Smartphones Features
How To: Enable End-to-End Encryption in Telegram Chats for Totally Private Conversations
Telegram routinely boasts about its secure messaging for truly private conversations between two parties. However, default cloud chats in Telegram are only encrypted between client and server, not client and client, which means you have to be a little proactive in making sure your private conversations on Telegram are really private.
Snapchat 101: How to Use Your Selfies to Create a Bitmoji Deluxe
Accompanying Snapchat's core features, like editing snaps and applying filters to them, is Bitmojis. These are small avatars that you create in your own likeness and use all throughout Snapchat. Formerly, there were two "styles" that you could pick from to make your Bitmoji: Bitstrips style and Bitmoji style. But Snapchat has a third style now that will redefine the way you use Bitmojis.
How To: 7 Free Pass 'n' Play Games for Your Phone That Make Coronavirus Bearable at Home
If you're quarantining with other people, consider yourself lucky — but it's not always easy. Staying in one space for so long with too many people can be challenging, so you need to find things to do to make the time go by (and to keep everyone sane). Our advice? Try out these seven free multiplayer games that only require one iPhone or Android device to play.
Myth Debunked: Uncooked Rice Isn't the Best Way to Save Your Water-Damaged Phone
If you drop your smartphone in water, take it apart as much as you can and place it in rice. It's been the most recommended method of cell phone rescue since the days of clamshells. In fact, it's usually the only thing recommended when searching for "how to save your wet phone." Turns out, we've been wrong all along.
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: Make Apple Music Play Similiar Tracks Automatically After an Album or Playlist Ends
No matter how expertly crafted a playlist is or how long your favorite album runs, they all come to an end eventually. And nothing quite kills the vibe like your DJ suddenly running out of steam. But a feature in Apple Music for iOS and Android will continue playing songs after an album or playlist is over, choosing tracks that fit perfectly with what you were just listening to.
How To: Here's the Difference Between Real 5G & Fake 5G
5G is undoubtedly the future of mobile networks, and there's a good chance your next phone will have it. But just like with 4G, as carriers race to get the best 5G coverage, the ones running behind are abusing marketing terms to make themselves seem further ahead than they actually are.
How To: Use Desktop Chrome Extensions on Android
For years, there has been a disconnect between the Chrome app on your smartphone and the Chrome browser on your computer. The latter was a powerfully fast browser which could be enhanced with extensions to add new features and functionality, while the former was just a fast browser. Well, that all changes now.
How To: 12 Creative Ways Your Smartphone Can Help You Cheat on a Test
Look, tests are no fun, and doing poorly on them is rarely an option. Whether you're studious or a slacker, everyone needs a little boost now and again. While students have found ways to cheat as long as tests have existed, the invention of smartphones has greatly enhanced the potential to get ... creative.
Instagram 101: Clear Your Search History So You Never See Your Ex's Suggested User Face Again
I thought eventually that my ex's Instagram account would magically clear from my "Suggested" search history. It's been six months now, and I'm sorry, babe, but enough is enough. It's time to clear out your very cute face. (On Instagram, of course.)
How To: TikTok's Latest Hidden Feature Will Change the Way You Watch Videos in the App
A hidden TikTok feature changed how I watch videos in the app, and it's about to transform your TikTok video-watching habits too.
ARKit 101: How to Place 2D Images, Like a Painting or Photo, on a Wall in Augmented Reality
In a previous tutorial, we were able to measure vertical surfaces such as walls, books, and monitors using ARKit 1.5. With the advent of vertical plane anchors, we can now also attach objects onto these vertical walls.
How To: Unlock YouTube's New Ambient Mode for a More Immersive Experience (Or Disable It if You Don't Like It)
To celebrate YouTube's 17th birthday, Google has gifted the app with new features, including pinch to zoom, precise seeking, and a darker dark theme. But the highlight is a new cosmetic upgrade called Ambient mode, which makes the viewing experience more immersive. Here's everything we know about the new background effect.
Venmo 101: How to Send Money to Friends & Family
In the not so distant past, you had to actually go meet someone in person to repay money you owed them. Say they covered your half of dinner or picked up movie tickets — they wouldn't get their money back at least until the next time you saw them. Thankfully, Venmo has effectively eliminated this inconvenience.
How To: Enable Dark Mode in Telegram for More Comfortable Late-Night Messaging
Whether gabbing via cloud chat or Secret Chat, there's no denying that private messaging is one of Telegram's strengths. Communications can often occur at night, where Telegram's default bright white theme can be a bit uncomfortable to use, but Telegram supports dark mode on Android and iOS — with a few different themes to match any late-night chatting style.
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: Make YouTube Music Stop Playing the Music Video Version of Songs
YouTube Music has been around since late 2015, but it only started becoming a viable music service in 2019. It makes sense for Google to utilize YouTube's existing library of music videos, remixes, and cover songs to create one massive music platform. But one downside is you get a lot of the music video versions of songs instead of the album versions. Thankfully, you can change this.
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: See Your Likes on Instagram — Every Photo, Video, and Reel You've Ever Hearted
Unlike TikTok, there isn't a convenient "Likes" tab directly on your Instagram profile page to see all the posts you've ever loved. That's too easy. Instead, you have to dig a bit deeper if you want to take a trip down IG memory lane.
How To: Use Custom Background Colors & Translucent Overlays in Instagram Stories
On Instagram, you can write text over any picture or video in your Story, but it may be hard to get your message across with a distracting background. Although there is a "Type" option for Stories, which allows you to write text over colorful gradient backgrounds, the selection is limited to just over twenty options, and there are no options for solid colored backgrounds or translucent overlays.
How To: Find Specific Words or Phrases in Websites on Chrome
While browsing the web on a computer, most of us are familiar with using Ctrl + F (or Command + F) to search for a specific word on a page — but what if you want to do that on mobile? If you're using Google Chrome, there's a simple way to search for specific words on iPhone or Android.
How To: Unlock YouTube's New Video Queue on Your Mobile Device
YouTube has offered viewers a video queue on desktop browsers for some time, and the world's most popular video site is preparing to finally bring the queue feature to its Android and iOS mobile apps.
News: From Backpack Transceiver to Smartphone: A Visual History of the Mobile Phone
Remember what life was like before your iPhone? Before there were palm-sized smartphones with seemingly endless features, there were phones like Motorola's RAZR that peaked with its embedded camera. Before that, there were simple flip phones with texting capabilities, bulky two-pound Gordon Gekkos—even briefcase phones.
How To: Migrate Your First-Gen Google Wifi Pucks to the Google Home App
Google is known for merging older products into a new one's ecosystem for ease of use. The transition can take time, and that's the case with the old Google Wifi system now that Nest Wifi is out. Google is working on phasing out the dedicated Google Wifi app in favor of using the Google Home app for all your IoT needs.
How To: Change the Background & Chat Bubble Colors in All Your Telegram Chats for a Customized Look
One of the more competitive aspects to chat apps these days is customizability. It seems every messenger wants to offer the largest number of options for users to make the app feel like a truly personal experience. Telegram is no stranger to this customizability, offering tools where you can select backgrounds and chat bubble colors.
How To: The 5 Best Two-Factor Authentication Apps for iPhone & Android
When it comes to cybersecurity, one layer isn't enough. A complex password (or one created with a password manager) does a good job of protecting your data, but it can still be cracked. Two-factor authentication strengthens this by adding a second layer of security, giving you even more protection against online threats.
How To: Archive Telegram Conversations to Keep Your Main Chats List Clean & Organized
In Telegram — as with all instant-messaging apps — threads and conversations can pile up quickly. But you don't need to stare at all of your open chats on the main screen of the Android and iOS app. Instead, you can archive any conversation you like, keeping your main chats view relevant to your day-to-day communications without needing to delete any for good.
News: Microsoft's HoloLens 2 Makes Primetime Debut on Fox TV Show 'The Resident'
The HoloLens 2 hasn't even reached most of the market, but it's already a big-time TV star. Microsoft's augmented reality device made its primetime debut on FOX TV last night on an episode of the hospital drama The Resident.
How To: 10 Free Endless Running Games for Android & iPhone You've Gotta Try
When it comes to platform games on mobile, endless runners are some of the hardest to play since they can go on seemingly forever. There's always room for improvement since your goal is to beat your previous score (or someone else's high score). But which endless running games are worth your time?
Snapseed 101: How to Save Photos in Full Quality
If you want to take your iPhone or Android photos to the next level, Snapseed is one of the best options. When it comes time to share pictures with friends and family, you want them to look as good as possible, so a little post-processing is in order. The problem is that Snapseed, by default, saves your edited photos at a lower quality than it first came in. What gives?
How To: Cast Your iTunes Movie Library to Chromecast or Android TV
Google announced a partnership with Movies Anywhere that allows you to connect your iTunes, Amazon, and Vudu movie library with Google Play Movies. In other words, movies you purchase from any of these online retailers will be available for playback in the Google Play Movies app after a little setup.
How To: 10 Free Must-Play Shooting Games for iPhone & Android
There's something extremely satisfying about hunting down your online adversaries and knocking them out with a well-placed shot, which probably explains why shooting games are still one some of the most popular time killers for iOS and Android.
News: Augmented Reality App Created by NYU Students Can Translate Sign Language in Real Time
While Magic Leap may have plans to eventually introduce sign language translation for smartglasses in the near future, students at New York University have demonstrated that such a feat is possible today with a smartphone and a prototype app.
How To: Chat with End-to-End Encryption Using Facebook Messenger's Secret Conversations
Traditionally, if you were looking for end-to-end encrypted messaging, you'd stick with something like iMessage, WhatsApp, or Signal. However, if you already use Facebook Messenger, you have all you need for truly private chats with its built-in E2E encryption. It's available to all users, on Android and iOS — you just need to know where to look.
How To: The Hidden Meaning Behind Those Mysterious, Nonnumerical Dialer Pad Keys on Your Phone
You might have missed it, but the virtual keypad you use to enter phone numbers in your smartphone's dialer and contacts app isn't all numbers. Take a closer look, and you'll notice a few mysterious buttons you've likely been tuning out unconsciously. But it's time to stop ignoring them because each has a particular purpose that could come in handy one day.
Google Maps 101: How to Tweak Voice Navigation Prompts on Android & iPhone for Clearer Spoken Directions
Before starting any drive where you're using Google Maps for directions, it's vital to make sure the app is functioning correctly, specifically, navigation prompts. After initiating turn-by-turn directions on your Android or iPhone, the last thing you want to worry about is Google Maps not audibly telling you where or when to turn, especially in an unfamiliar area.
How To: Separate Vocals & Instrument Tracks from Your Favorite Songs to Make Karaoke Music or Play Along with the Band
Adobe Audition, Audacity, and other audio editing software have tools to isolate vocals and instruments in regular songs so that you can get an instrumental track for karaoke, vocals for an a capella version, or solo drums, bass, keys, etc. that you can use to learn the song yourself. The software is mostly for desktop computers, and it doesn't always do a good job, but that's where Moises comes in.
How To: Change Your Android Device's Wi-Fi Country Code to Access Wireless Networks Abroad
Ever found yourself not able to connect to a Wi-Fi network on your Android device that you know damn well was there? The worst part is that you know it's your device, because you can see everyone else around you on that network! WHAT GIVES?!? Well, maybe it has something to do with your phone’s Wi-Fi country code!
Kodi 101: How to Add Your Own Movies, Music & Pictures to the Media Library
Over the years, Kodi (formerly XBMC) has become one of the most popular media players. It provides all the essential functionality needed for any home theater setup while remaining open source and free. However, Kodi is not limited to just your living room. With the Kodi app for iOS or Android, you get a streaming media player that can act as a video player, music player, picture gallery, and so much more.
How To: Schedule a Tweet on Twitter from Your iPhone or Android Phone
Twitter is a science. The smarter you post and engage with others, the better chance you have at building a bigger audience. Scheduling your tweets is one way to get there. Most engagement occurs at specific hours, but you may not be around then to post your tweet manually. While the official Twitter app on iOS and Android doesn't allow you to schedule, there is another way.