Everything Else
How To: 10 Third-Party Apps for Facebook Messenger You Should Install Right Now
Facebook essentially strong-armed us all into installing their standalone Messenger app for mobile devices, but the recent initiative that allows third-party development on the platform definitely makes it worth your time.
How To: Get a Working Phone Number from Almost Anywhere in the World
With all of the productivity tweaks and usability enhancements that we cover here at Gadget Hacks, it's nice when we come across a unique and noteworthy app that's simply about having fun.
How To: Find Out Which Carriers Are Compatible with Your Smartphone
For those who have never traveled abroad, you may not know that different carriers around the world use different bands of frequency to provide service to their customers. This means that a phone bought in the U.S. may be unable to acquire signal from a carrier in Europe.
How To: Transform Gift Card Balances into Cash from Any ATM with Google Wallet
Most people don't ask for gift cards, but they're always a popular gift choice for notoriously hard-to-shop-for people—or the time-constrained gift-giver. While most gift cards are attached to certain stores, many folks will get a prepaid Visa or MasterCard card that allows them to make purchases wherever those companies are accepted.
How To: Pin Reminders to Your iPhone's Lock Screen (So You Stop Forgetting Things)
On the iPhone, the Reminder app is a great way to keep track of your to-do list. I use it for a bunch of crap I forget, like picking up a must-have item at the store or calling or emailing my friends back.
How To: Block Your Phone Number from Appearing on Any Caller ID
Caller ID is great to have, but there are certain situations where you don't want the person you're calling to have your number. People who sometimes use their personal phones for work may not want clients knowing where to reach them outside of work, and anytime you're dealing with Craigslist, it's better to be safe than sorry.
How To: Create Double Exposures with Your Cell Phone
In photography, creating a double or multiple exposure photo involves combining two different images to make one single image. This technique has been used in film photography by exposing a piece of film twice to two different images. The second image becomes superimposed onto the first image, creating various effects that may mirror one another or seem ghostly.
How To: Take pictures with a camera phone and then send them to email
You don't need to sync your phone to get your pictures. Many phones offer the capability to send photos taken with the camera to send to either someone else or to yourself through email. This tutorial shows you how to send!
How To: Change the date format on your Android phone
You can change how the date appears on your Android phone. One of the salient advantages of a Google Android smartphone over, say, an Apple iPhone, is the inherent extendibility of the open-source Android mobile OS. There are a seemingly infinite number of settings to tweak and advanced features to discover and use. This free video tutorial will show you how to adjust calendar display settings on your Android device.
How To: Change the lock pattern on my Android phone
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to change the lock pattern on an Android phone. The lock pattern allows minimum security on the phone to prevent other people from tampering with your mobile files. Begin by going into the Settings and click on Location & security. Under Screen unlock pattern, select Change unlock pattern. In order to change the unlock pattern, users will have to type in the current unlock pattern. Now type in the new unlock pattern and press Continue. Then retype the...
How To: Use iTunes to turn any song into an iPhone ringtone
ruffdeezy shows how to create ringtones for the iPhone from regular MP3 files. ruffdeezy begins by importing the desired file into the iTunes library. Accuracy of the file's info can be confirmed by selecting "get info" on the song title. Under the "get info" page, go to the "options" tab. Under this tab is a "start time" and a "stop time" option. Choose the desired start and end time of the ringtone. Do not make it longer than 30 seconds. Next, right-click the song and select "convert to AAC...
How To: Screencast directly from an iPhone or iPod Touch
This video shows us how to do a screen cast directly from an iPhone or an iPod touch in the Mac. One thing to keep in mind is that this can only be done on a jailbroken iPod. The first thing to do is to download and install the application from Cydia called Screen splitter. After downloading screen splitter launch the application and go into Safari and go to Bonjour and click on your iPod. Once you've down that you should see your iPhone displaying on your Mac. From here you'll need screen ca...
How To: 10 Badass AI Features Coming to Your Google Apps, Some of Which You Can Use Right Now
For all intents and purposes, Google could have called its 2023 developer conference A/I instead of I/O. Capitalizing on the artificial intelligence hype, Google devoted most of its keynote address to AI research, experiments, and developments. But there's some substance behind the hype in the form of new features in the Google services you already use on Android, iOS, and desktop.
How To: Instantly Turn Gray Skies Blue to Brighten All Your Dull, Gloomy Photos
When you expect to take photos of landmarks, buildings, landscapes, and other outdoor scenery with clear blue skies in the background, you may end up with nothing but overcast weather, resulting in a completely different mood in your pictures. Instead of forgetting about all your images with dreary gray skies, try turning those grays to blues for happier, more shareable photos.
How To: Use This Trick on YouTube Videos to Find the Exact Frame You're Looking for More Easily
When it comes to finding the exact moment you want to see in a video, the seeking function can be hit or miss depending on the streaming service you're using. On YouTube, though, it just got much better.
How To: View Popular Hours, Wait Times, and Live Visit Data for Businesses to Determine When to Go Out, Stay Home, or Move On
Unlike Apple Maps, Google Maps can tell you when a restaurant, bar, club, or other business you're thinking of visiting is busy. It's extremely helpful if you want to avoid peak times or wait for the place to be empty. If you can't pry yourself away from using Apple Maps, there's an easy alternative to see the popular times of most businesses.
How To: Hide Your WhatsApp Online and Last Seen Statuses from Everyone or Just Some of Your Contacts
By default, everyone on WhatsApp can see when you're using the app. If someone recently messaged you and sees you're currently online, they may think you're avoiding them if you don't respond right away — especially if you don't share read receipts. However, you can block them from seeing your online or last seen status and apply it to everyone or just specific contacts.
How To: Shuffle YouTube Music Playlists in the New Playlist UI
YouTube Music just refreshed the user interface for playlists, seemingly taking away the ability to shuffle the songs in your playlists. While the update has been rolling out for months, you might just be getting the updated look on your smartphone, and there's no giant "Shuffle" button like there was before. But that doesn't mean there's no more shuffling.
How To: Here's Why It's Harder to Steal a Samsung Phone Than an iPhone or Another Android
Pretend you're a phone thief for a moment. You might be a pickpocket or a stickup kid, but you're in possession of other people's phones on a regular basis. Now ask yourself this: what's the first thing you do after you steal a phone?
How To: Set Custom Chat Wallpapers in Signal for All Conversations & Single Threads
Popular chat apps like Facebook Messenger and (these days, sadly) WhatsApp might not cut it when it comes to privacy and security, but they sure do offer some fun ways to customize your chats. If you're worried that moving to Signal Private Messenger means you lose these features, don't — the privacy-focused app also lets you choose custom chat wallpapers for all your threads.
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 Instagram's Secret App Icon Menu to Choose Light, Dark, Retro & Other Official Icon Variations
Yes, that's right: Instagram has a sneaky, inconspicuous, cryptic, hush-hush way to change its iconic, colorful icon on your Android's or iPhone's home screen and anywhere else it shows up throughout iOS. The app really outdid itself too, with 12 alternative icon designs from its classic look to new themes, all located in an impossible-to-find preferences menu — unless you know the trick.
How To: Make Sure Videos Are Playing at the Highest Resolution Possible on YouTube, YouTube Music & YouTube TV
Most streaming platforms have seen a huge viewership increase in the past few months. As a result, wireless carriers and ISPs are struggling to provide the necessary bandwidth for everyone, resulting in some customers being limited to DVD quality. The same applies to YouTube, YouTube Music, and YouTube TV, but you can see the resolution being used and change it to something better.
How To: Force Mario Kart Tour to Always Use Landscape Mode on Your Phone
Nintendo's decision to add landscape mode to Mario Kart Tour makes the game feel more like the real deal. That said, it can be annoying to rotate your phone every time you want to play in landscape orientation. It can be even more annoying when the game switches between landscape and portrait view in the middle of a heated race. Luckily, there's a way to make sure every competition is played in widescreen.
How To: Not on Facebook? Here Are 4 'Avatar' Alternatives for Creating Your Digital Doppelganger
With Avatar, Facebook's personalized stickers for use on its social and messaging platforms, those who aren't on Facebook or have otherwise dumped the social network may feel left out.
How To: Attach Any File to Your Google Meet Video Conference
Google Meet might not have virtual backgrounds like Zoom, but it hits all of the other basics, from hosting many multiples of video participants to sharing your screen, that you'd expect from a robust video conferencing platform.
How To: Change Your AirPods' Name to Something More Unique — Right from Your iPhone or Android Phone
AirPods are starting to show up everywhere, and with more and more people owning them, it can be fun to make yours a little more personalized. One way you can do that is by giving your AirPods a unique name, something a bit more fun than "John's" or "Jane's AirPods." With just a few taps, you can change your AirPod's name right from your iPhone or Android phone.
How To: Remove a Participant in a Zoom Video Call & Ban Them from Joining Again
As more and more people use the video conferencing service Zoom, the chances of trolling behavior and attacks only increase. But it's not just "Zoombombers" you need to worry about. A heated discussion between family, friends, or colleagues could turn sideways real quick, and sometimes the best course of action is to remove the participant from the group video meeting altogether.
How To: Get Facebook's Full Desktop Site to Show Up in Your Phone's Mobile Browser
Facebook's mobile app lacks many features from the desktop site. Even if you open Facebook in your phone's browser and request the desktop version, all that does is basically resize the mobile app. But there's a simple workaround that will force Facebook to appear in all its desktop glory on your mobile browser of choice.
How To: Bypass Zoom's Attention Tracking Feature So Your Boss or Professor Can't Tell You're Slacking Off
When you're stuck working or learning from home, video meetings can help you stay connected to employers, coworkers, schools, students, and more. And Zoom is the hottest video conferencing service at the moment. While Zoom is easy to use, it does have a fair share of sketchy features you should know about, such as attendee attention tracking.
How To: Make YouTube Default to HD Resolution Always on Your Phone
To reduce stress on internet bandwidth during the COVID-19 pandemic that the novel coronavirus is causing, Google decided to set YouTube's default video quality to 480p. That said, even when you could stream at HD quality without adjusting anything, you still couldn't switch the default to whatever you liked. We have a few methods on hand to help you change that.
How To: Disable Your Mic & Camera Automatically When Joining Zoom Meetings to Slip into Chats Quietly
By default, as soon as you join a meeting on Zoom, both your microphone and camera turn on, sharing your audio and video to the other chat participants. While that isn't usually a problem, it can be an issue if the meeting hasn't started or you're entering in the middle of a class, and you don't want to disturb the video conference.
How To: Download Your TikTok Data & Activity Report to See What's Been Collected About You
If you're concerned about your privacy, TikTok might not be the app for you. Its shady practices with user data have been the subject of concern, criticism, and even legal action by the US government. Then again, it's just so addicting. If, like me, you're not going to stop using TikTok anytime soon, you should at least know how to view the personal data it has collected on you.
How To: Change Your TikTok Username to Something Besides the Random One It Gave You
Many of us install TikTok just to see what it's like, but most of us stay for good. Inevitably, that involves creating an account. The problem is, TikTok assigns you a username, usually based on your email address — an odd choice for a platform made for self-promotion. If you're not happy with your random TikTok handle, you can change it.
How To: Slow Down Telegram Group Chats to Catch Up & Follow Along
The bigger the group chat, the harder it is to follow. Messages start flying one after the other, and before you know it, you're hopelessly lost in the conversation. With most chat apps, there's nothing you can do, other than telling your friends to slow down a bit. But on Telegram, you can make them slow down.
How To: Unhide a Disliked Song on Spotify to Hear It in Playlists & Radio Stations Again
When you dislike or hide a song in Spotify, you'll never hear it again in the playlist or radio station that you blocked it from. If you bury it for the entire app, it won't play anywhere. But that doesn't mean you can't get it back if you change your mind.
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: 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.