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 ...more
If you've ever made an Instagram story, you probably know you can add stickers to your stories. These stickers are interactive but, like real stickers, they don't move ... until now. In a Jan. 23 update to the app, more action can be added to your stories with animated GIF sti ...more
We're getting closer and closer to a final iOS 11.2 release for everyone. Apple just pushed out beta 5 for iOS 11.2 to developers and public testers on Tuesday, Nov. 28, and much like its predecessor from a few weeks ago, there's not much included but bug fixes and security pa ...more
The Essential Phone didn't have a hot start when it was released back in August. A delayed release, poor camera performance, and high price tag led many to avoid the otherwise well-received device. But after a few software updates and price drops, it's now a steal of a deal. ...more
Apple seeded the fourth beta for iOS 11.2, just one day after releasing iOS 11.1.2 to the public. The new iOS 11.2 beta 4 has also already hit public beta testers and includes mostly bug fixes and security patches to improve the overall experience for iPhone owners. The fourt ...more
Apple released iOS 11.2 beta 3 on Monday to developers, with only a handful of changes over Beta 2. Still, it's always recommended you upgrade to the newest version of iOS, so if you are running any of the previous 11.2 betas, make sure to update. Beta 3's most significant ch ...more
Good news for those suffering from the "i" glitch, otherwise known as the "A [?]" bug: Apple has just released an official patch to fix the issue, in the form of a software update named iOS 11.1.1. Users have been experiencing a strange bug in iOS 11.1 where the letter "i" wo ...more
There may be many third-party file managers for Android to choose from, but until now, Google offered no proprietary option. Enter 'Files Go,' which, while initially anticipated for December, is now available for you to try. After the beta version of Google's files manager le ...more
On all other iPhone models, you go to "Battery" in the Settings app and toggle on "Battery Percentage" in order to see the exact amount of power left in the status bar. On the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, and XR, however, that option no longer exists since there's not enough room up ...more
Now that we've had significant time with Samsung's Oreo Beta for the Galaxy S8, many interesting features have come to light. As we continue using the new software, we have uncovered more subtle changes. The home screen already received a few new customization features, it's o ...more
First showcased back in June at WWDC, Apple Pay Cash is Apple's answer to Venmo. Although iOS 11 has been out in the wild since September, this new iMessage feature has been mysteriously absent. That's finally changed with the second beta of iOS 11.2 — Apple Pay Cash is here. ...more
Apple shipped their first batch of iPhone X's with an outdated and unpatched version of iOS. Be sure to check for updates and install iOS 11.1 first thing after you open your new iPhone or it'll be susceptible to the KRACK vulnerability for wireless connectivity. KRACK, or Ke ...more
It's an ongoing saga, and it's on the verge of ruining one of the most anticipated smartphone releases this year: LG's new POLED displays certainly seem to have a few issues. But the biggest issue of them all — an apparent susceptibility to screen burn-in — may not be the prob ...more
HDR, or high-dynamic range, is currently the best way to view movies and TV shows on your iPhone 8 or 8 Plus. With a wider color gamut and a broad luminance range, there's no beating HDR video for the ultimate viewing experience. Unless, of course, you don't have the storage t ...more
Discovering you're on a route filled with tolls while you're already on the road, with no cash on hand, is never a pleasant surprise. Fortunately, Waze has an incredibly simple solution to nip this potential headache in the bud and save you money while navigating. Best of all ...more
Some iPhone users who updated to iOS 11 can no longer see the "Message" icon in the share sheet when in apps such as Photos, which means they can only text or iMessage an image from within the Messages app itself now. This is a bug with remote management software which will ho ...more
If your iPhone is acting up, frozen on a screen, and/or won't respond to you, force-restarting it is a surefire way to whip it back into shape. And the process is easy on older devices ... just hold down a two-button combo until the Apple logo appears. That's no longer the cas ...more
AirDrop is an underrated feature that lets you to quickly transfer files like songs and photos via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi from your iPhone to Macs and other iOS devices. It's been a staple in the Control Center ever since iOS 7, prominently displayed for easy access. However, wit ...more
The new iOS 11 update provides an easy software-based solution to shut down your iPhone in case the power button, officially known as the Sleep/Wake button on all iPhone models except the iPhone X, goes bonkers. In addition to this, there's also a hidden setting that lets you ...more
For Apple Pay users, the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, or XR will be an adjustment. Gone are the days where you could rest your finger on the Home button and hold your device within range of a contactless reader. Without Touch ID on the iPhone X, this isn't possible. But have no fear, ...more
When you take a screenshot on your iPhone in iOS 11, a thumbnail preview appears in the corner for a few seconds. Tapping on it will give you immediate editing and sharing tools, but not everyone digs the convenience. What can be convenient for you can be obtrusive for others ...more
Some of the things that make Waze such a great navigation app are also its biggest downsides. Real-time data shows where individual users are, and the app automatically gathers traffic info that other drivers may encounter. These elements ensure that road conditions are as up- ...more
Your Apple TV is just that — your Apple TV, which means you probably want to personalize it a bit, to make yours stand out from everybody else's. And the easiest way to do this is by renaming it. If you live in an apartment building, this will help differentiate your Apple TV ...more
If you're new to Plex, there are a couple of things you should know up front. First is how to use it — simply install the Plex server app on your computer and point it to your media library, which you can then access anywhere using the Plex app for iOS or Android. All of this ...more
Overall, Plex is a great service. You just install the server on your computer, then you can stream your media library to wireless devices with the Plex app for iPhone or Android. But it does have one annoying feature that's enabled by default: Theme music plays automatically ...more
If you've ever wondered how to import your photos in Snapseed, then you've come to the right place. Snapseed is a wonderful photo-editing app and will provide you with many tools to take your photos to the next level. But you can't get to that next level if you don't know how ...more
Group messages are great when you want to talk to multiple people at the same time. However, things can get disorderly real fast in the Messages app, especially if the same person is in multiple group conversations. That's where custom group names come in, which helps you make ...more
When Gboard was released on iOS in May of 2016, it gave iPhone users more control over their mobile keyboard experience. Unlike the stock Apple keyboard, Gboard lets you customize the look of your keyboard and search Google directly from the keyboard itself. Now, Google has ad ...more
Bubbles serve as extra lives to help you get through both Tour and Toad Rally modes in Super Mario Run. Even better, they let you rewind back to pick up any items that were missed. But unbeknownst to many, you can activate a bubble even if you haven't gotten knocked out yet. ...more
The augmented reality feature in Pokémon GO is one of the key components that draw people in to the popular Android and iPhone game. Indeed, there's nothing quite like the sight of a Pokémon standing around in an otherwise uninteresting parking lot. But this novelty effect us ...more
When you're playing videos, the actual content should be the focus, not the media app's interface. But with VLC's default theme on Android, the bright orange-and-white motif shocks your eyes in a dimly-lit setting and draws your attention away from what really matters. Let's c ...more
I couldn't live without seeing previews of certain notifications on my iPhone, but there are definitely some that I'd like to hide, either because they're annoying or because I don't want anyone else to see them. Previously, you could only disable notification previews for App ...more
If there's one thing that iPhone and Android users can agree on, it's that playing mobile games can drain your battery like nothing else. But it doesn't always have to be this way. If the game you're currently addicted to is Super Mario Run, there are two settings you can chan ...more
Apple just jumped on the auto-play bandwagon with their revamped App Store in iOS 11. Now, when you visit an app or game page that has a video trailer, it will automatically play. This can not only get pretty annoying, but it can eat up your precious data. Luckily, there's a w ...more
Ah, the sand between your feet, the sun on your skin, and the debt you're accumulating. However strong my sense of wanderlust may be, I still can't justify dropping thousands of dollars on a vacation. Fortunately, a new site — Wander — promises to help you book vacations that ...more
If you haven't heard yet, Google is revamping the Play Store with version 8.0. While it so far doesn't seem to have any life changing features, there are ones that certainly will make your life easier, like their new updates feature. A few months ago, Google Play launched a n ...more
I've possibly been really out of it for a long time not to have realized that Instagram has a bunch of hidden filters. Clarendon seems to be by number one filter for pics and videos, but maybe that's exactly what I've been doing wrong. To access these wonderful secret filters ...more
If you are obsessed with anyone on Instagram to the point where you never want to miss another post again, then Instagram has got you covered. Built within the app, there's a neat little trick to turn on notifications everytime someone you like posts. So, who do you follow? T ...more
The OnePlus 5 may have received a lot of flak for its design mirroring the iPhone 7 Plus' very closely, but that doesn't change the fact that dual cameras have become increasingly more common over the last couple years. Samsung's next smartphone, the Galaxy Note 8, is rumored ...more
Apple promised at WWDC to release the iOS 11 public beta by the end of June, and they've just followed through on their promise. Available Now: Download the iOS 11 Beta Starting today, anyone with a supported iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch can test out Apple's upcoming mobile o ...more
The keyboard is one of the biggest weak points of iOS devices, in part due to the lack of an option to add a number row. Fortunately, there is a way to quickly switch between the numeric and alphabet layouts on your iPhone or iPad's keyboard. This little-known method is so si ...more
Although Instagram's summer stickers will only be here for the summer, the ice cream cone is still currently one of the most fun ones to play around with in Stories. It's also one of the stickers that lets you pick your preferred flavor of ice cream, rather than forcing just o ...more
Decorating your Instagram Stories with different types of markups is a good way to engage your audience in what you are doing. You can customize the brightness and adjust the coloring of your markup and text right though the Stories feature. All you have to do is find the pho ...more
There are a few ways to do this, but I'm going to share with you the easiest way that I know how to share an image on Instagram Stories that isn't currently in your Stories queue. At the moment, Instagram only lets you post photos from the last 24 hours to your Stories. If yo ...more
Firefox Focus is Mozilla's effort to make your internet experience a little more secure. Originally released in November 2016 for iOS, Focus blocks internet trackers, search history, anything that gets in the way of a clean, private browsing experience. iPhone users were the ...more
Update 6/20/17: Olixar, a smartphone case manufacturer, has released images of an iPhone 8 case design. While at first glance this might seem to confirm the iPhone 8's final design, 9to5 Mac reports that Olixar admits they produced these renders based on "information and schem ...more
This is probably one of the coolest Instagram hacks I've come across. I never knew that there could be an actual formula for creating the perfect feed, but the fact that someone thought of it is really awesome. If you've ever wanted to make your Instagram feed look like an in ...more
Here's a rumor for any LG fans out there — the G7, successor to the G6, may be released as early as January 2018. This is crazy news considering the G6 just came out in March. It seems a little fast, but then again, that's our modern technological culture. According to The In ...more
With Instagram's archive feature, we have the pleasure of hiding all our stupid photos of #gettingcrunk from back in the day. This wonderful new IG feature will still allow us all to cherish those embarrassing moments in our life, yet hide them from those people we hope would ...more
If you're on Instagram, you may start to see Babadook all dressed up this month. This beautiful monster is taking Instagram by storm by #babashooking it's way all around the world in its brand new Pride attire. After a slip on Netflix's part when the media company accidentall ...more
Esports — and, subsequently streaming it — are possibly some of the more surprising products of the 21st century so far. Who would have thought that people would be watching professional gamers play, the same way we've watched pro sports players on TV for more than half a deca ...more
In the changes to the App Store Review Guidelines for iOS 11, Apple has announced that developers must use the App Store rating API. The API was introduced in the iOS 10.3 beta period as something that would eventually become mandatory. Now, Apple has followed through on that ...more
The leaks and rumors surrounding the highly anticipated Galaxy Note 8 just keep coming. But none have suggested that the new Samsung phone might be powered by a different chipset than the Snapdragon 835, until now. According to a report by China-based IT Home (discovered by S ...more
It looks like Apple is coming straight for Facebook with their new Business Chat functionality, built into iMessage. "Business Chat is a powerful new way for businesses to connect with customers directly from within Messages," Apple says. "Using Business Chat, your customers ...more
Here it is folks, after weeks of constant leaks and speculation surrounding the highly anticipated OnePlus 5, the company has decided to release a high-res image of the new phone on the official OnePlus Google+ page. The picture appears two days after the company officially a ...more
Apple's highly anticipated iOS 11 is ready for the public, and besides the obvious array of new features and improvements, the mobile OS also comes with stunning new wallpapers which would look amazing on any iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch — even on Android devices. You can get ...more
WhatsApp for iOS has updated with three new features. The changes follow a trend of Apple and Facebook updates recently, including Facebook's new options for sharing content on June 1st, and Apple's updates announced at WWDC. Users can now add filters to photos, videos, and g ...more
One of the more interesting features that Maps acquired in iOS 11 is the ability to show you the current speed limit for the road you're driving on. But if you've been driving since before the iPhone was even invented, you're probably already pretty good at knowing what the sp ...more
If you just installed the iOS 11 beta on your iPhone, you're automatically sending your location data to Apple — even if you don't want to. Luckily, there's an easy way to prevent Apple from seeing this data if you don't want them to. Now, this is nothing new. Apple always as ...more
Apple announced upcoming changes today to prevent third-party tracking of users and prevent autoplay, on Safari. Safari will prevent the recording (by anyone other than Apple) of users' browsing behavior, and by doing so prevent advertisers from targeting ads based on individu ...more