Hot Gadget Hacks How-Tos
How To: Disable Your Camera During a FaceTime Call
If you've ever wanted to turn off your camera during a FaceTime call, you might have noticed it seems, well, impossible. But it's not. You can kill your camera feed at any time, whether you're chatting with one friend or 31. Apple just makes the off button challenging to find.
How To: Disable Photo, Screen & URL Sharing for Participants on Zoom to Prevent Unwanted Images During Video Calls
As long as you have the meeting ID, you can join and interrupt virtually any video call on Zoom. And that's how we get terms such as "Zoom-bombing," where someone jumps into a chat to say or visually show vulgar and inappropriate things to the other participants. However, hosts can put an end to it.
How To: Android's Quick Reply Can Turn Your Notification Tray into a Chat Window
Most people are aware that you can reply to messages within notifications. The "Reply" button has been a feature in Android since 7.0 Nougat, saving precious seconds needed to open the app and respond there. But did you know the convenience doesn't stop there?
How To: Test Your Social Distancing Skills from Home with This AR App for Android & iOS
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus has practically guaranteed that the virus, along with the phrases "social distancing" and "flattening the curve," will rank among the top search terms of 2020. USA Today combined the phrases in its latest augmented reality experience, which quizzes your knowledge in the best practices of social distancing.
How To: Use Apple & Google's COVID-19 Screeners on Your Phone to See if You Might Have Coronavirus
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a frenzy for news and information that is nearly unprecedented in the smartphone era, with a major side effect of misinformation. Now, major tech companies are making it easier to ask for advice about novel coronavirus from their respective digital assistants. Results may vary, but Apple and Google are the most useful at the moment.
How To: Add a Virtual Background to Your Zoom Video on Mobile to Hide Your Real Background
Working from home has its perks. You don't need to commute, you can work in your pajamas, and you don't even need to clean your house, especially if you're using Zoom for video meetings on your smartphone. Instead of clearing toys from the floor or moving that pile of clothes on your chair, you can take advantage of Zoom's virtual background feature to hide what's really behind you.
How To: Use Telegram's Polls to Settle Arguments in Group Chats
With group chats, arguments tend to devolve from a dispute between two people to a giant debate amongst all members. But before things get out of control, Telegram has a feature that can help.
How To: View Your Stadia Gaming Sessions from Your Google Account History
Since Stadia is an early access game streaming platform, Google is still working on bringing big things to the table. You can expect wireless Stadia controller support for many more devices, high-quality 4K gaming on all Chrome web browsers, and more Google Assistant features. They also managed to silently sneak in a way to keep track of your Stadia gaming sessions too, which is pretty handy.
How To: 11 Tips for FaceTime Chatting with Friends & Family from Your iPhone
Anything from work or a missed flight to a worldwide pandemic (COVID-19, anyone?) can make it difficult or nearly impossible to see your loved ones. You can make phone calls or send iMessage, text, or email messages, but nothing compares to seeing family and friends right in front of you. That's where FaceTime comes in.
How To: Fix the Latest 'Device Incompatible' Error on Pokémon GO & Harry Potter Wizards Unite
Both Pokémon GO & Harry Potter Wizards Unite are augmented reality games developed by Niantic, and neither needs much introduction. Pokémon GO, all by itself, created a worldwide phenomenon that still carries a strong fan base years later — Wizards Unite is working on doing the same. However, things are not all fun and games, as you might think in the world of monsters and magical creatures.
How To: Watch These Films Early on Your Phone While Movie Theaters Are Closed for Coronavirus
Thanks to the COVID-19 virus, the whole country is staying home. That means no dining out, no going to bars, no live music, and, sadly, no movie theaters. While you might think that means you'll have to wait to see movies like "The Invisible Man," "Emma," and "The Hunt," think again. Because of the pandemic, you'll be able to watch these movies on your phone earlier than ever.
How To: Rearrange the Tabs in Your Galaxy S20's Camera App
Samsung simplified the interface in its Camera app for the Galaxy S20. It's easier to use for the most part, but now you have to go digging to access certain camera modes. To make up for this, One UI now lets you rearrange the tabs in the Camera app.
How To: All the Sites You Can Check for Coronavirus Testing Locations
One of the scariest things about the COVID-19 virus is that you can show no symptoms but still be infected (and contagious). Naturally, we all want to know whether we're carrying the new coronavirus, but if you're showing signs of COVID-19, how can you be tested to know for sure? Websites are popping up to help with that, screening for symptoms, and directing you to a testing site if needed.
How To: Shut Down & Restart Your Galaxy S20
Pressing the side key on your Galaxy S20 wakes or locks the device, while pressing and holding the button activates Bixby. So "side key" is an apt name — it's not really a power button anymore. That begs the question, how exactly do you restart this thing?
How To: Access the US Government's Coronavirus Testing Website Without a Computer
On March 13, President Trump announced during a briefing in the Rose Garden that Google was building a COVID-19 screening website to help Americans understand if they might have the new coronavirus. If likely infected, the site would also include the location of a local drive-through testing site to visit. So how can you access the screening website?
How To: Make Your Galaxy S20's Power Button Bring Up the Power Menu Like It Used To
Apple got rid of the iPhone's home button and assigned its long-press action (Siri) to the power button. Since it now did more than sleep and wake the screen and bring up the power off dialog, they renamed it the "Side button." Well, Samsung just removed the Bixby key, and they're taking the same approach.
How To: Reply to Texts on Your AirPods Without Siri Reading Out Your Messages
Your iPhone's "Announce Messages with Siri" feature is pure Apple. If you have a pair of connected AirPods (2nd generation or newer), Siri can read your messages to you as they come in, and you can say "Reply" to send one back. However, that natural flow is disrupted once Siri reads back your drafted text — but you can disable it to make the process smooth all the way through.
How To: Automatically Delete Signal Messages to Save Storage Space
Thanks to backups, Signal conversations can span over multiple years and multiple phones. These archives can get rather large as you share photos, videos, and other files with friends. But between the other apps and large files on your phone, you might not be able to afford to keep all those messages.
How To: The 4 Best Password Managers for iPhone
Using a strong password is critical to the security of your online accounts. However, according to Dashlane, US users hold an average of 130 different accounts. Memorizing strong passwords for that many accounts is impractical. Fortunately, password managers solve the problem.
How To: Tame Out of Control Notifications on Your iPhone in Seconds with This Quick Move
When left unmaintained, lock screen notifications can be an overwhelming, chaotic mess. Alerts coming in at a rapid pace can be hard to see because there are just too many of them, and your iPhone's screen sometimes can't even take it, falling asleep before you can read only a few notifications. If that sounds like you, there's an easy way to take back control of alerts — and your sanity.
How To: Pause Music with Your Pixel's Motion Sense Radar Gestures
When Google first launched the Pixel 4, it was and still is the only phone in existence that uses a radar system for motion gestures. Yes, that radar — the same kind of motion-sensing technology used in the military for years — is available on our phones. The Pixel 4 did come with a gesture to let you change songs without touching the phone itself, but you can now pause your music just the same.
How To: Set Up Car Crash Detection on Your Pixel to Contact Emergency Services When You Can't
Google's push for your safety gained some much-needed attention when it released the Pixel 4 smartphone. It has an app called "Personal Safety," which uses the array of built-in sensors on your phone to detect if you've been in a car crash. The futuristic safety feature was exclusive to the Pixel 4 initially but is now available to all Pixel owners as well.
How To: Stop Pecking at Your Screen — Use Your Galaxy's Keyboard to Move the Cursor Exactly Where You Want It
The iPhone's ingenious trackpad function offers an intuitive way to place the cursor where it's needed. Not to be outdone, Samsung phones like the Galaxy S20 have a similar feature baked in. If you're running One UI 2, it's even enabled by default.
How To: Use Spotify Voice Commands to Play Artists, Playlists & More on Your Phone
Spotify launched an experimental feature in early-2018 called Spotify Voice, a voice assistant that lives right in the app. It lets you speak to quickly find and play your favorite songs, albums, artists, videos, and podcasts on the music streaming service. Although the feature was initially only available on iOS, it's been ported over to Android so that anyone can take advantage of it.
How To: Your iPhone's Flashlight Doesn't Have to Be That Bright
Have you ever been to a hip restaurant with horrible lighting? You need your iPhone's flashlight just to read the menu. Of course, sometimes the light comes off too bright, blinding the people next to you. But don't settle for a flashlight that's too bright. You can choose from four different brightness levels instead, to perfectly fit your situation.
How To: Skip Intros on YouTube in Just a Couple Taps
Binging on YouTube these days can be just as fulfilling as Netflix or Hulu, but sometimes you just need to skim through a video. Whether you want to skip over a long-winded intro or you want to show your friend the best part in the middle, YouTube has a great gesture for you.
How To: Sick of That One TikTok Trend? You Can Easily Block It from Your Feed
There's nothing quite like getting lost in the TikTok void. While you'll likely never run into the same video twice, the same can't be said for popular sounds and fads. Some trends get so viral, it feels like you hear the same song or track every other TikTok. Just know this: you don't have to put up with any trend you're sick of.
How To: Move Chrome's Menu Bar to the Bottom of Your Screen
Google has always experimented with Chrome's UI, but when they make more drastic changes, they start by hiding them in the feature flags menu. One of the latest designs makes Chrome more accessible in a world of big and tall phones.
How To: Install the Android 11 Developer Preview on Your Google Pixel — The Beginner's Guide
Google just released the first version of the next major Android update. Early Android 11 builds will only available as developer previews, so you can't just sign up for the beta program and install the update as an OTA for the first couple months. That said, it's still pretty easy to get.
How To: Block Apps from Accessing Your iPhone's Camera to Prevent Privacy Invasions
The camera system on the iPhone has never been better. Apple's iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max sport some of the best shooters on the market. But no level of quality makes up for the fact that shady apps can access your cameras for nefarious reasons. You can take control of the situation, however, and block any app you want from using your rear and front-facing cameras.
How To: Chrome's Menu Has a Quick Gesture You Should Know About
Many new phones are moving to navigation gestures from the physical buttons of the past. The idea is to maximize screen space as much as possible while still being intuitive. Something cool you should know about, Chrome for iPhone and Android has a neat little trick that pairs quite nicely with these new gestures.
How To: Open Instagram Straight to the Story Camera to Bypass Your Feed & Start Capturing Right Away
When it comes to shooting a great Instagram story, spontaneity is often key. Who doesn't love seeing something unexpected pop up on their feed? That said, to catch those moments, you need to be quick, and the standard method for opening Instagram's Story camera isn't that. Instead, try this method the next time you need to document something in a flash.
How To: There's a Faster Way to Open Recent Files on Your iPhone
With the updated Files app in iOS 13, iPhone users finally have decent file browser. But, as with any file browser, it can easily become crowded, making it hard to find the files you want.
How To: Become a Better Reader Using Apple Books' Reading Goals
Whether you've made a resolution to try and read more books this year or are just looking to set time aside to listen to an audiobook a little bit each day, building good reading habits can be tough with a busy life. However, with iOS 13, Apple Books includes reading goals, which might give you that little extra bit of encouragement and accountability to help you reach your goals.
How To: Switch To Your Finsta In Just One Tap
If you have two or more accounts logged into Instagram at any given time, you likely know how confusing it can get. You could like content, post pics, and share stories from the wrong account, as well as perform embarrassing searches that show up in the history of a shared work profile. Switching accounts is easy to forget once you open the app, so do it beforehand instead.
iOS 13: You Can Still Delete & Rearrange Apps by Long-Pressing — You Just Have to Do It Right
The new gestures in iOS seem, at first, to replace the old way of doing things. Rearranging and deleting apps from your home screen is totally different now, right? Well, not really. You can still do it the old way, if you know how.
How To: Find a Friend's TikTok in Seconds & Share Your Own with TikCodes
Like other popular social media apps, TikTok features a tagging system — dubbed TikCode — to follow people in your immediate vicinity. Instead of searching for their username, you can scan their TikCode, and TikTok will launch their page immediately. Of course, you have a TikCode of your own, so you can share yours with others in the same way.
How To: Make Text Pop in Instagram Stories with 3D-Like Drop Shadow Effects for Any Font
There are tons of apps to help you create unique and compelling posts and stories on Instagram, but you already have the tools you need to make something eye-catching. You can insert line breaks in captions, create translucent overlays for photos, rainbow-up your story font, and even add a 3D text effect to your stories.
How To: 7 Tips to Improve Your Privacy & Safety on Twitter
As fun as Twitter is, it can also quickly turn scary. Anonymous, aggressive, and troll accounts can attack you for your tweets and stalk your every move. While you could make your profile private and block users, there are lesser-known privacy and security features that you can switch to improve your safety online.
How To: Stay Updated on Anyone's Tweets Without Following Them
Following someone on Twitter is an investment. You virtually agree to have their opinions, tirades, and hot takes spewed across your timeline. It can get annoying real quick if they're known to post controversial comments periodically. However, there are other ways to stay updated on someone's tweets without you having to hit the follow button and go all in.