Gadget Hacks

How To: Turn Any Emoji on Your iPhone into a Sticker for Messages, Mail, and Even Some Third-Party Apps

Not everyone stickers, but that's about to change very soon with Apple's new sticker options on iOS, iPadOS, and even macOS. Before you know it, people everywhere will be adding stickers to messages and emails — including you.

How To: The Volume Trick You Never Knew You Could Do on Your iPhone

There's a world of hidden features on your iPhone just waiting to be explored, and one of them is hiding in plain sight right in front of you. You likely see it multiple times a day after performing a routine action without ever thinking twice about what else it can do, and you're not the only one.

How To: 23 Things Your iPhone's Volume Buttons Can Do Besides Volume Adjustments

The volume buttons on the side of your iPhone can do more than just adjust the volume levels for media, ringers, alerts, Siri, and other sounds and voices. You can use them to perform different actions in certain apps and even create custom actions using the Shortcuts app. It's not exactly button mapping, but it's as close as you'll get without jailbreaking iOS.

How To: 8 Ways to Call Emergency Services on Your iPhone When You Can't Dial 911 Manually

Your iPhone has a safety feature that makes it easier to call 911 in the U.S. and other emergency services abroad. Instead of fumbling with your iPhone's dialer, you can call someone for help in various ways — with or without your hands.

First Look: Apple Adds 71 More Special Characters to Its Keyboard for iPhone and iPad

The keyboard on your iPhone or iPad is getting a few big features in Apple's next big software update, like improved autocorrect and emoji stickers. However, a particularly hidden feature that lets you change the sound values of letters in other languages has gone unnoticed — until now.

How To: Apple's Clock App Finally Lets You Run Multiple Timers on Your iPhone at the Same Time

Aside from the addition of bedtime sleep schedules five years ago, Apple's Clock app has largely been ignored with each new iOS software update. But that's changing with Apple's latest iPhone software. With the updated Clock app, you can finally set more than one timer to run at the same time.

How To: The Hidden Meaning Behind Those Mysterious, Nonnumerical Dialer Pad Keys on Your Phone

You might have missed it, but the virtual keypad you use to enter phone numbers in your smartphone's dialer and contacts app isn't all numbers. Take a closer look, and you'll notice a few mysterious buttons you've likely been tuning out unconsciously. But it's time to stop ignoring them because each has a particular purpose that could come in handy one day.

How To: 10 New Features iOS 16.6 Is Bringing to Your iPhone in Apple's Next Software Update

Apple already released the iOS 17 beta to developers, but that doesn't mean the company's done updating iOS 16. There's already a new iOS 16.6 software update in the works, and it might come with an important feature for your iPhone that's been highly anticipated since it was announced last year.

How To: 6 Things You Can't Do on Your iPhone That Users in Other Countries Can

You may think your iPhone has all the features you could ever need or want, but that may change once you discover the features and services you're missing out on by residing in the United States.

How To: Make Google's Messages App on Your Phone Write or Rewrite Text Messages for You Using GenAI

Text messaging is a core component of the mobile experience, and Google has added several AI-fueled features to help you text better, such as Smart Reply for quick response suggestions. But Messages by Google's newest AI-powered tool is possibly the best one yet, giving you improved response suggestions and your own personal copyeditor to fix all your message drafts.

How To: The Most Important Photos App Feature You Should Be Using on Your iPhone or iPad

Your iPhone has a powerful feature that can keep your secrets hidden from other people, and you'll never have to worry about sharing or showing someone something embarrassing or incriminating ever again.

How To: 7 Things Hiding in Your iPhone's App Icons You Probably Haven't Noticed Yet

Apple likes hiding things in its software, including secret apps, hidden iMessage effects, status bar customization, nameless icons, and red screen mode, but some of its best Easter eggs are right in front of you on the Home Screen.

How To: Create Custom Emoji or Cinematic Wallpapers on Your Google Pixel for a More Personal Home/Lock Screen

While Google's generative AI wallpapers for Android won't be out until the fall, you can take advantage of emoji backgrounds and cinematic wallpapers on your Pixel smartphone right now.

How To: Create a 3D Cinematic Photo in Google Photos from Any Image in Your Library

The cinematic photos feature in Google Photos can create impressive three-dimensional views of normally flat images, turning ordinary pictures into life-like representations of the moment captured. Google Photos would automatically pick images from your library to apply the effect to. Now, you can choose images on demand from your library — it's just not super obvious that you can.

How To: iPhone Fold or Flip? Here's Everything We Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable Smartphone

Now that Vision Pro, Apple's mixed reality headset, has been announced, Apple can free up some R&D resources to commit to its upcoming foldable iPhone, which has been rumored for just as long as Vision Pro has. Will it be a flip-style or a larger foldable? Let's see what all the industry experts and Apple leakers have to say.

How To: 11 Upcoming iOS 17 Features Apple Copied from Android

While the iPhone came before the first Android smartphone, every new iOS version seems to include a wealth of features already existing on Android, and iOS 17 is no exception.

How To: Get Better Search Results with Google Search's New GenAI Tool for Desktop and Mobile

Generative AI, or GenAI, is the hottest thing in tech at the moment, particularly for its ability to create content,p including essays, images, and videos. After Microsoft added its own GenAI tool to its Bing web search engine, Google is eager to follow suit, and you can be one of the first to try out Google's new GenAI search tool.

How To: 6 Features Android Needs to Steal from iOS 17 ASAP

Apple's upcoming iOS 17 is expected to include many new features first seen on Android, but there are also some exciting, unique features that Android needs to steal pronto.

How To: 12 Things That'll Make Messaging on Your iPhone a Whole Lot Better

Your iPhone's Messages app is getting a massive update on iOS 17. Here are all the new features Apple is working on.

How To: Download and Install iOS 17 Beta to Try New iPhone Features First

Apple is working on the next big software update for iPhone – iOS 17 – and you can install and use it on your iPhone before its anticipated stable release later this year. If you want to try out new iOS 17 features such as Journal (coming later this year), NameDrop, Hey Siri without the "hey," and Standby mode before most everyone else, here's how you do it.

How To: Download and Install iPadOS 17 Beta to Try New iPad Features Before Everyone Else

The next big iPad software update is in the works, and you can try out all the new features before almost everyone else. With iPadOS 17, you'll get the same Lock Screen customization iPhone already has, hey-less Hey Siri, an improved Health app, new Freeform tools, and more.

How To: Here Are All the iPad Models iPadOS 17 Supports (And Doesn't Support)

A new iPadOS version is coming this fall, but some iPad models that currently work on iOS 16 will not be compatible with iPadOS 17. Here are the iPad models that do and don't work.

How To: These Are the iPhone Models iOS 17 Does and Doesn't Support

Apple's next big iPhone software update is in the works, with a stable release scheduled for the fall, but your iPhone may not work with iOS 17. Apple is kicking three iPhone models to the curb, limiting them to the latest iOS 16 updates.

How To: Unlock the Secret Emoticon Keyboard on Your iPhone

Emoji have taken over the world, so there's a good chance you regularly use (or overuse) emoji on your iPhone's keyboard just like everyone else. But before emoji were popular, there were emoticons, short for "emotion icons" — and iOS has a secret emoticon keyboard just waiting for you to unlock.

How To: Everything We Know About the iPhone 15 Series Models Coming This Fall

Apple's iPhone lineup has always been at the forefront of technological innovation, captivating the world with each new iteration. As we eagerly anticipate the iPhone 15 series release, rumors, leaks, and speculations about the highly anticipated 2023 models are at full steam.

How To: Make Gmail Write or Improve Your Emails for You Using Its New Experimental Generative AI Feature

Thanks to rapid advancements in the field, generative AI can do some amazing things already, from generating text, images, and video with just a prompt to automating tasks and developing new products and services. Now, artificial intelligence can even help you craft emails directly in Gmail.

How To: Download and Install iOS 16.6 on Your iPhone to Try New Features First

Apple's iOS 16.6 software update for iPhone is currently in the works, and you can try out all the upcoming new features as long as you're OK with running beta software on your iPhone.

How To: Download and Install iPadOS 16.6 on Your iPad Right Now

New features will come to the iPad with iPadOS 16.6, and you can try them all out before everyone else as long as you're OK with running beta software on your device.

How To: iOS 16.5 Has 19 New Features and Changes for iPhone You Won't Want to Miss

Apple has a few exciting surprises for you in its latest iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 software updates. Released on Thursday, May 18, version 16.5 includes new features, bug fixes, and security patches, and there are even hints of some big things coming in future software updates for iPhone and iPad.

How To: Apple News Has 8 Big Updates on iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 — Here's Everything That Changed

Of all the new features and changes on iOS 16.5, the Apple News app has the most, and there are a few big ones that will change the way you read stories. Some updates even affect Apple News on iPadOS 16.5; the most significant ones apply to both free users and Apple News+ subscribers.

How To: Discover Nearby Concerts and Music Venues with Apple Maps and Apple Music on Your iPhone

Whether you're staying in your hometown for the weekend or traveling to a nearby or faraway city, live music is always a great option for entertainment — but finding decent music or a good music venue isn't always easy. With new features added to two of its core apps, your iPhone just made it easier to do both.

How To: Use Health Connect to Sync Your Health and Fitness Data Between Google Fit, MyFitnessPal, and Other Android Apps

Taking a cue from Apple and its Health app for iOS, Google has created a central hub to collect health and fitness data on your Android device. With it, you can share and sync health and fitness data, such as steps, heart rate, water intake, sleep quality, and calories burned, between different apps and devices and use your favorite app to view all the information.

How To: 10 Badass AI Features Coming to Your Google Apps, Some of Which You Can Use Right Now

For all intents and purposes, Google could have called its 2023 developer conference A/I instead of I/O. Capitalizing on the artificial intelligence hype, Google devoted most of its keynote address to AI research, experiments, and developments. But there's some substance behind the hype in the form of new features in the Google services you already use on Android, iOS, and desktop.

How To: Multitask Like a Pro on Your iPad by Using Up to 4 Open Apps at the Same Time

Apple's latest multitasking feature for iPad lets you go beyond Split View's two-app restriction to use up to four apps at once. Here's how it works.

How To: 6 Home Screen Hacks for Your iPhone Apple Won't Tell You About

There are many ways to customize your iPhone's Home Screen on iOS 16, but some of the more interesting ones are the options Apple won't tell you about or hasn't even thought of.

How To: Access All Your Mac's Files Right on Your iPhone or iPad — No Third-Party Software Needed

When you need a file on your Mac as soon as possible, you usually have to get your MacBook or hop on your iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, or Mac Studio. But that's too much work if you're in bed, lying on the couch, or outside in the fresh air. Why even bother when you can access that file directly on your iPhone or iPad — without moving an inch?

How To: Never Lose Another Game with Your iPhone or iPad's Hidden Cheat Mode — Here's How It Works

Gaming just got easier, thanks to Apple. A secret feature on your iPhone or iPad makes it so much easier to beat that level or opponent you can't seem to defeat, and it can even help you learn to play a new game faster.

How To: FaceTime's Latest Trick Lets You Play Games with Family and Friends on Your iPhone During Calls — Here's How It Works

Whenever you're on a FaceTime call, you can use SharePlay on your iPhone or iPad to screen share, watch TV or movies together, work out with each other, and even listen to the same music at the same time. SharePlay also recently received a new skill that turns FaceTime into a portable gaming platform.

How To: Change the Cover Images on Your Spotify Playlists to Get Rid of All Those Ugly Album Art Grids

Spotify lets you customize some aspects of your experience, whether on the desktop, web, Android, or iOS app. And one of the simplest yet coolest customizations you can perform is changing your playlist cover images. However, it doesn't work on all playlists.

How To: Force Apps to Use Android's Transparent System Navigation Bar if They Don't Already Support It

One aspect of Android's interface that remains clunky is its gesture- or button-based navigation bar, mainly because app developers aren't fully utilizing the tools available to them. But a new feature Google is working on may finally make your nav bar more uniform across your apps.