Hacking Emperor

To play in the World Cup, soccer's ultimate tournament, you have to be among the best players on the planet. For the rest of us, Google has a hidden game to simulate the thrill of scoring goals for your favorite team. The game is available on mobile devices, so you can play it anywhere you take your phone or tablet. Watch out, though, because it can be addictive, and you won't have to get up at 4 a.m. to participate, unlike some of the previous games in Qatar, the World Cup's host for 2022. Don't Miss: 16 Best Games to Fill the Sports Void in Your Life Dubbed Mini Cup, the game can be found... more http://dlvr.it/SdZkqG

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. The notification upgrades in Android 13 are simple, but they're pretty brutal for app developers who rely on notifications for daily active user numbers, revenue generation, and other business metrics. Don't... more http://dlvr.it/SdWdY7

You may not realize it, but most of your apps include third-party tracking services that monitor your activity in other apps and websites to serve highly-targeted ads to you. But now you can stop the creepy behavior on an iPhone and Android phone. While Apple had already implemented App Tracking Transparency since iOS 14.5, Google has yet to implement the Privacy Sandbox it announced earlier this year that will include similar protections against app tracking. In the meantime, there are several third-party apps, including Rethink, NextDNS, and Blokada, that can block apps from tracking your... more http://dlvr.it/SdSNf8

When it comes to finding the exact moment you want to see in a video, the seeking function can be hit or miss depending on the streaming service you're using. On YouTube, though, it just got much better. Released as part of YouTube's 17th birthday makeover in October, along with Ambient mode, the new Precise Seeking feature uses a bar of thumbnails to help you find the exact spot you want to watch in the video. It had been in testing on YouTube Premium since at least June. Don't Miss: How to Unlock YouTube's New Ambient Mode for a More Immersive Experience (Or Disable It if You Don't Like It... more http://dlvr.it/Sd18CK

If you can't find the remote for your Android TV or Google TV, don't like using its voice control feature, are sick of using the directional pad to type, or can't get it to work at all, use your smartphone instead. Using your iPhone or Android phone as a virtual remote control can be more convenient, easier to use, and more helpful than the original remote, so it's definitely worth trying out. Google launched Google TV in 2010 as its first shot at a smart TV platform. When it failed to take off for various reasons, Google pivoted to Android TV in 2014, which has enjoyed more success across... more http://dlvr.it/Scv41Y

You don't need to pay for an app or subscription to have your audio notes transcribed for you on your Android smartphone. There's an easy, free way to do it on almost any Google Pixel, and you can even use it on other Android devices. Google introduced its Recorder app with the Pixel 4 but has since made it compatible with the Google Pixel 2 and newer models. The app is leaps and bounds better than any other recorder/transcriber, but it's exclusive to Pixel. However, you can sideload the app on other Android phones. With Google Recorder, you get live transcriptions of your recordings — no... more http://dlvr.it/ScmqMb

Unlike Apple Maps, Google Maps can tell you when a restaurant, bar, club, or other business you're thinking of visiting is busy. It's extremely helpful if you want to avoid peak times or wait for the place to be empty. If you can't pry yourself away from using Apple Maps, there's an easy alternative to see the popular times of most businesses. Google collects anonymous user data via its mobile apps on Android and iOS to populate visit information for business listings. This aggregated data is thanks to users who've opted into Google Location History and Location Reporting on their Google... more http://dlvr.it/ScX9p4

With all the high-tech wizardry available on modern smartphones, the low-key most practical tool is arguably the flashlight. If you own a Google Pixel model, it's finally easier to turn the flashlight on and off from anywhere. On Android 12, you can swipe down from the top of the Lock Screen to open Quick Settings and toggle the flashlight switch. You can do the same from your Home Screen or from within any app, but it may take you two swipes or a two-finger swipe if the flashlight isn't immediately visible. If you don't mind talking to Google Assistant, that may be a more favorable way to... more http://dlvr.it/ScSc7Q

If you have a screen recording with distracting UI elements, black borders, and other unneeded visuals, Google Photos can help you crop out all the junk from the video, leaving you with only the important stuff. Google Photos' crop tool also has a companion rotate functionality that can help you tilt a video a few degrees to match the horizon line, rotate a video because you shot it in landscape instead of portrait mode, or reorient a video for dramatic effect, like when using a Dutch angle to heighten tension. Don't Miss: How to See All the Pictures You've Taken with an Interactive Heat Map... more http://dlvr.it/ScP6C6

While I prefer Android in my personal life, I've had the opportunity to work in the Apple ecosystem. One of the coolest features I've come to rely on is AirDrop, which makes it easy to beam content from mobile devices to desktops and vice versa. Thankfully, Android now has an equivalent. After abandoning similar functionality (Android Beam), Google has taken strides to close the gap in interoperability between devices with Nearby Share, released in mid-2020, which enables file sharing between Android devices and Chromebooks. Android 13 brings a handy update to Nearby Share, which makes... more http://dlvr.it/ScGMZ3

If you've ever wanted or needed to use an app in a different language than your phone's primary language, your Android phone now makes it a simple process. In the Android 13 software, Google included additional features for accessibility like it does with almost every major Android update. Perhaps the most useful of Android 13's new accessibility features is the ability to set different languages for apps. Perhaps you would prefer to keep your system language and most of your apps in your primary language but set news apps to their native language. Or maybe you'd like to experience an RPG... more http://dlvr.it/ScFf0Q

If you use Goals in Google Calendar, you've probably already received the notification that Google, in typical executioner fashion, has marked the feature for death. As of November 2022, you can't create new goals, and your current goals won't repeat anymore. Google suggests switching to repeating events or tasks, but there's a better option to use on your Android and iOS device. Count me among the fans of Goals. From a curated collection of preset habits, including exercising, building skills, and making time for friends and family, Goals set up appointments in your free time based on your... more http://dlvr.it/ScBvP9

TikTok is all the rage right now, and its green screen effect is one of the more popular augmented reality tricks creators use to boost their viewership numbers. Now Snapchat has leveled the playing field by making it easier to access its own green screen effect. Green or blue screens are typically used during filming when you want to replace those colors with something else, like another video or still image. While any color can work as the background, bright green or blue colors are the norm because they don't appear in most skin tones. As long as the subject you want to cut out of the... more http://dlvr.it/Sc8GpQ

To celebrate YouTube's 17th birthday, Google has gifted the app with new features, including pinch to zoom, precise seeking, and a darker dark theme. But the highlight is a new cosmetic upgrade called Ambient mode, which makes the viewing experience more immersive. Here's everything we know about the new background effect. Ambient mode, unleashed on Oct. 24, 2022, is an immersive watching experience that adds "a splash of color" to the background of YouTube's user interface. It gives videos the appearance of extending beyond the player's frame, and the effect works on Android, iOS, smart TVs... more http://dlvr.it/Sc4k2y

By default, everyone on WhatsApp can see when you're using the app. If someone recently messaged you and sees you're currently online, they may think you're avoiding them if you don't respond right away — especially if you don't share read receipts. However, you can block them from seeing your online or last seen status and apply it to everyone or just specific contacts. WhatsApp has had its last seen feature, which shows other WhatsApp users the exact time you last used the app, for a long time now. You've always had some control over which users could see when you were last using the... more http://dlvr.it/Sc4RW8