Everything Else
How To: Follow Businesses on Google Maps to Stay Updated on Events & News for Your Favorite Spots
When you need to know how to get somewhere, Google Maps is the app to beat, but the king of navigation doesn't want to stop there. Google aims to make its navigation app for more than just directions, as made clear by its recent feature that lets you follow businesses in the app. Combining timely news and events posted by local businesses with real-time transit seems like the perfect match.
How To: 14 Tips Every New TikTok User Should Know About
By now, there's no way you haven't stumbled upon a TikTok video, whether it was on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube. Just watching these addictive short-form videos is enough to make you want to join up and make your own, and when you do, we've got some tips that will help get your TikTok account in order.
How To: Disable Those Annoying Looping Videos When Playing Songs on Spotify
Back in 2018, Spotify began testing a new mobile feature that has grown very tiresome: three to eight-second looping videos that take over the entire screen. Known as Canvases, they effectively hide the cover art and lyrics of the current song — and they're still very much around to annoy and distract the hell out of you. Thankfully, Spotify has also included a way to get rid of these things.
How To: Make a Post Shareable on Facebook's Mobile App to Help Increase Your Audience
Facebook has grown into one of the central hubs of the internet where ideas are shared with others. But with the rise of brand development, individuals and companies need to get their messages out beyond their group of Facebook friends so it can be seen by more of the world.
How To: Enable Google Assistant in Maps for Hands-Free Navigation Help on iPhone or Android
Millions depend on Google Maps for directions, and it's easy to see why. The app comes with tons of features like offline navigation, location sharing, and more. Google is far from done, however, and continually improves upon its navigation app to make it even more efficient and safer to use.
How To: Use This Text Trick in Instagram Stories to Change Each Character's Color in Seconds
Instagram is all about the hook. If you want followers to stick around, you need to keep your content interesting and engaging. Rainbow text can really make your Stories pop, but it's not really an Instagram "feature," meaning it's not an easy task to accomplish. There is, however, an easy hack that takes all the work out of rainbow-colored text, making your Stories better overall.
How To: View, Share, Highlight & Download Your Archived Instagram Stories
In late-2017, Instagram rolled out a feature that automatically saves your ephemeral Stories to a private archive. Before that, Stories disappeared into the ether after 24 hours, but not everyone was comfortable losing these precious photos and videos. If you post to Instagram Stories quite often, you can now easily access your history from your account — and you might not even know it.
How To: Filter Potential Matches on Bumble
Despite Tinder's tremendous popularity, Bumble has carved out a billion-dollar business by focusing on women (they message first), simplicity (ice breakers less wordy than OkCupid), and relationships past romance (friends and prospective jobs). Now they're diving into customization, with filters that allow you to pore over prospective matches by height, religion, education, politics, and more.
How To: Cancel Your MyFitnessPal Premium Subscription on Android & iOS
In 2015, MyFitnessPal launched its premium service, an ad-free subscription for $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year which provides food analysis, deeper nutrient tools, more goal options, and exclusive content. After giving MyFitnessPal Premium a shot on your iPhone or Android phone, those perks may be unnecessary to your end goal, but you'll find that canceling your paid membership isn't very easy.
How To: The 5 Best Streaming Cable Apps for Watching Live TV on Your Phone
These days, it's easy to cut the cord. Thanks to a new crop of streaming TV apps, you can get the same service offered by a traditional cable subscription at a fraction of the price. After some extensive testing, we believe we've found the absolute best apps for cord cutting.
How To: Prevent Friends from Sharing Your Instagram Stories as Direct Messages
Instagram introduced a new feature in September 2018 that lets you share other users' Stories via Instagram Direct, the app's private messaging tool for solo and group messages. Problem is, it works both ways, so whenever you add to your ephemeral Story, everybody that sees it can share it directly with anyone else.
How To: Record Video & Audio Calls with Skype on Your iPhone or Android Device
There's more to recording calls than just protecting yourself against liability or an angry ex — oftentimes, this feature is the perfect tool to save momentous calls like breaking news of your recent engagement to loved ones. And with the prevalence of video calls, you can even capture memorable video chats such as your mom's first glimpse of your newborn on your mobile, courtesy of Skype.
How To: Enable Encryption in Skype to Securely Call & Message Your Friends
For years, Skype has been synonymous with video calling and messaging. However, as the industry moved toward encryption and privacy, Skype usage was discouraged by experts due to its murky encryption. To combat this, Skype has introduced true end-to-end encryption.
How To: Buying a Used or Refurbished Phone? Here's Everything You Need to Know
You can feel it in your bones. You may die if you don't get this phone. There's just one problem — the price. Suddenly, you come across what seems like manna from heaven. That very device, at a deeply discounted rate, can be yours.
How To: Talk to Google Home Normally Without Having to Say 'Hey Google' Each Time
At I/O 2018, Google showcased features that would make the Google Assistant easier to communicate with. While some people were impressed with (and maybe creeped out by) Google Duplex, one feature that was well received was the ability to talk to the Assistant without the constant "Hey Google" before each question.
How To: Share Your Friends' Instagram Stories in Your Own Story
Instagram has long-resisted easily resharing content. While it's been testing a "regram" feature for a long time, it still lags behind apps such as Twitter and Facebook when it comes to resharing content. But while Instagram is a bastion of original material, there is a feature in place for you to reshare stories from those you follow. Your friends can reshare your stories too.
Spotify 101: How to Save Cellular Data When Streaming Music on Your iPhone or Android Phone
While I love Spotify, I don't like it devouring my data plan when streaming music away from a Wi-Fi network. If you have the foresight or time to download Spotify tracks for offline playback later, great. For those of you who like to listen to your music more randomly like I do, based on your current mood, streaming is the only way to go, and there are settings you can tweak to use up less data.
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.
Snapchat 101: How to Audio & Video Chat with Multiple Users at the Same Time in Groups
On April 3, 2018, Snapchat announced that the phone and video calling feature that's long been a feature of one-on-one calls would be coming to group chats. Well, late on Monday, April 17, the feature was finally pushed out to everyone for Snapchat groups on Android and iPhone.
How To: Add Shoulder Buttons to Any Phone with a Few Strips of Tape
With ultra competitive games like Fortnite Battle Royale and PUBG taking the mobile world by storm, gamers are looking for ways to get a leg up on the competition. One of the biggest advantages you can give yourself is the ability to aim and shoot while on the move, but that's not exactly easy with a touchscreen.
Instagram 101: How to Add #Hashtags & @Account Tags to Your Bio
Your Instagram bio could always be used to link to other websites or profiles or just to show off your witty personality. Now, you also have the ability to use this section to tag other Instagram accounts as well as add tappable hashtags. Whether you want to link out to your best friend, company, or the latest trend in your city — if it has a profile name or tag, it can be in your bio.
How To: Chat with Friends on Messenger Without a Facebook Account
For some of you, whether or not to delete Facebook is a daily struggle. One reason you might not have pulled the trigger on your Facebook account yet could be because of Messenger, which provides millions of people with different devices an easy way to communicate with each other. But here's a secret you might not know: you don't need to have a Facebook account to use Facebook's popular chat app.
How To: Read WhatsApp Messages Without Opening Them & Letting the Sender Know
WhatsApp comes with a ton of great features that make it the go-to messaging app for millions of people around the world. Among these is the ingeniously simple Read Receipts that let you know your message has been viewed. If you want to read a message without alerting the sender, however, there are simple tricks you can perform to give yourself plausible deniability.
WhatsApp 101: Control Who You Share Your WhatsApp Status Stories With
Sharing Stories via WhatsApp Status grants your friends access to your daily adventures in the form of GIFs, photos, videos, or simple texts. Like Snapchat, stories you share with your contacts disappear after 24 hours, giving you an extra layer of privacy since anything you post will not be permanent. And if you want to limit who can see your private stories, WhatsApp also has you covered.
Signal 101: How to Disable Read Receipts So People Can't Tell When You've Seen Their Messages
After receiving many requests for the feature, Signal introduced read receipts last year to its mobile apps. However, some users don't like the idea other people knowing when they've read messages. Luckily, Signal lets you disable this feature and reclaim a little privacy.
Binance 101: How to Buy Ripple, TRON & Other Alt-Coins Using Bitcoin & Ethereum
Using Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH) to buy alt-coins like TRON (TRX), Stellar (XLM), or Ripple (XRP) can seem intimidating if you're new to cryptocurrency. Though you'll still need to do your research to avoid potential disasters, Binance takes the hassle out of trading digital currencies on your smartphone.
ProtonMail 101: How to Make Images Show Up in Your Emails Automatically
By default, images embedded using external links will not automatically load in any emails that you get with ProtonMail. This is a security mechanism that can prevent malicious code from being executed on your system, but it can also be fairly annoying to have to manually load images in email after email.
How To: Set a Video as the Wallpaper on Your Android's Home Screen & Lock Screen
Android users have had access to live wallpapers since the Eclair days, but some newer apps have made this feature even more useful. Now, you have the ability to use GIFs as your wallpaper, and through the marvels of modern technology, you can even set a video as your home screen and lock screen background.
Binance 101: How to Enable Google Authenticator for Withdrawals
With so much money on the line, it's no surprise that cryptocurrency exchanges are prime targets for cybercriminals. Because of this, the importance of keeping your personal account as secure as possible cannot be overstated. Binance is one step ahead in this regard, as it requires you to enable two-factor authentication to keep your bitcoins and alt-coins safe.
Outlook 101: How to Connect Third-Party Apps to Your Calendar
If you've read our list of the best email clients for iOS, you'll know Apple's Mail app doesn't cut it when it comes to third-party integration. If you want to use some of your favorite apps directly in your mail client's calendar, go with Outlook.
Coinbase 101: Fees & Fine Print You Need to Know Before Trading Bitcoins & Other Cryptocurrencies
Coinbase is the primary go-to for many users when it comes to investing in Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Ripple (XRP), and more, due to its user-friendly interface. But before you join them, know that the ease of use comes with a price. Coinbase charges fees for each transaction, and your bank might even add charges on top of that. Plus, there is some fine print to be aware of.
Pocket Camp 101: How to Make Human Friends in Animal Crossing
While Animal Crossing's emphasis has always been on making friends with the animals that populate your world, each subsequent game following its initial release has stressed relationships with human players more and more. In Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, making human friends is a crucial part of the process with the inclusion of market boxes, Shovelstrike Quarry, and giving "kudos."
Firefox Mobile 101: How to Change Your Search Engine in One Tap
Besides its extensive collections of add-ons for Android, Firefox's mobile browser apps have many built-in features that you won't see in other mobile browsers. One feature in particular, available for both Android and iOS versions, makes it easy to switch back and forth between search engines for any query.
Instagram 101: How to Follow Hashtags & Curate Your Feed
Hashtags are the backbone of Instagram. They connect photos from users all around the world and give visibility to users who don't have many followers. Now, Instagram has added more functionality to this indispensable tool, and this new feature lets you follow hashtags in your main feed right alongside all the pics and videos you see already from people or companies you follow.
How To: Add Your Instagram Stories to Profile Highlights to Keep Them Public Forever
Instagram stories are a great way to share your day-to-day experiences with your followers. However, it can be disappointing to see them go after 24 hours, especially if you shared something really special. Now, Instagram has a way for you and your followers to relive those great stories you've created with a new feature called Story Highlights.
Pocket Camp 101: Grab Yourself a Full Santa Suit & Other Holiday Items in Animal Crossing
Just over a week after debuting, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp received its first-ever event geared toward the winter holiday season. With the ability to craft Christmas-themed goodies and own a full Santa suit, it's the perfect time to jump into Nintendo's latest hot mobile game.
Ranked: The 7 Best Paid Word Games for iPhone & Android
Word games can expand your vocabulary skills in all sorts of exciting and creative ways. Because of this, both the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store are awash with word games, making it hard to differentiate between good and bad titles. This is especially troublesome if you're looking to purchase a game, as everyone hates to waste hard-earned cash.
Ranked: The 9 Best Paid Puzzle Games for iPhone & Android
Puzzle games are great at giving your brain a workout while keeping things fun and killing time. They stimulate your noggin as you strategize and plan your next move, whether it's to keep your character from getting killed, or to get that special item to finally complete your collection and unlock a new feature within the game.
How To: Get the iPhone X's New 'Reflection' Ringtone on Any iPhone
The new iPhone X sets itself apart from its predecessors not only as the first Apple smartphone to use an AMOLED screen, but also as the first iPhone to cost over $1,000. True to form as an exclusive device, Apple's latest flagship also features a distinct ringtone. With a little tinkering, however, you can make the new "Reflection" ringtone your very own, regardless of which iPhone you may have.
WhatsApp 101: How to Use WhatsApp Web to Send & Receive Messages from Any Computer
Typos are a constant annoyance that we all deal with thanks to the cramped touchscreen keyboards on smartphones. For many, nothing beats the feel of a good old physical keyboard when it comes to typing fast with minimal errors. Fortunately, WhatsApp has an awesome feature which lets you use their messaging service right on your computer.