Gadget Hacks Features
How To: Burner Protects Your Real Phone Number with Disposable Aliases on Your iPhone
There are tons of situations that require you to give out your phone number, and I think just about everyone has regretted doing so at some point. It can be incredibly convenient to have a secondary or temporary number on hand, so if you don't want to provide your real digits, you can still get the call without revealing your true numbers. And that's where Burner comes in. Burner is a mobile app for iPhone and Android that lets you create alias phone numbers that you can take out of service a...
How To: Add Widgets to Your Chromecast's Home Screen
The idle screen for the Chromecast is certainly beautiful. Full of many high-definition pictures taken of various parts of the world, it's almost a shame that we have to dismiss this screen in order to cast content.
How To: Get the Google Phone App with Spam Blocking & Business Search on Any Android Phone
The Google Phone app is one of the best dialers for Android today, especially with all of the unique and exciting features it brings to the table. Unfortunately, without owning a Pixel phone, you are unable to officially download the app, making a modified version your only option. However, this version of Google Phone is missing a few key features, such as spam protection and business search.
How To: Change audio on an already uploaded YouTube video
This video describes the process of changing the audio on a YouTube video that you have already uploaded. The video is presented by Helplines.com and is in their technology series. We start out logged into YouTube and click on Uploaded Videos, then choose the video you would like to change. Click on the Audio Swap button that is just below the video. You can then choose the I'm Feeling Lucky button to have YouTube pick the audio for you. Or browse through the selections to find an appropriate...
Google Chrome 101: How to Play the Hidden Dinosaur Mini-Game on Your iPhone or Android Phone
While having no internet connection is definitely a bad thing when you need it, you can at least bide your time until you're back online with a hidden Easter egg inside of the Google Chrome browser. This gem unlocks a secret side-scrolling game that can keep you busy during your downtime.
How To: 7 Screenshot Secrets for iPhone You Need to Start Using When Capturing Your Screen
The screenshot tool on your iPhone can come in handy in various ways, but it may be even more helpful than you realize. So if you thought you knew everything there was to know about your iPhone's screenshot tool, it's time to put your knowledge to the test.
How To: Print Out These Cutouts to See Which iPhone Size Is Right for You
If you were holding out on an iPhone X but still haven't bit the bullet on the $1,000+ price tag, it may be because you're not sure how it will feel in your hands compared to the iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus, which are pretty much the same size as the last three iPhone models you know and love. We can help you figure this out, though, with a simple printout to compare phone sizes in your hand.
How To: Extend Your Bumble Matches at the Last Minute
On Bumble, you only have 24 hours to connect with a match. If no message is sent, your match disappears and your chance of a connection is gone, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the other person isn't interested. If they lose their phone or don't receive notifications, they might miss your message on accident. Life happens, so what can you do if your 24 hours to connect are almost up?
How To: Add Invisible Hashtags in Your Instagram Story to Show Up in Search Without Uglifying Your Content
Spreading your reach to new audiences on Instagram takes time and effort. It's not only about taking unique photos and curating an exciting feed. You should choose the time of day wisely, connect with popular brands, and take advantage of hashtags. Unfortunately, hashtags can make it seem like you're trying too hard, but you can make them invisible — in stories, at least.
How To: Hide Secret Photos & Videos Inside an Unsuspicious, Functional Clock on Your Galaxy S3
No matter how careful or decent you are, there will always be pictures or videos that you want to keep private. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but if someone were to go through my photo gallery, only one word would be coming out of my mouth—"%@&#!!"
How To: Use Face ID with Sunglasses On
The iPhone X introduced the world to Face ID in 2017, and now, every new iPhone uses Apple's biometric security system instead of the old Touch ID. It's more secure than fingerprint scanners and it's even more user-friendly. True, it's not without its faults, but at least one of the biggest problems can be fixed.
How To: Get the OnePlus 7 Pro's Zen Mode on Any Android
The OnePlus 7 Pro comes with a new Zen Mode feature to help increase your concentration and reduce distractions. It takes things a step further than Google's Digital Wellbeing by disabling your device and stopping sounds. But even if you don't have a OnePlus, you can now get this distraction-free feature on any phone.
Instagram 101: How to Stop Stories from Being Archived Automatically
A new stories archive feature appeared in the version 25 update for Instagram on both Android and iOS. This means you no longer need to save stories to your phone for later viewing, if you like doing that, but it also means all those stories are saved to your Instagram account whether you want them to be or not.
How To: The Flat-Out Easiest Way to Create a Nandroid Backup on Android
If you have a custom recovery installed on your Android device, the first thing you should have done as soon as you finished installing it was to create a Nandroid backup. But if you didn't, I'm not here to judge—I'm here to show you a much easier way.
How To: Undo. Redo. Find & Replace. Get Them for Your Android Keyboard Right Now
Even today, smartphone text input leaves a lot to be desired. It's difficult to select specific words, the cut/copy/paste menu isn't always accessible in every app, and we're lacking undo and redo options, even though it's as simple as pressing Ctrl + Z on computers.
How To: Remove the White Line from the Bottom of Your Galaxy S20's Home Screen
Your S20 has a shortcut for Samsung Pay along the bottom of the home screen. But it tends to get in the way sometimes, especially if you're using the new Android 10 gestures in One UI 2. Besides, if you don't use the feature, you probably don't want that little white line at the bottom of your screen anyway.
How To: Use Any Standard Watch Band with Your Apple Watch
Your Apple Watch only looks as good as the band that it's bound to, but if you're looking to purchase one directly from Apple, expect to spend anywhere from $149 (for the Milanese Loop) to $449 (for the Link Bracelet).
How To: Switch the Default AirPods Microphone to Stick to Your Preferred Ear
AirPods are not only a great way to listen to music on your iPhone, but you can also use them as a headset for phone calls, videoconference, Siri, voice memos, audio messages, and more. While each 'Pod has a built-in microphone, they aren't used simultaneously, and your AirPods will automatically choose which to use. If you want to only use the mic from one 'Pod or the other, there's a way to do that.
How To: Make Siri Show Your Account Passwords to You Quickly in iOS 12
With iOS 12, Apple is offering users more options than ever to create, store, and manage their saved passwords. Not only can iOS 12 make you new passwords via the AutoFill feature, you can quickly and efficiently access your entire iCloud Keychain using Siri. Why go hunting for the passwords yourself when you can ask your iOS assistant to find them for you?
How To: Search Real-World Text for Words & Phrases Using Your iPhone
Safari has a convenient "Find" feature to search for specific words and phrases in a webpage, and Apple Books has a similar feature for e-books and PDFs. But those do nothing for you when searching text in the real world. Hardcover and paperback books are still very much a thing, as well as paper-based documents, and finding what you need is as simple as pointing your iPhone's camera at the page.
How To: Adjust Display Brightness Right from Your Android's Status Bar (No Root Required)
Adjusting the brightness on your Android device is a simple but highly utilized action. For the most part, aside from the Sprint LG G3 variant, the brightness slider can be conveniently found nestled in your notification panel. And though it is easy to access, there is a small drawback to this feature.
Apple Pay Cash 101: How to View Your Transactions History
With Apple Pay Cash, sending and receiving money with fellow Apple users has never been easier. One big plus about Apple's new Apple Pay Cash card is that all of your transactions are available just a few taps away, so you can see all your person-to-person payments, balance additions, and bank transfers.
How To: Use All 10 Fingerprints for Touch ID on Your iPhone — Not Just 5 of Them
While Apple has moved on from Touch ID to Face ID in newer iPhone models, there are still plenty of iPhones with fingerprint sensors — in fact, Apple's second-generation iPhone SE is the first new Touch ID iPhone in three years. With Touch ID, you can register up to five fingerprints, but it doesn't stop there. Using a little-known trick, you can sneak another five fingerprints in there for a total of ten.
How To: Hack Boosts the OnePlus One’s Max Volume Limits
Though they share the same name, the HTC One and OnePlus One have completely different sound quality. HTC had put a lot of time and effort into fine-tuning their BoomSound technology, while OnePlus is still fairly new to the game, with brand recognition being a much greater objective than awesome speakers.
Important: Back Up Your Galaxy Note 3's EFS & IMEI Data for Emergency Restores
The options for customization are virtually endless when you're rooted and have an unlocked bootloader and custom recovery. However, there is always risk involved when flashing new mods or installing new ROMs. I always make backups in case something happens, but when I'm testing certain mods out, I sometimes get a damaged EFS partition.
How To: Set Up Grandma's First iPhone (A Guide for Newbie iOS Users)
So, your grandmother finally wants to ditch her flip phone for a shiny new smartphone? Congratulations. But helping her get used to her new device, even when it's an iPhone, is no small task. Grandma mastered checking her email in late-2012 and just recently learned there's a thing called "Facebook." But we love grandma, and thanks to this guide, we can definitely make this happen for her.
How To: Fix 'Wrong PIN' Errors After Restoring a NANDroid Backup
Making a NANDroid backup can save you from all sorts of flashing-related mishaps and accidents. Bootloops, SystemUI crashes, accidental wipes, bad ZIPs, or a dozen other possibilities—there's almost no condition in which a NANDroid is unable to correct problems with your device. However, recent changes to Android have created an almost paradoxical situation where restoring a NANDroid can actually lock you out of your phone.
How To: 13 Galaxy Note 20 Security & Privacy Settings You Should Double Check Right Away
If it has an internet connection, it's got a huge attack surface for hackers. But what makes your phone even more dangerous is its portability and the collection of sensors it houses that can be just as good at tracking you as the camera and mic.
How To: Organize Emails Better with Your iPhone's Hidden Flag Colors
The latest update to Apple's Mail app introduces a suite of new colors for flags, unique amongst even the best email apps on the App Store. The problem is they're hard to find — if you try to flag an email the old fashioned way, it'll use the default orange color, with seemingly no way to change it. Of course, there is a way, it's just a little out of the way.
How To: Stop Nosy Friends from Viewing More Photos on Android Than You Intended
You have a cool picture that you want to show someone, but when you hand your phone over, they start swiping through all of your photos. Surely, you've encountered this scenario before. I definitely have.
How To: There's a Fun Way to Switch Apps with Samsung's Gesture Controls
While Samsung's three-tabbed gesture controls are pretty intuitive, there's still a learning curve. By removing the buttons, you seemingly lose the ability to jump between apps with the quick switch gesture. I say seemingly since there's still a way, it's just not very obvious.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3: How to Download Apps and Games
This video will show you how to download apps and games in Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Enjoy new apps and games in Samsung Galaxy Note 3. So please watch the presentation and follow all the steps carefully. Employ the technique to download new app and games on your device.
News: Build Your Own AR Headset Using Leap Motion's Open Source Project North Star Design
Less than two months since unveiling Project North Star, Leap Motion has released the reference design that will allow developers, makers, and even manufacturers to build their own augmented reality headsets based on Leap Motion's work.
How To: PAIRS Is the Easy Way to Restore Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Connections After Wiping Your Phone
If you enjoy modding your Android device with root utilities, custom ROMs, and Xposed modules, then there's a good chance you've had to factory reset your phone when something went awry. Plus, when you're switching ROMs, it's always recommended that you wipe all data, so us modders spend a lot of time restoring and tweaking various settings.
How To: Disable the "High Volume" Warning on Your OnePlus One
Maybe it was the years of concerts with deafening speakers blasting music into my ears, but I always listen to my tunes as loud as the volume allows me. So, it's pretty annoying when I get a "high volume" warning every time I listen to music on my OnePlus One with my headphones on. We've previously shown you how to remove this same warning by using the NoSafeVolumeWarning, an Xposed module that required root access. Thankfully, the very liberal OnePlus One has a built-in feature that lets you...
How To: Turn Your Personal Handwriting into a Custom Font for a More Unique Look
There are thousands of fonts you can download online. Some are free, some you have to pay for, but they all have something in common—if you can get them, so can everyone else. If you want a truly unique font that no one else is using, you have to make your own, and what's more unique than your own handwriting?
Facebook Messenger 101: How to Keep Your Account When Deactivating Facebook
If you finally decide to take the plunge and delete your Facebook, you should know that your Messenger account may also go missing if that's how you log into it using your Facebook account. You can make a new Messenger profile without tying it to a Facebook account, but if you want to keep all of your old chats, you're going to want to deactivate rather than delete.
How To: Send Animated Activity Stickers (That You Didn't Earn) in iMessages
If you have an Apple Watch, you might know that the activity awards you earn can be shared with your friends as iMessage stickers on your iPhone. However, you first have to earn achievements in order to use them as stickers. That changes somewhat with iOS 12, as Apple added animated activity stickers for all Apple Watch users, whether they've earned award badges or not.
How To: Take apart an Etch a Sketch
Before I built the mechanics for my laser cutter I was planning on using the etch a sketch since the pulleys where already there. I accidentally cut the wires while taking it apart, so I made it from scratch (much bigger too). But I figured I'd post this in case you want a small laser cutter and need to learn how to take apart an etch a sketch. It was a bit tricky. The tought part was trying to take off the case. What you need to do is to pry the red off of the black, not the other way around.
How To: Use These Tricks to Set Timers Faster on Your iPhone
The native timer feature on your iPhone works well enough that you probably haven't even thought about installing a third-party timer. With just a few taps, you can get a countdown for any amount of time up to 24 hours (or one second shy of 24 hours, to be precise). But as fast as it can be to set a timer from the Clock app, there are even faster ways to start the countdown.