Gadget Hacks How-Tos
How To: Quickly Generate a QR Code for Any Webpage with Google Chrome
QR codes are so handy. Nowadays, all you have to do to scan one is open your phone's camera app and tap a button. But creating one is a different story — online QR code generators aren't always trustworthy, and most phones don't have a built-in feature for it. Thankfully, Google Chrome now does.
How To: With This Free Tool, You Can Preview the Mail Coming to Your Home Every Day
Most packages sent to you via delivery services include a tracking number that allows you to track it from the creation of the shipping label all the way to your doorstep. The U.S. Postal Service includes tracking information with many of its mailing services, but not for first-class mail or periodicals. Luckily, there's a workaround to that limitation that you can set up pretty quickly.
How To: 11 Ways to Check the Battery Life of Your AirPods, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max
If you're an AirPods owner, you know the sound — that decrescendo of little beeps and boops means imminent "death" for your wireless earbuds. Other than that infamous chime, however, it's not overly clear how to check your AirPods, AirPods Pro, or AirPods Max power levels. That's why we've listed all the ways to do so.
How To: These Issues Could Prevent Your App Store Subscriptions from Renewing on Time
Ah, subscriptions. Whether you love or hate them, they are now a fundamental part of our increasingly digital lives. If you have some essential subs on your iPad, iPhone, or Mac, like Apple Arcade, Apple Music, Apple News+, Bumble, Pandora, Tinder, or YouTube Premium, there are three key issues you need to know about that could unexpectedly stop your membership from renewing.
How To: Jump Start Your Path to Fluency with 1 Year of Rosetta Stone
When we're young, learning a new language is as easy as learning anything else. There have been ample studies that show adults struggling to learn a new language are not alone. Learning a new language is hard, particularly when done outside the guidance of a teacher or a school setting.
How To: 9 Things You Should Be Doing to Make Your TikTok Account Secure from Hackers
You should feel relatively safe to watch and post videos on TikTok, but like with any online service, you're always at the mercy of hackers.
How To: How Fast Can You Really Type on Your iPhone? Take These Tests to Find Out
We use our smartphones every single day. They're a part of our daily routine, and as a result, we've gotten really good at using them — especially when it comes to typing very quickly. But just how fast can you type on your iPhone? Can you match your speed on a physical keyboard for your computer or tablet? You might just surprise yourself.
How To: Trick Your MacBook's Touch ID into Registering Twice as Many Fingerprints for Each Account
While Touch ID has been a part of the iPhone's legacy since 2013, Apple waited until 2016 to add biometrics to its MacBook lineup, and it's not as impressive. An iPhone with Touch ID can register up to five fingerprints, but Macs can only register a maximum of three per account. If that seems unfair, there's an easy trick to doubling that number, meaning six of your fingerprints could unlock your laptop!
How To: This Deal on Wireless Earbuds Sounds as Good as They Do
Wireless headphones are convenient, comfortable, and more common than ever before. With the massive proliferation of wireless earbuds, it's hard to identify which ones are good and which ones just want to look like they're worth the price. Avanca T1 Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds are high-quality wireless earbuds with excellent functionality and a low price of $29.95 now that they're 50% off.
How To: Auto-Remove Annoying Tracking Codes in URLs You Share from Your iPhone to Get Cleaner Links
URL tracking codes: you'll see them on almost every link you copy online to share with friends and followers. It could be tens or hundreds of extra characters appended to the end of a URL, which websites and marketers use to tell how you got to the link in the first place. These excess tracking tokens not only make the links you share look sloppy and spammy — they could even invade your privacy.
How To: Disable Notifications for 'Memories' in Apple Photos Without Turning Notifications Off for the Whole App
Introduced in iOS 10, the "Memories" feature in Apple Photos aims to give you fun snapshots of events, people, pets, and more from over the years. However, if you don't really care about these auto-generated slideshows, then you probably don't like getting notifications for them, either. Whenever you get fed up with receiving these unwanted alerts, there's an easy way to turn them off.
How To: Auto-Delete Messages for Everybody in Regular Telegram Chats — Not Just Secret Chats
Have some sensitive information you need to share with somebody on Telegram but are worried it might fall into the wrong hands? You don't have to worry anymore because Telegram now sports a way to automatically delete all new messages in any chat of your choosing, not just end-to-end encrypted ones.
How To: Mute Your Mac's Microphone Automatically When Typing During Zoom Meeting Calls
You're in a Zoom meeting, and you're click-clacking away at your keyboard, typing important notes from the call. More realistically, you're doing something unrelated to the meeting, such as browsing the web, playing a game, or messaging friends. Whatever it is you're typing, if your microphone is on, everyone on the Zoom call will be able to hear the sound of you typing.
How To: The Not-So-Obvious Way to Use AirPods with Your Nintendo Switch or Switch Lite
The Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite are console gaming on the go — with zero regards for modern audio features. Headphone jack? Check. Bluetooth connectivity? Not so much. While Nintendo seems to think we're all happy to live like it's 2015, there's a way to use your AirPods with your Switch or Switch Lite for wireless and convenient entertainment.
How To: Learn to Code for Less Than $40
In 2020, we had to learn that it's up to us to make ourselves stand out in our jobs or to future employers. Coding is a skill that won't just make you stand out — it'll make you indispensable. Due to the mass move to working online, there is more demand for strong, intuitive web design, and learning to code means you can be the person who makes that.
How To: Get Night Mode on Older iPhone Models to Shoot Low-Light Scenes Like an iPhone 11 or 12
Night mode, which helps you snap great photographs in low-light environments, is a feature available only on the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 lineups. It's a useful tool to have in your arsenal, especially if you're fond of nightlife photography. Still, you don't have to purchase a newer iPhone to get Night mode shooting capabilities.
How To: Never Need Another Charger with This All-in-One Power Bank
Whether you're at work or just away from an outlet, nothing is more annoying than suddenly having to go through your day with a dead phone.
How To: Use a Different Apple ID for Apple Music Without Using Family Sharing
Your Apple Music subscription is tied to the Apple ID that subscribed, so you can stream content from any iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, or watchOS device that your Apple ID is signed in to. However, things get slightly more complicated when you want to listen to Apple Music on another device you use with a different Apple ID, such as a work iPhone. Complicated, but not impossible.
How To: Download a Show's Next Episode Automatically on Netflix After Watching the Previous One
One of the most convenient features in the Netflix app is the ability to download movies and TV shows to your device, which lets you avoid potential streaming issues and watch content offline whenever you want. To make downloading even more convenient, you can automatically download new episodes of your favorite TV shows once you've finished the ones already stored on your phone.
How To: Get Netflix to Auto-Download Shows & Movies to Your Phone Based on Your Interests
These days, there's more content than ever, and the sheer amount of titles out there can make picking something to watch seem near impossible. Netflix does provide suggestions based on content you've already viewed, which helps, and the company believes so much in its algorithms that it now gives you the option to auto-download videos on your devices based on your interests, no decisions required.
How To: Make Your iPhone's Portrait Orientation Lock Change Automatically Whenever You Open & Close Specific Apps
I always keep my iPhone's Portrait Orientation Lock on so that my screen doesn't randomly rotate while I'm lying down. However, there are certain apps that I do turn it off for. It's kind of a pain since you have to swipe down the Control Center and toggle the orientation lock — but that ends now. Instead of doing it manually, a new iOS update can automate app orientations for you.
How To: Film Your Own AR Music Videos with Vidiyo, Lego's TikTok Competitor
For its latest take on augmented reality-infused playsets, Lego is giving the young, and the simply young at heart, its twist on the viral lipsync format made popular by TikTok with Lego Vidiyo.
How To: These Noise-Canceling Headphones Are a Steal for Only $80
What's worse than trying to hear your music over the sound of someone else panting at the gym? Or maybe you're getting really into a movie, and it's finally at the moment everything has been building up to when a car alarm in your parking lot suddenly goes off, and the moment is ruined.
How To: See What a New Language Can Do for You with This $30 Bundle
When we're kids, learning a new language is easy, but that's not the case when we reach adulthood. For all the times you've struggled with rote practice from apps like Duolingo or wished you could take language courses without enrolling in an expensive university, now there is The Ultimate Language Learning at Home Bundle for Beginners.
How To: Leap into Cybersecurity with This Ethical Hacking Bundle
Ethical hacking is a useful skill that can make you stand out in the field of cybersecurity. Whether you're just entering the field or are already established and are looking to stay current, learning the fundamentals of the white hat is an essential skill for your professional development.
How To: Take a Screenshot on Your iPhone Without the Annoying Thumbnail Preview Showing Up
Since iOS 11, a thumbnail preview appears on your iPhone whenever you take a screenshot. It's useful for access to quick sharing options and editing tools, but you can't disable the preview image. You can wait for it to disappear or swipe it off-screen, but that's as good as it gets — until now. In an iOS 14 update, there's an option to disable the screenshot preview — only you won't find it in Settings.
How To: Install the Android 12 Developer Preview (It's a Lot Easier Than You Think)
Google released the first build of Android 12 almost exactly one year after dropping Android 11, which is remarkable in the midst of a global pandemic. But you can tell the Android engineers have been hard at work while quarantining, because the latest OS version is absolutely packed with new features.
How To: For $40, This VPN Will Protect Your Data for Life
If you're concerned about your data ending up where you don't want it online, then a VPN is something you'll want to consider. A VPN can prevent your bank account information from leaking, your data from being taken directly from your device, and it doesn't come at the cost of any of the convenience we've grown to expect and require from the internet.
How To: Quickly Generate a Strong Password on Your iPhone When iCloud Keychain Won't Work
Apple's password manager, iCloud Keychain, lets you securely save important login credentials for apps, websites, and services that sync up across all of your Apple devices — iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac. One of its biggest highlights is that it can create strong passwords for you. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work, and in those cases, there are other ways to generate random, strong passwords.
How To: Rename Your Original Sound to Make Your TikTok Video More Shareable
TikTok is a video-platform first, and while visual content is critical to its popularity, what has carried many of these videos to millions upon millions of views isn't only what you see but what you hear.
How To: Do This to Make Siri Use Deezer for Music & Podcasts Instead of Apple's Apps
With its emphasis on well-rounded audible entertainment, Deezer gives all music and podcast fans the best of both worlds. As great as the app is, it's inconvenient to constantly tell Siri to play your music and podcasts through Deezer so that it doesn't default to Apple Music or Apple Podcasts instead. But as of iOS 14.5, you can set Deezer as your iPhone's "default" music player for Siri.
How To: This Hidden Setting Is the Trick to Uploading HD Videos on Your TikTok Profile
You might have noticed some of the videos you upload to TikTok don't always look great. If you think the answer is that you need a DSLR, you're wrong. The blurriness, pixelation, and overall bad quality that can happen in your uploaded videos is probably not your smartphone's fault — it might be because you aren't uploading your videos in HD.
How To: Get Siri to Remember Pandora as Your Preferred Music Player in iOS 14.5
If Pandora is your primary music app on your iPhone, you know it can be frustrating to use with Siri. The digital assistant always wants to use Apple Music instead, so you need to specify that you want to play through Pandora with almost every request. That's now a thing of the past because iOS 14.5 allows you to set Pandora as your Siri's preferred music player.
How To: Learn Python & AI with This $20 E-Book
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that learning to program is becoming a highly lucrative and useful skill. Monster.com called coding "the skill you need today" if you want a job in some of the highest-paying fields out there. If the last year has proven anything, working online requires a strong digital infrastructure that someone has to help build. That someone can, and should, be you.
How To: Easily View & Delete Music That's Taking Up Storage Space on Your iPhone
Apple's two iCloud storage plans have made it easier than ever to free up space on your iPhone to take more pictures, play more mobile games, and download more music. The plan prices range from $0.99 to $9.99, which isn't bad, but not everyone wants to pay for storage. So deleting items becomes a great option to free up storage — especially music and music videos.
How To: Download TikTok Videos Without Watermarks on Your iPhone
TikTok has grown to be one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. The video-sharing app is a driving force for viral content, spurring various popular movements in dance, pranks, comedy, and more. And as one might assume, videos on TikTok don't stay on TikTok — they're shared on Instagram, Twitter, and other services where millions of people get the chance to also view them.
How To: This Ergonomic Controller Is Perfect for Content Creators at Only $149.99
For a long time, digital creators have had to make do with clumsy mice that don't capture the minute movements they need to do their best work. Unless you were willing to spend potentially over $600 for a drawing tablet with a high-resolution screen, you were stuck with a mouse. Creators who work with audio or video were just out of luck, period.
How To: This $15 White Noise Machine Will Change How You Sleep
As necessary as sleep is, millions of people struggle with it every night. More than 50 million Americans suffer from any number of sleep disorders. If you're one of them and want a more satisfying, consistent sleep, then the LectroSound Sleep & Relax Soothing Noise Machine may be the perfect addition to your bedroom. For only $15.99, you can give yourself the rest and reinvigoration that your body and mind crave.
How To: Remove the Calendar & Weather Widget from Your Pixel's Home Screen
Google's "At A Glance" widget gives you the current weather conditions and upcoming events from your Google Calendar in a handy spot right at the top of your home screen. But on Pixel phones, this widget is permanently embedded into the launcher, so you can't just long-press it to remove it.
How To: Make YouTube Music Siri's Preferred Music Player in iOS 14.5 Intead of Apple Music
A new feature in iOS 14.5 lets you change your preferred music player for Siri requests. So if you primarily use YouTube Music over Apple Music and other services, Siri will learn so that you never have to tell the virtual assistant to play a song, artist, or album "on YouTube Music" again.