News: The 5 Most Useful File-Sharing Apps for Android
Heads up! We've done a new, more thorough review of the best Android file-sharing apps. You can check that out here. Our old file-sharing app roundup can still be viewed below for posterity.
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How To: Enable the Hidden Notification LED on Your Nexus 6
The Nexus 6 uses an Ambient Display notification system that was heavily inspired by the Active Display feature on the Moto X. Essentially, the device shows a black-and-white version of the lock screen whenever you receive a new notification or pick the phone up. This is all made possible by the N6's AMOLED display that doesn't have to waste any battery to power black pixels on the screen.
How To: Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
With the new version of Android due out very soon, Android 5.0 "Lollipop" has received a ton of press lately. It's all well-deserved, of course, because the new "Material Design" interface is absolutely beautiful.
News: 10 Free Android Apps That Make Math Fun (Yes, Really)
I am an English major physically allergic to all algebraic formulas, so you're unlikely to get any help from me when it comes to solving any expressions. But in the glorious technological age we live in, there are plenty of apps that actually make math and problem solving fun, even a little bit addictive.
How To: Increase Headphones & Speaker Volumes on Your Samsung Galaxy S5
These days, most of the hardware components in smartphones evolve at a breakneck pace. Batteries gain capacity while decreasing in size, displays continue to get sharper as graphics rendering steadily improves, and processors clock higher speeds at every generation.
News: 11 Hidden Features You Need to Know on Your HTC One M8
HTC's Sense 6 has been out for over a month now with the One M8, and most of you have probably played around with its better known features, like the new Camera app and Harman Kardon audio.
How To: Install a Custom ROM on Your HTC One for a Completely New Experience
Sometimes, stock just doesn't cut it. When you're sick of the limitations in Sense on your HTC One, a new ROM can be a ray of sunshine. By installing a custom ROM, you can add or unlock new features in Sense, or you can get a pure Android experience instead. It's all up to you.
How To: Find Your "Missing" Parked Car Using Your Nexus Without Doing Any Work
We've all been there. Stranded in a large lot or parking garage, braving the rows upon rows of identical cars in an endless concrete landscape because, for the very life of us, we can't remember where we stashed the very ride that brought us there.
How To: Turn Your Nexus 4 into an Android/iOS Hybrid
Alright, I'll admit it, iOS can be quite nice. Android loyalist that I may be, I'm not so stubborn that I can't recognize a good thing when I see it. Apple's iOS has a lot of strengths, and our Nexus 4s, god bless 'em, are growing a little long in the tooth.
How To: Save Battery Power on a Samsung Galaxy S4 with Moto X Style "Active Display" Notifications
According to a new study, the majority of smartphone users check their devices 150 times a day. While that number may seem incredibly high at first glance, the influx of notifications and amount of social media apps available reduce the initial shock and make the number seem not so preposterous after all. Yeah, even on a date.
How To: Type More Accurately & Efficiently on Your Samsung Galaxy S3 with WordWave's Intelligent Keyboard
The absence of a physical keyboard is both a gift and a curse. When it was announced in 2007 that the first iPhone would have a touchscreen only, people literally lost their shit. Now, almost 7 years later, you'd be hard-pressed to find a smartphone that still has a physical keyboard.
How To: ROOT Samsung Galaxy S3 for AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile
The advantages of rooting are vast. From free wi-fi tethering, being on the latest and greatest software, theming all aspects of the OS, to ditching Touchwiz for a pure Google experience and much much more.
How To: Make Your Android Phone Read Articles, Books, News, and Other Text Out Loud to You
For the avid multitasker, listening to audiobooks and podcasts is the ultimate way to passively absorb knowledge while performing other activities — but there are other options. You can turn any written text on your Android phone into speech that's read aloud to you, so there's virtually no limit on what you can soak up audibly from your headphones or speaker.
How To: Nuke All Notifications for New Apps in Android 13 — Then Bring Them Back Again When Needed
One of Android's headlining strengths has always been how it handles notifications, and things have only improved with each new update. More recently, Android has improved notification permissions, so you'll have a choice of whether to receive notifications as soon as you first open an app. It's easy to permit or deny these permissions, but it's just as easy to reverse your decision.
How To: Have You Pressed This Little Button in Your Galaxy's Volume Panel Yet?
With Samsung's One UI 3.0 update, the main on-screen volume slider has a little menu button on the top of it. Tapping this will expand the slider into a full-blown volume panel, complete with controls for all of the various types of sounds your Galaxy might make. Standard stuff, really, but there's more to it.
How To: Adjust the Perspective of Pictures in Google Photos
Imagine tilting the top of your phone away from you — it becomes a bit of a trapezoid, right? The top will appear smaller since it's further away, and the bottom will appear larger since it's closer to you — in other words, the perspective is all off. The same can be said of the pictures you take with an awkwardly-positioned phone.
How To: Move Chrome's Menu Bar to the Bottom of Your Screen
Google has always experimented with Chrome's UI, but when they make more drastic changes, they start by hiding them in the feature flags menu. One of the latest designs makes Chrome more accessible in a world of big and tall phones.
How To: Get the OnePlus 7 Pro's Zen Mode on Any Android
The OnePlus 7 Pro comes with a new Zen Mode feature to help increase your concentration and reduce distractions. It takes things a step further than Google's Digital Wellbeing by disabling your device and stopping sounds. But even if you don't have a OnePlus, you can now get this distraction-free feature on any phone.
How To: 3 Apps to Help You Learn Chinese from Your Phone
Learning Chinese is hard, but it can be a lot easier with the help of a few great apps. As a native English speaker who's currently living in China, this is a process I've recently gone through. After playing the field, here are the three apps I personally think will help you the most with your Chinese learning adventure.
News: Every Picture-in-Picture Compatible Android App
For those of us who love to multitask, picture-in-picture mode is a godsend. The feature, introduced in Android 8.0 Oreo, lets you enjoy videos in a floating window overlaid on top of another app. However, while the OS does have native support, only a select number of apps support the feature.
How To: Root Your OnePlus 6 with Magisk — A Beginner's Guide
Year in and year out, OnePlus flagships top our list of the best phones for rooting. Why? Primarily because rooting does not void your warranty, and OnePlus goes out of their way to make the whole process as easy as possible.
How To: Customize Gmail's Swipe Actions So They're Not Just 'Delete' & 'Archive'
For a while, Gmail only had one swipe gesture, and it could only perform one of two actions: Archive or Delete. Not that it wasn't useful — you could eliminate most spam emails in a matter of seconds by swiping left or right on any email in your inbox. But now, Google has finally added more custom actions to its swipe gestures.
How To: Sideload Apps on Android 8.0 or Higher Now That 'Unknown Sources' Is Gone
Starting with Android 8.0 Oreo, the process of sideloading apps has changed dramatically. Google removed the old "Unknown Sources" setting and replaced it with a permission that you have to grant to individual apps. It's really an interesting security feature.
Google Chrome 101: How to Unlock the Material Design 2 User Interface with Round Icons & Blended Status Bar
Google's been using their "Material Design" look in Android for years now, but a change is coming up with "Material Design 2," their updated version focusing on new colors, icons, and spacing. Whether it'll be called "Material Design 2" or not remains to be seen, but you can try it out right now in Google Chrome on your Android device right now.
Chrome 101: How to Make Sites Stop Asking to Show Notifications
As the go-to browser for millions worldwide, Chrome makes web surfing a breeze with its simple interface and Google integration. But many websites are starting to ask if they can send you notifications, and this can interrupt your browsing. Thankfully, you can completely disable these prompts if you prefer.
News: Google Added an iPhone-Style Text Magnifier to Android 9.0 Pie
Regardless of the operating system, selecting a piece of text on a touchscreen device is never fun. Thankfully, Google has finally added a new feature to Android 9.0 Pie that will make it at least a little less annoying.
News: Meet the LG V35 ThinQ — the V30's Exterior with the G7's Internals
After two years of poor sales, LG decided to shake up its mobile division. New executives are at the helm, and changes to their flagship lineups are already underway. Specifically, the V series is expanding, as LG announced the second new device in the series, the LG V35 ThinQ.
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.
News: 21 New Features in Android 8.1 for the Essential Phone
After testing a series of Android 8.0 builds, Essential hit the reset button and jumped to Android 8.1 Oreo. The beta program didn't last long, as Essential has now released the official 8.1 update to the masses. The features from the 8.0 betas are all still there, plus a few goodies specific to the updated version. We'll highlight the standouts here.
How To: 4 Apps to Help Keep Your Android Device Secure
As of 2016, there are approximately 1.85 billion Android smartphones worldwide. This growing popularity has led to an increasing number hacks and cyber attacks against the OS. Unfortunately, Android users need more protection than what is offered by Google. The good thing is that there are a number of options available.
News: 4 Cool New Features in Oreo Beta 2 for the OnePlus 5T
OnePlus is on track to deliver Android 8.0 Oreo to its flagship users by Q1 2018. Open Beta 1 was released for the 5T in late December, and we just received Open Beta 2. But this update isn't just tweaks and bug fixes, OnePlus has included a few new features to enhance the Android experience.
News: HQ Trivia Now Available to Download on Android
Attention Android users — the famously iPhone-only HQ Trivia is here! If you've been waiting for the worldwide sensation to come to your smartphone, now's your chance to dive into the excitement.
How To: Check if Your Android Phone Supports Project Treble
It took a few months, but several major phones are finally receiving updates to Android Oreo. At this point, we've spent significant time talking about Oreo on the Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, and Essential Phone. While an update to the latest OS is always great, there is one big Android 8.0 feature that isn't coming to every phone.
News: Essential Releases Oreo Beta 2 Update
Back in November, Essential opened the Android Oreo Beta Program for all users of their PH-1 flagship. We even wrote up a full guide on how to install the beta, if you're interested. They followed the Oreo beta with a Reddit AMA, where they mentioned the second beta software would arrive very soon. That update has just gone live, so you can grab it right now in a few easy steps.
News: Samsung's Galaxy S9 Could Arrive in a Burgundy Red Color
Samsung just announced that the Galaxy S8 is getting a fresh coat of paint, launching a burgundy red color of the flagship in their home market of Korea. There is currently little information about whether this color will come to the US for the S8, but this could be a preview of things to come. The Galaxy S9 is set to arrive in January and may also come in a beautiful red variant.
Galaxy S8 Oreo Update: You Can Now Make Lock Screen Notifications Transparent — Here's How
Samsung kicked off their Android Oreo rollout earlier this week. The update already improved the lock screen significantly with new wallpaper color-matching for the clock. With the newest update, we also get the ability to tweak the transparency of lock screen notifications.
News: Razer Phone Officially Available for Order — Here's Where You Can Buy It Now
Razer took to the stage this month to unveil their new flagship phone, fittingly called the Razer Phone. The device is targeted at gamers, but has a list of specs that make it an intriguing daily driver for any user. Its headlining feature is an 120 Hz IGZO display, the first of its kind in a flagship smartphone released in the US. Tonight, Razer officially opened up orders for the new phone on their website.
News: Samsung's Latest Oreo Update Doesn't Have a KRACK Fix
Samsung just began rolling out the Oreo Beta 2 to registered users of the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The update's changelog promises the inclusion of the October 2017 security patch. Unfortunately, after downloading the update, we've noticed this is not the case. Omission of the more recent security patch is notable in that it leaves devices vulnerable to several known exploits, such as KRACK.
Galaxy S8 Oreo Update: Edge Lighting Gets New Colors & Effects
Now that we've had significant time with Samsung's Oreo Beta for the Galaxy S8, many interesting features have come to light. As we continue using the new software, we have uncovered more subtle changes. The home screen already received a few new customization features, it's only fitting that the edge screen get some love, too.
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...