Miss the house button or hate alerts? Cease annoying smartphone options
In the case of client tech, there’s an enormous checklist of issues that may drive us all bananas.
Take your sluggish Wi-Fi. You’ll be able to’t stream, you’ll be able to’t be part of a video assembly, and it all the time occurs on the worst time. Faucet or click on for intelligent methods to hurry up your own home’s connection.
What about wading by way of 1000’s of photographs, in search of the one you need? Faucet or click on for a fast shortcut, together with 4 extra sensible tech fixes – like a hidden technique to know a scammer is asking with out choosing up your cellphone.
Our smartphones assist us get a ton achieved, however that doesn’t imply we don’t need to chuck them out the window typically. Listed here are the highest complaints I hear about and methods to repair them:
1. Your display screen brightness retains altering
Apple’s Face ID does greater than unlock your cellphone. It can also inform once you’re listening to your cellphone. In the event you look away, your display screen dims, and your alert quantity additionally decreases.
The fluctuating brightness may be irritating. You’ll be able to change this function off.
• Go to Settings > Accessibility > Face ID & Consideration.
• Flip off Consideration Conscious Options.
On Android, adaptive brightness or auto-brightness makes use of a sensor to regulate the display screen primarily based in your setting. Generally it really works nicely, however not all the time.
Steps will differ primarily based in your cellphone’s mannequin, however right here’s a place to begin.
• Go to Settings, then Show.
• Search for Adaptive brightness and toggle it off.
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2. The particular person you’re speaking to can’t hear you
Once you’re on a name, your iPhone screens the noise round you and tries to chop it down, so the particular person you are speaking to hears you higher. It’s a neat function, however it would possibly result in “Wait, what did you say?” too typically.
First, test your microphone quantity. Press the amount up button on a name to regulate this. You’ll be able to flip off the noise cancellation function if individuals nonetheless have issues listening to you.
• Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visible and change off Telephone Noise Cancellation.
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3. You don’t need the bloatware
Android telephones are infamous for coming preloaded with apps you don’t need or want. These extraneous packages decelerate your cellphone and devour cupboard space and battery life.
There are a couple of methods to eliminate the bloat.
Take away apps out of your Android cellphone:
• Open the Google Play Retailer app.
• On the prime proper, faucet your Profile icon.
• Faucet Handle apps & gadgets > Handle.
• Faucet the identify of the app you need to delete, then choose Uninstall.
Some apps can’t be deleted. You’ll be able to disable them by long-pressing on the app and tapping the Disable possibility – or you’ll be able to disguise them on some Android telephones.
Cover apps by tapping and holding the app and dragging it to the underside of the display screen to the Take away from residence display screen field. This doesn’t take away or disable the app; it simply strikes it out of view.
Cover apps out of your Samsung cellphone
• Open your App drawer, then faucet the three dots within the prime proper.
• Open Residence Display screen Settings (or simply Settings).
• Choose the Cover apps possibility.
• Select the apps you need to disguise.
• Verify through the Apply or Carried out button.
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4. Your group textual content is just too chatty
Group messages are a improbable technique to keep in contact with family and friends, however the fixed pings may be an excessive amount of. Right here’s methods to silence conversations in your iPhone:
• Open Messages, then faucet and maintain a dialog.
• Faucet Cover Alerts.
• You may also do that inside the dialog by tapping the identify(s) on the prime of the display screen after which switching on Cover Alerts.
That’s a useful possibility, however you’ll nonetheless get notifications if somebody mentions you in a bunch textual content. You’ll be able to flip this sort of notification off too.
• Go to Settings > Messages.
• Scroll all the way down to Mentions and change off Notify Me.
On Android, steps to cover dialog alerts will differ primarily based in your cellphone’s mannequin. Do that:
• Open Messages, then faucet and maintain a dialog.
• Faucet the three-dot icon within the prime proper nook.
• Choose Mute notifications to open up settings for that contact or dialog.
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5. You miss the house button
The iPhone 8 was the final mannequin with a house button. That was a very long time in the past, however I do know change is tough, and you continue to would possibly miss it. You’ll be able to’t set up a bodily residence button in your cellphone, however there is a function that permits you to come shut:
• Go to Settings > Accessibility > Contact > AssistiveTouch.
• Flip on AssistiveTouch. A button will seem in your display screen.
• Beneath Customized Actions, change Single-Faucet, Double-Faucet and Lengthy Press settings.
• If you’d like the closest residence button expertise, set Single-Faucet to Residence, then drag the button to the middle-bottom of your display screen.
• Now, everytime you faucet that digital button, you’ll be taken to your own home display screen. Neat!
Preserve your tech-know going
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On this episode, get a $10 manicure from a robotic, change this secret Google Maps setting, and be careful for flying taxis. Plus, Amazon assessments police stations as bundle pickup factors, working-from-home jobs that pay $20/hour, and YouTube will let creators supply paid video programs subsequent 12 months.
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Find out about all the newest expertise on the Kim Komando Present, the nation’s largest weekend radio speak present. Kim takes calls and dispenses recommendation on right now’s digital way of life, from smartphones and tablets to on-line privateness and information hacks. For her every day suggestions, free newsletters and extra, go to her web site at Komando.com.
The views and opinions expressed on this column are the creator’s and don’t essentially mirror these of USA TODAY.