Android Features
How To: This Intelligent Personal Assistant for Your Galaxy S4 Is Way Better Than S Voice Could Ever Be
One feature of Samsung devices that's less useful than I had expected is S Voice, the voice assistant that ships with all new Galaxy devices. The voice is annoying, the features are lacking, and it's an all around subpar product. With Google Now, Siri, and now Microsoft's Cortana, Samsung needs to really step up their game—even on the new Galaxy S5.
How To: Make Your HTC One's Screen Turn On When Receiving New Text Messages
If you're new to Android phones, one of the first things you've probably noticed is how notification alerts differs from Apple devices, especially in regards to getting a text message.
How To: Take Secret Spy Photos Undetected Using Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Sometimes, for whatever reason it may be, we just want to take a photo without anyone noticing. Unfortunately, thanks to the extremely large screen and loud shutter sound, taking a picture discreetly with our Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is a hard thing to do.
How To: Get the S5's New Rounded Quick Settings Toggles on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
Samsung's TouchWiz skin gets a lot of flak for its appearance, namely the garish colors on the quick settings toggles. The bright green on dark blue scheme is definitely an eyesore compared to the ones in stock Android, and even other manufacturer skins like HTC's Sense.
How To: Unlock the Hidden SuperUser App in CyanogenMod 11S on Your OnePlus One
The OnePlus One comes with CyanogenMod 11S built in, but there are certainly some traditional CyanogenMod features missing from this version. One of the most obvious missing ingredients is the lack of a native SuperUser app, most likely to prevent inexperienced users from causing unintentional damage to their device's software.
How To: Get Lenovo's Exclusive Super Camera Apps on Your Galaxy Note 3
Lenovo brought out the big guns for CES 2014, with the Vibe Z showcased as the Chinese company's' first foray into the LTE smartphone space. Slated for a February release, the ultra-thin and extremely light smartphone will certainly be in the running for top smartphones of this very new year. Photo via CNET
How To: Get All of Samsung's Coolest TouchWiz Features onto Your Nexus 7 Tablet
Okay, you're Nexus 7 is awesome, but ever wish you could explore those nifty TouchWiz features that make the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Samsung Galaxy Note 2 so interesting?
How To: Make the Ringtone on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3, or Other Android Phone Auto Adjust to Your Surroundings
Having your phone ring loudly in a quiet environment could be potentially embarrassing for you, but also quite annoying for everyone else that didn't forget to put their smartphone on silent. Whether it's in class, at work during a meeting, at the library, or a movie screening—you can bet that someone's phone is going to ring loudly, pissing some people off. You don't really want to be that douchebag that interrupts a movie or the middle of a lecture with their annoying ringtone just because ...
How To: Get the HTC One M8's All New BlinkFeed Launcher on Your Nexus 5
HTC's recent release of a new flagship phone brought tons of fanfare along with it. Dubbed The All New HTC One, the M8 edition of the popular One series phone also marked an update to the HTC Sense UI. Manufacturer skins like Sense can be a bit of a polarizing subject, especially amongst Nexus owners who are used to experiencing Android's interface exactly as Google envisioned it.
How To: Enable the Front-Facing "Flash" on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 for Better Selfies
The outstretched arm, the perfectly positioned angle, the shot and the subsequent array of tinkered saturation, contrast and shadows. In almost every car, changing room, or Starbucks, these string of events happen—you might know it as the selfie.
How To: Update Your OnePlus One to Lollipop Today
The vague 90-day release window for CyanogenMod 12 has done nothing to stop my craving for Lollipop on my OnePlus One. Luckily, there are other "unofficial" means of getting my hands on it. Since CyanogenMod still gives users a way of building their own variants of their ROM, we can install user-compiled versions of CM 12 pretty easily.
How To: Get Back the Gallery App on Any Nexus Device Running Lollipop
There were over 1.2 million changes made to Android when the OS got updated from KitKat to Lollipop, but a minor front-facing modification has many users in an uproar.
How To: Add Custom Lock Screen Widgets to Your Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy S3, & Other Android 4.2 Devices
It's all about widgets. Widgets are one of the most important features on an Android phone—they can provide valuable information at a glance and are easily customizable.
How To: Keep Your Android's Screen On All the Time Without Killing Your Battery
Samsung's latest flagship devices, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, as well as the Note7, have a useful feature called "Always On Display." With this one enabled, the clock and some other information will continue to be shown on the screen, even when you lock your phone or turn your screen off.
News: This Guy Tested the Google Pixel XL Against the Nexus 6P (Camera Comparison, Google Assistant, & More)
Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones are available for pre-order right now, but the general public won't start to get their hands on these devices for another week or two. Tech reporters got some hands-on time at Google's launch event on October 4th, but camera testing wasn't allowed, and the Wi-Fi coverage at the event was too flooded for real-world performance reviews.
How To: Clean Up the Clutter on Your Samsung Galaxy S3 with This Virtual Maid for Android Systems
For most of us regular folk, the only opportunity to relish in the conveniences of a maid is during hotel stays. Personally, I would love to have a maid around to help fold my clothes and sweep up those crumbs that accumulate in the corners of my kitchen, but sadly, I currently live in reality and can't afford that luxury just yet. In real life, I'm on my own.
Galaxy S8 Oreo Update: Samsung Keyboard Gets an Overhaul in Android 8.0
The Oreo Beta for Samsung's Galaxy S8 and S8+ is official and available to download on your device. Now that we have the update in hand, we've started detailing several of the changes and features. We've already looked at the new Notification Channels functionality, so in this post, we'll take a look at several improvements to Samsung's stock keyboard. While some Android users prefer to install third-party keyboards on their device, Samsung's default keyboard has a loyal following among Galax...
How To: Fix the Yellow Tint on Your Nexus 5's Display
The Nexus 5 has a known issue with its display. Affecting all models from the first manufacturing run and most models thereafter, this display issue is easiest to notice on something with a white background. A yellowish tint, most noticeable when compared to other devices, seems to emanate from the Nexus 5's screen.
How To: Add Your Favorite Apps to the Pen Window Drawer on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 3
There wasn't really anything too special about the S Pen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, with its limited capabilities and finicky sensitivity. Luckily, the S Pen was greatly improved on the Note 3, the biggest enhancement being Air Command, a floating menu that appears when the S Pen is removed that gives quick access to all the new features.
How To: Text Better on Your Samsung Galaxy S4 with This Hybrid Messaging App Based on Android 4.3 & CyanogenMod 10.2
With CyanogenMod 10.2 recently released and the Samsung Galaxy S4 still waiting on Android 4.3, it only makes sense that the coveted features from both firmwares are highly desired by Android owners all over. We've already brought you a feature from each firmware—the cLock home/lock screen widget from CyanogenMod and the Google Play Edition Camera and Gallery from Android 4.3. Now we're bringing you another in the form of an updated text messaging application, ported from both Android 4.3 and...
How To: Fool Netflix into Letting You Watch All Region-Locked Videos on Your Nexus 5
Out amongst the ether of the internet lies a completely different version of the Netflix library you've come to know and love. Because of licensing and rights fees, the streaming media giant maintains separate libraries for each country it services. Ultimately, this means that certain movies and TV shows are only available in certain countries.
How To: Boost Headphones Volume on Your Galaxy S6 Edge
The Galaxy S6 Edge comes with a very nice pair of earbuds, which might possibly be the best set I've ever owned. They're quite comfortable, and they provide clear and robust sound, but they could still use just a little boost in volume.
How To: Add a Sleep Timer to Any Music Player on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
Silence can therapeutic at times, but unsettling at others. When I'm in bed at night, I need some sort of background or white noise to help me fall asleep. Pure silence just does not do it for me. Whether it's a fan oscillating left to right, or the TV playing, I need background noise to soothe me to sleep.
How To: Root Your Nexus 7 Tablet Running Android 4.4 KitKat (Mac Guide)
Just because you have a Mac doesn't mean you can't root your Nexus 7 tablet. In fact, rooting Android 4.4 KitKat on both the 2013 and original 2012 N7 models is easy, if not easier than rooting it using a Windows PC.
How To: 6 Surefire Ways to Speed Up Google Chrome
With the release of Jelly Bean, Chrome became the default web browser on Android. The wildly successful desktop browser was now fully entrenched in the world's largest mobile operating system.
News: 34 Beautiful Material Design Apps to Replace Your Old, Ugly Ones
I have a personal rule when it comes to an app's interface: If it doesn't follow Android's design guidelines, it was probably written with Apple's iOS in mind first and foremost.
How To: Optimize & Speed Up Web Surfing on Your Nexus 7 Tablet with This Super Easy Mod
Even if you have the fastest internet connection in the world, it's not going to be fast if your Android device isn't optimized to use all of the bandwidth. I have pretty fast speeds at home, but every now and then my web surfing on my Nexus 7 tablet is halted in its tracks—for seemingly no reason.
How To: Turn Your HTC One into a Remote Control & TV Guide for Your Home Theater System
When the HTC One was announced, the fact that its IR transmitter was a side note more than a main feature made me dismiss it. When Samsung included one in the GS4, it became even less impressive. However, now that I actually have a One, I find that the "TV" app is way more than just one of Samsung's "S"-gimmicks. Step 1: Set Up Your Service Provider
How To: Get Real-Time Effects That Describe the Weather Outside on Your Android's Wallpaper
Living in Southern California means I don't really have a need to check the weather all that often. But every now and then, I'm caught off guard by a particularly chilly or hot day—no one wants to be the only person walking around with a T-shirt and sandals on a rainy, 50-degree day.
How To: Add Your iCloud Email Account to Your Galaxy Note 3 or Other Android Device
Whether you've been fully converted or just want a little Apple with your Android, adding your iCloud email to your Galaxy Note 3 is a fairly simple task. Usually, Apple and Android don't play nice, but your iCloud address can be added to your stock email app just like any other email account.
How To: Install & Use the New Nokia Z Launcher (Even if You're Rooted)
While their merger with Microsoft has lead to a seemingly complete halt of new device development, some Nokia employees are still hard at work to bring new software to the table.
How To: Make the AccuWeather Widget Transparent on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 3
The stock AccuWeather widget on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is great if you want a super quick way to see the current time, date, and weather forecast for your area, but personally, its design just doesn't do it for me. It's big and bulky and I find that the background weather imagery is distracting. Developer ElMartinoAT feels pretty much the same, and brings us nine alternatives to choose from when it comes to the stock AccuWeather widget on Galaxy Note 3 devices running Android KitKat.
How To: Install the New S Translator from the GS4 onto Your Samsung Galaxy S3
If you watched Samsung's Unpacked 2013 live last month, where they announced the new Galaxy S4, you probably sat through this awkward skit: This was Samsung's way of introducing their new translation software, dubbed S Translator. In the skit, the backbacking American traveler in Shanghai typed his question in English, and the phone spoke it aloud in Chinese. The other man replied in Chinese, and the app translated the message back into English. Live conversation translation aside, the app ca...
How To: Get the New Android L "Heads Up" Notifications on Your Nexus 5 or Other Android Device
We got a fairly extensive look at the newest version of Android at Google I/O yesterday. The "L" version, which we're betting stands for "Lollipop", brings Google's new design philosophy to Android, and one of the main aspects of that design are new "heads up" notifications. Allowing you to continue using whatever app you're currently in without interuption, this new type of alert borrows from Apple's iOS, but does it the Android way. These notifications can be dismissed with a swipe away, ex...
How To: Unlock Your Samsung Galaxy S3 with Magic
David Blaine has made millions off his magic tricks and mind-bending illusions, so why shouldn't we get in on the action, too? Well, your Samsung Galaxy S3 can do all kinds of things, but magic isn't one of them...yet.
How To: Customize the Brightness Settings on Your Samsung Galaxy Note II or Other Android Device
Needing to use your device in bright or low lighting can require an adjustment in the phone's built-in brightness settings. However, there are times when those default settings just don't do the trick.
How To: Theme KitKat to Look Like Android L on Your Nexus 5
The new preview build of Android is out, and it looks good. But if you're not quite ready to install Android L on your phone, there's still another way to enjoy some of these new visual elements on your Nexus device.
How To: Control Your Nexus 5 Without Touching the Screen
If you've ever seen one of those Samsung commercials from about a year back, you know that the Galaxy S series of phones come with a feature that allows you to do certain things by making gestures in front of your screen. They call this feature Air Gesture, and it enables you to perform certain functions without even touching your phone.
How To: Play PSP Video Games Smoothly on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
If smartphone video games have a weakness, it's probably their inability to emulate the riveting and immersive experience that consoles offer.
How To: Unlock Your Android with a Secret Sequence of Volume Key Presses
Yes, they're called volume keys, but they can do much more than adjust your volume. With minimal effort, you can do some amazing things with these physical buttons, like secretly record videos, toggle on your flashlight, scroll through pages, control your music, and much more. And while using them to wake your screen is useful, let's take it a step further and show you how to use them to completely unlock your device, even if the screen is off.