Android Features
How To: Turn Lens Blur Photos from Google Camera into Stunning Live Wallpapers for Your Galaxy S4
If you have Android KitKat, you're fortunate enough to be able to use the new Google Camera, which has tons of great features, including Photo Sphere, Tiny Planet, Panorama, and Fisheye. With so many photo options and no additional hardware needed, it's hard to not to like this camera.
How To: Get Smarter Every Time You Unlock Your LG G3 or Other Android Phone
There are countless lock screens you can apply to your Android device, but very few offer more than just quick access to apps or advanced security functionality. Since you probably unlock your device a gazillion times every day, why not use this to your advantage and let it teach you something new?
How To: Use Firefox Rocket to Browse the Web Faster & Save Data on Any Android
Mozilla has created yet another browser for Android. Similar to Firefox Focus, Firefox Rocket was designed to address specific problems: limited internal storage and low data caps. However, in the process of solving these problems, they created one of the fastest browsers on the market.
How To: Stop Pecking at Your Screen — Use Your Galaxy's Keyboard to Move the Cursor Exactly Where You Want It
The iPhone's ingenious trackpad function offers an intuitive way to place the cursor where it's needed. Not to be outdone, Samsung phones like the Galaxy S20 have a similar feature baked in. If you're running One UI 2, it's even enabled by default.
How To: Remove Credit Cards from the Power Menu on Your Google Pixel
It wasn't too long ago that the power menu for stock Android didn't offer much beyond turning the device off, but Google has steadily added more functions, like capturing screenshots and provisioning access to emergency information.
News: The Math Says You Should Stop Buying Current Flagship Android Phones
We're all feeling the impact of the economic recession underway due to the coronavirus. With millions of Americans filing for unemployment benefits, now more than ever should we focus on the best deal rather than the best model. And in no industry is that more evident than smartphones.
How To: Make Your Nexus Organize Itself & Dynamically Adapt to Your Daily Needs
Ask a thousand Nexus owners why they chose their device over an iPhone, and after getting an earful of Apple hate, you will likely hear a clear pattern in their responses, namely, the freedom to customize their phones.
News: Bringing the Shortcut Key to Android Is Easier & Cheaper Than You Think
Taking pictures, sharing your location, and making calls are easy enough to do with an Android device, but for the most part, they all require your screen to be on with some sort of swiping and pressing actions. Dedicated shortcut keys are virtually non-existent on any modern day phone, but their utility is something that can be very useful.
How To: Enhance Chrome's Incognito Mode with Search Functions on Android
For some odd reason, the Chrome Browser on Android doesn't allow you to search selected text when you're in Incognito Mode. This must have been an oversight on Google's part, because the feature is definitely present with the browser in its normal viewing mode, allowing you to highlight text and quickly perform a Google search.
How To: Never Forget Your Grocery List Again — Make Google Home Remind You When You're at the Store
If you have some experience in the Google world, you'll know that Google Assistant has had location-based reminders since it dropped nearly two years ago. Before that, Google Now offered the same feature. Even with that precedent, you've never been able to ask Google Home to remind you to, say, pick up eggs when you reach the grocery store. That is, until now.
News: All New Samsung Galaxy S5 Active Leaked (Updated)
With rumors of the Active and Prime versions on the immensely popular Galaxy S5 circling the web for the past few weeks, today, we've got some clear proof of the upcoming Active variant.
News: This Extremely Offensive Insult Generator Dishes Out Disses for You on Your Galaxy Note 2
I can't begin to tell you of the many times my friends and I get into arguments that eventually lose any semblance of structure, becoming shouting matches where we just lob the stupidest, meanest insults we can fathom.
How To: The Must-Have Keyboard Feature You Never Knew You Needed
In addition to sharing emojis and GIFs, most of us also probably share various types of links through email or text, whether it be for a Google Maps location, a bar or restaurant on Yelp, or an awesome song on Spotify.
How To: Enable Experimental Cards in Google Now for Android
Google has a practice known as dogfooding, where they use their employees to test new and upcoming features for their various services. Back in March, they accidentally released a dogfood version of YouTube on Google Play, and many Android users got their first behind-the-scenes glance at the internal testing features.
News: OnePlus 5T Full Specs Leaked on Preorder Page
Leaks are seemingly inevitable for smartphone makers these days. The OnePlus 5T, the successor to the OnePlus 5, is no exception to this rule. Last week, we witnessed leaked photos showing off the 5T's rumored "edge-to-edge" display. Today, leaks on OppoMart's 5T preorder page give us specs in addition to images.
How To: Turn Boring Photos into Artistic Masterpieces Using Brush Filters on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
If you're a dedicated Instagrammer, you're probably well aware of the humblebrag hashtag #NoFilter, which expresses to other users that your photo is just so damn awesome that it looks like you added filters to it, even though you really didn't.
News: Snapdragon 660 Benchmarked Not Far Below the Galaxy S8+
Someone out there is testing an unknown mid-range phone codenamed "Heart," and it has a 16% lead in speed on the Oppo F3 Plus and is just 15% shy of the Samsung Galaxy S8+, according to GSM Arena.
News: Google Assistant Coming to Many More Android Devices
Google just announced that it will be bringing the Google Assistant—previously an exclusive feature on Pixel phones—to many more devices in the coming days. The only requirement they're giving is that the phone must be running either Android Marshmallow or Android Nougat, so according to the most recent Android distribution numbers, that's roughly 32% of all existing phones and tablets.
How To: Sync Your Android Clipboard with Windows (& Vice Versa)
Pushbullet is one of those apps that helps separate Android from its competition. By pushing the boundaries of cross-platform data syncing and file sharing, the service truly demonstrates how flexible and robust the world's leading mobile operating system can be.
IFA 2014: Samsung's Gear S Smartwatch
Samsung followed up its announcement at IFA 2014 of the new Note devices with the Samsung Gear S, the latest smartwatch offering from the tech giant.
How To: Root a Sprint HTC Evo 4G Google Android smartphone
Interested in rooting your Sprint HTC Evo 4G Google Android smartphone but aren't sure how to proceed? Never fear: this three-part hacker's how-to presents a complete step-by-step overview of the rooting process. For the specifics, and to get started rooting your own HTC Evo 4G cell phone, take a look.
How To: Auto-Manage Wireless Connections to Prolong Daily Battery Life on Your Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Applications, features, and software running in the background of your Samsung Galaxy Note 2 can drain a significant amount of battery power, even when your smartphone isn't being used. For this reason, smartphone carriers and developers suggest that you turn off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and other battery hogging features when they're not being used.
How To: Get Netflix Beta on Android — Even When the Beta Program Is Full
Netflix has offered its beta program officially through the Play Store for some time now. Still, the issue most of us face — the beta availability is always scarce. Without getting lucky and landing a beta spot early on when the gates were open, there wasn't much you could do about it. However, there's now a brand new method you can use to sideload the Netflix beta app and join in on the fun.
How To: Lollipop's 'On-Body Detection' Smart Lock Keeps Your Android Unlocked While You’re Moving
Google recently rolled out a new Smart Lock option labeled "On-body detection" for Android Lollipop via an update to Google Play Services. As I'm sure you can gather from the name, this new function keeps your phone or tablet unlocked using the built-in accelerometer to determine whether or not your device is being carried on your body, allowing you to set it down and walk away carefree knowing that's it's locked again.
How To: Wake Up to Spoken Calendar Events & Weather Forecasts for the Day on Your Nexus 7
I regularly use my Nexus 7 to wake up in the mornings (well, sometimes afternoons), but it's pretty minimal in what it does. I shouldn't have to open multiple apps when I wake up to figure out my schedule for the day or what the weather is going to be like.
News: Thanks to Project Treble, the Galaxy S9 Should Actually Get Fast Updates
Oreo, the latest and greatest Android OS, lets you enjoy a ton of new features such as app shortcuts and an improved keyboard. But thanks to a feature that's required of all phones that ship with Android Oreo out of the box, your S9 may be the first Galaxy phone to finally receive timely software updates.
How To: Upgrade Your Nexus 5's Alarm Clock Status Bar Icon to Include the Next Alarm Time
Honestly, Android's stock alarm icon is completely useless. It doesn't relay any information other than the fact that, at some point in the future, you have an alarm coming up. Considering how pointless it is, I normally install GravityBox or other similar mods just to get rid of it.
How To: Block Notifications While You're Using the Camera on Your Android Phone
Imagine this: you have your finger poised to take the perfect picture — a once in a lifetime opportunity, like a solar eclipse — and you are suddenly caught off guard by a buzz, then "ding!" You look down at your phone to find your perfect pic ruined by distortion from the vibration, all because of an ill-timed notification. It's enough to make you crazy, especially when you find out it could have been prevented.
How To: Hangouts Just Got Better with VoIP Calls for Android & iOS
It's been a long-rumored feature, but today, VoIP calling has finally started rolling out to users of Google's Hangouts service. Essentially integrating Google Voice into the popular messaging platform, Google has given Android (as well as iOS) users an easy way to make calls without eating up their plan's minutes.
How To: Simplify the Home Screen on Your Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Grenade Launcher
One of the best things about Android phones is that they are much more readily customizable when compared to the iPhone, but for newcomers and recent iOS defectors, Android can be a bit overwhelming.
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.
News: Samsung's TouchWiz Updates Aren't as Bad as You Think
Smartphones have been around for nearly a decade now, so we've had plenty of time to develop preconceptions and bias. People that have never owned an iPhone will tell you that Apple devices are restrictive and bland, while others might say that stock Android is boring compared to manufacturer skins like HTC's Sense, despite never having owned a Nexus or Pixel.
How To: YouTube Finally Has a Dark Theme on Android — Here's How to Get It
After months passed since Google first announced the feature, YouTube's dark mode has finally reached the Android masses. Sure, it just changes some colors, but it has been a highly sought-after feature since iPhone users got it months ago.
How To: Install Android O on Your Pixel or Nexus Right Now
Android O has finally arrived—well, it's technically a beta version, but that isn't stopping Android enthusiasts from going crazy about it. The first Developer Preview was released earlier today and is available right now to install on Nexus and Pixel devices. While Android O doesn't have an official name or Android number yet (we're betting on "Android Oreo"), Google has released a feature list and a blog post explaining almost all of the new changes and features.
How To: Safely Browse the Web with Opera's Free VPN
Browsing the web can be dangerous. With all of the various threats out there, it isn't enough to just avoid bad links and visit only HTTPS websites. You need to take advantage of the tools available to you so you don't end up the victim of some scam. Fortunately, Opera is making this a bit easier.
How To: Use New Google Search Features Before Everyone Else
Not that long ago, Google introduced a beta program for their Google Search app on Android. Much like any beta program, testers will get access to new features before they officially debut, but you might have to put up with the occasional bug as new functionality is introduced. If you'd like to sign up, it's quite simple, but I'll go over the process in detail below.
How To: Add Custom ROM Features to Your Stock Google Play Edition HTC One M8
The switch from Dalvik runtime to ART in Android Lollipop has rendered the Xposed Framework useless until a new version is released, but Xposed isn't the only way to mod a phone.
News: Samsung Pulling Latest Oreo Beta Update After Critical Bug
The Android Oreo Beta for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ has been available for nearly two weeks. Samsung started rolling out the Beta 2 update late last week in the UK, and just yesterday in the US. Unfortunately, the US version of the update firmware (G955USQU1ZQK6) experienced a critical bug with the phone app at launch. As a result, Samsung has completely pulled the US Beta 2 update for the time being.
News: Christmas Is Coming Early! Android 7.1 Beta Is Hitting Nexus Devices This Month
Google's new Pixel phones will ship with Android 7.1 Nougat pre-installed, but early reports stated that Nexus devices wouldn't be getting the new version until "end of year" 2016. For people that purchased a Nexus 5X or 6P under the assumption that Nexus devices get Android updates first, the fact that the Pixels could be getting 7.1 a full two months ahead of them felt like a slap in the face.
How To: Prioritize Frequent Contacts with This KitKat-Style Dialer on Your Samsung Galaxy S3
It's a done deal. KitKat is the shit, and everyone wants in on it. Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy S3 won't see any of Android 4.4's features incorporated into TouchWiz for some time, as we're still on a 4.1 version. Still, we can throw a few of KitKat's features onto the device ourselves, like the home launcher and new keyboard. And now, we can even get a feel for its smarter phone app.