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How To: Block Spam Texts with Samsung Messages
With so much of our personal data floating around the web, it's nearly impossible to get away from spam calls, texts, and emails. Unfortunately, this isn't just limited to the online world — filling in your contact information in a raffle ticket with the hope of winning that shiny new car in the mall, for instance, can often result in getting swamped with spam texts containing sketchy loan offers.
How To: Get Custom Fonts in Samsung Messages
While you can now apply a dark theme to Samsung Messages thanks to One UI, you may want to further personalize your texting app. A great way to do this is by applying a custom font, which not only enhances the app aesthetically, but can also go a long way towards making your texts more readable and help you process information better.
How To: Enable RCS in Android Messages for iMessage-Style Texting on Android
Google has recently been pushing to replace the decades-old messaging technology we've been stuck with. SMS was never meant to handle the high-quality multimedia content we consume with our smartphones today, so in comes RCS, which is a universal platform that aims to change our messaging game forever.
How To: Mute Conversations in Samsung Messages Without Blocking Contacts
Text conversations and group chats can sometimes devolve to random and nonsensical chatter that bombard you with annoying notifications. Naturally, this can get distracting and prevent you from focusing on more pressing matters. Fortunately, Samsung Messages has a feature built in to minimize distractions whenever conversations go out of hand.
How To: Set Custom Notification Sounds for Individual Contacts in Samsung Messages
Some messages take precedence over others, so having the same notification tone for all your threads isn't always the best solution. Fortunately, Samsung Messages has a simple option you can tweak to set custom sounds for specific chats to help you stay on top of priority conversations and reply much faster.
How To: Schedule Texts to Send Later with Samsung Messages
Ideas can hit you out nowhere, but texting loved ones in the wee hours of the morning or during work hours isn't always ideal, especially if they've muted their notifications. So you'll want to send a message at a better time to ensure it gets the attention it deserves. Samsung Messages lets you do just that by scheduling messages to send at a later date.
How To: Make Your Own WhatsApp Sticker Packs on Android
WhatsApp stickers can make your chat more fun. The stickers that come with WhatsApp are fine, but they're standard and accessible to everyone. What if you wanted to show off unique stickers that your friends haven't seen? To take things to the next level, you can create your own WhatsApp Stickers.
How To: Make Android Messages the Default SMS App on Any Phone
When it comes to texting, Google's Messages app for Android is absolutely top-notch. The app gives you the ability to block those annoying spam text messages that have been plaguing us for so long, send messages from a computer, and can even provide RCS features if your carrier supports the Universal Profile.
How To: Turn Off Those Annoying Amber Alerts & Emergency Broadcasts on Your Android
To bring things up to code with a new FCC standard, Android recently added an "Emergency broadcasts" feature that will make your smartphone notify you whenever a potential safety threat or Amber Alert is posted in your area. Even if you have your phone set to silent, these emergency alerts will cause your device to emit a loud, piercing sound when a potential threat is nearby.
How To: The Best Way to Uninstall All Types of Bloatware on Any Android
When you get a new phone, the last thing you want to deal with is a ton of preinstalled programs staring back at you. They not only clutter your home screen with apps you'll probably never use, but they're also wasting space on your internal storage and potentially draining battery. To truly uninstall them, you'll need root — but even then, it can be hard to pin down all the apps that should be removed.
How To: Install Android Q Beta on Any Project Treble Phone
For many, the stock version of Android is often considered the epitome of what the operating system should look and feel like by default. It's clean and clear of unwanted extra apps that come pre-installed with the system, provides a fluid and fast user experience, and runs on just about any device that has an unlocked bootloader to install a custom ROM with the stock version ready to go.
Coming Soon: Use Google Lens to Calculate Tips & Split Bills for a Group
Google Lens can perform many different tasks with your smartphone's camera thanks to advanced machine learning, such as foreign text translations, landmark identification, and business cards to contacts conversion, to name a few. With this year's Google I/O conference, we have another cool Lens feature to look forward to — receipt calculations.
How To: Install Android Q Beta on Your Essential Phone
Like last year's beta release of Android Pie, Google has allowed the Android Q Developer Previews to support some non-Pixel devices. Announced at Google I/O 2019, there are 15 non-Pixel smartphones eligible for the Android 10 Beta, including 2017's Essential PH-1.
How To: 13 Tips for Recording Better Videos on Your Galaxy
Smartphones have put an end to camcorders. If you want to capture memorable moments in high quality, look no further than that technological marvel in your pocket. Recent Galaxy phones are shining examples of how far we've come — but the more capable a camera gets, the more complicated things can be.
How To: Fix Play Store Uncertified Errors When You Forget to Flash Magisk
When it comes to customizing Android, there's no better way to make it your own than by installing a custom ROM. You gain new features that were not accessible on the stock firmware that came with the phone, and you get complete control over how your system looks and feels. But there's definitely a learning curve.
How To: Take a Photo While Recording Video with Google Camera
Though primarily a Pixel exclusive, Google Camera has become the go-to camera app for many Android users. Not only does come with a standout features like Night Sight and capture better photos than most stock camera apps, but it's also packed with functionality that makes it a one-stop-shop for all your photo and video needs.
How To: Record Multiple Clips in 1 Video with Google Camera
There are plenty of reasons the Pixel's Google Camera has become a must-have app for Android users. Google Playground AR stickers and Night Sight for low light photography are just the tip of the iceberg. Beyond those, the app comes with other, less-publicized options that add tremendously to its overall usefulness.
How To: Install Google Camera on Your Galaxy S10 for Better Photos & Videos
Samsung has stepped up its camera game with the Galaxy S10's dual- and triple-lens systems. But as impressive as the hardware is, the native Samsung Camera app still isn't as good with image processing and video stabilization as the Google Camera app for Pixel phones. Thankfully, you can get the best of both worlds.
How To: Shoot Videos in Slow Motion with Google Camera
Slow motion recording is an incredibly handy feature that works by capturing moments at a higher frame rate than they're played back at. Timing is everything when recording in this setting, so if you want a user-friendly app that keeps device interactions to a minimum and leaves you to focus on capturing your subject, Google Camera will surely fit the bill.
How To: Add Interactive AR Characters to Your Videos with Google Camera
Google's has expanded ARCore support to numerous Android flagships like the Galaxy S10, so if you have a compatible device, you get access to all the cool new apps that can augment the world around you. One of ARCore's most sought-after features, AR Stickers, is normally exclusive to Google's Pixel lineup, but by sideloading the Google Camera app, you can try it on any ARCore device.
How To: Get the Pixel's Feature-Packed Google Camera App on Other Android Devices
The Pixel is the phone to beat when it comes to cameras, and it's largely due to software. While its hardware is solid, Google's machine learning prowess and general coding wizardry are the biggest reasons the Pixel is so good with taking photos and recording video. What this means is that if you can get the Pixel's camera software, you can replicate the Pixel camera experience on other phones.
How To: The Safest Way to Disable ALL Bloatware on Your Galaxy S10
Bloatware remains one of the biggest problems with Android, especially when tied to a carrier. Removing bloatware usually requires you to take extreme measures like rooting. Unfortunately, the Galaxy S10 falls under this annoying umbrella, but there's an easy workaround.
How To: Galaxy S10 Fingerprint Sensor Slow? Enable This Setting Instead
One of the biggest advantages of the front-mounted ultrasonic fingerprint sensor found on the Galaxy S10 and S10+ is that you no longer have to physically pick up your device and reach around the back to unlock it. Instead, you simply place your finger on the screen for easier access and added convenience — at least on paper.
How To: Fix Bootloops Caused by Magisk Modules Without Factory Resetting Your Phone
When it comes to customizing Android, there's nothing quite like Magisk. You can potentially combine dozens of modules to create a one of a kind user experience tailored to you, but not all modules will work well together. You might run into a bootloop by accident once in a while, which could cause some issues on its own.
How To: Transfer Your Stardew Valley Saves from Your Computer to Android
When Stardew Valley launched back in 2016 on Steam for PC, it was instantly deemed a success for steering the RPG farming simulator genre back on the right track. Before its release, we hadn't seen too much in this particular field of games that caught the eye of the general public. Since then, the mega-hit Stardew Valley has made its way to the mobile world of Android and iOS.
How To: Auto-Hide the Navigation Bar on Your Galaxy S10 — No Root Needed
Because of the way Android is laid out, you automatically lose a portion of the top and bottom of your screen thanks to the status and navigation bars. The thing is, you don't always need the navigation buttons. By hiding them, you can enjoy more of your Galaxy S10's big, beautiful display.
How To: Use Your Phone as a Security Key for Logging into Your Google Account on Any Computer
Many of our online accounts now come with an added two-factor authentication (2FA) functionality to help keep our data safe. This essentially means no one would be able to access the account until a specific set of requirements were met. It could be a combination of a password with a security key or even a passcode with some form of biometrics, like a fingerprint or face scan.
How To: Open an ADB or Fastboot Command Window in Platform-Tools
When it comes to rooting and modding any Android device, ADB and Fastboot commands will quickly become your two new best friends once you realize the power they have. From unlocking your bootloader to flashing any file you could ever want — if you're serious about the modding and customization game, you'll want to become acquainted with these commands as soon as possible.
How To: Turn Your Galaxy S10's Camera Cutout into a Notification LED
Though many were hoping for it, a notification indicator around the Galaxy S10's front camera punch hole never came to fruition. Since then, we've been finding other uses for the camera cutout, from turning it into a circular battery meter to using creative wallpapers. Thankfully, there's now an app that will give you LED-style alerts with a ring around your S10's camera.
How To: Everything You Need to Disable on Your Galaxy S10 for Privacy & Security
Whether we like it or not, our personal information and smartphones are tied together at the hip. The former needs the latter to deliver a personalized experience that matches our individual needs. This personal data, however, makes your phone a prime target for thieves of all sorts to turn your privacy into illicit profit.
How To: Turn Your Galaxy S10 into a Google Pixel
While the Galaxy S10 is a beautiful phone, its software isn't for everyone. One UI makes huge strides toward undoing the mess known as TouchWiz, but for purists, it's still not quite on par with stock Android. Fortunately, the beauty of Android is you can change this with a few apps.
How To: Remove Any Status Bar Icon on Your Galaxy S10 — No Root Needed
Samsung's popular Good Lock app has been updated to work on One UI and now lets you take full advantage of its awesome add-ons to customize your S10 in a few simple taps. One add-on in particular lets you get rid of mostly redundant indicators like the NFC "N" for a cleaner status bar.
How To: Turn Your Galaxy S10's Camera Cutout into a Battery Indicator
The camera punch hole on the S10 has gotten our creative juices flowing more than any notch ever could. First, we saw wallpapers that served to camouflage the cutout or even accentuate it. Now, if you want to go the opposite direction and highlight your S10's camera hole, there's an app that turns it into a circular battery meter.
How To: Get New Themes for Your Pixel on Android 10
In Android 10, Google is letting you adjust the accent colors to give your phone a bit of flair. When combined with the new system-wide dark mode, you are looking at eight different color combinations. That is seven more than we had in the previous version and seven additional ways to help your phone stand out.
How To: Share Your Wi-Fi Password with a QR Code in Android 10
If your phone is running Android 10, you can now share your Wi-Fi network with friends using a handy QR code. The other person doesn't have to be running Android 10 — in fact, you can even share this code with iPhone users. In most situations, this is now the fastest way to share your Wi-Fi password.
How To: Change Your Home Screen Icon Shapes on Android 10
For those of you who like to frequently change the icon shapes on your home screen, the process has changed in Android 10. The setting is buried and now applies to more than just home screen icons.
How To: Samsung Disabled This S10 Setting — But Turning It On Will Drastically Improve Battery Life
It's no secret that Google is all about AI. In their eyes, machine learning is the future of software development, and you can see evidence of this all over the last couple Android updates. They've used it to power all sorts of features in their Pixel phones, and they've even donated some of their AI smarts to AOSP for all Android manufacturers to share. But it looks like Samsung isn't exactly on board.
How To: Bring Back the Vertical Recent Apps Menu on Your Galaxy in Android Pie
The Android 9 Pie update brought a lot of visual changes, some of which are a little too reminiscent of iOS. There's the new gesture controls, which are okay, but then there are things like a left-justified clock and the fact that the recent apps menu now scrolls horizontally instead of vertically. Luckily, Samsung has given us a way to bring back the classic Android style.
How To: Disable App Icon Badges & Unread Counts on Your Galaxy S10
Your S10's notification panel can quickly fill up with alerts about incoming messages, emails, weather reports ... the list goes on and on. If that weren't enough, those notifications are accompanied by badges that pop up as tiny numbered circles overlaid on icons within your phone's home screen and app drawer.
How To: Hide the Navigation Bar & Enable Gestures on Your Galaxy S10
The navigation and status bars aren't very noticeable on the S10's home screen since they're transparent. The status bar will even change colors to match many apps. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the navigation bar.