Hacking Emperor

If you're an avid YouTube viewer, you may find yourself overwhelmed on the home page by recommendations from your past viewing habits. But now, you can have a clean slate on your YouTube home screen, free of recommendations. Maybe you watched a video a friend sent your way. Or perhaps you went down the cooking videos rabbit hole before you realized you can't boil water without burning it. Yes, sometimes we're our own worst enemy. To put things right, Google has given us a tool to break out of the recommendation prison you've created for yourself, which I'll outline below. Don't Miss: Use... more http://dlvr.it/Sv2TMP

There is a whole world of smartphone accessories out there, some of which are more quirky than others and don't get the recognition they deserve. But these sometimes strange, sometimes embarrassing products can really make life easier on your iPhone or Android phone. We've found a treasure trove of little-known accessories that should definitely be more popular. They may be overlooked often because they're pricy, absurd-looking, or goofy, but it's also entirely possible you didn't even know they existed. With just a few of the items listed below, you can TikTok more conveniently, turn your... more http://dlvr.it/Sskbvg

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. Whether you have an iPhone or Android phone, these mysterious buttons appear in your phone and contacts app, among other places. However, most of these puzzling keys aren't explained by Apple, Google, Samsung, and other device brands. If... more http://dlvr.it/SrLpQl

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. Thanks to Google's big push into the generative AI battlefield, we now have Magic Compose in the Messages by Google app. The new GenAI-powered feature can create suggested replies on your behalf based on the context of the... more http://dlvr.it/Sr878j

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. Google Photos uses artificial intelligence to create cinematic photos, analyzing and predicting an image's depth using machine learning, even if the original image has no embedded depth information. It turns the... more http://dlvr.it/SqlHz8

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. Apple's currently beta testing iOS 17 with developers, with a public beta coming in July and a stable release in September most likely. Quite a few features are coming to iPhones this fall that currently work on Android or did at some point. And while all the new features listed below will work on iOS 17, many will also work on iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma. Keep reading to see everything Apple borrows from Google's... more http://dlvr.it/SqbG18

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. It's common practice for Apple to adopt new features for iOS that were first seen on Android, but the same can be said of Google, which has integrated numerous bells and whistles on Android from iOS as well. Case in point: Apple added a lock screen and wallpaper customization engine on iOS 16. Lo and behold, Android 14 will debut the same functionality (with some new wrinkles, such as AI-generated wallpapers, for good... more http://dlvr.it/SqPHBk

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. Google's new health and fitness service, Health Connect, is still in beta but widely accessible on Android devices. Once installed, it dramatically improves how your ecosystem of health and fitness apps work together while... more http://dlvr.it/Sp5CvL

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. We've rounded up the ten most interesting AI-powered features you can use now and in the near future across Google apps and services. 1. Bard Google has lifted the waitlist for Bard, its experimental AI chatbot... more http://dlvr.it/Snvc6Y

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. Usually, if there are more than four albums in a custom playlist, you'll get a two-by-two grid of album artwork from the first albums within. That may help you remember the types of music inside if you can't tell by your playlist's title, but it's not as smooth and shareable as a one-image custom picture. Don't Miss: 5 Wild Things You... more http://dlvr.it/SnBfbT

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. Since its introduction in Android 10, the gesture navigation system has become the default method for switching between apps, jumping to the home screen, and tapping back through apps. But the three-button navigation bar is still there if you want to use it. Either way, Android app developers have tools to make... more http://dlvr.it/Sn7LRt

Android has a new security feature that every Android smartphone user needs to start using — even you. It won't change how you use your phone, but it will make life harder for nearby thieves. One of the oldest tricks in the book of smartphone thieves is watching someone within eyeshot enter their passcode or PIN to unlock their phone. There's no high-tech hackery involved. It's just eyes and memory. And the phone becomes a target in the thief's crosshairs as soon as the code is known. If they successfully snatch it, they can wreak all kinds of havoc. A report by The Wall Street Journal... more http://dlvr.it/Sn1KGs

Compared to Apple's iOS, the Android operating system has earned a reputation for giving smartphone users more customization options up front — but there are even more Android features to customize hidden from plain view behind secret menus like the developer options. Despite its name, Android's developer options can benefit everyone, but you have to unlock them first. The hidden developer options menu on Android can be helpful in a wide variety of uses, from forcing all apps to work with split-screen mode to trying upcoming features before everyone else. You could even unlock tablet-only... more http://dlvr.it/SmmgYY

Because our smartphones are ever present, frequently used apps become the topic of conversation in social situations. This often leads to sharing app links via messages, either by copying/pasting an app's URL or sending it through the sharing menu. However, there's another way to share an app, and it's most valuable when you need to share multiple apps and app updates without an internet connection. For instance, I rediscovered Pokemon Go and several companion apps that aide in Pokemon capture. When I'm out and about, I'll pop open the game to see what's available to catch or if there are any... more http://dlvr.it/SmSMv9

Now that Bard — Google's response to the revolutionary ChatGPT generative AI chatbot — is out in the wild, it's beginning to let its freak flag fly. Sure, Google wants us to know that its generative artificial intelligence chatbot can write blog posts about summer mocktail recipes or compile a camping gear checklist. Still, there are more eyebrow-raising options as well. Check out some examples below, then see what wild responses you can get from Bard. Don't Miss: How to Use Google's New AI Chatbot Bard to Generate Text-Based Content on Anything 1. Renaissance Bard I'm in a couple of bands... more http://dlvr.it/SmL9Jg

There's more than one way to get free credits and discounts in the Google Play Store for apps, games, books, movies, in-app items, and other Play Store content. You may know a few of them — but some of these may surprise you. When it comes to spending on apps, games, and in-app purchases, Apple's app store has consistently outperformed Google's, earning nearly double the sales annually. While you'd be hard-pressed to find free credits and deals for the Apple App Store, the opposite is true for the Google Play Store. Let's double down on the earned stereotype of the frugal Android user by... more http://dlvr.it/Sm0mRl

Generative artificial intelligence has taken the tech world by storm, and Google's AI chatbot will give you a taste of what it offers. By learning patterns from existing data, generative AI can create new text, images, music, and other types of content from simple commands. While it doesn't always provide perfect results, it can generate highly realistic content that can be used in various applications, such as creating new art, designing products, building recipes, or developing realistic simulations. It may seem like cheating, but generative AI can help humans be more creative and... more http://dlvr.it/SlxSFr

Handwritten notes are no doubt useful at home, work, and school, but digitizing them with your smartphone will make them easier to edit, organize, and review. You'll also always have a digital copy ready if your handwritten notes get lost or erased. And Google Keep for Android, iOS, or iPadOS makes the conversion from physical form to digital a cinch, especially when it comes to checklists. Perhaps you've jotted down a grocery list but don't want to fumble with pen and paper at the store. Or maybe you've been tasked with capturing meeting notes from a whiteboard to distribute to the rest of... more http://dlvr.it/SlR5mf

The most recent premium flagship smartphones from Google — the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro — are equipped with displays cable of 1440 QHD+ resolution. But they also come with a tool to downgrade to 1080p FHD+, which you may want to do in certain situations. QHD+, a higher resolution than standard Quad High Definition, and FHD+, a higher resolution than standard Full Hide Definition, are available on the Pixel 7 Pro out of the box. The Pixel 6 Pro just recently gained the ability to make the switch in Google's latest Feature Drop for Pixel on March 13. And I know what you're probably... more http://dlvr.it/Sl10bk

Magic Eraser was one of Google's big selling points for the Pixel 6 and 7 series smartphones, and it's finally made its way to other Android devices. It's even available on iPhone and iPad with the latest Google Photos app. The tool lets you easily remove or camouflage unwanted or distracting background elements in your photos. It was perfectly showcased in Google's 2023 Super Bowl ad, where comedian Amy Schumer removed all her exes and Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo erased himself from getting dunked on. Other apps let you wipe out unwanted people and objects from your pictures... more http://dlvr.it/Skr8Wt

A hidden TikTok feature changed how I watch videos in the app, and it's about to transform your TikTok video-watching habits too. The feature is relatively new and extremely easy to miss since it's not visible on the video interface. But before you continue, ensure you've updated the TikTok app for Android or iOS, so you know you're running the latest version. Now that your app's up to date, I have three words for you: playback speed control. Some users have had access to the new feature over the last six months while it was being tested, but TikTok should have rolled it out to everyone's... more http://dlvr.it/Skj8SH

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. You can make your Android smartphone read almost anything to you out loud, whether it's a digital book, webpage, online news article, email, short story, PDF document, text file, or another form of written work. Even better, you have... more http://dlvr.it/Sj56v6

You can wake up to ringtones, music from streaming services, or downloaded audio files when setting alarms in Google's Clock app for Android, but that's not all. The latest feature lets you turn your own voice into an alarm sound, saying whatever it is you need to say to wake you up. The recent update applies to Pixel users for now, but there's a way you can work around that limitation to create wake-up calls to yourself on other Android devices, such as a Samsung Galaxy model. The process is simple. Choose an alarm or create a new one in the Clock app, record a voice message to yourself as... more http://dlvr.it/Sh5zdX

Android 12L and Android 13 have a taskbar just for tablets that lets you quickly open recent, suggested, or pinned apps and drag and drop apps into split-screen mode. While the taskbar is meant just for tablets and foldable devices, you can unlock this new feature for your Android smartphone with a bit of tinkering. On tablets, the taskbar appears when using other apps. You can long-press it to hide it whenever needed, then tap on the navigation bar to show it again. It shows six recently used, suggested, or pinned apps, and when not on the Home Screen, it also provides a link to your app... more http://dlvr.it/SgzkT0

An iPad can serve as a second screen for a Mac via Sidecar, available since iPadOS 13, but Apple isn't the only manufacturer to support such a feature. Samsung has had a similar tool since One UI 3.1 that lets you turn certain Samsung Galaxy tablets into second displays for your PC — and there's a hidden feature that expands it to more tablets and even Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Officially, the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S8 are the only Samsung devices with the second screen feature. You can easily activate it via the "Second screen" button in the Quick Settings panel and then connect the... more http://dlvr.it/SgrT7p

The newest feature for Pixel smartphones puts a home theater in your pocket. Spatial Audio outputs sound that appears to come from in front of and behind you, adding a new level of immersion to your streaming video and music apps. Google's new audio feature works with any connected headphones, including wired headphones connected via USB-C (or with a USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter) and Bluetooth headphones or earbuds. Pixel Buds Pro also gets head tracking, which shifts your audio perspective in relation to where your phone is situated, but it only works on the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7, and... more http://dlvr.it/SglGy4

You've probably connected your Android device to dozens of Wi-Fi networks since you've had it, and your phone or tablet remembers each of them. Whether it's a hotspot at home, school, work, the gym, a coffee shop, a relative's apartment — or even from a friend's phone — each time you type in a Wi-Fi password, your Android device saves it for safekeeping and easy access later. The trouble comes when you want to actually see the password for one of the networks you've connected to before. Perhaps you want to connect a second device to a saved wireless access point, or maybe you're with a... more http://dlvr.it/Sgh718

Android's back gesture, formerly the back button, has long been a blessing and a curse. While it gives us system-wide backward navigation, the action can sometimes be unpredictable. But Google may have a solution with its new predictive back gesture, which gives you an animated peek at where you're about to go next to help you decide on continuing or staying with the current view. The new predictive back gesture, which is expected to be enabled by default when Android 14 arrives in late 2023, is currently available in just a few of Google's own apps including: Google Calculator Google... more http://dlvr.it/SgY0KT

You've decided you want to lose weight or build lean muscle. That's great! Now grab your smartphone. It's a valuable asset that can help you achieve your physical fitness goals, whether to improve your health or enhance your appearance, and I'm going to show you how. Numerous apps for your iPhone or Android phone can help you record and monitor the metrics contributing to weight loss and muscle gain. And while wearables from Apple, Samsung, Fitbit, Garmin, and others provide workout tracking from your wrist, you really only need your smartphone for all your fitness tracking. Bear in mind... more http://dlvr.it/SgLh2L