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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.
How To: Turn Your Boring To-Do List into a Real-Life RPG
When you think about it, isn't life just one big open-world RPG just begging to be conquered? We all have a set number of specific tasks or chores we must complete every single day like clockwork. Sometimes, these items on our to-do list can become tedious and cause us to lose motivation. What if you could take those tasks and turn them into something awesome instead? Now you can.
How To: Add Playback Controls for Apple Music, Spotify & Other Music Services to Google Maps for Quick Access During Navigation
Staying alert to directions and changing the music you're listening to on your smartphone at the same time can be cumbersome, but Google Maps wants to fix that. One of the mapping service's features allows you to control music playing on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music from inside of Google Maps — while you're navigating in the car, on public transport, or even on your bike.
How To: Play Your Favorite Xbox One Games on iPhone or Android
Game streaming has never been better. Not only can you watch your favorite Twitch streamer play, but with the new tools being added to YouTube, you can even play along with them. And now, with a solid internet connection, you can stream your Xbox One games to your phone to enjoy console games on the go.
How To: Enable Dark Mode in Google Calendar for Android or iPhone
If your smartphone is running Android 10, iOS 13, or a newer version of each, you have access to a system-wide dark theme. And that dark theme works well with Google Calendar, but it's not the only way to go dark. If you have an older operating system, it's still possible to darken Calendar's theme on your phone.
How To: Enable Dark Mode in the Official Reddit App for iPhone & Android
With both iOS 13 and Android 10 around the corner, system-wide dark mode is moments away from hitting your phone. In preparation, many developers have been adding a dark mode to their apps, including the official Reddit app.
How To: Get All of Your YouTube Notifications Delivered at the Same Time
Some may find it annoying to get YouTube notifications randomly throughout the day. Every time a YouTube channel uploads a video, every time someone replies to your comments. But at the same time, you don't want to turn off those notifications so you don't miss out. Well thankfully, YouTube offers a happy medium where you can get important notifications, but only get them once a day at your desired time.
How To: The 4 Best Phones for Making Actual Phone Calls in 2019
While our smartphones are many things, one of their primary functions is to make calls. Many of us try to avoid ever having to make calls, but there are situations when it's a must, such as wishing your grandma happy Birthday or calling 911 — and in those times you want stellar call quality.
How To: Team Up with Friends to Raid Fortresses in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
If you've read or watched anything Harry Potter before, you know friendship and teamwork are huge parts of the story. The same goes for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, with its "Wizarding Challenges." Here, you can tackle Fortresses full of Foes alone, but why do that when you can battle with up to four other friends at once? Here's how it all works on Android or iOS.
How To: Block Spoofed Numbers & Robocalls on Any Phone with Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint
In recent years, unwanted calls have become a top priority for the FCC. In 2016, analysts estimated that US customers received over 2.4 billion robocalls per month. As a result, the FCC has provided carriers new tools to combat this problem.
How To: Use Telegram's GIF & Sticker Search to Find a Perfect Reaction for a Chat
Remember trying to express yourself over the 160-character limit on SMS texts? We've come a long way since then, and messaging services have nearly taken over with emoji, chat effects, custom interface colors, and other personalizations. Necessities for messages these days include GIFs and stickers, and Telegram makes it easy to find those perfect reactions for any moment.
How To: Get Dark Mode in Google Photos
Dark mode is everywhere. Both Android 10 and iOS 13 added the feature natively, and many of your favorite apps now include the option. So far, Google has been on a mission to add it to all of its apps, and Google Photos is no exception.
How To: Use Split Tones in Photoshop Express to Create Cinematic Photos
If you want your photos to look like they came straight out of a movie scene, the best method is to use split toning. Many Hollywood producers use this effect to recreate the cinematic look of cameras before the digital film era, which is why most people associate split toning with a cinematic feel.
How To: Get a Dark Theme on Gboard for iPhone or Android
If you've been paying attention to the smartphone industry, you've certainly noticed a rise in dark mode lately. With most phones now sporting OLED panels, which use less power to display darker colors, users have been begging developers to include a dark theme in their apps. Lately, Google has been happy to oblige.
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: The 5 Best Phones for Recording & Editing Video in 2019
While photography usually gets all the love, our phones have gotten really good at capturing video. Think about it — when was the last time you needed a camcorder for a vacation? With mobile cameras getting better each year, we're now at a point where smartphones can be used for pro-level videography.
How To: Change FPS in Filmic Pro to Shoot & Play Frame Rates from Standard Cinematic to Super Slow-Mo
The days of bad smartphone videos are long gone. Your iPhone or Android phone is a capable video recorder, even offering different frame rate options in the native camera settings. Filmic Pro makes things a little simpler, however, and adds additional controls you wouldn't find on your device alone.
How To: Change Resolution & Bit Rate in Filmic Pro for High-Quality Video Up to 4K at 100 Mbps
Filmic Pro harnesses the full native power of your iPhone or Android phone — and then some. If your smartphone shoots in 4K resolution, Filmic Pro will let you choose that resolution. However, it's not all about the pixels — bit rate is an essential factor in determining the overall quality of your 720p, 1080p, or 4K video, something Filmic Pro gives you full control over.
How To: Save Time on Quick Adjustment Edits with Filter 'Looks' in Photoshop Express
Just like Instagram, Photoshop Express for Android and iOS has its own set of filters you can quickly apply to any photo. It's simple, fast, and more customizable than using Instagram's pre-made filters. The options in Photoshop Express allow you to edit and change your filters to be exactly to your liking. Then, you can even save those edits as your own custom filters.
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: 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: Use Quote Replies in Facebook Messenger to Prevent Confusing Conversations, Just Like in WhatsApp
Text conversations can get confusing fast. In the time it takes to type up a response to your friend, they can send you one, two, three, or more messages. Once you send the original reply, it no longer makes sense in the context of the chat. Clear up the confusion with Facebook Messenger's "new" quote reply feature, which shows both you and your friend exactly what message you're responding to.
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: Get Unique Face Filters by Following AR Creators on Instagram
It's easy to forget just how cool face filters are. Augmented reality has come a long way, and apps like Instagram now offer a suite of impressive effects to play with, but some of the best ones aren't easily found. There is a treasure trove of exclusive, custom face filters that are unavailable to the general public, but not at all inaccessible — you just need to know the trick to getting them.
How To: Block Artists on Spotify (So You Never Have to Hear Their Music Again)
I love finding new artists on Spotify to listen to but hate when musicians I don't like keep popping up in recommended playlists and radio stations. For the longest time, there was nothing you could do about it, but now, Spotify lets you block specific bands and singers from ever playing again.
How To: Block Haters & Prevent Stalkers from Seeing Your Facebook Profile Straight from the Mobile App
Whether it's an ex you can't stand, that annoyingly political friend of a friend, or good old fashioned trolls, the block feature on Facebook can be a great way to de-stress your feed. It will keep people from contacting you, and it will also prevent them from viewing your profile altogether. It's not just a tool for the full desktop website — in fact, the blocked list is easy to manage right from your phone.
How To: Save Up to 60% Battery Life by Enabling Dark Mode in the YouTube App
With the increasing popularity of OLED displays, companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung have all shifted away from traditional LCDs for their flagship devices. An OLED screen provides deeper blacks and is better for battery life since each pixel can be controlled individually while emitting its own light. This, in turn, has made dark themes an important software feature.
How To: The 5 Best Meal Tracking Apps for Managing Your Diet & Counting Calories
Whether it's for health reasons or just to look better, many of us want to get in shape. It's a long process that starts with nutrition, and dieting is never easy. Fortunately, there are some great food-tracking apps that will make it a lot easier to become a healthier version of yourself.
How To: Unsend Voice Messages in Instagram Direct
So, you accidentally sent a voice message to someone in an Instagram DM. Maybe it contains an unflattering conversation about the recipient. Maybe it's a record of something embarrassing you said. Whatever your message contains, it's out there, on someone else's smartphone. You might think you're out of luck, and that your life is over. If you act quick, however, it won't be.
How To: The 4 Best Apps for Downloading Movies & TV Shows
Streaming movies and TV shows on phones is more popular today than ever, but what about when you're on a plane, have a limited data plan, or will be in a no-service area? You'll want to download your movies and TV shows instead. While Netflix is excellent, you can't rent or download most of the latest movies and TV series. What you need is an app that lets you do just that.
How To: Personalize Your Messages with Stickers in WhatsApp
Stickers are a staple in most messaging apps. Facebook Messenger and Apple Messages, among others, are all compatible with still or animated stickers to personalize your chats. Now, WhatsApp is stepping into the sticker arena with a new update, bringing the popular feature to one of the most used chat apps in the world.
How To: Add 3D Photos to Facebook Using Portrait Mode Pictures for Moving, Depth-Filled Images
Facebook added a new feature that lets you post 3D versions of your portrait mode photos for all your family and friends to see on their smartphones, computers, and virtual reality goggles. These new 3D photos add a whole new dimension to your images with movement and more depth.
How To: Use Gmail's New Confidential Mode to Send Private, Self-Destructing Emails from Your Phone
Back in July, Google rolled out a new design for the web version of Gmail. The rollout included new features alongside the visual changes, one of which being Confidential Mode. This new privacy-centric feature has now finally arrived on the mobile app version of the service, and here's what you need to know.
How To: You've Probably Let Several Apps Read Your Gmail — Here's How to See & Delete Them
Thanks to recent reports, we now know third-party apps have a lot more access to our Gmail than we may have initially thought. In fact, these third-party apps have the ability to read our emails, not because these companies are necessarily shady, but because we agreed to it. Luckily, there's a way to view which apps have this access, as well as a way to boot those apps from your Gmail entirely.
How To: Make Sure Hulu Never Recommends Your Least Favorite Show Again with 'Stop Suggesting'
Hulu has a lot of content — with thousands of movies and TV series, there's bound to be a few titles here and there you simply don't like. If Hulu is inexplicably recommending garbage you don't want to watch, there's a new way to stop that from happening.
Google Assistant 101: How to Change the Voice on Android & iPhone to More Natural Male & Female Speakers
Before Google I/O 2018, the Google Assistant for Android and iOS had only two available voice options to choose from — a robotic female and male voice. But there are now six additional voices, and these ones sound way more natural than any other mobile voice assistant (plus, John Legend's voice is coming later this year).
Spotify 101: How to Download Music for Offline Playback on Android & iPhone
Spotify is a great music subscription service, but constantly streaming songs can really run up your monthly mobile data. Fortunately, you're able to download music from Spotify on Android and iOS in order to preserve your precious data cap.
Spotify 101: How to Easily Share Music to Friends from Android & iPhone
If you're anything like me, when you first find a good song, album, or playlist on Spotify, your initial reaction may be to share it with your family and friends. While there are the usual share methods available in Spotify that are available in other streaming music services such as Apple Music and Google Play Music, Spotify goes one step further with QR-like codes users can easily scan.
Cheap Mods: Turn Your Phone into a Boombox with a Few Household Items
Even though smartphone audio quality has improved in recent years, the tiny built-in speakers aren't always loud enough. But if you want to turn the volume up to 11, all you need is a few household items to make a rig that will amplify your phone's speakers throughout the whole house.
How To: Unsend Messages in Facebook Messenger Chats So Your Recipients Can't View Them
How many times have you sent a message on Facebook Messenger that you immediately wanted to take back? Most email services have an unsend option, as well as Instagram Direct, and Messenger has caught on to this convenience with a take-back button for any chat you're in — even in groups. Plus, you can also remove other people's messages.