There’s an entire slew of options baked into smartphones most individuals don’t learn about. Faucet or click on right here for my favorites, from seeing the place a aircraft overhead goes to rapidly deleting your previous couple of searches.
A number of the most beneficial tips are hiding in your telephone’s accessibility menu. These options make issues simpler for people with imaginative and prescient, listening to, and motor impairments. Faucet or click on for 10 useful accessibility settings anybody can use.
Listed below are some helpful guides to navigating your telephone:
There are additionally many nice apps and options that you simply received’t discover entrance and heart in your telephone’s dwelling display screen. It makes me marvel why the smartphone engineers are retaining them a secret.
Listed below are a couple of stashed apps you’ll use time and time once more:
Use your telephone as a magnifying glass
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Let’s start with one hidden app that’s amazingly easy and really useful: Magnifier. I just lately used it to learn the tremendous tiny textual content for my pasta machine’s mannequin quantity.
The subsequent time you don’t have your readers useful or must see one thing small swipe proper in your iPhone’s House Display. Within the search field on the high, sort “Magnifier.” It’s easy to make use of. Simply faucet, maintain, and drag the slider to regulate the magnification.
There’s additionally a flashlight icon close to the underside of the Magnifier app. Having an additional splash of sunshine really helps you see higher. And excellent news for iPad customers, you may have the key magnifier app too.
One app to rapidly scan QR codes
I’ve mentioned it earlier than, and I will repeat it: Do not obtain a third-party QR code scanner app. At worst, it should cost you cash and even inject malicious code into your telephone. At finest, it is taking over area. QR code scanning is already put in in your telephone.
On an iPhone, open the digital camera app to scan a QR code. It really works, however this is a professional tip:
Your iPhone has a hidden Code Scanner app. You will discover it by swiping proper in your iPhone’s House Display and looking for “Code Scanner.”
Right here’s why it’s necessary. When you scan QR codes a couple of instances every week, add Code Scanner to your telephone’s Management Heart. That’s the listing of icons you’ll be able to rapidly entry by swiping down from the highest of your display screen.
• Open the Settings app, then scroll down and choose Management Heart.
• Faucet the plus icon subsequent to Code Scanner.
Now whenever you swipe down from the highest of your own home display screen, you’ll see Code Scanner in your Management Heart. Faucet it to open and scan a QR code.
By the way in which, if the Magnifier app is one thing useful to you, observe the above steps so as to add it to your Management Heart too.
On an Android, open your digital camera app, level it at a QR code and maintain regular.
BYE-BYE: 5 apps you must delete off your smartphone proper now
Management your printer out of your telephone or pill
Sure, you’ll be able to print just about something in your iPhone or iPad. You merely want a printer that helps AirPrint. You may see the whole listing right here.
First, make certain your printer and telephone are related to the identical Wi-Fi community. To print, faucet the share icon on a doc, observe, picture, or no matter else you wish to print. Select your printer, then Print.
Now right here’s how you need to use the key App Switcher. Whilst you’re printing, you’ll be able to view or cancel jobs by opening the App Switcher.
• On an iPhone X or later: Swipe up from the underside to the center of your display screen. Maintain your finger there till you see the App Switcher and the Print Heart app.
• On an iPhone 8 or earlier: Double-click the House button.
Printer upkeep: 3 straightforward duties to do now to increase the lifetime of your printer
Get captions on something you’re watching
Top-of-the-line Android accessibility options that hardly anybody is aware of about is Dwell Caption. It routinely captions any speech enjoying in your telephone, together with podcasts, video calls, audio messages, telephone calls and movies. It’s exceptional.
Dwell Caption works on the Pixel 2 and up and different choose Android telephones. To show it on and off:
Press the up or down quantity button.
Underneath the amount controls, faucet Dwell Caption.
Google says captions are processed domestically, will not be saved, and by no means go away your telephone.
Not into Google? These are the 5 finest browsers not named Chrome to make use of in your Android telephone.
Examine your cell service
Your telephone’s sign energy ranges relying on a number of elements, from any interferences to how far you might be situated from a cellphone tower. It’s measured in decibels.
If the decibel approaches -120, you’re situated in a “lifeless zone.” Something higher than -100 is taken into account a usable sign. A robust sign is -40 or higher. The nearer that quantity is to zero, the higher the telephone’s sign.
You may verify your iPhone sign energy utilizing the key Area Check mode.
• Open the Telephone app and dial *3001#12345#* on the keypad. In a couple of seconds, you’ll see a mishmash of numbers.
There is a menu that varies by service and telephone on the highest proper aspect. Undergo every possibility till you see an entry that accommodates rsrp. That’s your telephone’s sign energy.
If yours is less than snuff, do this listing of how to spice up your reception when calls and messages do not undergo.
Have you ever heard of Google Preserve? This secret note-taking app is constructed into Gmail and Android telephones. It is just like Apple Notes, considered one of my favourite iPhone apps. Faucet or click on right here for hidden Notes makes use of.
You’ll discover Google Preserve Notes in your app listing on Android. Listed below are a couple of tips that could get you began.
• So as to add a brand new observe, hit the plus icon within the decrease proper nook.
• So as to add an inventory, faucet the icon that appears like a checkmark in a field.
• To attract one thing in your telephone display screen, faucet the marker icon.
• To file a voice observe, faucet the microphone icon. Preserve will transcribe what you say and save the audio file.
• Faucet the picture icon to take or select a picture out of your gallery. You may edit, save, and share from right here.
Bonus Tip: How advertisers gather your information and goal you with adverts
Male, 38 years outdated, married, two children beneath 5, watched a YouTube video about garden care, visited a house enchancment retailer within the final 10 days, listened to a podcast about lawns, earns $68,000 a 12 months in a administration place, and lives in a sure zip code. That is how particular promoting will be right this moment. On this episode, I sit down with promoting CTO Premesh Purayil from Freestar to study the way it works and the way to decide out of the information monitoring.
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Find out about all the newest know-how on the Kim Komando Present, the nation’s largest weekend radio discuss present. Kim takes calls and dispenses recommendation on right this moment’s digital way of life, from smartphones and tablets to on-line privateness and information hacks. For her day by day ideas, free newsletters and extra, go to her web site at Komando.com.
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