Gadget Hacks How-Tos
How To: 10 Major Security Enhancements Coming in Android 11
Starting with Android 9 and 10, Google made privacy and security the main priorities for Android updates. Both versions brought numerous changes to help erase the notion that Android isn't safe, but Android 11 might even have them beat.
How To: Turn Your Samsung Galaxy's Rear Flash into a Notification LED
Even though Samsung has features like the always-on display, you still might miss some notifications now that the alert LED is gone. But baked in One UI is the ability to turn the rear camera flash into a notification LED. Any incoming alerts or calls will cause the camera LED to blink, so you won't miss a thing.
How To: Need a New Computer? Upgrade on the Cheap with These Refurbished Microsoft Surface Products
If you're one of the many professionals transitioning to working from home amidst the current pandemic, there's a good chance you're now realizing how far behind your at-home setup is compared to what you had at the office.
How To: Enable Bedtime Mode on Your Android Device
Apple added a Bedtime Mode to its Screen Time tool for curbing smartphone distractions. Google's version of Screen Time, called Digital Wellbeing, actually predates Apple's, but a recent update is finally bringing in Bedtime Mode.
How To: Change Your AirPods' Name to Something More Unique — Right from Your iPhone or Android Phone
AirPods are starting to show up everywhere, and with more and more people owning them, it can be fun to make yours a little more personalized. One way you can do that is by giving your AirPods a unique name, something a bit more fun than "John's" or "Jane's AirPods." With just a few taps, you can change your AirPod's name right from your iPhone or Android phone.
How To: Make Your Next Career Move with These Online Courses
You never want to stop learning. Whether you're facing a career pivot or want to better understand the vocation you've chosen, there's always room for growth. The most successful workers are those who make education a lifelong pursuit.
How To: Sideload Apps on Android TV — Get Unofficial Software for Sony TVs, Nvidia Shields & More
At its core, Android TV's software is the same as the OS running on 87% of all smartphones. But it doesn't always feel that way, with its version of the Play Store only having 5,000 apps (or 0.2% of all Android apps). To access the remaining 99.8% of apps, you will need to sideload them.
How To: Change These 30 Settings to Stop Zoombombing & Other Interruptions in Your Zoom Meetings
The "Zoombombing" trend is still strong on the Zoom video meetings service, despite security measures Zoom put in place to stop it. That's why it's up to you, as either a host or co-host, to be proactive about preventing Zoombomber harassment, as well as stopping it whenever it slips through the cracks.
How To: Enable the Built-in Windows Integration on Your Galaxy S20 to Text from Your PC & More
Ever since Microsoft sunset Windows Phone, they've been working with Android to tap into the growing mobile device market. The tech giant has uploaded over 80 apps to the Play Store for any Android user to download, but some features Samsung has hoarded for themselves.
How To: Play Classic Nintendo, Sega, PlayStation & Atari Games on Your iPhone
A modern iPhone is capable of running sophisticated, exquisitely-rendered games that rival titles on current-generation consoles. However, there is some value in classic video game titles, whether you grew up playing games on the Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Sega Genesis or not.
How To: Track Your Own Mobile Data Usage on iPhone or Android
Data is king. Nearly every carrier and MVNO offers unlimited talk and text with their cellular plans. Where they differ is the amount of data available, so that's the part that can save or cost you the most money.
How To: Get Project Manager Certifications with Help from Scrum, Agile & PMP
Communication is an essential skill for successfully launching products. Whether you're developing the latest and greatest app or trying to get ahead of a large data science project, effective communicators are always in high demand.
Deal Alert: Learn the Basics of C++, Node.js, Adobe Mixamo & Unity for the Price of a Chromecast
You've spent untold hours playing your favorite games. You know what you love. More importantly, you know what can be improved upon. The distance between vision and reality is not as far as you think. You just need a bit of training.
How To: Learn a New Language on Your Phone with Help from Language Experts & Linguists
While sheltering at home has its downsides, one lesson we're all learning is how interconnected the world is. In that sense, it's a wonderful time to satisfy your curiosity about other cultures. There are many means of education like exploring music, cuisine, and fashion, but few things are as effective and beneficial as learning the native language.
How To: Watch Out for This Setting the Next Time You Set an Alarm on Your iPhone
When you set an alarm on your iPhone, you assume it'll go off at the set time. However, that's not always the case. There's one quirk in how iOS handles alarms that, if gone unchecked, will silence every alarm you set so that you won't wake up on time.
How To: Make OnePlus' Lift to Wake Feature Show the Lock Screen Instead of the Always-on Display
OnePlus releases some unique and exciting features before they start catching on with everyone else. Their OxygenOS is often considered the cleanest and most useful variant of Android. However, there are still a few key features OnePlus has yet to bring to their devices. This includes a proper lift to wake option.
How To: Record Video with Full 100x Zoom on Your Galaxy S20 Ultra
The Galaxy S20 Ultra can take pictures at 100x zoom. The regular S20 and S20+ can both do 30x for photos. But when you're shooting video, these same models are limited to 20x zoom for some reason — that is, unless you know where to look.
How To: Enable System-Wide Subtitles & Get Closed Captions for Any App on Your Galaxy S20
When it's hard to hear what's being said, subtitles give you clarity where audio falls short. Thanks to Android 10, your Galaxy S20 now lets you enable a live transcription of your phone's internal audio stream, meaning you can get closed captions in virtually any app — even if the app doesn't otherwise support them.
How To: 7 Free Pass 'n' Play Games for Your Phone That Make Coronavirus Bearable at Home
If you're quarantining with other people, consider yourself lucky — but it's not always easy. Staying in one space for so long with too many people can be challenging, so you need to find things to do to make the time go by (and to keep everyone sane). Our advice? Try out these seven free multiplayer games that only require one iPhone or Android device to play.
How To: Get Netflix Beta on Android — Even When the Beta Program Is Full
Netflix has offered its beta program officially through the Play Store for some time now. Still, the issue most of us face — the beta availability is always scarce. Without getting lucky and landing a beta spot early on when the gates were open, there wasn't much you could do about it. However, there's now a brand new method you can use to sideload the Netflix beta app and join in on the fun.
How To: Install Sileo on iOS 13 After Jailbreaking with Checkra1n
Checkra1n is by far the best way to jailbreak A7- through A11-powered iPhones on iOS 13 and later, but it's not without its downsides. Besides the lack of Windows support, the tool limits your choices to Cydia alone. With a little elbow grease, however, you can easily replace the app with Sileo for a more streamlined jailbreak experience.
How To: Remove a Participant in a Zoom Video Call & Ban Them from Joining Again
As more and more people use the video conferencing service Zoom, the chances of trolling behavior and attacks only increase. But it's not just "Zoombombers" you need to worry about. A heated discussion between family, friends, or colleagues could turn sideways real quick, and sometimes the best course of action is to remove the participant from the group video meeting altogether.
How To: Add Quick App Shortcuts to the in-Display Fingerprint Scanner on Your OnePlus
If you have a OnePlus phone with an in-display fingerprint scanner like the 6T or 7 Pro, the "Quick launch" feature can put a variety of app shortcuts right on your lock screen for easy access. For example, you could use the "My apps" shortcut for the Play Store to check for your app updates in an instant.
How To: Add a Blinking Notification Light to Samsung's Always on Display on Your Galaxy
In the pursuit of large displays with thinner bezels, Samsung has sacrificed some components. While the loss of the headphone jack gets all the attention, there are other victims — namely, the notification LED.
How To: Get the 2020 iPhone SE's Exclusive Wallpapers on Any Phone
The new iPhone SE packs the power of the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max inside the chassis of the iPhone 8. But that's not all that's new on the 2020 SE. Apple has also included six new wallpapers, exclusive to the Special Edition model, but the internet makes it tough to make anything truly exclusive anymore.
How To: Double Tap Your Status Bar to Quickly Turn Off the Screen on Any Android — No Root Needed
Several popular custom ROMs and root mods let you double tap the status bar at the top of your screen to put the phone to sleep. It pairs perfectly with the double tap to wake gesture you'll find on pretty much any Android phone. But if you're not rooted, you'll be glad to know you can finally do this by installing a simple app.
How To: The iPhone SE Is Official — Here's How to Make Sure You Get Your Hands on One Before They Sell Out
The 2020 iPhone SE had been through the rumor mill for a long time, but Apple finally unveiled the second-generation iPhone SE on Wednesday, April 15. While it doesn't sport the 4-inch design of the original SE, it combines a small form-factor with modern specs. The big question, of course, is when and how you can get your hands on one.
How To: Learn Any of Rosetta Stone's 24 Languages with This Incredible App Bundle
As we settle into our new normal, this extra time provides a perfect opportunity to learn new skills. Speaking a foreign language is a great way to expand your cultural boundaries while also training your brain. Not only will you pass the time more effectively, but you'll also be doing something positive for your health.
How To: Prevent Sites from Hijacking Your Back Button on Chrome for Android
There are few things more annoying than back button hijacking. You tap a link on a website and decide you want to go back to the previous page, only to remain on the same page again as if you didn't hit the back button. After years of frustration, Google has finally given us a solution.
How To: Put Someone on Hold During a Zoom Video Call to Lock Them Out Temporarily
During a meeting in real life, you could ask non-essentials to exit the room temporarily so that you can speak to just a few privately, but now that conferences exist online, it requires a bit more finesse. You could start a new video call on Zoom or remove individual participants, but that makes it hard for those who left to join again. But there is a feature where you can just put some users on hold.
How To: 16 Best Games to Fill the Sports Void in Your Life
The COVID-19 pandemic has practically shut down all sports except for World Wrestling Entertainment, which has continued staging matches without an audience, leaving us sports fans with nothing much to cheer for. While they can't replace live games, smartphone games provide an alternate reality to live out our competitive entertainment in the absence of the real thing.
How To: Turn Off Live Photos Forever on Your iPhone's Camera App
Love them or hate them, Live Photos have their place. The problem is, they're always on, requiring you to disable the feature every single time you open the Camera app. At least, that's how Apple has things set by default — but you can change that with just a few taps.
How To: Make Android 10's Dark Mode Turn on Automatically at Sunset
It's nice having a dark theme on Android 10 and One UI 2, but setting it on a schedule takes it a step further. Imagine the light theme turning on every morning, and the dark theme taking over after sunset — all automatically. It sounds pretty simple, but it's one of those things you wouldn't know you need until you try it.
How To: Take Your DJ & Music Production Game to Another Level with Ableton & Logic Pro X
One of the greatest trends to emerge from this period of home isolation is the live concert broadcast from bedrooms and living rooms across the planet. Though public gatherings are on hold, you can still impact people with your music and mixes. In fact, it's helping many people get through this confusing time.
How To: Activate Developer Options on Your Galaxy S20, S20+, or S20 Ultra
The first thing any Android power user does with their phone is unlocked the Developer options. The hidden menu has many low-level tweaks, such as forcing Dark mode on all apps, speeding up animations, or enabling hidden Quick Setting tiles. And most modifications require nothing more than hitting a toggle.
How To: View Animals, Spaceships & Products in Augmented Reality with Google Search
While much of the world is currently in some form of quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, augmented reality (AR) gives us all the opportunity to see virtual content while stuck in our homes.
How To: Inexpensively Edit Your Video Backgrounds with Ease
Producing professional video can be expensive and time-consuming. Green screens are cumbersome and require a lot of space, whereas dialing in the perfect lighting comes with its own challenges. For people working on a budget and space constraints, achieving the ideal background can be a nightmare.
How To: Launch Any Music App When You Connect Headphones to Your LG on Android 10
For audiophiles, few smartphones come close to LG flagship devices. With either the latest G series or V series phone, you can be sure you're getting the best audio experience of any smartphone thanks to Quad DACs and headphone jacks. And with some tinkering, you can make this experience even better.
How To: This Is the Easiest Way to Take Screenshots on Your OnePlus
There are quite a few ways to take screenshots on Android, but not all are so obvious. In fact, the best methods are often gesture shortcuts, hidden from sight by the OEM. OnePlus is no exception.
How To: 8 Different Ways to Mute Someone on Zoom That's Disturbing Your Video Meeting
If you're using or need to use Zoom, the popular video teleconferencing service, you've almost certainly heard about "Zoombombing" by now. While Zoom has been adding security measures to address the problem, there are other things you can do to prevent or stop Zoombombers in their tracks so that your video meetings and chats go undisturbed and uninterrupted.