How to Fix a 'Text Bomb' Crashing WhatsApp

A recently discovered vulnerability with WhatsApp—and I use that term more loosely than usual, because this one doesn’t really seem like the app’s fault, per se—can lead to an incredibly frustrating crash loop if some stupid user sends you messages the app can’t handle.Read more...

2w

How Facebook's 'Forwarding Limit' Can Limit Chain-Spam

I know, I know. Facebook trying to do the right thing and limit spam on its network is kind of like saying I’m going to use this masking tape to seal the hole in this nearby dam, but every little bit helps, right?Read more...

2w

More Android 'Fleeceware' to Uninstall From Your Phone

It’s that time again: a bunch of crappy apps have made their way to the Google Play Store, and it’s on you to make sure you don’t have them on your Android phone. If you do, you’ve just been suckered by “fleeceware.”Read more...

3w

How to Enable 'Express' COVID-19 Exposure Notifications in iOS 13.7

Apple rolled out iOS 13.7 today. Update your device, and you’ll now be able to see if your state supports the COVID-19 Exposure Notifications Express system. More importantly, you’ll be able to opt-in to receiving these alerts without having to find and set up a standalone app. (Nobody likes app sprawl.)Read more...

3w

Why Won't Windows Recognize My Android Phone?

You have an Android. Check. You have a computer. Check, check. You want to connect your Android to your computer to rip files off of it (or add files to it, like all those ringtones you spent hours designing). Check times three. You plug your phone in to your desktop or laptop’s USB port and...nothing happens.Read more...

4w

Use These Apps to See if Your Air Quality Index Sucks Outside

I’m writing this from lovely, sunny California—at least, I think it’s sunny, because smoke from the apocalypse wildfires around Silicon Valley has been billowing around the area for about a week or so. The quirky thing about this ecological disaster is that there are sometimes days of, “oh god the sun is red,”…Read more...

4w

Where to Back Up Your Smartphone Photos Online (and Why You Should)

A botched Adobe Lightroom app update on iOS accidentally deleted users’ photos and editing presets. Adobe responded to the widespread-bug reports and issued a patch to fix it so others won’t be affected, but it can’t recover any of the lost files.Read more...

4w

How to Shuffle Netflix Shows if You Don't Have the New Feature

I’ve been hearing reports that Netflix is testing out a new “Shuffle” option, which is exactly the kind of thing we need during these pandemic times—a way to make our binge sessions last even longer. The feature isn’t available for everyone just yet, but it doesn’t need to be. With a few clever workarounds, you can…Read more...

Aug 2020

Remove Ads From Android TV's Home Screen While You Still Can

The latest Android TV Home update adds a new “Cinematic Highlights” section to the Android TV home screen. This new tab—which is now one of the first you’ll see in the interface—auto-plays ads for new shows and movies. If that annoys you, you still have an opportunity to fix this (for now).Read more...

Aug 2020

How to Find Severe Weather Alerts in the Google News App

You’ll typically know when bad weather is headed your way, whether you’ve looked out the sky to see that ominous gray/green tint of a summer thunderstorm, you have a fancy Dark Sky-like app that alerts you when meteorological disaster is approaching, or you’ve been reading the news—the Google News, that is.Read more...

Aug 2020