Hot Gadget Hacks Posts
How To: Android 12's Upgraded Search Gives You Quick Access to Contacts, App Shortcuts, Phone Settings, and More
The new Material You theme engine with its fancy widgets is a sexy change for Android, but there's another new Android 12 feature that's more than just pretty colors and curves.
How To: Use Samsung's New Quick Share Feature to 'AirDrop' Large Files
Despite Samsung's long running support for Wi-Fi Direct, most users still struggle to transfer files between their devices. Whereas Apple has AirDrop, Samsung's previous solution wasn't so obvious. With the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung hopes to correct this with "Quick Share," a file transfer system that still uses Wi-Fi Direct but makes it easier to use.
How To: Force-Close Running Apps on the New iPhone SE to Clear Them from the Task Switcher
When you press the Home button on your iPhone SE, you're not quitting your current app. Instead, it stays open in the background. If an app ever bugs out on you or you don't want it to run in the background, you'll need to force-close to quit it completely. Doing so is also helpful when your app switcher gets too cluttered, and you find it hard to switch between apps because of it.
How To: iOS 13 Made It Really Easy to Restart Your iPhone
iPhones aren't immune to occasional bugs. But starting with the iPhone X, performing a reboot to fix minor issues has gotten a little more tedious. Thankfully, iOS 13 has a hidden option that makes the process a whole lot simpler.
How To: Turn Your Computer into an Android Tablet
There are tons of good reasons that you might want to use Android on your desktop. Perhaps your favorite game is only available on Android, or maybe you use a messaging service that doesn't have a Windows companion app.
How To: Hack Software & Run a Trial Program Forever
With this video tutorial, you'll learn how to hack demo versions of applications such that they'll run indefinitely. You'll just need to modify the date and time on your computer. Learn how to use trials of programs without them ever expiring instead of buying the real thing with the hack outlined in this how-to video.
How To: Trick Your MacBook's Touch ID into Registering Twice as Many Fingerprints for Each Account
While Touch ID has been a part of the iPhone's legacy since 2013, Apple waited until 2016 to add biometrics to its MacBook lineup, and it's not as impressive. An iPhone with Touch ID can register up to five fingerprints, but Macs can only register a maximum of three per account. If that seems unfair, there's an easy trick to doubling that number, meaning six of your fingerprints could unlock your laptop!
How To: Your iPhone Can Switch to Dark & Light Modes Automatically When the Sun Sets & Rises
Apple's Dark Mode in iOS 13 and later offers a cool, comfortable viewing experience on your iPhone. You may prefer the dark theme all day long, but if you like to use it only at night, it's not very convenient to switch it on and off daily. But there's a setting that lets you set it and forget it, so you never have to do it manually again.
How To: Shut Down & Restart the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max & iPhone XR
The iPhone X ushered in the Swiss Army Knife-like Side button, which can perform numerous functions, such as summoning Siri and opening Apple Pay through click gestures. This has carried over into the iPhone XS, XS Max, and iPhone XR, so if you've upgraded to one of these devices from a Home button-equipped iPhone, you'll have to learn how to shut down your new device.
How To: Fix Play Services Battery Drain by Forcing It to Use Doze Mode
Google Play Services has been near the top of every Android user's list of battery-sucking apps for years now. It's a core system app, so you'd expect some battery drain, but for many folks, it runs rampant.
How To: Share, Forward & Save Voicemails on Your iPhone
Eventually, your voicemail inbox on your iPhone will get full, and you'll have to delete some messages in order to make way for new ones. If all the voicemails you currently have are super important, you're not going to want to delete them before saving them first, of course. Luckily, this is a super simple task, and you can even forward them to someone else if needed.
How To: Increase the Maximum Headphones Volume Level on Your OnePlus One
Being in a band, I exposed myself to years of extremely high volumes, so I can't hear as well as I once did. I'm not concerned about going deaf or anything, but I tend to have the volume raised to the max, beyond the "high volume" warning, whenever listening to music on my OnePlus One with headphones.
How To: Copy and paste video files on your iPhone
In this video from whenwillapple we learn how to copy and paste video files on your iPhone. First go into your camera roll. Click on the thumbnail of the video file you would like to open. Once opened, tap and hold your finger on the screen until copy pops up on the screen. Tap the word copy. Now go to the home screen. Go into your mail and create a message. Tap and hold the blank area in the message until the paste options come up. Tap on the word paste and your file will paste into the emai...
How To: There's Finally a Way to Disable Those Annoying Memoji Stickers in Messages on iPhone
There's a lot to love about iOS 13. Permanent Memoji stickers though? Not so much. Whether you love or hate these personalized icons, most of us can probably agree it's super annoying Apple doesn't let you disable them in the "Frequently Used" section of the Emoji keyboard. Every time you go to use an emoji, you have to see the stickers, whether you want to or not. That is, until now.
How To: Send Animated Emoji in Telegram Chats (& Which Emoji Work Right Now)
Emoji are, without a doubt, an integral part of messaging on smartphones. Whether you're team iPhone or Android, chances are you send emoji daily. However, years after their introduction, emoji remain static in most cases, even with animated stickers and GIFs supported on almost every major chat app. That said, one of those chat apps, Telegram, makes things more lively.
News: View the Lands You'll Conquer in 'God of War' with Mimir's Vision AR App
With the heavily anticipated installment of the God of War game series arriving on April 20, PlayStation has taken the opportunity to make its first foray into mobile augmented reality with a companion app.
Nova Launcher 101: How to Add Any Widget to Android Oreo's Expanded Dock
Nova Launcher continues to push the boundary of features available to home screen launchers. While most users are waiting for their OEMs to send out the Android 8.0 update, Nova provides access to many of Android Oreo's features to the 99.8% of devices currently using an older version. However, Nova tries not only to add new features but to improve their design.
How To: Completely Turn Off Siri on Your iPhone
Not everyone digs Siri. Some of you probably can't live without the personal assistant on your iPhone, and some of you probably never even use it — and likely never will. If you fall into the latter category of iPhone users, you can simply disable the feature altogether, which will prevent accidentally triggering her or him anymore and will keep your iPhone nice and secure overall.
How To: Samsung Galaxy Camera Tips & Tricks for Getting the Best Shots
The software released in the 2015 iterations of the Samsung Galaxy line of devices—the S6, S6 Active, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, and Note 5—have some pretty neat camera features that give these devices arguably the best smartphone camera on the market today.
How To: Fake Your GPS Location on Android to Trick Apps & Targeted Ads
You wouldn't send your GPS coordinates to a completely random stranger just because he or she asked you for it, right? So why are you constantly sharing your location (and other data) to apps on a daily basis?
How To: Capture Unauthorized Users Trying to Bypass Your Windows 8 Lock Screen
Who wouldn't want to know if someone was trying to log onto their personal computer without their permission? Be it your annoying co-worker or your girlfriend, there are many cases where people may try to gain access to your desktop or laptop.
How To: Tired of Chess? Here's How You Find the Secret Games Hidden on Your Mac
I can definitely say that my MacBook is one of my best friends, but I was still very disappointed when I realized that the only game my laptop came with was chess. For starters, I'm not very good at chess. I haven't even beat the computer once, which really grinds my gears. But, it has come to my attention that chess isn't the only pre-installed game on my Mac—there seems to be some hidden gems that I simply wasn't cool enough to know about. For some of you, this may be old news, but for me, ...
How To: These Hidden Gestures Can Instantly Undelete Emails for You on Your iPhone or iPad
It's easy to start panicking when you delete an important email, but it's even easier to undo the mistake on your iPhone or iPad. You can retrieve an accidentally deleted email instantly on iOS and iPadOS with the help of a hidden gesture, and you'll be much more efficient with the Mail app once you learn how to use it.
How To: This Is Siri's New Gender-Neutral Voice in Apple's iOS 15.4 for iPhone
The last time the English language for Siri received new voices was in iOS 14.5, and there was one new male and one new female selection, bringing the total to four available options. In the iOS 15.4 update, there's a fifth one, and it may work better as a gender-neutral middle ground between the low-pitched male voices and high-pitched female ones.
How To: View Call Screen Transcripts on Your Pixel
Call Screen is one of best features on Pixel phones. With one button, you can screen calls using Google Assistant and avoid pesky spam callers. However, after the call, there is seemingly no way to access the transcripts for future review. Fortunately, there is a way, but it is tucked away.
Apple Pay Cash 101: How to Verify Your Identity with Apple
With iOS 11.2's introduction of Apple Pay Cash, you can send and receive money to others directly through iMessage, using the convenience and security Apple Pay is known for. However, if you want to make sure your efforts go uninterrupted, you'll want to make sure you verify your identity with Apple.
How To: Add Your Instagram Stories to Profile Highlights to Keep Them Public Forever
Instagram stories are a great way to share your day-to-day experiences with your followers. However, it can be disappointing to see them go after 24 hours, especially if you shared something really special. Now, Instagram has a way for you and your followers to relive those great stories you've created with a new feature called Story Highlights.
How To: Take Screenshots of Telegram Secret Chats on Android
While it's easy enough to take a screenshot of an end-to-end encrypted Telegram chat thread using an iPhone, it's an entirely different story on Android phones. Telegram disables screenshots for Secret Chats by default on Android, and not everyone can turn it on.
How To: Push Samsung Push Out of Your Phone, & Life, Right Now
You may have heard that Samsung Push is an incredible service that all Android users absolutely love. For one, Push provides extremely useful notifications for Samsung apps to assist you in all aspects of your life.
How To: Set Fake Incoming Calls on Your iPhone to Escape Bad Dates & Boring Meetings
A boring work meeting. A conversation with someone you don't like. A date that's going horribly. A run-in with an aggressive and intimidating stranger. These are all situations where you want to flee—and fast.
How To: Trick Your Twitter Followers into Thinking You're Verified (By Hacking Your Header Photo)
Have you ever wanted to be famous? Of course you have! Now you can make your Twitter profile look like it's verified, just like professional skater Lil' Wayne. With Twitter's new header, you can now upload a cover photo onto your profile to be seen online and on mobile devices. Just click here and change your header with the images below to get "verified" in seconds! Note that this will not work on the newer Twitter profile designs, since the verified symbol is located outside of all images.
How To: Add 2020's Most Popular Songs to Your Snaps & Stories in Snapchat
Snaps are a great way to share the best moments of your day. So, don't those moments deserve a sick soundtrack? If you wanted to add music to your snaps in the past, you'd need to find a way to play the tunes in the background before recording a snap. That's no longer the case since you can now add songs to your snaps directly in Snapchat itself.
News: Startup Phiar Prepares Beta Launch of AR Driving Navigation App for iPhone
Google pushed a new kind of augmented reality walking navigation to the mainstream last year, and now startup Phiar is hoping users will use its AR app in the same way for driving navigation.
News: 15 Awesome 'Reminders' Features in iOS 13 That'll Make You Actually Want to Use the App
While the Reminders app has been largely ignored by Apple for years, iOS 13 finally makes it a force to be reckoned with. The app has been completely redesigned with easier navigation and more useful features that can compete with other task managers. After giving the new Reminders a shot, you may want to ditch that third-party to-do app you've been using.
News: The Real Reason Android Phones with Notches Have a Chin
In 2018, notches are the hot trend with smartphones. Essential was first to release a phone with a notch in mid-2017, but Apple kicked off the fad in earnest with the iPhone X. Unfortunately, unlike the iPhone X, every Android phone with a notch has a noticeable bottom chin. Let's take a deep dive to find out why.
How To: Remove Pictures from the Main Feed in Google Photos — Without Deleting Them
Google Photos just got a killer new feature that everyone should know about. Instead of one endless stream of every picture you've ever uploaded, there's now an "Archive" section where you can stash select shots.
Quick Tip: Use Firefox to Play YouTube Videos in the Background
Over the years, we've covered many different methods for enabling background playback for YouTube videos on Android, but none have ever been as easy as this: Simply watch the videos with Firefox for Android, and they'll continue playing when you leave the app.
News: The Best Cyber Monday Tech Deals on TVs, Phones, Laptops, & More
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are becoming almost synonymous these days, but there are still plenty of awesome deals that you can only get starting on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Amazon, for instance, will be hosting a week-long Cyber Monday sale, and of course, most big-box retailers will follow suit with their online stores.
How To: This Is the Fastest Way to Get into Recovery Mode on Android
If you've ever tinkered with a phone, you're familiar with booting into recovery mode. You're probably used to using a combination of hardware buttons to get into recovery, which usually includes the power button and one of the volume buttons. The thing is, you don't really need to press the power button.
How To: Hide the Home Bar on Android 10 — No Root Needed
With the new navigation gestures in Android 10, you reclaim a lot of screen real estate that used to be occupied by the back, home, and recent apps buttons. But there's still a small bar on the bottom edge of the screen, and in most apps, it still sits atop a black background. Thankfully, an easy hack will give you true full-screen without breaking the new gestures.