Everything Else
How To: Use Snapchat's Latest Viral Lens to Put a Smile on Your Face — Or Someone Else's
From Time Machine to Cartoon 3D Style, Snapchat has strung together a run of viral AR Lenses as consistently as Beyoncé drops hits songs.
How To: T-Mobile Is Automatically Selling Your Data to Advertisers — Here's How to Opt Out
It's getting harder and harder to escape ad tracking by the day. For the latest example, look no further than T-Mobile. The No. 2 carrier updated its privacy policy on Feb. 23, 2021, indicating that it would start sharing customer data with advertisers under the guise of more relevant ads starting April 26. If that's not something you'd like to participate in, there's a way to opt-out.
How To: 9 Things You Should Be Doing to Make Your TikTok Account Secure from Hackers
You should feel relatively safe to watch and post videos on TikTok, but like with any online service, you're always at the mercy of hackers.
How To: Get Netflix to Auto-Download Shows & Movies to Your Phone Based on Your Interests
These days, there's more content than ever, and the sheer amount of titles out there can make picking something to watch seem near impossible. Netflix does provide suggestions based on content you've already viewed, which helps, and the company believes so much in its algorithms that it now gives you the option to auto-download videos on your devices based on your interests, no decisions required.
How To: Disable or Delete Your Location History in Google Maps for More Privacy
Google Maps tracks everywhere you go with your smartphone, even when you're not using the app. Even if it's as mundane as your weekly grocery trip, Google Maps has it saved for you to see in its Android and iOS apps. And while it's mostly used for recommendations and your reference — you may not want Google Maps to keep such a rich location history.
How To: Check This Setting if You Don't Want Your Friends to See What You're Listening to on Apple Music
You shouldn't care what other people think, but sometimes, it's unavoidable. Take your music tastes, for instance. Sure, you might want your friends to think you only listen to the coolest songs, but we all have our guilty pleasures. If you're uncomfortable with your peers seeing your listening history in Apple Music, know there's something you can do about it — on iOS or Android.
How To: Use Facebook Messenger's Hidden 'Vanish Mode' for Disappearing Messages Whenever You Want
Saving a chat's history is useful for finding valuable information later on or just reliving a favorite conversation from the past. Sometimes, however, it's good to delete chat threads, and it's even better to have them auto-delete right after you see new messages. While some apps have had disappearing messages for some time (e.g. Snapchat), Facebook Messenger now has it too with "Vanish Mode."
How To: Use Google Assistant to Quickly Post to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat & TikTok
When it comes to posting to social media from your smartphone, the process is typically the same. Find the app. Open the app. Tap the app's version of the compose button.
How To: Deep Fake Yourself into Movie & TV Scenes & Viral GIFs with the Reface App
Deep fakes, the art of leveraging artificial intelligence to insert the likeness and/or voice of people into videos they don't otherwise appear in, typically focus on celebrity parodies or political subterfuge.
How To: Get Dark Mode for TikTok on Your Phone
With bans looming or already happening across the world, TikTok still remains one of the most popular, entertaining, and addicting apps you can download right now. The problem is, browsing TikTok can be a bit painful at night since everything outside of the video feed uses a bright white theme. Thankfully, dark mode for TikTok is here, but there's a catch.
How To: Disable the Google Meet Tab in the Gmail App for iPhone & Android
The new Google Meet integration in the Gmail app isn't quite subtle, to say the least. The feature takes up a huge chunk of the display, screen real estate that would otherwise be occupied by, you know, emails. While Google doesn't require you to live with the integration, it doesn't make it clear how to disable it. That's where we come in.
How To: Watch Films Remotely with Family & Friends at the Same Time Using Movies Anywhere's Watch Together Rooms
Wearing masks and social distancing doesn't sound like a fun movie night with friends, but you can still be comfortable and watch films together remotely. Services like Discord and Netflix Party make it possible to watch movies simultaneously from different parts of the U.S., and now you can do it with Movies Anywhere too.
How To: Hide Your Facebook Messenger Online Status from Everyone Except Certain Contacts
Facebook Messenger's user base has grown so much that it has taken over text messaging as the primary contact method for many people. However, sometimes you might want to hide your online status from specific contacts and appear offline to others. There's a neat little trick you should know that can help you achieve this.
How To: 4 Tips to Improve YouTube Music Recommendations — Make 'Discover' & 'Your Mix' So Much Better
Now that the transfer tool for migrating your Google Play Music library to YouTube Music is rolling out, more fans of the former, which will meet its end in 2020, are giving its replacement a try.
How To: Don't Record Police with Your Regular Camera App — Use the ACLU's to Make Sure It Gets Uploaded Right Away
With thousands of people across the country protesting, you might be thinking about joining the march. But as is too often the case, law enforcement has been called to oversee the protests, and interactions aren't always peaceful or lawful.
How To: Download HBO Max Movies & TV Shows in the Highest Quality on Your Phone
Whether you're binging "Friends," "Game of Thrones," or Harry Potter movies, if you want to watch HBO Max downloads in the highest quality possible, you can't just use the default settings. Without doing the legwork, the TV shows and films you download onto your iPhone or Android phone will be lower quality than the full HD version you can have.
How To: Every 5G Phone That Works on AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon in the US — An Always-Updated List
You will likely have a 5G-capable phone within two years. Each carrier is working hard to improve its coverage for the next standard in mobile networks, and though the technology is fairly new and only a handful of phones support it right now, this will change very soon.
How To: Get Back Your Watch List for HBO Max — Before or After Upgrading from HBO Now or HBO Go
As of May 27, HBO Max is taking over your HBO Now or HBO Go account. If you have your devices set up to auto-install new app updates, you should pause it right now if your HBO app hasn't been updated yet. There's one thing you'll want to do before you make the leap. However, you're not out of luck if you already upgraded.
How To: Set Up a Private Facebook Room for Video Chat
It's open season on Zoom, the video conferencing platform that has grown in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic but has come under fire due to privacy issues.
How To: Change These 30 Settings to Stop Zoombombing & Other Interruptions in Your Zoom Meetings
The "Zoombombing" trend is still strong on the Zoom video meetings service, despite security measures Zoom put in place to stop it. That's why it's up to you, as either a host or co-host, to be proactive about preventing Zoombomber harassment, as well as stopping it whenever it slips through the cracks.
How To: Block Someone from Using Their Camera During Zoom Video Calls
As a meeting host on Zoom, you can't control what a participant does during your live video call, but you do have the power to turn off their camera so that other people aren't subjected to distractions. So if you catch someone in your call purposely making obscene gestures or accidentally exposing themselves while using the bathroom, you can block their camera, as long as you know how.
How To: Use This Zoom Hack to Make Everyone Think You're Still in the Video Meeting When You're Not
It's OK to want an extended break when you're working or learning from home. Maybe you want to play a video game, spend more time with your family, hang out with your dog, or FaceTime with friends. But how can you do that when you're supposed to be in a Zoom video conference or class? Thanks to one Zoom feature on your iPhone, it may be easier than you think.
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: 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?
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: 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: 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: 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: 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.
Best TV Streaming Apps: Disney+ vs. Apple TV+ vs. Netflix vs. Hulu vs. Amazon Prime
Who here binges TV on a regular basis? I know I do. Never before have we had so many options for watching our favorite shows, especially when you consider how easy it is to stream from anywhere on a mobile device. But sometimes, all that choice gets a little overwhelming. What services are really worth the money? Where should you be investing your Friday-night binges?
How To: The Easiest Way to Keep Your Lock Screen from Blinding You at Night
Picture it: you wake up in the middle of the night and check your phone. Maybe you want to check the time (your phone is your alarm clock, after all) or see if that person ever replied to your message. You double-tap or lift to wake it, and the screen lights up. You flinch at the bright light, squeezing your eyes shut. It takes a few moments to adjust, even if your screen's brightness is as low as possible.
How To: Google Photos Has a Great Way to Privately Discuss Your Pictures with Friends
Commenting on Facebook pictures is a commonality. But you may not want to share your private and personal pictures on Facebook. Maybe you just want a select few to comment on your photos. Fear no more, you can send your pics and get private comments using Google Photos.
How To: The Best Ways to Electronically Fill & Sign Documents on iPhone or Android
As paper forms become a thing of the past, it's becoming commonplace to fill out contracts, rental agreements, waiver release forms, and non-disclosure agreements online. You can easily fill out forms on your laptop, but how can you best do this using your iPhone or Android device?
How To: 5 Mario Kart Tour Tricks You Need to Know About
So you can't seem to win in Mario Kart Tour? Whether it's your first game in the Mario Kart series or not, Mario Kart Tour can be challenging, especially when you don't know the tracks. Instead of struggling your way through the cups, try out these five tips to get a leg up.
How To: Lock OneDrive Files with Your Fingerprint or Face ID
If you're concerned about someone accessing your OneDrive files, you may want to upgrade your protection by enabling fingerprint or Face ID unlocking. Your sensitive information deserves to be protected, and now you can do so easily. Worry no longer — if you need to let someone else use your phone, with a password-protected OneDrive, sneaky file grabbers will be out of luck.
How To: Change Chat Thread Colors in Facebook Messenger Lite
You can now customize your chat experience in Facebook Messenger Lite for Android. You can change your chat bubble colors from steamy red to cool green depending on your mood or who you're chatting with. It's a great way to spice up your standard-issue Facebook blue chat theme.
How To: Avoid the Spiny 'Blue' Shell in Mario Kart Tour
It happens to all of us. You're ahead of the pack, clearly in first place, when someone launches the Spiny Shell (aka, the blue shell). It catches up and circles you before crashing into your kart, and there's seemingly nothing you can do about it. But what if I told you there are two ways to avoid this fate in Mario Kart Tour?
How To: Enable Dark Mode in Microsoft To Do for iPhone or Android
Microsoft is quickly adding dark mode to its full line of apps. Microsoft To Do is the latest to receive this treatment, and it looks great. Now you can tick items off your to-do list without straining your eyes or draining extra battery life.