Smartphones Features

How To: Block your outbound caller ID number

Jim from the "My Temp Number Helpline" teaches us to block outbound caller ID on your phone. The first way to do this is to open up the dial pad and enter *67 before the number you want to dial. This will show up on the receiving line as "Private Number" or "Unknown". To permanently block the number you go into your phone's settings. Then click on the word phone. Then click where it says "Show my caller id". If this setting is off, then your number is blocked on all outbound calls. This is us...

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 Play Stupid Zombies: 3 Stars on Levels 1-60 in Chapter 1, Stage 1

Looking for another Angry Birds fix? Well, drop the lame birds and pick up the zombies—Stupid Zombies, that is. You'd think that killing "stupid" undead beings would be easier than knocking off a few "angry" vertebrates, but it's actually more challenging—and more fun! Who wouldn't enjoy killing zombies with a shotgun blast and watching their heads roll? Armed with a shotgun and a strategic mind, your goal is to take out all the living dead with as few bullets as possible, trying to achieve t...

How To: Disable the Face Tag Feature on Your Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2

If you've got a Samsung Galaxy S3 or Galaxy Note 2, you probably either love or hate the Social Tag feature. Using facial recognition, much like Facebook does, it scans your photos and lets you tag a name to a face. If your device recognizes the face by itself, it will automatically tag it for you. If the person is in your contacts, it will give you the option of calling, texting, or emailing them. While it's a great feature for some, it doesn't always work perfectly. If the flash from the ca...

Hulu 101: How to Add HBO to Your Hulu Subscription

What's better than having access to Hulu's entire catalog on any device you wish? Having HBO's as well, obviously. Hulu recently began offering subscribers the option to either subscribe to HBO through their Hulu account, or to link a prior HBO subscription to their Hulu account. It's just one way to make binge-watching a little more convenient for you and your fellow Targaryens — the Starks can join, too.

How To: Digitize Your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card on Your Phone for Easy Access Anywhere

As the U.S. inches closer to herd immunity and reopening after the pandemic, it may become necessary to keep your COVID-19 vaccination cards on you at all times to gain access to places and events that are prone to spreading the coronavirus. You probably won't want to lose your card, so it may be wise to load a copy onto your smartphone for easy access.

How To: Add Self-Generating Captions to Your Instagram Stories So You Don't Have to Type Them in Manually

When creating video content for social media, such as a story on Instagram, it's common practice to add captions or subtitles to the post so that people can watch it wherever they are on silent. Doing this by hand is time-consuming and frustrating, but Instagram has a solution: a feature to add automatically-generated captions to any story you make from your iPhone or Android phone.

How To: Create a 365-Day Photo Diary on Your Smartphone

A diary or personal blog is a great way to recapture the days behind you, but to a photographer, the best way to remember the glory days is with a picture—one single photograph that best describes the day and your mood at the time. Do it everyday for a year and you'll have 365 pictures that will not only bring a smile to your face, but will help you understand what was important to you in life.

How To: Scan & Save Old Printed Photos to Your Smartphone

Believe it or not, there was a time when smartphones weren't the primary tool for taking photos. People actually walked around with bulky film-based cameras on their necks, and some even used cheap disposables. While photography wasn't introduced to the world when smartphones came out, it's definitely more accessible—and everyone is a photographer now.

How To: Set the ringer volume on your Android phone

Set your Android smartphone's ringer volume while leaving other volume settings untouched. 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 the ringer volume on your Android smartphone.

How To: Add Interactive Live Wallpapers to Your Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy S3, or Other Android Device

When it comes to live wallpaper for your Android device, the choices are pretty much limitless. Anything from a planet's elliptical orbit around the sun to a school of fish swimming across your screen are just a click and a download away. With the advancement of smartphones, live wallpapers have greatly improved. What once used to be a bit of snow falling down the screen has now evolved into very complex animations, with some that are even susceptible to your interaction with them.

Best Music Streaming Services: Spotify vs. Apple vs. Pandora vs. Tidal vs. Deezer vs. Amazon

Trying to figure out which music streaming service to subscribe to can be a difficult task when the playing field is so crowded. Each has its benefits, as well as downsides, so finding the right one for your needs and wants can take a lot of overwhelming research. But we've done all the research for you to help you find the best music subscription your money can buy.

How To: Use the desktop/SMS background app on the iPhone

In this video, we learn how to use the desktop/SMS background app on the iPhone. First, you will go to your photos and then go to any photo you want. Then, press the box to use as wallpaper. From here, you will see a left "i" and a right one. Choose which one you want for your SMS or your desktop background. From here, go back to your springboard and it will be there on your screen! You don't have to re-start your phone to do this, it's just that simple. To remove it, go back to your photos a...

How To: Open XML support on your iPhone

XML is a file type that can cause a lot of compatibility issues when you are working on multiple operating systems. With iPhone being the newest medium people work on, it presents new problems. But don't leave yourself in the dark. This video will show you how to open XML on your iPhone.

News: Always-Updated List of Phones With No Headphone Jack Built-In

The past year brought about a number of trends in the smartphone space. More immersive displays, better processors, and portrait mode for cameras come to mind as big steps forward. One of the most polarizing trends that continued in 2017 is the removal of the 3.5 mm headphone jack from flagship phones. The number of manufacturers that have completely dispensed with wired audio is staggering, so let's run down the full list!

News: The Perfect Hack for Enabling NFC Credit Card Payments on Your iPhone 4

Remember the good ol' days when you actually had to swipe your credit or debit card to make a payment at the store? Now all it takes is a flick of the wrist to purchase goods with your card, thanks to RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology from Chase (blink), Visa (payWave) and MasterCard (PayPass). But soon "contactless" payments will be made by an entirely different beast—NFC, which stands for near field communication.

How To: Screw the NVIDIA Shield, Try This Cheaper DIY Ghetto Shield Instead

The NVIDIA Shield is essentially a game controller with a screen attached so you can take your music, movies and games wherever you go. It lets you stream the PC games you already have over Wi-Fi so you don't have to be in front of the computer to play them. LinusTechTips was supposed to receive a Shield to test, but it was late getting there, so they decided to make their own using an Android phone and an Xbox 360 controller. They've dubbed the project "Ghetto Shield."