Hot Smartphones How-Tos
How To: Add More Context to Quote Retweets on Twitter by Attaching Images, Videos & GIFs
On Twitter, quote retweets are a great way to share someone else's tweet with your view of their message. Twitter has expanded on this idea by giving us the ability to attach images, video, and GIFs to quote retweets. With these extra options, you should have no problem adding your own unique perspective on that funny, serious, or professional tweet.
How To: Save Custom Shooting Presets in Filmic Pro So You Don't Have to Adjust Settings Later for Similar Shots
Filmic Pro has a superb suite of professional settings — bit rate, frame rate, and mic choice, to name a few — which can enable you to capture the best footage possible. But different shots require different setups, and it can be frustrating to change settings on the fly. Filmic Pro lets you skip that whole process by saving your favorite settings as presets for quick and easy access.
How To: Automate Focus, Zoom & Exposure Changes in Filmic Pro for Smoother Pull Operations
There are many reasons to use Filmic Pro if you're a mobile videographer. Chief among them is its automated controls, called "pull-to-point" sliders. These pull-to-point controls not only allow you to manually adjust focus, zoom, exposure, ISO, and shutter speed before and during the action, they also let you set start and end points to automate each function, leaving you free to focus on filming.
How To: Automatically Delete Your Google History on a Schedule
Your Google history is mostly a binary choice — either you enable it fully, taking advantage of all its features while letting Google record your activity, or you disable it, staying incognito but also missing out on some fun stuff. But now, Google will let you auto-delete your history, allowing you to utilize all the perks that come with recording your history while maintaining some level of privacy.
How To: These Are the Slow-Mo Specs You Should Look for in Your Next Phone
Nowadays, our phones are capable of just more than 30 fps video. Phones like the Galaxy S10 can shoot 4K at 60 fps, even on the front camera. Slow motion functionality has recently started to appear on more and more devices — but as you may have noticed, the quality of the feature differs from phone to phone.
How To: Enable Dark Mode in Chrome for Android & iOS
Dark themes are all the rage these days, and both Android and iOS have system-wide versions. Many big-name apps and device manufacturers have already jumped on board the night train, and Google Chrome is no different. But the Chrome mobile browser offers various ways to enable its dark theme.
How To: Share a Netflix Video You're About to Watch to Your Instagram Story So Friends Can Watch with You
For me, there's nothing better than popping on a favorite show or new movie after a long day at the office — except when there's a friend or two I can talk to about that crazy ending. Netflix doesn't double as a social media app, so you can't chat about what you're watching there. What you can do is share your latest obsession to your Instagram story, to get the discussion going with all your followers.
How To: View Facebook Stories Inside Messenger Chat Threads for Instant Feedback
You can't use social media these days without running into stories. They're simply everywhere. If you're an avid Facebook Messenger user, you know that you can view your friend's Facebook and Messenger stories at the top of your Chats list. However, a new Messenger feature puts yours and other people's stories inline for chats.
How To: Get Taylor Swift's 4.26 Instagram Filter Right Now
Is there a bigger name in pop music than Taylor Swift right now? Her 116 million followers on Instagram would probably argue, "No." As such, if you're one of these many followers, you might have seen Taylor advertising a new "4.26" filter on her story. Problem is, there's no clear instruction for actually using the filter. That's where we come in.
How To: Share What You're Watching on Netflix to Your Snapchat Story So Your Friends Can Watch Too
Over the years, TV has become more of a solo activity than ever before. It is exponentially more difficult to discuss the latest shows with friends since platforms like Netflix just release all episodes at once. Luckily, Snapchat makes it easy to keep your pals in the loop on what you're watching, so they can pick up the remote and do the same.
How To: Which Streaming Service Should You Ditch if You Want Disney+?
After much anticipation, Disney finally revealed its plans for its exclusive streaming service. Disney+ launches Nov. 12, and with it, all of the Disney content you know and love. But do you really need another streaming app in your life? We asked the same thing, so we broke down what we know about Disney+ and compared it to the current competition.
How To: Change Online, In-Store, Google Pay, Samsung Pay & PayPal Cash Card Payment Preferences for PayPal
Making a purchase through PayPal is great because you have the option to pay using your account balance, a bank account, debit card, credit card, rewards balance, or even PayPal's own credit product. You need to pick one to be your preferred payment method for each in-stores and online but, unfortunately, changing these preferences can get a bit tricky on your iPhone or Android phone.
How To: The Ultimate Checklist for Getting Your Phone Travel-Ready
Smartphones are now indispensable when traveling. Domestic and overseas travel alike require food, navigation, translation, and so much more to make work or vacation successful. Gone are the days of lugging multiple tourist books around with you everywhere you go — you need to let your smartphone handle the dirty work.
How To: All the Smartphone Accessories You Need for Your Next Overseas Trip
Planning a vacation overseas can sometimes feel overwhelming with the number of things you need to remember before heading out. Since smartphones keep us connected at all times, it's essential that you have everything you need here as well. Unexpected events can arise while on your trip, and you should be prepared for anything like a survival expert.
How To: The 5 Best Travel-Friendly Phones for Road Warriors, Vacationers & Business Flyers
Whether it's a short road trip or an 18-hour flight, our phones are now essential travel companions. No longer do we need a GPS unit, maps, cameras, camcorders, or even boarding passes. However, not all phones are created equal in this regard. Some are more suited for traveling, no matter the duration.
How To: Stop Others from Adding You to WhatsApp Groups You Don't Want to Join
Thanks to its encrypted messaging, WhatsApp can be a platform for secure communication with friends and family. One drawback, however, is that the app would let anyone add you to a group chat, regardless of if you approved it or not. This lack of control over your own account is over, as WhatsApp now lets you decide who can add you to a group chat.
How To: Enable Dark Mode & OLED Night Mode in the Twitter App
Smartphones and dark mode go hand in hand. Screens can be bright, causing eye strain and battery drain, and dark mode can take the edge off both. It's perfect for nighttime browsing, but also for general use, especially on OLED displays with inky blacks. Dark mode, aka night mode, is particularly great for tweeting, and Twitter makes it easy to switch.
How To: Check In to Businesses on Yelp to Get Discounts, Freebies & Other Coupon-Like Deals
On Yelp, you have the option to check in to a business you're visiting. For you, broadcasting who you're with and where you're at is fun for social purposes, but for business owners, you're basically giving them free publicity. Well, almost free publicity. Since there's incentive to get you to check in, some businesses reward customers with special deals, such as 20% off your first visit.
How To: Forward WhatsApp Messages & Attachments to Your Other Contacts
When someone sends you a funny video, image, tweet, what have you, often the first thing you want to do is share it with someone else. Instead of copying the link and jumping over to another chat to do so, WhatsApp makes it easy to share content right from the thread you received it in, via the forward feature.
How To: How All Your Friends Are Adding Fun & Dramatic Zooms to Their Instagram Stories
You see them all over your Instagram Stories feed — post after post, video after video of dramatic, silly, or otherwise fun zooms. Your friends are showing off their lives through the lens of a Hollywood blockbuster, and you can do the same. Luckily, it's quite easy to accomplish, whether you're running iOS or Android.
How To: Use Yelp Collections to Find New Places & Keep Your Bookmarked Locations More Organized
In the past, if you stumbled upon a Yelp listing you liked, you could bookmark it and check it out later on your profile. You can still take advantage of this feature in the mobile apps, but it's more refined now than it ever was thanks to Collections, a feature Yelp first added back in May 2018. You get more power over organizing, accessing, sharing, and discovering favorite businesses.
How To: Report to Yelp Wrong Hours, Addresses, Numbers & Other Incorrect Business Listing Information
Business hours and addresses change, but they're not always updated on Yelp by business owners for the rest of us to see. Showing up when a business is closed or going to the incorrect address is a major annoyance, which is why the company allows us, the customers, to help update business information through the Yelp mobile app on iOS and Android. If owners won't do it, somebody has to.
How To: Make Buying Stuff Easier on Instagram with the Checkout Feature
Instagram wants to bridge the gap between advertising and shopping for a more central buying experience. The app has long been a platform for advertisements, with both companies and creators using it as an outlet to link to products, so it's only natural for Instagram to allow users to buy content featured in posts without ever leaving the app.
How To: Set Privacy-Focused DuckDuckGo as Chrome's Default Search Engine on Your Phone
While Google would rather you use Google as the default search engine in Chrome, there's a way to switch to the more privacy-geared DuckDuckGo search engine for all your web browsing needs. With DuckDuckGo, the company does not track anything you search or allow anyone else to track it, so you can effectively search from your iPhone or Android phone anonymously.
How To: Add 2-Step Verification to Uber for Stronger Overall Account Security
If you've ever received an email from a sketchy address purporting to be Uber, asking you to sign in with your credentials, you might be a phishing target. Hackers use a fake login page from real-looking domains to trick you into giving up your account information, and while it's been an issue in the past, Uber is making it more difficult on cyber thieves with the addition of two-step verification.
How To: Create Your Own Photo Filters in Adobe Lightroom for Faster Edits Later
Editing photos can be tedious, especially if you are using a similar theme for all of your photos. It takes time to select every tool, play with the bars, and find an adjustment that you're happy with. Luckily, there's a faster way. Adobe Lightroom for Android and iPhone allows you to save your favorite editing presets so you don't have to change every photo every time.
How To: Get Slack's Sidebar to Work with Dark Mode on Your Phone
Slack recently released a dark mode for its Android and iOS apps, and for the most part, it works great. Super dark gray backgrounds and light gray fonts, which is much easier on the eyes than blinding white backgrounds and black text. But there's one thing that is not affected by the new night mode setting — your sidebar.
How To: Get Dark Mode in Slack on Your iPhone or Android Phone
If you use the mobile Slack app, whether for work, school, or play, you know that the background color in discussions for channels, threads, and direct messages is white and that most of the text is black. Unlike with the sidebar, there's no way to customize the colors that appear here, but you do have one other option: dark mode.
How To: Change Slack's Sidebar Theme on Your iPhone or Android Phone for Customized Colors
For some reason, the Slack app on Android and iOS is a little less customizable than Slack on other platforms, so you can't adjust the sidebar theme to different colors directly inside the app. But that doesn't mean you can't customize the look of your mobile app at all. It's just a little less convenient.
How To: Secure Your Facebook Account Using 2FA — Without Making Your Phone Number Public
When it comes to digital security, one of the best ways to protect yourself is to use two-factor authentication. Most apps these days support it, including Facebook, a site where the more privacy you can muster, the better. However, of the two 2FA options available for Facebook, only one should be used as the other will share your phone number with the world, a huge privacy concern.
How To: The Best 'No-Logs' VPN Apps for Safe & Private Mobile Browsing
There's a lot of misinformation about VPN services, and it stems from the fact that not all of them are created equal. Some focus on privacy, others on security, and a few VPNs are seemingly even purpose-built for the polar opposite: data collection. We made this guide to help clear the air on some of these issues while objectively ranking the best of the best.
How To: 10 Things You Should Do to Improve Your Privacy on WhatsApp
WhatsApp is the go-to messaging app for millions worldwide and its easy to see why. The app can be considered the Swiss Army Knife of texting thanks to numerous features like Group Chats and Status Stories, in addition to striking a great balance between ease of access and overall security.
How To: Make Your Selfies Look Professional with This Simple Lighting Adjustment Trick in Photoshop Express
Picture this: You finally get that awesome angle, the perfect selfie. You can't wait to post it on your Instagram, except there's one problem — it looks a little flat and the colors just seem off. Maybe it's the lights? Or maybe your new smartphone camera isn't as good as you thought? How are your friends getting those beautiful photos they've been posting on social media?
How To: 10 Roblox Settings You Need to Double-Check to Safeguard Your Child's Privacy
Among the younger generation, Roblox rivals major titles like Minecraft as one of the most popular online games out there. In fact, it's common to hear children tell new playmates to "friend me in Roblox!" so they can play together online. There's nothing inherently sinister here, but with all the online interaction, kids' safety becomes a factor.
How To: Keep Facebook from Tracking Your Location When You're Not Using the App
When you think of companies that represent pillars like "privacy" or "security," Facebook is pretty far from the top of that list. However, the social media empire is making strides — small strides — to win trust with how it handles your user data. One of those efforts involves a way to prevent Facebook from tracking your iPhone or Android phone's location when you're not using the app.
How To: Stop Third-Party Apps You Never Authorized or No Longer Use from Accessing Your Instagram Account
Unless you're completely new to Instagram, it's likely that you've linked your account with a third-party service at some point and forgotten about it. Those services still have access to data such as your media and profile information, so it's important that you not only know how to find these "authorized" apps, but that you know how to revoke their permissions.
How To: All the Apps You Need to Make That Perfect Story
Stories are everywhere in social media today, but that wasn't always the case. In 2013, Snapchat introduced the world to these temporary windows into our daily lives. Since then, stories have infiltrated other popular apps. However, to stand out, you can't solely rely on the app where the story will be posted. Instead, you need a suite of apps that can turn your story into something special.
How To: Save Your UltraViolet Movies Before They Shut Down in July
At one point, UltraViolet was the go-to way to maintain a collection of digital movies. Fast-forward to 2019, and things are different. The service is shutting down on July 31, largely due to the massive competition in the digital movie marketplace. If you're an UltraViolet user, don't worry too much, because you can save your movie library — as long as you act before UltraViolet closes its doors.
How To: 15 Hidden Instagram Features You Don't Want to Miss
On the surface, Instagram is pretty intuitive, so you might think that you already know everything there is to know about using it on your iPhone or Android phone. But this photo and video-sharing app is constantly adding new features, some of which don't make the press releases. Even if you're an Instagram guru, chances are you've missed one of these hidden goodies.
How To: Limit Your Kid's TikTok Usage on Their iPhone
Open TikTok, and you might find yourself spending hours watching video after video. While each video is usually pretty short, it's highly possible to binge-watch hundreds at a time. It's even more fun to create your own. But as a parent, you may not want your children falling into this same trap, and it's easy to limit how much time they spend watching TikTok videos on their iPhone.