How-To Guides about Android

Samsung says the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra can charge from empty to 65% in 30 minutes. In preliminary testing, the Fold 8 Ultra actually beat that mark, reaching 67% in the same window, according to Android Authority testing three weeks ago. That's a real jump from what the Fold line could do a year ago, and it raises the obvious question for anyone hunting for the best charger for Galaxy Z Fold 8 devices: which one actually gets you there?

Galaxy Z Fold 8 owners are posting screenshots on Samsung's community forum of a home screen gone sideways: icons overlapping, apps sliding past their assigned grid spots, some landing in the gap between the inner display's two panes. One owner said an icon got stuck there entirely, impossible to select or drag back (Android Authority, today). If you're trying to figure out how to fix Galaxy Z Fold 8 app icon misalignment, there's a specific software update worth checking before you waste time...

Pixel Watch 4 owners who feel left out of the Pixel Watch 5 launch have a workaround. According to Android Authority, Reddit user m0rr0ng0 found that sideloading a newer build of the Pixel Watch Faces app unlocks five Pixel Watch 5 faces: Weave, Chronograph, a Steph Curry edition, Multicolor Reveal, and Multicolor Modular.

This guide walks you through preordering any of the three new Galaxy foldables in a way that minimizes total cost or preserves flexibility, depending on which matters more to you. By the end, you'll know which channel fits your situation, how to run a real cost comparison, and what to verify before submitting your order.

Tom's Guide walked away unimpressed with the Pixel 11 overall, but the outlet singled out one feature it called "genuinely useful": Magic Capture, a camera mode that records a short clip and lets AI pick the best still photos so users stop guessing when to hit the shutter (Tom's Guide, two weeks ago). Anyone figuring out how to use Magic Capture on Pixel 11 will find the basic setup simple, but getting the most out of it means enabling one setting in advance and thinking about your connection...

Less than a month after launch, Pixel 11 owners are running into a scattered set of problems: a phone that won't survive its own setup screen, videos full of static, spotty Wi-Fi, and a hit game that refuses to launch at all.

Google Photos still has a setting that restores date headers in the grid. On Android, the redesigned Photos view switched those headers off by default and replaced them with a floating date indicator that appears while scrolling.

10 Gboard Features That Make Android Typing Faster — and 5 Settings That Make It Less Nosy

Samsung Messages shut down on July 6, 2026. If you're a US Galaxy user on Android 12 or newer, the app can no longer send or receive messages except to emergency numbers, per Samsung's discontinuation notice. The text field is greyed out, and that's a permanent state.

Mina the Hollower has no official Android port, but you can run it locally on your phone through GameNative no streaming required. Whether it actually works comes down to one thing: your GPU.

The Razr Fold has one clear hardware distinction over Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold7: active stylus support on both of its displays. The Moto Pen Ultra features on Razr Fold span handwritten notes and pressure-sensitive sketching to on-screen search and cross-device syncing. The Galaxy Z Fold7, at $1,999, offers none of it.

ChatGPT screen sharing on Android may be getting a less clunky alternative, and the possible replacement is worth understanding before it arrives. Code discovered this week inside version 1.2026.118 of ChatGPT's Android app points to a different method: instead of capturing your screen as video, the app would read visible text and interface elements directly, using Android's Accessibility API and Android's Bubbles feature, according to Android Authority.

How to Encrypt Files on Android: CryptoContainer Guide

Android acting up? Your phone freezing, crashing, or running slower than usual? Before you panic or rush to the repair shop, there's a built-in diagnostic tool that might solve your problems: Safe Mode. This feature temporarily disables third-party apps, helping you identify whether a recently installed app is causing havoc with your device's performance.

You know how smartphones constantly promise to make your life easier with their latest features? Most of the time, that's just marketing fluff designed to justify another upgrade cycle. But every now and then, a company actually delivers something genuinely useful that most people completely overlook. OnePlus AI Recorder is one of those hidden gems.

The first thing to do with a new Galaxy phone isn't downloading apps or customizing the wallpaper. It's disabling Customization Service Samsung's built-in data-profiling tool that activates the moment a Samsung account is created, with no separate prompt. That's the highest-priority change on this list, and the one most likely to quietly revert after a system update.

When Android introduced its latest security update, many power users found themselves staring at an unexpected roadblock: a 24-hour waiting period before installing apps from unknown sources. You might be thinking, "Really? A full day just to install an APK?" - and honestly, that frustration is completely understandable, especially when you're trying to quickly sideload a legitimate app for development work or testing purposes.

Helping non-tech-savvy users navigate modern smartphones can feel like teaching someone to fly a spaceship when all they want to do is make a phone call. If you've ever watched a parent or grandparent squint at their Pixel phone, tapping icons with the precision of someone defusing a bomb, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The good news? Google built a feature specifically for this scenario, and it's hiding in plain sight within your Pixel's settings.