android doesn't offer a granular permission control system like iOS, this gets lumped in with all of the other permissions that you have to accept when you're installing an app from the Google Play Store, and you effectively have no choice in the matter.

How To: The Best Way to View & Manage Your iPhone's Cellular Data Usage

Oops... did you forget to connect to a Wi-Fi network before streaming HBO GO on your iPhone? While those episodes of The Wire may have been absolutely life-changing, your three-digit cellular bill is definitely going to hit you a little harder.

How To: Get “Anywhere” Gesture Support, Themes, Call Counts, & More with Blinq for Android

The lack of Xposed support on Android Lollipop has left modules like GEL Settings incompatible with my Google Play Edition HTC One, so I've had to find a new launcher to meet all of my needs. While I can safely say I will never find the perfect launcher for me, Blinq comes pretty damn close.

How To: Unlock This Hidden Setting to Make Your Android's Layout Better for Left-Handed Use

Left-handers only make up about ten percent of the world, which means they typically have to use things made for the majority, i.e., right-handed people. If that wasn't annoying enough, there are studies that show that lefties actually get paid less.

How To: Speed Up the Stock TouchWiz Launcher on Your Galaxy Note 3

Does your Samsung Galaxy Note 3 feel slower than it used to? Background processes, cached files, malicious applications, and buggy updates can all lead to a sluggish smartphone. It's just what happens over time.

How To: Get Early Access to the Official OnePlus One Custom ROM

OnePlus changed the way we think about high-end phones. Their "Never Settle" motto led me to ditch my high-cost smartphone for their flagship One, which not only packs some pretty impressive hardware, but won't break the bank. Now that OnePlus has made a name for themselves with the One, they're trying their hands at ROMs, too.

How To: Track Data Usage in Real Time with This Status Bar Meter for Android

When you're on a limited data plan, bumping up against your monthly cap is a major concern. Overage fees are incredibly high these days, and being throttled down to 2G coverage almost renders a smartphone completely useless.

How To: Get Nexus 6 System Sounds & Ringtones on Your Nexus 5

For some strange reason, when the Nexus 5 got its Lollipop update, the new stock system sounds were left out. These include updated versions of all of the ringtones and notifications, which Google revamped with a more mature sound that matches Android 5.0's elegant Material Design.

How To: Add Custom ROM Features to Your Stock Google Play Edition HTC One M8

The switch from Dalvik runtime to ART in Android Lollipop has rendered the Xposed Framework useless until a new version is released, but Xposed isn't the only way to mod a phone.

How To: Use a Samsung Galaxy Device as a TV Remote Control

This video will show you how to use a Samsung Galaxy device as a TV remote control by using an application called WatchOn. First download WatchOn from the playstore then Samsung WatchOn will use the IR blasters of your Galaxy phone to convert it into a remote control. WatchOn gives you full control over your TV and movie-viewing experience. So please watch the tutorial video.

How To: 5 Tweaks That Make "Reachability" on Your iPhone Even Better

Due to their large size and added screen real estate, Apple included a new feature for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus known as "Reachability." Essentially, this function makes reaching the top part of the display easier by double-tapping the home key to shift the screen down closer to your thumb.

How To: Enable Media Playback from the Front Earpiece on Your OnePlus One for Stereo Sound

Starting with the original HTC One and now present on the new Nexus 6, dual speakers allow for smartphones to pump out true stereo sound. OnePlus, however, kept their speakers on the bottom of the device and use different sound drivers for each to produce great sound quality, although it's still mono. While there are mods out there that can further increase the volume of the OnePlus One, none of them can produce true stereo sound.

How To: Sync App Data Between Your Rooted Android Devices

If you own multiple Android devices, you're surely familiar with the struggle of keeping apps and games in sync. While games with proper Google Play Games support will indeed sync progress across your phone and tablet, many developers neglect to include this feature in their wares.

Safe Mode Explained: How to Troubleshoot Problematic Jailbreak Tweaks on Your iPhone

Installing tweaks or themes onto your jailbroken iOS device is a pretty fun and exciting experience, but if you do it for long enough, you're bound to come across a bug that will cause your operating system to crash.

How To: Fix Screen Burns on Your Nexus 6 or Other AMOLED Device

Many Nexus 6 owners, myself included, have already started to experience the dreaded burn-in issues that often come with AMOLED display technology. These displays are different than your typical LCD screen in that each pixel emits its own light instead of using a backlight, so this leaves AMOLED screens more susceptible to issues with dim or unresponsive pixels.

How To: Take Restroom Breaks During a Movie Without Missing a Scene

When I watched the first Cincinnati Bengals edition of the HBO series Hard Knocks back in 2009, among wide receiver Chad Johnson's bravado and attention-grabbing antics was a segment on backup quarterback Jordan Palmer and his newly-developed app, which was still in its infancy. Six years later, I've revisited his creation and have to admit—it's pretty damn useful.

How To: Use Easy-to-Install Plugins to Customize Almost Any App on Your Mac

When you buy a Mac, you accept that you're giving up the customization found on Windows or Linux systems for a more fluid and secure machine. This is great for most consumers, but for those of us who'd rather opt for a tailor-made experience, there are always developers that can combine functionality with stability.

How To: Use the Google Now Gesture to Launch Any Android App

Almost all modern Android devices have a gesture that will take you directly to Google Now. For most phones and tablets, it's a simple swipe up from the home button. With a Samsung or an older Android device, it's only a matter pressing and holding the home button.

How To: Add a New Source to Cydia on Your Jailbroken iOS Device

Not every tweak or theme is automatically available once you jailbreak your iOS device and install the Cydia application. For certain tweaks, you'll need to manually add its source, which is simply a web address linked to repository where the tweaks are hosted.

How To: Get Redbox Working on Incompatible Android Devices

Sitting at home alone on Friday night, I'm often in the mood to watch something more recent than the offerings on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. And since the demise of video rental stores, that leaves me with browsing through the Redbox catalogue, then strolling down to the nearest 7-Eleven to pick up my movie.

How To: Keep Your Android's Screen from Turning Off While You Use It

Samsung phones have a pretty nifty little feature called Smart Stay that will prevent your screen from turning off while you're actively using your device. Trouble with this is that it's exclusive to Galaxy devices and it uses a ton of battery since it monitors the front-facing camera to detect when you're facing the screen.

How To: Install the Leaked Lollipop Firmware on Your Galaxy Note 3 (Update: Now for AT&T)

Android 5.0 "Lollipop" has only existed for a few months, but a leaked version of Samsung's take on the firmware has already been spotted in the wild. This update came straight from Samsung, and brings with it a plethora of new features, including greatly improved performance and a revamped TouchWiz UI.

How To: Use the Volume Keys for Page Scrolling on Android

Android's beauty is in its customization; you can have widgets for anything, launchers that look and feel completely different from one another, and fonts you can change at any time. And it doesn't stop at aesthetics—you can go much deeper than looks.

How To: Secure Your Samsung Galaxy Device by Disabling the Clipboard History

Whether you use a third-party keyboard or the stock offering, your Samsung device keeps a history of the last 20 words you copied on its clipboard. Samsung added this feature to Android to help make multitasking a bit easier, but if you use a password manager like LastPass, this feature quickly becomes a gaping hole in security. While you're copying and pasting your various passwords, the last 20 of them become freely available to anyone that gets their hands on your device.

How To: Browse & Play Your Entire Music Library Directly from the Notification Center

Since Apple released iOS 8, many third-party apps have taken advantage of one of its more resourceful features: Notification Center widgets. These widgets have made it easier to interact with features and settings that would otherwise require launching an app itself, instead offering functionality through the native pull-down Notification Center.

How To: Automatically Turn On the Speakerphone When You Aren't Holding Your Android Device to Your Ear

The first few times I posted on some of the Android forums out there, I asked things like "Does anybody how I can make my phone do this or that?" Without fail, the responses to these types of questions were always one word—Tasker.

How To: Turn On Your Android's Flashlight Using the Power Button

Navigating through the darkness—literal darkness, not the existential variety—is always a difficult task on its own, and my Android doesn't necessarily make it any easier. Many manufacturers offer quick access to a flashlight or torch feature, but my Galaxy S4 doesn't have an easily accessible toggle or button available to turn it on.

How To: Apply a Custom Animation to Your OnePlus One's Notification Drawer

OnePlus One's CyanogenMod firmware comes packed with personalization options that standard Android devices could only achieve with root-level access. By simply entering the Settings app, OPO owners can make changes to their lock screen, status bar, and notification drawer, as well as apply themes and gestures to make their device a little more customized.

How To: Make Companies Call You Back Instead of Waiting on Hold

Getting on the phone for customer service can be extremely frustrating. First you've got to find the correct phone number for your region (good luck trying to get customer service from a sales department), then you have to listen to the annoying automated system to navigate your way to the department you want. More often than not, you'll be stuck with some elevator music while you wait to speak to an actual human.

How To: Increase the Maximum Headphones Volume Level on Your OnePlus One

Being in a band, I exposed myself to years of extremely high volumes, so I can't hear as well as I once did. I'm not concerned about going deaf or anything, but I tend to have the volume raised to the max, beyond the "high volume" warning, whenever listening to music on my OnePlus One with headphones.

How To: Control Web-Based Music from Pandora, Spotify, & More with Your Mac's Keyboard

Apple's keyboard has a set of media controls to navigate the music playing on iTunes, allowing you to play, pause, skip, and replay songs and videos. Unfortunately, these controls are exclusive to iTunes; if you're playing music from Spotify, Pandora, or the myriad of other online web-based services (Amazon, Rdio, SoundCloud, etc.), you're out of luck.

How To: Keep Your Desktop Tidy by Hiding Inactive Windows on Your Mac

To contemporize a popular quote, "A cluttered desk(top) is a sign of a cluttered mind." Of course, it's difficult to maintain a tidy desktop... as you read this, mine is cluttered with screenshots, folders, Word documents, videos, pictures, and apps.

How To: Automatically Mute Media Playback When You Put Your Android in Priority Mode

One of the more talked-about features of Android Lollipop is a new Priority Mode that allows you to mute all notifications except for those coming from starred contacts. As simple as that sounds, this can still be a bit confusing—or at least lead to some unwanted interruptions.