Android

How To: Easily Change Your Phone's Font Without Tripping SafetyNet

You can easily deck out your favorite phone with great wallpapers, ringtones, and icons, but what about fonts? Not all Android skins let you change the system font, and even when they do, the options are often limited to a few choices. Certain root apps can open up the system font to customization, but some of these can cause problems now that Google introduced a security measure called SafetyNet.

How To: Gift Apps & Games to Android Users

The iTunes App Store makes it easy to buy an app or game on someone else's behalf, and it's a great way to send an iPhone user a thoughtful gift. The Google Play Store doesn't have such functionality, but there are still a few workarounds to accomplish the same goal: gifting an app to an Android user.

How To: Enable Call Recording on Your OnePlus Device in the Stock Phone App

Depending on your region, you may not be offered the same call recording option other OnePlus users have. But, as with most things Android, where there's a developer with a will, there's a way regardless. And the method we are about to describe is one of the easiest, most stable, and undetectable ways to do it. Perhaps we should discuss why OnePlus has been holding out you when it comes to this feature, though.

Samsung Android Pie Update: Galaxy Devices Are Getting Better Edge Lighting

As Samsung's very own take on Android 9.0 Pie, the newly-dubbed One UI (formerly Samsung Experience, and TouchWiz before that) comes with a slew of new features and redesigned elements for the Galaxy's interface. Many of the changes, like the redesigned native app icons, are readily apparent, but other features got subtle enhancements that greatly improve user friendliness.

News: Google's Security Report Shows a Clear Pattern Among Malware-Infected Users

According to Google's new Android ecosystem transparency report, you're eleven times more likely to be infected by malware if you're running Android Lollipop (5.0) as opposed to Android Pie (9). The same report shows that if you sideload apps, you're almost seven times more likely to be infected than if you stick to Google Play as your app source. All of the data provided in the report is quite interesting, but there's a clear pattern among malware-infected users.

How To: 15 Tips & Tricks for New Pixel 3 Users

The Pixel 3 runs stock Android, so you might think that since you've used an Android device before, you should know your way around the new phone by default. But Google has actually added several great Pixel-exclusive software features to its flagships, and not all of them are easily discoverable.

Samsung Android Pie Update: Notifications Get a Colorful Redesign on Galaxy Devices

With its version of Android Pie, Samsung is giving flagships like the Galaxy S9 a much needed update to keep them competitive against rivals like the Google Pixel 3 and the OnePlus 6T. To set it apart from from other Android platforms, Samsung Experience has gotten a major face-lift that's being dubbed "One UI."

How To: Block Annoying GDPR Cookie Pop-Ups While Browsing the Web on Android

Ever since the GDPR was implemented, it seems every website on the internet needs to inform you of how its privacy policies have changed. If your web browsing experience has been marred by a constant barrage of these cookie pop-ups and privacy dialogs, you should know there's an easy way to block these web annoyances so you never have to tap another checkbox or accept button again.

How To: The Official One UI Beta Just Went Live for US Galaxy S9 Users — Here's How to Get It

Thanks to leaks that let us try out the latest Android Pie beta on the Galaxy S9, we already have a good idea of what the update has in store for Samsung's flagships moving forward. As we've come to expect, Android 9.0 brings a slew of notable updates, such as the addition of a system-wide dark theme and an all-new TouchWiz replacement called "One UI."

News: Here's When Your Galaxy Will Get Samsung's New One UI Update

Who doesn't love a refresh? Samsung's upcoming One UI makes it easier to use your device with one hand and adds a fresh coat of paint to the formally "Samsung Experience" skin. While you're probably looking forward to installing One UI on your phone, not all Galaxies are equal — your device could be one of the first to receive the update, or it could never see One UI at all.

Samsung Android Pie Update: Messages App Gets a Quick Redesign on Galaxy Devices

Samsung's version of Android Pie is set to be released quite soon, though we've known what to expect thanks to leaked beta versions of the software for the Galaxy S9 and S9+. Fortunately, experiencing Android Pie firsthand has only served to pique our curiosity as to what Samsung has in store for its smartphones moving forward.

How To: Get iOS 12.1's New Emojis on Any Android Phone

There's been a lot of fanfare as iOS 12 rolls out, and as an Android owner, you might be feeling left out. There's no need to feel that way, though. You don't have to choose between running out to get a new iPhone or being stuck with only your Android's features — at least when it comes to emojis. This is one of those rare times in life when you can have it all.

Samsung Android Pie Update: Galaxy Devices Are Getting All-New Home Screen Icons

With Android Pie beta now available for the Galaxy S9 and S9+, Samsung is well on its way to catching up to major competitors like the Google Pixel 3 in terms of giving its users the latest and greatest software Android has to offer. Of course, Samsung has added its own touches to the software to make Android Pie its own and set it apart from the rest of the crowd.

How To: Lower Vibration Feedback on Your Pixel 2 to Make Notifications Quieter

Haptic feedback and vibration of our smartphones have come a long way in recent years. These features are much more premium now than they once were, but most users are still unable to adjust the intensity for notifications or phone calls. Most higher-end devices make less noise on surfaces than in the past, but adjusting these values can still come in handy even today.

News: ElementalX's Flar2 Talks 'Death' of Rooting & Future of Android

You can mod every aspect of your phone's software with root, but if you want to make changes at the hardware level, you'll need a custom kernel. If you've looked into custom kernels before, one name undoubtedly kept coming up: ElementalX. It's easily the best custom kernel out there, and the reason for that is its awesome developer, flar2, aka Aaron Segaert.

How To: Boost Camera Resolution & Photo Quality on Your OnePlus 5 or 5T with 1 Simple Mod

The OnePlus 5 doesn't have too many weak spots, at least not when you consider the price. But you might feel that the company with the slogan, "Never Settle," might have actually settled a bit with its camera. The OnePlus 5 and 5T don't have bad imaging specs, but they could use a pick-me-up, which is what we're about to provide. There's a bit of a catch, though.

Samsung Android Pie Update: Phone App Gets a Makeover on Galaxy Devices

A leaked version of Android Pie for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ has surfaced to give us a glimpse of what the latest update has to offer, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. With Android 9, Samsung Experience got a major makeover and even a new name. Now known as One UI, the new software update features significant aesthetic changes to many of its native apps.

PSA: Don't Buy the T-Mobile OnePlus 6T if You Want to Root

When OnePlus announced their partnership with T-Mobile and the deal the magenta carrier is set to offer, mouths dropped. But as usual, this deal comes with some caveats. The bulk of these will hurt the folks who love to root, something a large portion of the OnePlus community enjoys doing.

How To: All the Reasons You Should Root Your Phone

Rooting. As an Android user, I'm sure you've heard the word once or twice. According to Kaspersky, 7.6% of all Android users root — but for the 92.4% who don't, we wanted to talk to you.

How To: Calibrate the Colors of Your Pixel 2's Display with ElementalX

No matter how good a display is, the idea of perfect color calibration is subjective — some prefer warmer more saturated colors, while others prefer the calmer cooler side of the color spectrum. It is almost impossible to create a single color calibration that everyone can agree on out of the box. The display on the Pixel 2 XL was specifically calibrated with a more realistic color profile in mind.

How To: Enable the New Swipe Gestures on Your Galaxy in Android Pie

To give you a truly immersive experience on Infinity Display phones like the Galaxy S9 and Note 9, Samsung added the option to hide the navigation bar when not in use, then easily reveal it with a swipe up gesture for quick access. If you've always found this process a little too cumbersome, Samsung has introduced a nifty feature within its newly-named "One UI" that'll make it a lot more intuitive.

News: 4 Ways the OnePlus 6T Makes Rooting Easy

With the same starting price as its predecessor and a nice list of improvements, the OnePlus 6T is a great buy for a number of reasons. But for many Android users, the main selling point for the latest OnePlus flagship is how easy it will be to root and mod the device.

How To: The Best Phones for Rooting & Modding

According to a study done by Kaspersky, 7.6% of Android users root their phones. That may not sound like a lot, but with over 2 billion Android devices out there, the math works out to over 150 million rooted phones — more than the total population of Russia, Mexico, or Japan — so root nation is an important demographic that deserves being catered to.

How To: Enable Samsung's New Dark Theme on Your Galaxy in Android Pie

Though not yet official, you can now experience firsthand what Android Pie has to offer your Galaxy S9. Perhaps one of the best features is something we've all been clamoring for: a system-wide dark theme that gives numerous apps and UI elements a custom look without having to resort to using a third-party theme.

How To: Get Android Pie Beta on Your Galaxy S9 or S9+ Right Now

Samsung isn't known for its timely rollout of major Android updates, and Android 9.0 Pie won't be an exception. If we go by their Oreo update timeline, we can expect Android Pie to officially touch down for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ sometime around November, with the final version rolling out the around the first quarter of 2019. But a leaked version of the beta has already hit the internet.

News: Some Shiny New Pixel 3s Aren't Registering SIM Cards & Google Is Dragging Their Feet on a Fix

You just brought a brand new Pixel 3 from the Google Store, and you insert your SIM card only to find the phone won't recognize it at all. No matter what you do, the SIM card won't register and your Pixel won't connect to your carrier network. That's what happened to me and several other Pixel 3 owners. The good news is a fix is coming, the bad news is Google doesn't have a date for that fix.

How To: How Google's Titan M Chip Makes the Pixel 3 One of Most Secure Android Phones

When Google introduced the Pixel 3 on October 9th, one of new additions they briefly mentioned was the Titan M security chip. While they did talk about how it will improve overall security, they didn't expand on the number of changes it brings to the Pixel 3's security. Well, they finally shared more, and it's a pretty big deal.

How To: Make OTA Updates Easy by Rooting Your Pixel 3 with Magisk

Rooting usually means sacrifice. With most root methods, you lose access to apps like Netflix and Android Pay when SafetyNet gets tripped. More importantly, you lose the ability to accept OTA updates, forcing you to manually flash new Android versions. But there's a way around all of this if you root the right way.

How To: Unlock the Bootloader on Your Pixel 3 or 3 XL — a Beginner's Guide

The main draw for Google's Pixel series is the software. It rocks a clean version of stock Android instead of a heavy OEM skin like TouchWiz, it gets frequent prompt OS updates, the camera software is downright amazing, and it has perhaps the most fluid UI of any phone. But an understated advantage of the software is how dead-simple it is to modify with root-level tweaks.

News: Google's Night Sight Camera Is Downright Amazing

The Pixel 3 has an indisputably great camera, but a software update coming soon is going to make it even better. Google will be adding a "Night Sight" shooting mode that's so good with low-light situations that you'll have to see it to believe it.

How To: Apply OTA Updates on Your Rooted Pixel 2 or 2 XL

So, you rooted your Pixel 2 or 2 XL and everything seems to be working quite well. However, a month passes, and you get a notification to install the monthly security update. Like clockwork, Google has been pushing out OTA security patches every single month for a while, but there is a new problem for you at this point — as a rooted user, you are unable to apply the update correctly.

Mate 20 Pro vs. Galaxy Note 9: Comparing the Best Phones from the Top 2 Manufacturers

While many are familiar with Samsung, I'm pretty sure most Americans couldn't name the second-largest smartphone OEM. It's actually Huawei, and they recently released a spec-sheet dream of a phone in the Mate 20 Pro. So naturally, we wanted to see how it compared to the largest OEM's best offering.

News: Everything You Need to Know About the ASUS ROG Phone — the Best Gaming Phone on the Market

Ever since the announcement of the Razer Phone, a wave of gaming smartphones started to hit the market. With ASUS being such a big name in gaming, it made sense for them to throw their hat in the ring. The result is the ROG Phone. And with this first try, ASUS has topped the rest, creating a gaming phone others should try to emulate.

News: The Pixel 3 Still Has a Circular Polarizer

The Pixel 2 XL had what Google called a circular polarizer to ensure the screen would be visible from any orientation while wearing polarized sunglasses. They made a pretty big deal out of it at their 2017 event, but in 2018, there was no mention of whether or not this feature would return in the Pixel 3. It did.

News: Huawei Mate 20 Pro — Finally, a Phone with Almost No Compromises

In this jam-packed October, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro has flown under the radar in the US. Due to Huawei's lack of presence in the States, many are unfamiliar with the second largest OEM in the world. Huawei has continuously put out amazing mobile devices, and this year they released a phone that's nearly perfect on paper.

How To: Root Your OnePlus 5 Using Magisk

Perhaps you've thought about rooting your OnePlus 5, but thought again when you heard SafetyNet would prevent you from using apps like Google Pay, Pokémon GO, or Netflix. Those are valid struggles when you root using traditional methods. There are no such worries when using Magisk, as it masks the fact that your device has been modified.

How To: Turn Your Galaxy Note 9 into an iPhone

For some Android users, this guide is sacrilege — but for others, iOS is just an attractive operating system that can be admired without feeling like you've betrayed your own phone. If you're one of those Galaxy Note 9 owners that have peeked across the aisle and desired an interface as clean as the one on the iPhone XS Max, you can configure your Note 9 to look like its rival with some tinkering.

News: Fortnite Beta Is Now Available for All Android Devices

After the limited initial release of the massively popular game on the Android platform, many users have been stuck waiting to play Fortnite. That's because, initially, Epic Games only released the game to Samsung Galaxy devices, and asked non-Samsung users to join an invite list. Well, the wait is finally over.

News: The Razer Phone 2 Goes Official with 2018 Internals in a 2017 Body

Late last year, we got a little surprise from Razer. The gaming company released its first smartphone, and as expected, it targeted gamers. Branded as a gaming phone, it started a trend which several other companies followed soon after, including ASUS, Xiaomi, and even Samsung. So as you can imagine, many are excited about its successor.

News: Pixel 3 XL vs. Galaxy Note 9 — the Best of Android Compared

The Pixel 3 XL versus Galaxy Note 9. Stock Android versus Samsung Experience. When I began this comparison, I thought the Pixel 3 XL would be unfairly outmatched. But after looking at the specs side-by-side, you'll see a different picture. This year, Google delivered a worthy alternative to Samsung's best offering.