Smartphones

How To: There's a Super Easy Way to Select Multiple Pictures in Google Photos

Selecting multiple pictures or videos in Google Photos can be tedious. Usually, you'd long press on the first image to select it, then tap on other pictures one by one to select them as well. But there is a much easier and faster way to do this.

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: Save Both a Home & Work Address on Google Maps When You Work from Home

Google Maps lets you set home and work locations for quick access to navigation. In fact, these two locations are so central to the Maps experience that if you don't have both saved, the app can be a little naggy about it. But if you work from home, there's just one address to use, so what are you supposed to do?

How To: Dance TikTok's Footshake Challenge in 3 Different Ways

Whether you call it the foot shake or foot dance, videos of people tapping their feet together have been and still are blowing up all over TikTok. If you want to get in on the action but can't follow along with all of the fast-paced TikToks, we'll slow it down a bit for you and a friend.

How To: Add & Use More Accounts on Instagram for Easy Profile Switching

When you have a personal Instagram account but also manage other profiles — like ones for work, your entrepreneurial startup, an alter ego, or your famous pet, to name just a few examples — how do you manage them all from the same device?

News: Did Samsung Really Just Blow the iPhone 11 Out of the Water with the Galaxy S20? Here's What the Specs Say

Apple has their regular iPhone 11, then two higher-end "Pro" models. Samsung went the other way — they have the Galaxy S20 and S20+, then there's the S20 Ultra. But one thing these smartphone lines do have in common is the base model flagship. How do they compare?

News: Did Samsung Take Back Apple's Crown with the Galaxy S20 Ultra? Here's How it Compares to the iPhone 11 Pro Max

The time to wait for an absolutely killer phone from Samsung is over. They've released a giant of a phone known as the S20 Ultra, and at least on paper, it's a grand slam. But only a few months ago, Apple released its first "Pro" iPhone, and it was giant in its own right. So which is better?

How To: Instagram Makes It Easy to Unfollow Accounts You Don't Like Anymore

Is your Instagram feed a bit cluttered? Maybe you're seeing posts from people you don't even recognize. Perhaps the content isn't interesting. Whatever the case, it's common after years of having an account to follow too many users whose posts just aren't doing it anymore. Luckily, Instagram has an easy way for you to purge unwanted accounts from your following list.

How To: Keep Facebook from Creeping on Your Activity Outside of the App

It's pretty much a given at this point that Facebook has a lot of data on us. While you might be conscious of the data you share with Facebook when you post, upload photos, or chat with friends on Messenger, you might not be thinking about all the data it receives from websites and apps you use outside the social media giant. Now, you can actually do something about it.

How To: Make Text Pop in Stories with Drop Shadows 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.

How To: Add Invisible #Hashtags for Clean Instagram Stories

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: Make Twitter Less Awful by Muting Words & Usernames from Your Feed

Twitter can be a wonderful place for people to express their emotions and chat with each other in brief. However, it can also be a breeding ground for hateful comments, foul language, and a whole lot of political talk.

How To: There's a Simple Way to Get That Cool Effect on Your Friend's Story

When watching stories in your Instagram feed, there's a high probability that you'll come across an AR filter that you'll want to try out for yourself. A quick browse and search in the Effect Gallery will bring up nothing in most cases. But all of that unproductive work isn't necessary because there's a faster and simpler way to get the AR effect in Instagram Stories, and it works all of the time.

How To: Start Shooting a New TikTok in a Split Second with This Trick

If you have a great idea for a TikTok, you probably need to take your time to execute it perfectly. But what if something crazy and unexpected is happening in front of you, perfect for an impromptu video? You don't want to miss the action, but getting all the way to TikTok's camera might take too long — that is, if you don't know this trick.

How To: The 5 Best Phones for Social Media Addicts & Influencers in 2020

The top five apps of the 2010s were all social media apps of some kind, and the fact that's not surprising to you says a lot. We may use them for other reasons here and there, but our phones are social media machines at their cores. The thing is, some make better machines than others.

How To: Remove & Disable Photo Tags on Twitter for Better Account Privacy

If you don't want to be found on Twitter, there are several ways to do that without making your account private. For instance, you can choose an obscure username, omit your real name, or pick a random avatar. But there are lesser-known features deep in your settings that can also protect your privacy online, including preventing photo tags.

How To: Hide Facebook Messenger Groups Without Letting Other People Know You Left

Group chats in Facebook Messenger can devolve into outright noise pollution as people chit chat randomly and bombard you with distracting notifications. Unfortunately, leaving the group outright alerts everyone inside, so if you want to get out of the thread unnoticed, what exactly can you do?

How To: The Easiest Way to Find the Source Song of That Viral TikTok Sound

Songs new and old are given a fresh purpose through the TikTok meme machine, but it can be tricky to figure out where a track originally comes from. Sure, you can tap the name of the song to see the source on TikTok, but if it were a snippet uploaded by someone other than the track's creator, the song title likely wouldn't be listed. Luckily, there is an easy way to figure it out.

How To: Lock Down Your Social Media Accounts with These 7 Useful Security Tips

As long as you're on the internet, you can be hacked. With an estimated 2.65 billion social media users, these apps are prime targets for hackers.

How To: Unroll Twitter Threads for Easier Reading

While tweetstorms were a part of Twitter since the beginning, threads, which makes tweetstorms more viable, didn't show up until late-2017. Still, threading multiple tweets at once to create long-form stories, opinions, tirades, and other lengthy Twitter posts, can be hard to digest. However, you can make reading them easier with just a single message.

News: 10 Accounts That Will Make You Sign Up for TikTok

Does TikTok scare you? Trust me, I get it. It's a strange, unfamiliar place to those of us not accustomed to its ways, populated by teenagers and college students with their own subcultures, memes, and humor. But here's the thing: TikTok has something for everyone, you included.

How To: Unblock People & Websites on Facebook for iPhone or Android

It's easy to block a person or a website from appearing in your Facebook feed, but it isn't as easy to undo that. Thankfully, there are still ways to unblock people directly from your phone.

How To: See View Counts for Your TikTok Videos

A huge part of the fun that comes with TikTok is watching your videos go viral. To that end, the popular social media app has a simple way to let you instantly see how many people viewed your videos and photos

How To: Find Everyone Who Quoted a Specific Tweet Using the Twitter App

If there's an influential tweet, you can see what people are saying about it by reading its comment thread. But what about quote tweets, aka tweets someone posted on their own timeline that quote the initial tweet? These don't show up in comment threads, but there is a way to find them.

How To: Everything You Need to Know About Pinning a Tweet

Pinning a tweet is a great way to get the point across because it's the first post people see when they visit your Twitter profile. When you pin a tweet, reply, or retweet, it sticks to the top of your profile, whether you create new tweets or not. It's the perfect spot to place one of your more popular tweets, a fantastic blog you wrote, or even just a joke that shows your personality.

How To: Use Incognito Mode in Google Maps to Keep Your Search & Location History Private

Google just recently added an incognito mode feature to Google Maps for iPhone and Android. With that, you can now use Maps in private at any time, which means you can browse and search with peace of mind.

How To: Leave a Facebook Group You're Not Interested in Anymore

Whatever it is you're into, Facebook Groups are a great way to connect with others that share your interests. And beyond matching you up with like-minded people, Groups also give you access to deals on items, help you organize play dates with families in the same area, and so much more.

How To: Master TikTok's Shuffle Dance in 4 Steps

What's the latest dance trend sweeping TikTok? The Shuffle Dance. If you just watch people doing the Shuffle Dance, especially the really good ones, you might think it's a bit complicated. In reality, it's really not that hard. It's just a handful of steps.

How To: Instantly Try Out That Cool AR Lens in Your Friend's Snap

You get a snap from a friend, per usual, but what's this? The lens they're using is actually really cool. Of course, you want to try it out for yourself, but don't bother searching Snapchat's enormous library of lenses to find the AR effect. Instead, there's a simple way to instantly test it out, right from the original snap itself.

How To: Use Threads on Twitter for Better Tweetstorms

The 280-character limit for tweets on Twitter is double what it used to be back in the day, but it's still not enough to express in-depth thoughts, ideas, commentary, rants, blogs, stories, and the like. These tweetstorms, as they're called, are the reason why Twitter created its threads feature.

How To: Change Your Twitter Timeline Back to Reverse-Chronological Order

If you're tired of the so-called "top" tweets appearing first in your Twitter timeline instead of only the latest from the people, companies, and bots you follow, there's a way to get rid of them.

How To: Enable Gaming Preferred Mode on Google Wifi or Nest Wifi for Smoother Stadia Streaming

Although not quite as common today with the always-connected world we live in, you still might be having bandwidth wars in your home right now. If the internet connection in your area is mediocre, you know the feeling well. Google Stadia recommends having a 25 Mbps connection for playing in 4K, so you can expect to need at least that much to maintain a smooth, high-quality gaming session.

How To: Your Chromecast Ultra Has a Game Mode Feature for Stadia Streaming

With the early launch of Google Stadia for cloud-based gaming, there was bound to be a slight learning curve for most people. Many didn't realize that the average TV is not suitable for gaming by default. This is why there is a separate game mode you must use when playing on the big screen. Luckily, your Chromecast Ultra can actually take care of this for you automatically.

How To: There's a Super-Fast Way to Redial the Last Phone Number You Called

If you need to call someone back in a hurry, don't bother redialing the number. In fact, don't bother digging through your phone app to tap on the number in the call log. Instead, use this simple trick to quickly redial the number, whether you have an iPhone or Android.

How To: Adding Bank Accounts & Cards to PayPal Is Easy

PayPal is one of the most popular payment systems across the globe. It makes payments fast, easy, and secure, and with 250+ million users, it's not going anywhere. If you're new to the online service, one of the first things you should learn is how to add your bank account, credit card, or debit card to PayPal, and make your life easier when it comes to online payments and withdrawals.

How To: Learn TikTok's 'Renegade' Dance in 20 Seconds

Two minutes on TikTok is all it takes to learn that Renegade is a huge deal. The song and the dance combined are a viral trend that shows no sign of stopping. Feeling left out? Let's change that. You can learn the entire dance in just 20 seconds.

How To: This Sneaky Trick Lets You Post Empty Tweets & Pin Retweets to Your Profile

On Twitter, you can pin one of your tweets or replies to your profile, so it's the first post people see when they visit your page. However, Twitter prevents you from pinning someone else's tweet. You can't even pin something you retweet. There is a clever workaround, though, and it also works for posting empty tweets.

How To: Make Your Own Viral AR Filter for Instagram Stories

There's a new trend on Instagram Stories: People are making viral AR filters where images of popular characters from TV shows, movies, and other mediums shuffle above your head until one sticks. The filters range from Disney and Pokémon characters to Harry Potter and Friends, but you're not limited to just that because you can create your own "which are you?" filter.