How-To Guides from Gadget Hacks

The Pixel 10 Pro's impressive 100x zoom capability has a serious flaw that Google didn't advertise; fortunately, it is one you can solve at home. The phone nails long-distance stills that would make wildlife photographers jealous. Zoom video, though, can lurch and stutter, especially as you cross lens ranges. Thinking you need to return your $999 phone or wait months for a fix? You don't.

Windows 10 has been your reliable digital companion for nearly a decade, but time is running out. Microsoft is officially ending support for Windows 10 on October 14, which means no more security patches, software updates, or technical assistance after that date. This sets up a potential cybersecurity crunch, with research from Canalys suggesting up to 240 million Windows 10 users could face security risks once Microsoft cuts support. There is a lifeline, though. Microsoft’s Extended Security...

iOS 26 finally brings a feature messaging enthusiasts have been requesting for years, the ability to customize conversation backgrounds in the Messages app. Instead of staring at that familiar white backdrop that's defined iMessage since the beginning, Apple has finally introduced the ability to personalize text message backgrounds. Your chats look more engaging, and you can spot the right thread at a glance.

Ever plugged in your iPhone only to see that dreaded "Slow Charger" notification pop up in your battery settings? You’re not alone. This orange warning has become increasingly common since iOS 18 introduced better charging diagnostics. It looks scary, sure, but it is really Apple nudging you toward a faster setup. iOS 18 and later displays a 'Slow Charger' message when a higher-wattage charger could improve your charging experience. Here's the playbook.

Reviewed by Meg Flores

Halloween season is upon us, and if you're like me, you've probably got a yard full of decorations that need to be plugged in every night and unplugged every morning. No more shuffling across a cold driveway at sunset. The folks over at HomeKit Weekly have mapped out exactly how to automate this seasonal chore using Apple's smart home framework, and honestly, it's a game-changer for anyone tired of trudging outside to flip switches.

Apple's parental control game just got a major upgrade with iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. As someone who's been tracking digital safety features across Apple's ecosystem for years, I can tell you this isn't just another incremental update; it is a comprehensive overhaul that addresses many of the gaps parents have been dealing with for far too long.

Apple's Live Translation feature for AirPods is one of the boldest attempts yet to chip away at language barriers with everyday tech. Curious if this sci‑fi idea actually works in the wild? You're in the right place. Here's what to know, from setup to the feel of a real conversation.

When YouTube TV announced its latest price hike to $82.99 per month in December 2024, many subscribers felt that familiar sting of yet another streaming service getting more expensive. But here's the thing. While that increase was supposed to hit existing subscribers on January 13, 2025, I've managed to dodge it completely. And I'm not alone.

Ever find yourself drowning in repetitive tasks, jumping between apps, and wondering why your expensive Apple devices can’t just work smarter? You’re not alone. That nagging feeling when you’re manually doing the same routine for the hundredth time isn’t just frustration, it’s your productivity trying to tell you something important.

Apple's Notes app has quietly evolved from that basic note-taking tool to something genuinely powerful, and with iOS 26, it's taking another significant leap forward. MacRumors confirms that iOS 26, currently in beta, has gained new Markdown support, letting you seamlessly import and export files in the popular plain-text formatting language. The functionality works both ways: you can bring existing Markdown files into Notes while preserving formatting like headings, links, and lists, or export...

Picture this: Android Police recently discovered that their digital workspace was a mess, managing a collection of productivity apps for years, including task managers, note-taking tools, calendars, and project management software. Sound familiar? If you're drowning in a sea of apps that don't talk to each other, you're not alone. Notion was first released in 2016 by Notion Labs Inc., designed as an all-in-one workspace that allows users to take notes, manage projects, organize documents, and...

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Corey Noles

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Picture this: you're scrolling through your Galaxy Watch Classic, but something feels off. The bezel that should glide like butter suddenly feels sluggish, requiring multiple turns to move between screens. Sound familiar? Before you assume it's broken, there's a simple trick that can make your bezel work like magic again.

Reviewed by Julianne Ngirngir

Reviewed by Corey Noles

Google's biggest smartwatch upgrade in years isn't coming through new hardware—it's arriving silently through the Play Store. The company is rolling out Gemini AI to older Wear OS watches starting this week, transforming your wrist into a genuinely smart assistant that can handle everything from complex cooking questions to calendar management.

Picture this: you set your Pixel Watch 3 down somewhere in your house, can't remember where, and instead of the usual "somewhere in a 30-foot radius" hunt, your phone guides you directly to the exact couch cushion where it's hiding. That's the power of what Google quietly introduced with precise Bluetooth tracking on the Pixel Watch 3.

Netflix's move into live programming just got a rocket boost. NASA announced this summer that its NASA+ live feeds—including rocket launches, spacewalks, and those mesmerizing Earth views from the International Space Station—are heading to Netflix. This marks the first time Netflix has embedded live programming from an outside source directly into its U.S. platform.

YouTube just dropped another AI bombshell, and spoiler alert: it's not all sunshine and seamless video discovery. The platform is testing AI-generated search carousels that surface video clips before you even click play—and content creators are already seeing dollar signs disappear.

Apple's shiny new CarPlay Ultra promised to transform your entire dashboard into an iPhone-powered command center. But three years after its grand debut, most automakers are delivering a collective "thanks, but no thanks" to Cupertino's most ambitious in-car takeover yet. What you need to know: Apple's next-gen CarPlay goes way beyond mirroring your phone to control A/C, speedometer, and radio — but major brands like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volvo are saying "don't invade our systems."

Picture this: you're halfway through binge-watching your latest obsession when that dreaded notification pops up — you've hit 90% of your monthly data cap. Sound familiar? Well, if you're a Comcast customer (or considering becoming one), those days might finally be behind you.

With iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, Apple makes a few changes to its screenshotting tool, and you may or may not like one of them.

When you don't feel like talking, let your iPhone do all the work.

You're probably walking around with a portable power bank in your pocket and don't even realize it. Yes, that iPhone of yours doubles as a quick-charge station for all your other pocket-sized gadgets. But it's important to understand precisely how this feature works, including its limitations, the devices you can charge, and how effectively it does the job.

Thousands of emoji are available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and you can use these in many of the apps you have installed on your Apple devices. But there's one emoji you'll likely never see on any of Apple's official emoji keyboards, and its absence may surprise you at first, considering it's embedded in virtually every Apple product. That emoji is, of course, the Apple logo icon.

With Apple's Photos app, you no longer need a third-party tool on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to blur or pixelate faces in your photos, helping you safeguard identities when sharing online.

When typing an email or website address in a compatible input field on an iPhone, most people will manually type in the domain extension. But there's a much faster way to enter domain suffixes for email addresses and website URLs that you should be using on your keyboard. Even better, there's a way to customize what domain extensions appear in the keyboard shortcut.

Apple Notes may not have all the bells and whistles that a more powerful word processor like Apple Pages has, but this simple text editor has plenty of helpful features that make it more than just a basic note-taking app. One of these features gives you the ability to highlight text and change font colors, giving you another way to make important details stand out.

Apple expanded its Food topic in Apple News into a full-blown section with recipes, restaurant reviews, kitchen tips, and more with the iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 software updates. The new Food section is exclusive to Apple News+ subscribers, but nonsubscribers can still view select stories and recipes.

Why are there no official Star Wars emoji in the Unicode Standard? We've got the Vulcan Salute from Star Trek, so where's the force choke hand gesture?! While you may never see Star Wars officially invade your emoji keyboard, there are ways to send Star Wars emoji and stickers to your friends in your favorite chat app.

Even if you don't know a gundark from a gonk droid, you can still sling Baby Yoda stickers and lightsaber emoji like a seasoned Jedi Master. And if you happen to be reading on May 4, may the 4th be with you.

Streaming is great until you're 30,000 feet up, riding the subway, or stuck on a network that suddenly drops to dial-up-slow speeds. That's why Amazon's offline access remains one of Prime Video's best perks.

Over time, your Android phone or tablet has likely connected to dozens of Wi-Fi networks — and it remembers every single one. Whether it's a hotspot at home, school, work, the gym, a coffee shop, a relative's apartment — or even from a friend's phone — each time you type in a Wi-Fi password, your Android device saves it for safekeeping and easy access later.