As someone raised with the many generations of the PlayStation console, gaming is a wonderful outlet for me that helps me unwind. I also find great comfort in patterns; it's something that has always relaxed my mind and helped ease my anxiety. Thus, it only makes sense that at the end of a long day, I rely on some casual gaming to calm my very overstimulated brain.

For as long as I have had a phone, even in the days of Symbian OS, I have always had a roster of silly games to play in my downtime. These are different from "proper" gaming sessions for me, as the goal here isn't to enjoy complex game mechanics or intricate worldbuilding. I'm not looking for Skyrim-level lore or an action-packed adventure. I just want my mind to be still and for me to fall asleep without any mental tabs open in the background.

This is my current roster of mindless, silly Android games that lull me to sleep in the wee hours of the night. They have ads and microtransactions, but the basic gameplay is free. You might find them ridiculous, but don't knock 'em 'til you've tried 'em.

Hello! My Cozy Inn

Hello! My Cozy Inn is a slow-paced restaurant and hotel management game with several mini-games, including a farming sim, merge games, memory-pair games, and more. The plot is simple: you start out with a rundown little inn, and you have to make it successful.

Even if you have a very short attention span and limited patience, you will not tire of this game easily. Though you have to wait for revenue to accumulate over time to upgrade the inn, there are plenty of side quests to keep you occupied.

By the time you're done accomplishing the day's tasks, your nervous system is relaxed, and your eyes are closing. The game has a cozy atmosphere and does a great job of slowing you down.

Screwdom 3D

Screwdom 3D is one of those Android games that don't require much thought. Your goal couldn't be simpler: unscrew the object you've been given. Tap a screw to unscrew it, dismantling the object piece by piece, layer by layer.

To make it a bit more challenging, the screws are color-coded. Players need to match the colors as required, without running out of holes to store screws that don't match the current color.

There are various fun 3D models to take apart, and they can be rotated at any angle up to 360 degrees. As you twist and turn the object, looking for matching screws, your mind focuses on this low-stress task and the background noise in your mind turns down.

And if you're feeling competitive, there are plenty of challenges where you compete with others, pushing you to finish puzzles as fast as you can (sometimes without failing a level).

Arrows – Puzzle Escape

Arrows – Puzzle Escape is a black-and-white game that eliminates all stimulation. It leaves you focusing on just the black arrows set against a plain white background, clearing the board on every level.

I enjoy this game particularly because of the unraveling of the pattern. The logic it follows doesn't require much thought. It almost becomes muscle memory; a repetitive task of tapping away at the arrows to pass the level.

As you progress, the levels become increasingly intricate. There are daily and weekly challenges as well. The lack of a timer takes the pressure off, allowing you to immerse yourself in the game until sleep befalls you.

Magic Sort!

Magic Sort! gives you a nice little dopamine boost with its bright colors and cute characters. You must sort the colorful liquids in the bottles, with each bottle containing only a single colored liquid at the end of the level.

It's easy to get stuck, but you can collect helpful tools to assist you along the way. Watching ads is sometimes required, but I find that waiting for the ad to finish is enough to make me fall asleep. Since relaxing my mind is my main goal when playing the game, it works out perfectly.

Google pulled a Google on Pixel Studio image generation, meaning the feature was killed just like countless other projects before it. Now that the AI image-generating feature is gone, there are still quite a few ways to create custom stickers on a Pixel phone.

Of the many ways, the easiest is as quick as a long press, whereas the other options require a few more steps. So, here are some ways I like to create custom stickers on my Pixel 10 Pro without Pixel Studio.

Note that my Pixel is running Android 17, but Pixels running Android 16 with recent updates should also have access to the same features. Make sure you update your phone and apps to the latest available versions in case you still don't see these features on your Pixel phone.

How to create custom stickers on Pixel phones with Google Photos

Google Photos is the native image gallery app on every single Pixel phone. Many Android phones also use it as the native image viewer.

To create a custom sticker from a preexisting image, first find the picture you want in Google Photos.

After that, simply press and hold the subject you want to make into a sticker. I usually use my cat, but this works with other animals and people too.

From there, you can past your sticker in other apps, including chats. You can also find them in the Collections tab on Google Photos.

How to create custom stickers on Pixel phones with Google Messages

Little did I know that Google Messages already has a sticker creator built into it. Now that I have found it, I am happy to share that it is incredibly easy to use.

If you want to create custom stickers from your photos, just open a chat in Google Messages and tap the smiley face icon next to the photo attachment icon in the text box. Then, choose the Photomoji option.

After that, either take a picture with the camera or select a picture from your device to create a sticker. Simply tap the send button to send the newly created sticker to the chat.

You can also use this sticker as a reaction image as opposed to the preloaded emojis, as a way to spice up your reactions ot messages.

There are still so many other ways to create your own custom stickers for messaging apps

Although we can no longer use Pixel Studio to reimagine our photos into fun stickers or simply create basic ones, there are plenty of alternatives to do so.

The simplest way to access the same image-generation feature Pixel Studio had is to open Gemini. Attach the picture you want to turn into a sticker, give Gemini the instructions, and it'll spit out what you need. However, the result will be a picture with an opaque background.

WhatsApp users will find that creating stickers in the app is child's play. Simply select the stickers option in the app, then tap the "create sticker" button to convert any image from your photo gallery into a sticker. There's no AI reimagination feature, however, so you'll have to rely on AI like Gemini for that.

Many cinephiles have amazing home theater setups with projectors, reclining and rumbling seats, multi-channel surround sound systems, and probably even a built-in popcorn maker in their theater room. While that's great for people who want to spend a lot of time setting up all the pieces to the home theater puzzle, plenty of people don't have the technical know-how, time, or money for such an endeavor.

Thankfully, Google is making a simple home theater setup with its new Google Home Speaker, which lets you quickly pair your speakers with your Google TV Streamer for a quick surround sound system without all the wires or wall anchors. This is a great option for anyone with less space to work with, or even just as a temporary solution for any reason.

The best smart speakers from Sonos and Amazon have had this capability for quite a while, but Google is finally joining the crowd with its latest speaker, the 2026 Google Home Speaker.

What's it like using a Google Home Speaker with a TV?

The 2026 Google Home Speaker upgrades the Nest Mini and Google Home Mini audio experience with a taller design and larger audio components, delivering significantly better bass and sound quality. It also uses 360-degree drivers, which can help create a virtual surround sound system with two speakers.

Traditional surround sound systems typically require you to hook up an amplifier and run wires for speakers that you'd normally mount on a wall or ceiling. Lots of people (including me) opt for soundbars for this reason: they usually connect to your TV, include a subwoofer, and sometimes add a second set of speakers for the rear channels.

All of these solutions generally require running audio wires, whereas a Google Home Speaker only requires a power cable. While the Google Home Speaker is the easiest solution in this set of options, it also comes with some caveats.

Compared to a traditional surround sound system or a soundbar, the Google Home Speaker won't have the booming bass of home theater systems, since it doesn't include a dedicated subwoofer. That might be better in a community housing situation (like an apartment), or in smaller living spaces.

While you can pair two Google Home Speakers with a Google TV Streamer, this only provides stereo sound with virtual surround options. It's not a true surround sound system since it doesn't have three or more speakers, so the overall quality and immersiveness of a traditional surround sound system will be missing.

That being said, this is a great option for simplicity's sake, to save space, and to reduce setup time, especially if you're not a person who enjoys running cables. If you pair only one Google Home Speaker with your TV, I recommend placing it under the TV or on a shelf at the front of your room. With two speakers, you have a bit more freedom to place them around the room.

Pairing a Google Home Speaker with your TV

To get started, you'll need at least one Google Home Speaker (two is best), plus a Google TV Streamer. I'll assume for this guide that you've already plugged in and set up your Google Home Speaker for regular use. If you haven't, go ahead and do that, then follow along with the guide:

1. On your Google TV Streamer, press the Home button, then select the Quick Settings option at the top of the screen.

2. On the pop-up window, select Audio output from the list of tiles.

3. In the audio output window, select Connect another device.

4. In the Remotes & Accessories section, select Google speakers from the list, then select Getting started.

5. A list of Google Home Speakers on your account will appear in the next window. Select all the speakers you want to use for TV audio output, then click Next.

6. Once setup is complete, all connected Google Home Speakers should appear in the Google speakers section of the Remotes & Accessories menu.

Now that youre Google Home Speakers and Google TV Streamer are connected, they will automatically connect and be used any time your Google TV Streamer is powered on.

Fixing audio latency issues with a Google Home Speaker and Google TV Streamer

Sometimes, when using wireless audio, you'll find that the image on the TV doesn't match the audio coming from your speakers. This is more than just annoying, as it makes it difficult to watch anything. Thankfully, Google has a simple built-in tool to fix this problem:

1. On your Google TV Streamer, press the Home button, then select the Quick Settings option at the top of the screen.

2. On the pop-up window, select All settings at the top.

3. Select the Remotes & Accessories section.

4. Select the Google speakers option.

5. Select the offending speaker from the list, then select Audio video sync.

6. Follow the on-screen instructions to adjust the audio latency to match the audio with the bouncing ball.

Using an older Google Home or Nest speaker as a surround sound system

If you're not willing to shell out $200 for a pair of new Google Home Speakers (and I can't blame you for that), your existing Nest or Google Home speakers can serve a similar function, but it'll likely require a bit more tweaking.

All Google Home and Nest speakers support Bluetooth, so you can pair them with your TV or preferred streaming device to enjoy higher-quality audio than the TV can provide. Bluetooth could have quality, range, and audio latency issues, but let's get things set up first before we assume those things:

1. Open the Google Home app on your phone.

2. Select All devices from the list (it's the 4-square grid icon).

3. Find your speaker in the list and tap it.

4. Tap the settings cog at the top of the screen.

5. Select Audio from the list.

6. Select Paired Bluetooth devices.

7. Tap Enable pairing mode at the bottom, then select the speaker from the audio section of your TV or streaming device.

Since every TV or streaming device is different, I can't walk you through how to find the audio section on those, but it's likely under system settings, audio, then Bluetooth or wireless audio. If you need to adjust audio latency, your TV or streaming device should have options for it in the same section.

Whichever method you use, Google Home and Nest speakers are a great way to add higher-fidelity audio to a TV without running wires, which can make a big difference in your TV experience.

I use Gemini for all sorts of things on my phone, from general assistant help and smart home control to generative AI creation. The app tries to be a jack-of-all-trades, capable of creating text, images, audio, and video from simple prompts. Gemini Omni is Google's latest video-generation tool, announced at Google I/O 2026 and bundled with the June Pixel Drop.

Gemini Omni's calling card is conversational prompts. Like how you can generate images with Nano Banana from simple inputs, Google wants you to be able to do the same with Gemini Omni. I tried it on my Pixel 10 Pro, and the experience felt way more polished than any Veo model. I don't generate AI videos very often, but when I do, I'll be using Gemini Omni going forward. Here's how you can, too.

Gemini Omni is a new model designed to create videos

Open up the Gemini app and tap the model picker, and you won't see Gemini Omni. You'll find 3.1 Flash-Lite, 3.5 Flash, and 3.1 Pro (availability varies depending on your Google AI subscription), but not Gemini Omni. That's because Gemini Omni is specifically designed for video. In fact, Google's landing page for Gemini Omni says we should "think of it like Nano Banana for video."

The model you'll be using in the Gemini app is called Gemini Omni Flash, and it's also available in Google Flow and YouTube Shorts. While it's wholly focused on video for now, Gemini Omni will eventually support image and audio outputs as well. The idea is that Gemini Omni will one day be able to "create anything from any input," which is a lofty goal. This will happen "in time," according to Google, but you can start using Omni for videos today.

Another oddity about Gemini Omni is that it's highlighted as a June Pixel Drop feature, but it's available on any smartphone. Gemini Omni isn't a Google Pixel exclusive; it's limited by your Google AI subscription status. There is a free version with strict rate limits, but more availability is reserved for Google AI Plus, Google AI Pro, and Google AI Ultra subscribers.

That's good news for anyone without a Pixel — everyone can try it in the Gemini app or on the web.

How I create videos with AI using Gemini Omni

Gemini Omni is designed to support multiple inputs and conversational prompts. In other words, anyone can use it. Here's how to get started:

1. Open the Gemini app.

2. Tap the + button and select Videos.

3. Now, you'll see the Gemini Omni prompting box. Tap the bottom-left button to upload a photo or video as part of your prompt, or press the bottom-right button to choose between a Landscape or Portrait aspect ratio.

4. Next, come up with a text prompt. You can type your prompt or tap the microphone button to record an audio snippet as part of your prompt.

5. Tap the Send arrow to submit your prompt to Gemini Omni.

6. Wait for your video to generate. You may see the following message: "I'm generating your video. This could take a few minutes, so check back to see when your video is ready.

7. When your video is ready, you can hit the Share button to create a public link to it. Or you can tap the three-button menu and select Save video to download it to your device.

Now, you've created your first video with Gemini Omni. Remember, you can use any mix of text, images, audio, or video to inform your Gemini Omni prompt.

If you're not sure where to start, you can tap one of the suggestions on the Gemini Omni page. It'll tell you exactly what it needs to generate a video. For example, the Talking pets suggestion will ask you for a picture of your pet to customize the output.

Should you use Veo or Gemini Omni for videos?

Gemini Omni is replacing Veo models in the Gemini app, although you'll still be able to find Veo models in other Google products. I've used both, and my vote goes to Gemini Omni. With its broad support for inputs and easy-to-follow suggestions, it doesn't take much skill to create a fun AI video with Omni.

I made a video of my seafood dinner coming to life and jumping off the plate, and well, Gemini Omni did its job. I'm not sure how often I'll turn to Omni to generate videos with AI, but I know it's up to the task.

I've been an Oura Ring owner for more than a few years now, having tested and owned each model since the Oura Ring Gen 3. However, during that time, I've unfortunately misplaced a couple of rings, which is never ideal for a device that costs at least a few hundred dollars.

The Oura app for iPhone has included a function to locate the Oura Ring via its last known location, but the feature was missing on Android for years. Fortunately, Oura finally brought the feature to Android, and the Oura Ring 5 launch introduced an updated version of this feature for both iPhone and Android users, called Locate.

Locate your Oura Ring

The thing to know about the Oura Ring 5 and previous versions of the smart ring is that there's no built-in GPS. It will connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth to use its GPS when performing activities like walking or running, and this is also how the Locate function is leveraged.

So long as you've granted location permissions to the Oura app (you can do this in the app info menu or in the app itself), your phone will save the ring's last known position based on when the ring was last connected. This should happen fairly often if you wear your ring a lot and ensure it has a good amount of battery life. The app may not save your ring's location if your phone is in battery save mode, so keep that in mind.

You must also keep in mind that, unlike the Oura Ring, the Oura Ring 5 doesn't feature ultra-wideband (UWB) or the newer Bluetooth 6, so the location function won't work like on devices equipped with UWB (like Bluetooth trackers). That means the app's Locate function will tell you when you're near the ring, but it can't pinpoint its exact location.

Even so, the Oura Locate feature should be quite helpful for retracing your steps and locating a misplaced ring.

How to Locate your Oura Ring 5

1. Open the Oura app and tap the circular battery icon in the top right corner (or the hamburger menu in the top left corner) to access My Devices.

2. Scroll down and tap Locate. Here, you will see a map with all Oura devices connected to your app and their last known locations.

3. Tap Search on the ring you're looking for. (Note: You can only search for the ring currently active in the app. To find another, you'll have to go to the My Devices page and activate it.)

The Oura app will search for a Bluetooth connection to the Ring. The status will change to "Weak signal" when you're within range, "Nearby" when you're closer, "Very close" when you should be close enough to spot the ring, and "Right here" when you're basically right on top of it. The app will also clue you in visually with each status change, indicating how close or far you are from the ring.

Don't be like me

Losing an expensive piece of tech sucks, especially when it's something you love. I feel like this feature could have saved me a lot of trouble when I first lost the Oura Ring Gen 3.

I feel like I dropped it in my car or somewhere near my apartment, but as an Android user, I didn't have access to what was then called Find My Ring in the Oura app. Instead, I was directed to try a third-party Bluetooth tracking app, which didn't work, nor did it have helpful features like the ring's last location.

The Locate feature isn't perfect, but it's a lot better than nothing. I also like that, despite not having pinpoint location accuracy with UWB or Bluetooth 6, Oura at least makes it easy to know when you're hot on the trail or getting colder, as that's sometimes all it takes.

Google Pixel phones offer many customization tools, but up until recently, the Pixel UI home screen was more restrictive. Google only recently made it possible to remove the At a Glance widget from your home screen, for instance. While past Pixel Drops brought fresh theme packs and style choices, the latest Android 17 update adds a hidden home screen customization option that can seriously simplify your setup.

I keep my home screen basic, only including a few home screen widgets and the most important apps. For everything else, I use the app launcher or search bar. That means I know exactly which apps and icons are on my home screen without needing to look at their names. Finally, Android 17 lets me remove the redundant app names from my home screen for a cleaner look.

Pixel home screen customization just leveled up

The easiest way to change your Pixel home screen is to hold down anywhere on it that isn't covered by an app or widget. This brings up a small menu with the Wallpaper & style, Widgets, Apps list, and Home settings buttons. You can even switch between default wallpapers straight from this tiny menu on the home screen. To customize your phone's look, tap Wallpaper & style.

Here, you'll be able to pick a Theme pack, change your phone's Colors, set a Color contrast settings, manage your Icons, and choose a Layout. This isn't new, but Android 17 adds a setting on the Icons page. Previously, you could choose an app icon Style or change the app icon Shape.

There are five shapes to choose from, and the styles are abundant. You can pick Default or Minimal — the latter forces all your app icons to match your selected color palette, creating a consistent look I almost always prefer. There's also the Create option, which lets you build custom app icon designs by starting with one of six styles: Disco, Scribbles, Cookies, Easel, Treasure, and Stardust.

Android 17 adds a new Names tab to the Icons page, and it's where you can choose to show or hide app names on your home screen.

How I hide app names on my Pixel

I changed the look of my home screen in seconds by hiding app names. To do it, I simply held down on my home screen wallpaper, pressed Wallpaper & style, and tapped Icons. Then, I switched to the Names tab and flipped the toggle beside Show app names to the off position.

There's a virtual render of your home screen displayed on this page that adapts as you change the look of your app icons. So, you can flip the toggle beside Show app names a few times, watching how your home screen changes. If you like the minimalist look of the Pixel home screen without app names, leave the toggle off.

By default, app names are still shown on the Pixel home screen in Android 17. Nothing will change unless you want it to — but the option to remove app names from the Pixel UI home screen is something Pixel fans have long wanted. Keep in mind that if you hide app names from your Pixel home screen, they'll still appear in the app drawer.

My entire home screen is finally as clean as the dock

Android 17 is a neat update for my Pixel phones, and I love that Google continues to add new customization features. The previous app icon customization interface was already one of the best available on any Android skin, but it was missing something basic — hiding app names.

Now, my entire home screen looks as clean as the app dock. No names, just a minimal setup with app icons and widgets.

With stable Android 17 finally rolling out to Pixel devices, there are a ton of new features for us to try out. During The Android Show, Google highlighted new social-media-focused features, and now we're finally getting a look at some of them, which aim to enhance your experience creating content for apps like Instagram.

One such feature is screen reactions, a new built-in capability that removes some of the effort that would normally require a third-party app or fancy app techniques. And I admit, for a relatively simple feature, it's quite ingenious, and I'm surprised Google had the wherewithal to launch it with Android 17.

Screen Reactions is a surprisingly effective feature

If you're on Instagram or TikTok, then you've probably seen them. Many of my favorite content creators react to news, images, or other videos by inserting a small floating video of themselves. Reaction videos like this are quite effective, as they let viewers see both the original content and the reaction, and sometimes the reaction is better or funnier than the original.

I'm a casual social media user, but I have dabbled in making Reels every now and then. However, given my limited knowledge of creating social media content, this type of reaction video has always eluded me. And I know there are built-in functions to help create these types of videos, like a virtual green screen, but I've not wanted to take the time to figure it out, though I'm sure it's a fairly easy process.

Now, I don't have to figure it out. Because Screen Reactions is built into the screen record function on my Pixel 10, creating this type of reaction video just takes a few taps, without futzing with different app methods to achieve the same effect. And you can edit the clips on-device or put finishing touches in Instagram or TikTok. It's not perfect, but it feels like it just lowered the barrier to entry for anyone wanting to create content on social media.

How to use Screen Reactions on your Pixel 10

1. Swipe down from the top of your screen to open the Quick Settings menu.

2. Tap the Screen Record button. You may need to edit your Quick Settings menu and add the button if it's not already there.

3. Toggle on Show selfie camera. This will automatically turn on the Record microphone option.

4. Tap the color palette icon to enable a color background. Tap any color to show the background or tap it again to turn it off.

5. Tap Start to begin recording.

6. When you're done, tap the live notification and tap Stop to end recording.

7. You can go straight to recording another clip, delete the clip you just recorded, or edit the clip to your liking using Google Photos editing features.

Once you're done with each clip, you can edit them together in the Google Photos app or use a third-party app such as Instagram and TikTok to add finishing touches.

Things to keep in mind

Screen Reactions is a cool feature, but it's not perfect, and there are some limitations worth noting. The first thing you should know is that it only works when screen recording is set to record the entire screen; it won't work if you just want to record a specific app. That means anything that appears on the screen will be captured in the recording, including when you adjust the volume, open the notification shade, tap the live notification to stop the recording, etc.

It makes sense why it would be the entire screen, as your reaction could very well involve using your phone and diffing into its settings or switching to multiple apps, but it's just something to keep in mind.

My first instinct was to try recording a Screen Reaction on a full-screen Reel to get cleaner video with fewer Instagram UI elements. For some reason, Reels won't appear if you try this method; you'll just see a black screen and your selfie video. TikTok's Clear Display does work, however, so that may be an alternative, or you could just download the Reel or TikTok if that option's available.

Another downside of Screen Reaction recording the entire screen is that you'll also see your screen recording status icon in the notification shade. I don't know about you, but this looks kind of tacky, and I wish there were a way to leave this out of the recording. It's probably the one way Instagram or TikTok's green screen effects are better than the built-in function.

Perhaps an updated version of Screen Record could include an option to hide these extra on-screen elements from the recording, ensuring the video looks as clean as if you recorded it with Instagram or TikTok's tools.

It would also be nice if stopping the recording wasn't a two-step process of taping the live notification at the top of the screen and then the stop button. Google should place a stop or pause button somewhere more accessible so I'm not reaching in front of the selfie camera to stop recording.

Still, despite some quirky and questionable UI choices, I think this is a great feature that takes away much of the complications of making a reaction video for social media. If you have a Pixel smartphone, you should give it a try. I can't wait to see how other OEMs implement this feature when Android 17 rolls out to other Android phones.

Android 17 is bringing a few exciting improvements to Google Pixel phones, and Bubbles may be the biggest one. Pop-up and floating windows are nothing new for Android users, but they've never been built into Pixel UI. Instead, power users had to turn to other operating systems like Samsung's One UI to multitask with floating windows.

Google was already familiar with floating windows and pop-up views because Android already supported Bubbles for messaging apps. Back then, I found them more annoying than helpful. I only activated conversation bubbles by accident and never saw the value in them. After trying the upgraded Bubbles experience for apps and multitasking in Android 17, I'm a believer.

Here's how you can try app bubbles with Android 17 for yourself, and how the Pixel experience compares to the Galaxy one.

App bubbles are a new way to multitask on Pixel

Google Pixel phones already support multitasking with split-screen views. Open an app, use the app switcher, and press the app's name to reveal a Split screen button. Then, Pixel users can pick a second app to create a split-screen layout. They can drag the slider in the middle to adjust the split ratio.

For traditional Android phones, a 50:50 horizontal split is the default, but you can drag the slider to the 90:10 position to unlock a new Android 16 feature. In this mode, one app takes up most of your phone screen, while the secondary app remains greyed out. Tapping the unused, secondary app flips the ratio. It's a great solution for when you want to use two apps in (mostly) full-screen mode without having to use the app switcher.

Android 16 didn't offer a better way to use more than two apps at once, however. Android 17 finally addresses this problem with app bubbles. You can use up to five at once, and it's a convenient way to multitask when the regular split-screen mode won't cut it. Essentially, the apps stay minimized in bubble form, and tapping them reveals a floating window that lets you use the app over whatever is on your screen.

I rarely used split-screen views on my Pixel phones for multitasking, but Bubbles seem much easier to create and are fun to use.

Add up to five apps to an Android 17 bubble group

Bubbles are a core part of the Android 17 experience by default. Surprisingly, you can't create them in the same way you would a split-screen view. Instead, you need to create Bubbles by physically holding down on an app's icon on the home screen or app drawer. Find the app you want to turn into a bubble, and hold down on it to reveal the shortcut menu.

If the app doesn't offer a custom shortcut, you'll see a button with a new icon beside the word Bubble. This icon looks like a window being minimized, with an arrow pointing toward a dot. If the app does have custom shortcuts, you'll only see the Bubble icon — not the text. Either way, tapping the Bubble button in an app's shortcut menu will open your first app bubble.

The floating app window takes up most of the screen, and you'll see all the bubbles in your group above it. If this is your first bubble, you can press the + button to add apps you've recently used in bubble form. To add an app that you haven't recently used as a bubble, find it in the app drawer, open the shortcut menu, and tap the Bubble button.

You can fit up to five in a bubble group and switch between them by tapping each bubble icon. They reorder as you use them, so the most recently used app icons appear first. Tap away from the app bubble, and you'll return to wherever you were before opening the bubble. The bubble or bubble group will appear as a tiny icon on your screen that you can move wherever you'd like.

There are a few ways to close a bubble. If you only want to close one, you can open it, tap the Manage button, and hit Dismiss bubble. To close every bubble in a group, grab the bubble icon and drag it toward the Close button at the bottom of the screen, then release.

Foldable users get a different app bubble experience

If you have a Pixel Fold, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, or Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the Bubbles experience will be different when you open the main display. Here, Bubbles appear as part of the Taskbar. Besides your Taskbar's dock apps and recently used apps, you'll see the Bubbles group in the corner. You can tap the app bubble or group to open the floating window, but it'll still only take up a small portion of just one half of the screen.

The great thing about the way Bubbles work on the inner screen of folding phones is that they stay completely hidden as you use your device. In minimized form, Bubbles — like the rest of the Taskbar — are stowed away as you use other apps. Swiping up from the bottom opens the Taskbar and reveals your Bubbles.

I love Android 17's app bubbles, but there's a catch

Bubbles are a clever way to multitask smarter on your Pixel devices, especially if you have a Pixel Fold device. However, they don't match up perfectly with floating windows and pop-up views on Samsung Galaxy phones.

The One UI 8.5 experience is more powerful, as you can move floating windows anywhere, resize them, or separate them. You can also create floating windows from the app switcher in One UI, whereas you need to go to the home screen or app drawer in Pixel UI.

So, while the Bubbles experience in Android 17 needs work before it can be a true One UI competitor, it's a great step in the right direction for Pixel users.

Gemini Live is one of Google's best AI tools to date, but it often feels more like a party trick than something you'd want to use daily. I intermittently used Gemini Live's multimodal camera and screen sharing features in situations where the extra context seemed important.

However, the basic Gemini chatbot remained my go-to AI feature for casual questions and everyday help. That all changed following a major Gemini app update that added a completely overhauled Neural Expressive user interface. Everyone is talking about the colorful and minimal Gemini app design or Gemini Daily Brief, but the feature I can't stop using following the update is Gemini Live.

Gemini Live's old voice-first user interface is gone, and in its place is a new approach that focuses on AI-generated content. It displays spoken words, generated images, and more on the screen as you go about your Gemini Live chat. You can copy, share, or export Gemini Live's responses without ending the conversation. It's the most underrated upgrade to come out of Google I/O, and I can't stop using it.

What's new about the Gemini app's UI?

The old Gemini Live experience made sense for long-running voice conversations or questions that required real-time multimodal context. It wasn't ideal for quick chats or basic questions. That's because the outgoing Gemini Live user interface took up the entire screen and didn't provide much visual value. There was a waveform graphic that moved as Gemini spoke, but you couldn't see or act upon anything it said.

The video experience was slightly better, as it displayed a viewfinder for the video stream being shared with Gemini. I've used Gemini Live's video streaming feature for everything from improving my plant health to rearranging my apartment layout. Still, these visuals were about the content you're sharing with Gemini, not the other way around.

Google's new Neural Expressive design language for Gemini Live condenses that waveform animation into a tiny pill. All the extra space is now used to highlight Gemini's responses. Like before, you can speak casually with Gemini Live and hear spoken responses uttered in real time. The difference now is that these responses will also appear on the screen, so you can read or listen to what Gemini Live has to say.

How I multitask using Gemini Live's new interface

The newfound focus on visual content enables new use cases for Gemini Live. You can ask it to generate images with Nano Banana 2, for example, and view the output immediately. The conversation remains active, allowing for follow-up tweaks and workshopping. This is something the old Gemini Live could never do.

To try it out, tap the waveform icon in the new Neural Expressive pill on the Gemini app home screen. The Gemini Live experience will begin, but you'll be kept on a tweaked version of the homepage.

Surrounding the Gemini Live animation pill, you'll see buttons for live video streaming, screen sharing, microphone mute, and exit. Get started by asking Gemini Live a question and watch the screen fill with the chatbot's answers.

This is where things get really useful. You can tap to interrupt Gemini Live, and when you do, a plain-text transcript of what the chatbot said appears — it's just like the one you'd see using the text-based Gemini version. This opens up a slew of controls and features. I can like, dislike, refresh, or copy the text of a Gemini Live response while the conversation is still going.

Previously, the old Gemini Live experience required users to end the live chat before the transcript and text controls would appear.

A response from Gemini Live can be exported to Docs, moved to a draft in Gmail, or used to branch a new chat. With the copy function, you can easily move a Gemini Live response to any other app without ending the conversation.

Gemini Live also works straight from your home screen. You can activate Live by holding down the power button or swiping up from the bottom-right corner, and tapping the Gemini Live waveform icon. The compact user interface makes even more sense for multitasking as you use your device.

As you continue to use your phone, the Gemini Live interface collapses into a tiny orb, leaving plenty of space for your content. All the while, you can still chat with Live. Tapping the circular overlay brings the buttons back, so you can share your screen, stream your camera feed, or mute your microphone. You can also hang up or mute Gemini Live from the live notification in the notification shade.

Gemini Live might be better than basic Gemini now

If I'm being honest, the main Gemini chat experience took a step backward with the Neural Expressive overhaul.

Things are harder to find, like how tools and attachments are strangely combined under a unified menu. There are no longer suggestion chips to spark ideas or help users experiment with new Gemini features. While the basic Gemini chat screen arguably became less functional, the Gemini Live experience only got more functional.

The updated version of Gemini Live lets you see text, images, and more on your screen as the voice AI helper speaks. I get almost all the benefits of using the chat experience without having to type or send off multiple queries. Now that Gemini Live is this useful, I don't see myself using anything else.

Signing up for the Android Beta for Pixel program can be really exciting. You get to test out new features that aren't publicly available yet, and Google uses your feedback to make meaningful changes before the public rollout.

The Android Beta has plenty of downsides. You may encounter glitches, errors, or hangs. Some users have even reported data loss in the past. Once you start experiencing such problems, it is reason enough to want to leave the Android Beta program.

I had signed up for beta testing on my Pixel 10 Pro, and my phone started glitching out like crazy over the last few weeks. Tired of my phone hanging up while switching apps, I decided that I want to leave the Android Beta for Pixel program. Unfortunately, the most direct pathway leads to complete erasure of your device data.

Eventually, I found a way to exit it without losing my data. If you want to avoid that as well, here's how you can exit the Android Beta for Pixel program without losing all your data.

Exiting the Android Beta for Pixel program (with and without data wipe)

Not sure if you're running the Android Beta program on your Pixel? There's a really quick way to check. Go www.google.com/android/beta and check which of your Android devices are opted in for the program.

To exit the program, select the Opt out button for your phone. Normally, these are the steps you would then follow to remove the beta software from your phone, but all your data is erased.

1. First, start by opening the Settings menu on your Google Pixel phone.

2. Navigate to the System option and tap it.

3. Select the Software updates option.

4. Click on the Install button for Android Beta Exit with Data Wipe.

However, how do you avoid doing that? The answer is quite simple!

Google has very clearly mentioned on the Android Beta program website what to do if you want to avoid a total data wipe. Go to www.google.com/android/beta and opt out.

But after that, do not install the Android Beta Exit with Data Wipe update.

Wait until the next stable release for the version you’re beta testing (in this case, Android 17) is pushed to your phone. Once you've installed it, you will have exited the beta program without losing any user data.

I found out the hard way that you should think twice before signing up for beta testing

Curiosity killed the cat, as the saying goes. If you're intrigued by the Android Beta program, think very carefully before signing up. You don't know when the next stable build of the Android version you're testing will see the light of day.

Although Google has a standard official platform release followed by what's called Quarterly Platform Releases, or QPRs, your timing might be off, or your region might take some time to get the public rollout. If your phone glitches badly during that interim period, there's no going back or fixing the issue.

Currently, Google is rolling out stable Android 17 and beta testing Android 17 QPR1. Testers enrolled in the Android Beta program normally face many issues, which are usually addressed in x.1 beta updates.

I had signed up for the Android 17 QPR1 beta a couple of months ago and didn't think much of it. Little did I realize that my phone would be crashing out, hanging up, and freezing apps randomly as the weeks progressed. It was only when I opted out of the beta testing program that I read the fine print: I'd have to undergo a complete data wipe.

I was essentially stuck until the Android 17 stable release started rolling out to my Pixel. Please don't make the same mistake as me!

Motorola's Razr series continues to be my favorite, and this year, Motorola stepped up its camera game, offering better and brighter sensors with better dynamic range and incredible zoom. But better sensors are just part of the equation: you also need to make sure your cameras are set up and primed to help you take better photos.

These are some of the camera features I changed on my 2026 Motorola Razr models to give me the best experience. Note that many of these features are available for the Razr Fold and/or the Razr Ultra 2026, but may also be available on the Razr Plus 2026 and Razr 2026.

Color

Similar to the phone's display color profile, Motorola lets you change how the Razr processes color in its images. You can find this by tapping the sparkle icon at the top of the camera viewfinder. Here, you'll find three options: Natural, Vivid, and Signature Style, though I'll mostly focus on the first two.

The Natural style offers a "true-to-life" color style, while the Vivid option boosts saturation to make colors really pop. You can't edit either of these options, but I find that the Natural color style offers fantastic color reproduction in the Razr Ultra 2026 and Razr Fold.

Like with the display color profile, I don't care for the Vivid color option, as it seems to oversaturate images, although this will obviously depend on your preference.

You can also select the Signature Style; however, this is a bit more involved and requires training the camera by editing images in the Google Photos app.

Composition

Most smartphone cameras don't enable composition features by default, but as someone who constantly tests various phones, I like to turn them on to help me compose similar shots across models. On the 2026 Razr series, you'll have to navigate to Camera Settings > Capture assistant to enable the Assistive grid and Leveler.

The Assistive grid will provide a visual rule-of-thirds grid, which is great for composing shots, while the leveler will help you keep your images level with the horizon.

Cover screen and preview

One of the benefits of having a foldable phone is the cover screen. On the Razr series, the external displays offer considerable utility, with features you can easily enable or disable. On the top left corner of the camera viewfinder, you'll find a rectangular icon. Tapping it will cycle through two features (on the Razr Fold, the screen must be open), one of which enables an external viewfinder. This lets people see themselves while you're taking photos, making it easy for them to compose themselves the way they want.

The other cover screen feature includes animated cartoons, which you can use to capture the attention of younger children. If you go into Camera Settings > Camera Cartoon, you can choose which cartoons you want on the external display or simply shuffle through them.

I also like to toggle the No Crop option for External Display Preview in the Camera Settings, which means on the Razr 2026 flip phones, you'll be able to view the entire viewfinder, not just a square cropped version.

On both the Razr flip phones and the Razr Fold, I toggle on the Instant Review option, which should flash a quick preview of the captured images on the cover screen if you don't want to turn on the live preview.

As for the Razr Fold, you can take this even further by enabling a secondary preview on the internal display. This only works when the phone is open: tap the icon furthest to the top left of the Camera viewfinder to enable the preview. Whenever you take a photo, it displays the image on one side while keeping the viewfinder open on the other, so you can continue taking photos or view scenes side by side.

Selfies and portrait

On the Razr Fold, you can take better selfies with the rear camera sensors by tapping the little person icon in the top-left corner of the camera viewfinder (when the phone is closed). This will prompt you to open your phone while keeping the camera viewfinder on the external display.

However, you can also choose whether your selfies appear as they do in the viewfinder or as you do in real life. This essentially flips the perspective of the selfie, and it is completely up to your own preference (I like to mirror the image, myself). To change this, navigate to the Camera Settings and toggle Selfie Mirror on or off, depending on your preference.

Portrait Mode is a way for smartphones to mimic DSLR cameras by applying a bokeh effect around the subject. On Razr phones, you can adjust this effect by navigating to Portrait in the Camera app carousel and tapping the ⨍ symbol. You can use the slider to change the intensity of the bokeh effect from 1 to 6, depending on your preference.

Additionally, you can use the Portrait beautifier to change your appearance by tapping the face icon. This includes options like smoothing, toning, slimming your face, and even making your eyes look larger, although I prefer to leave this feature off and let my natural beauty speak for itself 💅🏾.

Camcorder Mode

Camcorder Mode is a feature unique to flip phones, and Motorola gives you a certain level of control over it. Head to Camera Settings and tap Camcorder Mode to open the menu. You can make things easy by toggling on Auto Recording, which automatically begins recording when you fold the phone 90 degrees, or by enabling a short 3-second timer.

Additionally, the Razr 2026 series features a new Rotate to Zoom feature that will zoom in or out when you tilt the phone either way. And thanks to Horizon Lock, the video remains still even when you tilt to zoom, which is pretty neat.

Gestures

One of the best things about owning a Motorola phone is the gestures. You can enable the Quick Capture feature in Settings or the Camera Settings, which lets you open the camera by simply twisting the phone twice. You can also control which camera it opens: the rear camera or selfie camera. On Razr flip phones, you can also choose whether to open the default camera or Mirror mode.

The Razr series also has Air Gestures for the camera, which lets you take a photo just by showing your palm to the camera. It will begin a short countdown to give you time to position yourself for the image.

You can take this further with palm-based video control. Show your palm to begin recording a video, then make a fist at the camera to stop recording. You'll see a large fist icon with a circular countdown when the phone recognizes a fist. I find it quite aggressive and will see a fist when I'm not making one, so I leave this feature off.

Video

When it comes to video recording, I find it best to leave the resolution at 4K and 30fps for most scenarios. Fortunately, you can easily change the resolution and frame rate from the viewfinder. You can also go up to 8K at 30 fps, but that's overkill for most situations.

I will say that while the Razr Ultra and Razr Plus 2026 support Dolby Vision, I would keep it off. I don't like the way it processes colors, as they often appear too saturated and the lighting feels a bit overexposed. But if you have the Razr Fold, you'll find an extra button in the video viewfinder in the shape of a video recorder. Tap this to enable the Video Enhancement Engine, which greatly enhances color and tone while minimizing noise.

Additional video settings can be found in the Camera app settings, where I recommend toggling on Auto Frame Rate for better low-light video, AI Audio for Audio Zoom capabilities (focuses the mic on the zoomed-in area), and Efficient Videos for smaller video sizes.

Situational features

Razr phones have a few more situational camera features that I would recommend keeping in your back pocket, as they could come in handy when you find yourself in a situation that calls for them. Here are some features that you'll want to remember to use:

• Action Shot: If you're trying to take a photo of a fast-moving subject, tap the icon of the running person in the viewfinder. This increases the shutter speed and uses AI magic to keep the subject in focus, making it a more reliable option than the main camera mode. Only the Razr Fold lets you zoom while using Action Shot.
• Group Shot: Similar to Best Take on a Pixel, this will ensure that everyone in the shot has their eyes open so they all look their best.
• Photo Booth: This fun feature automatically takes 4 photos and arranges them into a collage. You can then edit said collage by adding additional photos and changing the layout.
• Active Photos: This saves a short clip of the scene when taking a photo. When you view it in Google Photos, you can play the video (which also includes audio) and even save it as a video, GIF, or a separate still photo (without the Motion attached). Unfortunately, this feature doesn't remain on, so you'll have to turn it on each time you open the camera.
• Horizon Lock: This is a pretty cool video feature that keeps the video locked to the horizon no matter how much you move or tilt. This is especially good for fast-moving or sports videos, giving you a super steady clip.

Some of these features are hidden in the More section of the camera carousel. However, you can tap the pencil icon and move them into the main carousel if you want quick access to them.

I haven't been shy about my hatred for eSIM, the digital technology that stores SIM information on your device rather than on a separate SIM card. One of the occupational hazards of my job is that I'm always switching phone lines between iOS and Android phones. Ever since Apple and Google shifted to selling eSIM-only phone models, it has been painstakingly difficult. I'd have taken a 50% success rate, but my luck with transferring eSIMs between iOS and Android felt more like an unrelenting struggle.

If you've had similar eSIM hardships, trust me, I believe you. With that being said, I'm thrilled to report that Apple and Google have finally figured out cross-platform eSIM transfers. This isn't exactly a new feature — it was first announced at last year's WWDC — but it required software updates to work. In other words, the joint feature wouldn't do users much good until the general public widely adopted iOS 26 and Android 16.

It feels like we're there because I've been transferring eSIMs at least once a week for months, and I haven't set foot in an AT&T store once. This is how you can quickly and easily transfer eSIM data from an iPhone to an Android phone, or from an Android phone to an iPhone, without calling your carrier or going to a store.

For years, iOS and Android didn't play nice

The technology behind eSIM isn't bad — the reality is quite the opposite. While physical SIM cards are easier to transfer between devices, this enables security vulnerabilities like "SIM swapping." This attack involves stealing a locked phone, removing the physical SIM card, and inserting it into another device, where hackers can intercept things like two-factor SMS codes. Additionally, eSIMs are easier to purchase on a whim. You can buy a travel eSIM online and load it onto your phone in minutes.

Unfortunately, the infrastructure just wasn't there to support easy eSIM switching before. Transferring from iPhone to iPhone or Android to Android was simple, but moving eSIMs between platforms was a headache. You likely had to contact your carrier, provide IMEI numbers, or walk into a physical store to get the transfer completed. With a physical SIM, a SIM-eject tool is all you need to switch phones.

Apple and Google finally fixed this shortcoming with iOS 26 and Android 16. Now, you can seamlessly move SIM data between devices without resetting them or contacting a carrier.

How to transfer an eSIM from iOS to Android

Transferring an eSIM from an iPhone to an Android phone is simple, as long as you've got the right hardware and software. Check that your carrier supports peer-to-peer eSIM transfers between iOS and Android. Then, verify your iPhone is updated to iOS 26, and your Android phone is running Android 16.

Since both devices will be without cellular data briefly during the eSIM transfer process, it's important to connect them to a Wi-Fi network. Simply sticking with the cellular data or mobile hotspot connection from the eSIM you need to transfer won't cut it. After you've connected to Wi-Fi and checked that your devices are ready, you can begin the transfer.

On your Android phone:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap Network & Internet.

3. Press SIMs & mobile network.

4. Tap Download new SIM.

5. Select Transfer SIM from another device.

6. Choose to transfer from iPhone.

7. You'll now see a QR code that can be used to initiate the transfer. Alternatively, you can tap Pair your devices manually to view a Session ID and Pairing code.

Now that you have the QR code and pairing details ready to go, it's time to pull out your iPhone.

On your iPhone:

8. Open the Camera app and scan the QR code on your iPhone.

9. Alternatively, navigate to Settings > Cellular > Transfer Phone Number > Continue to scan the QR code on your iPhone or enter the manual Session ID and Pairing Code numbers.

10. Select the phone number you want to transfer, then hit Continue.

All you need to do now is keep both devices close to each other and wait for the transfer to finish. Soon, your eSIM will be transferred from your iPhone to your Android phone.

How to transfer and eSIM from Android to iOS

To start transferring an eSIM from an Android phone to your iPhone, make sure both devices are updated to at least Android 16 and iOS 26. Then, you'll need to use each device throughout the pairing and transfer process.

Remember that both phones will need to be connected to a Wi-Fi network for the transfer to complete — cellular data or a mobile hotspot from the eSIM you're transferring won't work. With that out of the way, let's begin!

On your iPhone:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap the Cellular tab.

3. Press Set up Cellular.

4. Tap Transfer from Android.

5. Read the disclaimer about device and carrier support, then press Continue.

6. You'll now see a QR code that can be used to initiate the transfer. Alternatively, you can tap Other options to view a manual Session ID and Pairing code.

Now, it's time to pick up the Android phone that has the eSIM you want to transfer.

On your Android phone:

7. Open the Camera app and scan the QR code on your iPhone.

8. Alternatively, navigate to Settings > Google > All services > Pair with iPhone or iPad > Transfer eSIM to enter the manual Session ID and Pairing Code numbers.

9. Wait for the devices to connect.

10. Choose an eSIM to transfer to your iPhone, then hit Transfer.

11. Enter your passcode or use biometrics to authorize the eSIM transfer.

Now, go back to your iPhone. In a minute or two, your eSIM will have been transferred from your Android phone to your iPhone. You'll see a spinning Activating screen on your iPhone while you wait.

Eventually, a Phone Number Transfer Complete screen will appear on your iPhone confirming that the eSIM transfer was successful. Now, the eSIM you were just using on an Android phone is connecting your iPhone to a cellular network,

Switching to an Android phone just got so much easier

There are little things that make switching between platforms tricky, and eSIM used to be one of them. When Apple and Google both started selling eSIM-only phones in the U.S. without the infrastructure needed to switch phone lines between them, they were equally to blame for the fallout. Now, switching between platforms is seamless. If this was one of the reasons you didn't want to move from iOS to Android, you now have one less reason to take the leap.

There are plenty of times when you might need a new Gmail ID. A lot of websites and subscriptions have deals aimed at new customers, and this is particularly true with streaming platforms. So if you're previously subscribed to something and want to access deal pricing again, the logical thing to do would be to just create a new Gmail account.

But you don't have to do that. Did you know that Gmail doesn't recognize any dots in an email? So if your ID is thisismyemail@gmail.com, then if you write this.is.my.email@gmail.com, this.is.myemail@gmail.com, or this.ismyemail@gmail.com, Gmail won't see a difference — as this 2008 Gmail blog post clarifies. In fact, you can include as many periods as you want, and you'll still get mails delivered to your primary ID.

Gmail always had this feature, and as someone who's been using my account for over two decades, I used this trick endlessly to sign up at websites and filter emails. This is what you need to know about Gmail aliases, and how you can get started using it with your email account.

Why you need to start using Gmail aliases

Creating new Gmail IDs is a hassle. Even though the service doesn't cost anything, there isn't a reason to do so if all you need to do is sign up as a new customer at a site or streaming platform where you've given out your primary ID previously.

All you need to do is add a dot anywhere in your existing email ID, and that's it! You're essentially a new user at wherever you're registering, but you'll still get the email at your primary Gmail ID. I use this yearly to subscribe to the NYT and Bloomberg as a new user instead of having to renew, which costs a lot more. While all other websites distinguish thisismyemail@gmail.com and this.is.my.email@gmail.com as two distinct email IDs, Gmail doesn't care if you have dots in the email address, and that basically gives you a lot of flexibility in coming up with unique email IDs while signing up at a website — all without having to actually make a new Gmail account.

On that note, Gmail aliases are also a great way to identify if a website is selling your details to marketers. In addition to dots, you can add a + sign after your email address and write any combination of letters or numbers, and still get the email delivered to your email ID. I do this when signing up for a newsletter or subscribing to email alerts. I buy a lot of stuff at IKEA, so when I need to provide an email ID to sign up for notification alerts, I just give thisismyemail+ikea@gmail.com, and the email shows up on my primary mail ID.

This way, if you ever get spam at the address you provided (thisismyemail+ikea@gmail.com), you'll know that IKEA shared your data with third-party brokers (IKEA doesn't do this, by the way, but you get the idea). I do the same trick when signing up at e-commerce sites that mandate an email ID.

How to use Gmail aliases

There isn't much you need to do to start using Gmail aliases. There's no setting to change or configure, and you just have to remember to add a dot (or ten) when signing up with your Gmail ID at a service you've used previously.

Same thing with the + sign; you can use as many variations of these as possible, and the only thing to note here is that you need to do so before the @ sign, so thisismyemail+bestbuy@gmail.com will be okay, but not thisismyemail+best@buygmail.com.

Both methods work without any issues, and I've been using both for decades now. Honestly, I'm only writing about this now because I realized in recent conversations with friends and family that this isn't something everyone knows about. So if you've had to create several Gmail accounts over the years just to get a new email ID, know that there's no need to do so — you can just add or dot or + sign while signing up just about anywhere.

Any household is bound to have a mess of cables in some corner, all tangled up and untidy. Usually, this is a working station, office desk, or a bedside table. Wherever the mess, your charging area needs tidying up.

One of the many ways to prevent such clutter from building up is by investing in tangle-free, magnetic USB-C cables. I've been testing the Scosche MagStack USB-C to USB-C Magnetic Charging Cable to see if it's a viable solution.

Scosche isn't the only brand making such cables, though, but more on that later.

Achieve the perfect coil that stays wrapped

A magnetic USB-C is just like any other USB-C cable. You can choose the length that you want; there are options from 60W to 100W, and these cables are nylon-braided, so they're bound to last longer than your average plastic-coated ones.

What makes it a "tangle-free" cable is that the Scosche MagStack Cable automatically coils up. And because it's magnetic, the coil doesn't become undone. Instead, it stays put and holds its shape until you move it.

This looks significantly neater than a bunch of cables crossing and tangling up. It's an even cleaner look than cable ties, and you don't have to undo the tie every time you want to extend the cable when in use.

Metal surfaces and magnetic advantages

If you have a metal table, noticeboard, wall panel, or desk, this works even better.

For instance, you could run the cable from the ground, where it's plugged into a charger or a lower socket. Instead of the cable flopping around or gathering up in a tangled bunch on your tabletop, you could just magnetically stick it to the side of the table if it's made of metal.

And when the cable isn't in use, you could just mount it on the metal wall panel or noticeboard.

Where can you get a magnetic cable and is it worth it?

So far, I've only come across two brands that make such magnetic cables: Statik and Scosche. In fact, Scosche partnered up with Statik to make their version of the Scosche MagStack magnetic cable, so really, Statik gets all the credit.

The Scosche MagStack Tangle-Free USB-C to USB-C Magnetic 6ft Charging Cable is rated 60W and is a USB-C 3.2 cable. For $29.99, that's not a bad price at all. You can choose from plenty of cool nylon-braided colors and patterns, and there are USB-C to USB-A or Lightning variants as well. Unfortunately, not every variant comes in the same wide assortment of colors or 6 ft options. So if you want a more powerful cable with more variants, turn to the original creator.

Statik offers the Statik MagStack Pro, a more powerful 100W nylon-braided cable available in three solid colors and several variants. First off, you can choose between 3 ft and 6 ft long options. Secondly, you can choose from USB-C-to-USB-C, USB-A-to-USB-C, and Lightning-to-USB-C options. The basic 3 ft USB-C-to-USB-C option costs $22.99, while the 6 ft option costs $24.99.

Clearly, Statik has more versatile options available. On top of all that, you can even pick a flatter cable style shaped like a nylon-braided fettuccine noodle. This C-to-C variant is called the Statik MagStack Slim Pro, and it costs $22.99 for the 3 ft version and $24.99 for the longer 6 ft one.

Both Statik and Scoche's cables support 480 Mbps data transfer speeds.

Whichever brand you go for, it's going to deliver a neat, tangle-free solution at a reasonable price. The quality is more or less the same, which I found to be sturdy and well-made. The magnets are fairly strong too, holding up the weight of the coiled cable without unraveling.

Just don't put your debit or credit card near the magnetic cable.

I've tried several methods to move data between my phone and Windows PC over the years. I initially relied on Pushbullet, but when most of the features of that utility went behind a paid tier, I switched to a alternatives that didn't prove to be anywhere as good.

These days, I just use a NAS. Most of my data is stored on the DiskStation DS1823xs+, and whenever there's a file I on my phone that I need on my PC, I just upload it to the NAS, and then download it to my PC. If you don't want to bother with a NAS, a utility like Syncthing does a great job syncing folders between your phone and Windows. But there's a much better alternative: Quick Share.

Wait, Quick Share is on Windows?

Quick Share is Google's default way of sharing data between Android phones, and it even works with iPhones — if you're using the Galaxy S26, Find X9 Ultra, Vivo X300 Ultra, and Pixel 10. It is reliable, fast, and gets the job done unerringly.

Quick Share landed on Windows in 2021, but it was limited to Samsung's Galaxy Book products. What I didn't know was that Google launched a different Quick Share app (of course it did) that you can install on any Windows PC. You don't even need to use the Microsoft Store — it's available at this link on the Android site.

Look, I get that Microsoft's Link to Windows exists, and it's designed to connect your phone with your PC. I just don't like using the utility; I don't want to give Microsoft any more data, and I don't need to use my phone on Windows — I just want a reliable way to send files to and from my phone to my Windows machine, and I found Quick Share to be a much better solution. The only caveat is that you need to be using a 64-bit version of Windows, and it needs to be Windows 10 or Windows 11. As of writing, an Arm client isn't available, so you'll need an x86-based system.

How to use Quick Share for Windows to transfer data

As Quick Share is the default way to share data on Android, it's always available. Once you download Quick Share for Windows from this link, install the app, and login with the same Google account you use on your phone, you'll see your PC as a target device. That means you can send or receive any data — documents, photos, videos — between your Android phone and Windows with relative ease.

You can even move folders between your phone and PC, and in the month I've used Quick Share, I haven't seen any issues with connectivity. Transferring a lot of data is going to take a while as the connection relies on Bluetooth, but other than that, this is the easiest way I found to move files between my phone and PC. Let's say you want to share a few photos you took on your phone to your PC. This is how to use Quick Share to do so:

1. Select the photos you want to share, and hit the Share button.
2. Tap Quick Share.
3. Now launch Quick Share on Windows.
4. You will see your Windows PC in the Send to your devices list.
5. Just select that, and the file will start transferring over.

Quick Share is effortless to use, works seamlessly, and makes moving data between your phone and Windows a breeze. I'm just annoyed it took me this long to realize it exists on Windows. If you're using a different approach to move files between your phone and PC, let me know below.

Every day after I wake up and make tea, I hop back in bed and catch up on emails, messages, and usually give myself 20-30 minutes to play some games before I dive into the day's activities. While I don't usually like to spend too much time on my phone first thing, some days I'm more inundated with tasks than others. That is, until one day when Gemini Daily Brief showed up in my notifications.

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of AI summaries or information encapsulation. Gemini and other AI agents are cool, but they get a lot wrong and it makes me generally want to ignore their existence. But Gemini Daily Brief has been surprisingly different, and it's because of how Google surfaces calendar entries, emails, and other to-dos in an incredibly efficient way.

Daily Brief is one of the latest experiments Google is running in an effort to get its users more comfortable with using Gemini regularly, and if future attempts are as well thought out as this one, there's a very real chance my opinion and usage of Gemini will change in a big way. It's also a great way for the company to make its paid Gemini services feel more valuable, as Daily Brief is currently only available for people with a Google AI Plus, Pro, or Ultra subscription.

What makes Gemini Daily Brief special

Samsung and Google have both experimented with "daily briefing"-style apps on their phones over the past two years. Samsung's Now Brief, for instance, pulls from sources on your phone, such as the Samsung Health app, your calendar, Digital Wellbeing, and more. While those are all fine, I've never found consolidating these sources in a single place useful. Google even got rid of Daily Hub after poor user feedback, and it looks like the company took everything it learned from these mediocre attempts and turned it into something far more useful with Gemini Daily Brief.

Meanwhile, Google's latest Gemini updates have mainly revolved around organizing the oodles of personal information you already have stored on the company's servers. From email to to-do lists, chats, documents, photos, and searches, most of us rely on Google for a significant portion of our Internet usage, so it makes sense that the company's personal AI assistant (Gemini) should be able to tap into those sources to deliver a more personal web.

So while my Daily Brief might show me the latest emails, my newest published articles and YouTube videos, as well as actionable information for each of those tasks, yours will likely look quite a bit different. Google provides this list as a few examples:

• For students: Manage class schedules, organize study plans, and track applications.
• For entrepreneurs: Surface actionable client emails and update task reminders.
• For parents: Manage school communications, track family milestones, and handle household tasks.
• For job seekers: Quickly act on recruiter inquiries, prepare for interviews, and monitor application statuses.

This deeply personal, customizable nature makes it feel like Gemini understands you and your needs. The most impressive part is that I didn't have to configure anything to get it to personalize my Daily Brief like this. It just appeared, and it felt like the first time Gemini was more than just a ChatGPT prompt clone.

As I mentioned previously, Daily Brief is only available for paid Google AI subscribers. In addition to that, you'll need to enable Personal Intelligence, then connect Gemini to Google Workspace and also enable the Gemini Memory feature.

How does Gemini Daily Brief work?

Every day, Gemini Daily Brief will generate a notification in the morning that you can click to pull up the report. Daily Brief is technically "just" a Gemini chat, not a separate app or email, but it can be accessed at any time in the Gemini app. Here's how to see it manually:

1. Open the Gemini app on your phone. It should be an icon in your app drawer.

2. In the Gemini app, tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner, then tap Daily Brief.

It's surprisingly simple to find, and the cool part is that you can perform more actions on each of the bullet points Daily Brief creates.

At the bottom of each item, click the three-dot menu to reveal additional actions. You can mark each task as complete (if applicable) or start a chat with Gemini about that specific item. This section also shows each item's source, so you can figure out where that one weird item might have come from.

Many items have additional actions, usually shown with a contextual button at the end of the item. For instance, you might have an upcoming meeting about an important product update, and Gemini may suggest brainstorming presentation ideas. Tapping that button will create a new chat with a list of actionable items, generally including several sections with different ideas.

The bottom of this chat gives you the ability to branch specific ideas into another new chat, export the whole chat to a Google Doc, draft it in Gmail, and more.

You can also use the buttons at the bottom to provide feedback, which should improve future chats and ideas from Gemini. If it's more convenient, you can also tap the speaker button at the bottom of the chat to have Gemini read out the whole list of ideas.

I've had a lot of success feeling more organized at the beginning of my day thanks to Gemini Daily Brief, and I love how easy it is not only to view the report at any time but also to get more information on specific items when I need it. Give it a try! I'm willing to bet you're going to love it, too.

Many watch enthusiasts are known to "double wrist," which is internet slang for wearing two watches at once, one on each of their two hands. Android Central is no stranger to this practice, with one staff member taking this trend to great heights, ten watches adorned altogether, all for science.

Screenless wearables like the Google Fitbit Air, Whoop, or Polar Loop present as the perfect opportunity to wear two watches without looking silly. One particular Redditor showed off a clever hack to leverage screenless fitness trackers.

With this hack, you can essentially convert your favorite analog watch into a smartwatch without sacrificing the design of the dial. Here's how.

How to use the Fitbit Air to "convert" a traditional analog wristwatch into a smart fitness tracker

Before all else, make sure the band size of your watch dial is compatible with that of your Fitbit Air, or whichever screenless fitness tracker you chose.

1. Remove the straps from your analog wristwatch, but leave the spring bars inside.

2. Next, slip one end of your Fitbit Air's band through the spring bar on one side.

3. Pull the band through and bring it out through the other spring bar of the analog wristwatch. View slide 2 to see what this should look like:

4. Lastly, close the clasp of your Fitbit Air as normal.

As demonstrated by the Reddit user u/stm2657, the final result is much cleaner than wearing two separate wearables. Even though they acknowledged this is still an experiment and not perfect, with the right dial and Fitbit Air, you could accomplish this yourself at home. It will require some trial and error, however.

The biggest roadblock is the wristwatch itself. Not all traditional watches have a gap between the spring bar and the dial, as depicted in the tutorial. Thus, this is not a universally applicable strategy. You may also need to purchase spring bars if your watch doesn't already have them.

Be sure to check out all the available Fitbit Air bands to brainstorm which one would be suitable for you to play around with another watch dial.

There is a neater solution, if you're willing to drop some coin

While it is definitely not as cluttered as typical double-wristing, this is not the most elegant solution. A much cleaner solution is available, but it is exorbitantly priced.

A Paris-based startup called Smartlet has meticulously crafted a universally compatible stainless steel bracelet called the Smartlet One Classic. There are plenty of other bracelet/straps available from the brand.

A Smartlet metal band does the same thing depicted by the Reddit user u/stm2657. You connect an analog watch dial on one end and a smartwatch face on the other.

Every Smartlet can be bought with specific lugs, compatible with every smartwatch imaginable. From the Google Pixel Watch and Fitbit lineups to the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch families, Smartlet has tried to be very inclusive.

Two-in-one

At the end of the day, you don't need a €299 ($348.66) accessory to wear two watches at once on your wrist. Find the right Fitbit Air band and try to make it work somehow.

Maybe your wristwatch dial is incompatible. Or perhaps you can't stand the trial-and-error process, or the inelegant mismatching of colors, textures, and styles. In that case, Smartlet is a finer, more finessed solution that works with every watch imaginable.

If you know any other useful hack to make double-wristing easier, share it in the comments below!

You've probably seen the news stories about someone walking along, talking on their phone, when it's suddenly swiped from their hands by a thief on a full-tilt run. Assuming you can quickly access a computer or another device that is signed into your Google account, it's pretty easy to lock the device and track its location, but what happens during that valuable time between the time the phone is swiped and when it's locked? Probably nothing good.

That's why Google invented Android Advanced Protection, a suite of automated tools designed to keep your phone safe no matter whose hands it ends up in. Google began testing this feature with Android 16 beta releases in the Summer of 2025 and released the tools to all Android 16-powered phones early in 2026.

Advanced Protection packs in tons of great features that'll keep you protected every day, from preventing memory bugs and malware, to blocking insecure network connections and websites, and even the aforementioned physical theft prevention. But, if all those things don't matter too much to you, Theft Protection is still one separate feature you'll want to enable ASAP.

What is Android theft protection?

Android theft protection is a component of Google's wider Advanced Protection suite and has deep hooks into Android 16 (and beyond). It was initially a Pixel-exclusive feature, but as with most of these types of features, it made its way to other Android phones before long. The wider Advanced Protection suite covers:

• Device safety: Automatically locks when physical theft is detected, the device goes offline, automatically reboots the phone if it's been sitting unlocked for 3 consecutive days, and blocks USB connections when the phone is locked.
• Apps: Forces Google Play Protect scanning for all installed apps and blocks installation of apps from unknown sources.
• Networks and web: Disables connection to 2G networks (which can be easily spoofed), enables Live Protection for websites, blocks harmful websites and warns against insecure websites, and disables some JavaScript actions to reduce risk.
• Spam protection: Enables spam protection in the Google Phone and Google Messages apps, automatically filters spam calls and messages, and blocks suspicious links in messages.

Advanced Protection and theft detection are available on all phones that use the full Google Services Suite. If you bought an Android phone from all the most common companies — Samsung, Google, OnePlus, Motorola, Honor, Nothing, and most other global models — it should be available for you.

Phones that ship with a limited Google services suite, like the Fairphone 6, aren't eligible even though they're running Android 16 or later. This is because they don't allow trackers and other components of the Google Play suite that are needed for these services to function.

How to enable Android theft protection

Android Theft Protection can be enabled separately from the Advanced Protection suite and is conveniently found in the device lock section of your phone's settings. You'll have to toggle a few options to ensure it's fully working, but it's a quick setup that takes about a minute.

First, you'll want to enable Identity Check, which helps your phone ensure that you are in possession of your phone and not someone else. Each category provides a more secure authentication and should help prevent data theft.

1. Open system settings by tapping the settings icon in your app drawer, or by swiping down on the status bar and tapping the gear icon.

2. Scroll down to and tap Security & privacy.

3. Select Device unlock from the list.

4. Tap on Theft protection.

5. Select Identity check.

6. Click through each of the available sections to complete them.

7. Once all sections are completed, you can tap the toggle next to Use identity check to enable it.

Now that identity check is enabled, you can navigate back to the theft protection section and complete the rest of the steps:

1. Enable both Theft Detection Lock and Offline Device Lock by tapping the toggle next to each entry.

2. Tap on the Remote Lock section.

3. Tap the toggle next to Use remote lock to enable the feature.

4. Navigate back to the theft protection section, then tap on Find & erase your device.

5. When the Find Hub section appears, tap the toggle next to Allow device to be located to enable the feature.

Now that the full theft protection suite is enabled, you can rest assured that your data is safe even if your phone is stolen. In the tragic event of this happening, you can open the Google Find Hub website on any computer, sign in with your Google account, and then select your phone from the list. From there, you can locate your phone, remotely wipe it, and more. Google also makes a dedicated Android app, if that's more convenient.

Upgrading to the full Advanced Protection suite

Theft Protection is a great start to ensuring your phone is secure, but Advanced Protection will provide even greater safety measures for everyday life. The best part is that you don't have to enable a bunch of different settings to get this done. It's a one-and-done setting, and it's quick to find:

1. Open system settings by tapping the settings icon in your app drawer, or by swiping down on the status bar and tapping the gear icon.

2. Scroll down to and tap Security & privacy.

3. Scroll down to the bottom and tap Advanced Protection in the Other settings category.

4. Select the toggle next to Device protection to enable it.

5. When the information dialog appears, tap the Turn On button to enable Advanced Protection.

6. If prompted, tap the restart button to reboot your phone.

The Advanced Protection suite will automatically enable theft protection, if you didn't previously enable it. You actually cannot disable theft protection if the Advanced Protection suite is enabled, ensuring that this key feature can't accidentally be turned off.

What are the downsides?

Bulking up security always has some downside, but most users likely won't notice anything in their daily phone use. When potential theft is detected, the Android OS will automatically lock your phone to help prevent a thief from accessing your data. If it somehow identifies this erroneously, all you have to do is unlock the phone, which likely isn't any different from your normal phone use.

Google intentionally designed the rest of the Android Advanced Protection suite to be a "low-friction" experience, as well, so the other major features of the platform should also be just as transparent as the anti-theft one.

Some users might find Advanced Protection a little too restrictive, but it largely depends on how you use your phone. If you install all your apps from the Google Play Store, you shouldn't run into any software issues at all. If you're someone like me who occasionally sideloads APKs for development testing, or if you have a specific set of sideloaded apps you normally use, Advanced Protection won't let you run them.

There's always a slight possibility that a proactive feature like this could drain your battery a bit more, but I've never seen evidence of this on my devices. All in all, Advanced Protection with anti-theft detection is a great feature that provides you with substantial security upgrades with nearly zero change in your daily smartphone routines.

The long-awaited Google Health rebrand is here, and not everyone likes it. In fact, the sentiment regarding the fresh Google Health app is so negative that Google put out a support document highlighting the bugs it's already squashed, and confirming that it is "committed to continuing to listen to feedback, add new capabilities, and fix existing issues, while being transparent with our users." There are bad reviews criticizing the redesign on the App Store and Google Play Store.

I've been using the new app design, formerly the Fitbit app, since the Public Preview launched last year. If you aren't satisfied with the new Google Health app, there are steps you can take to improve the experience. There's quite a bit of room for customization available in the Google Health app, and these are the four things you should do first.

Edit your focus tiles

The new Google Health app puts focus tiles front and center. These are snapshots of individual data points, like your steps, distance, or calories burned. Tapping a focus tile opens a full-screen view of that metric, and you can see more data about the data point in day, week, month, three-month, and year views. The problem is that only four of those focus tiles fit on the homepage at once by default — the rest of the room is reserved for the Google Health feature, which you'll only see with a subscription.

The good news is that you can change the focus tile arrangement to better work for you. When you first open the Google Health app, you'll see a big focus tile and three smaller ones on the homepage. To see more, you'll need to swipe to another page. The key to customizing the layout is editing the selection and size of the focus tiles.

Besides the Log and Start buttons, you'll see a pencil-shaped Edit icon. Tapping this button opens a focus view editor that shows all available tiles. You can remove or add tiles, placing six small tiles or two large tiles on a single page. When you're finished, simply press the Back arrow to return and save your changes.

Unfortunately, there's no way to reorder the tiles without removing them all and adding new ones in the order you'd like. This is a big oversight — you should be able to touch and hold them like home screen apps or widgets to move things around. For now, this workaround will have to do.

Choose your key metrics

Honestly, I agree with some of the complaints about the main Today page in the Google Health app. It isn't as data-dense as it could be, but there is a Health page that satisfies the itch for more information. Here, you'll see your Health status and Key metrics. These include heart rate, weekly cardio, resting heart rate, active zone minutes, weight, energy burned, calorie intake, carbs, fat, protein, steps, exercise days, blood glucose, sleep duration, distance, floors, run distance, hydration, resilience, mindfulness, or body responses.

You can customize the Key metrics and set their order by tapping the Customize button. This is crucial to viewing the most important data at the top of the Health tab. For instance, calorie intake, carbs, fat, and protein are listed as default metrics, but I don't log by food intake in the Google Health app. So, these are just taking up space that could be better used by another fitness metric.

Tap the + to add a metric or the - to remove one. Unfortunately, there's no way to reorder the metrics without removing them all and re-adding them in a specific order, just like Today page tiles.

Sync apps with Google Health

You can sync third-party apps and devices with the Google Health app for a consistent experience. To do so, open the Google Health app and tap the Connections button in the top-left corner of the homepage. Then, tap Partner apps. Press Sync your favorite health apps and Set up to continue. This uses the Health Connect API to read and write data to or from other health apps, devices, or services. Tap Accept if you want to continue.

The app lets you choose to share Personal health records, Fitness and wellness data, or both. Then, hit Continue. Finally, press Allow all to permit the Google Health app to access fitness and wellness data. Tap Done when finished, and you'll be able to share information using Health Connect with other apps and services.

Tell Health Coach your health goals

Finally, if you have the Google Health Premium (formerly Fitbit Premium) subscription, you can tell Google Health Coach your fitness goals. Health Coach is an AI-powered coach that uses custom Gemini smarts to analyze and advise you about your health progress. To tell Health Coach your goals, switch to the Fitness tab and tap Set your goal. This will open an experience with Google Health Coach where you can tell or ask the chatbot anything about your goals or health.

Although the $9.99 monthly Google Health Premium is completely optional, it's clear the Health app is designed to work better with it than without it. Whether you're a subscriber or not, these tips will help you customize the Google Health app and make it your own.

Splitwise is probably the most popular shared expense tracking and splitting app. Instead of paying for the pro version of Splitwise, why not achieve the same results for free with Gemini?

Almost every Android phone comes with Gemini onboard, and those that don't — as well as iOS devices — can install the app for free. With the right set of prompts, you can get accurate results and data sheets, just like a dedicated expense tracking and splitting app would.

Let me show you how to do that.

Here's how you can use Gemini to track and split shared expenses

Giving the right prompt is the most important factor when using Gemini. The second most important thing is giving proper information and in as much detail as possible.

Start off by opening the Gemini app on your smartphone, tablet, or device of choice. You can use the regular Gemini Flash model for this scenario. Next, prime Gemini for the task by giving it the necessary instructions. Here's what you need to mention:

• What you want Gemini to do
• How many people are involved and who are they
• How the expenses are to be split
• The currency of the expenses
• The date of each expense and who paid for it

You can use my prompt if you like, but please alter it to suit your situation.

Sample prompt for Gemini: "Help me track and split group expenses. I, Namerah, am going to a three-day island getaway trip with five other people. Their names are Emma, Madison, Ally, Sarah, and Randy. All expenses are to be split evenly between us. With each entry, I want you to tell me who owes who. All expenses are in MYR. I paid RM150 for fuel, Ally paid RM435 for the car rental, and Sarah paid RM4,500 for the hotel on 26 May. What is the current tally for each person?"

I was incredibly impressed with Gemini's response, and how quick it was. Here are screenshots of my Gemini app to give you an idea of what to expect.

You get in-depth analytics and it even asks if you want to add more expenses in the end. The tables can even be exported to Google Docs or Sheets.

Gemini did exactly what Splitwise does for you, as I discovered. But because there's no limit to how many expenses you can add per day, this is even better! Even the free, unpaid version of Gemini can perform this task for you.

After this, you can continue adding expenses, and you can take it as far and make it as complex as you like. For instance, lets say Ally paid RM58 and this expense is only to be shared between them, Randy, and Madison. You can tell Gemini this and it will split out new tallies. Or lets say Randy is to pay 65% of this bill, you can also tell Gemini this and it will do the math for you.

Once Gemini Spark launches, its going to become even more convenient to track and share expenses

Google showed off the agentic Gemini Spark agent at the Google I/O 2026 event. Once Spark arrives in our hands, tasks like tracking expenses will become even easier. Google says that user will be able to grant Spark access to apps, even though it will remain fully in the control of the user. This means that before you even open the Gemini app to log an expense, the agentic AI will already have it covered for you, should you tell it to do so.

Imagine having a virtual butler that lives in your phone and performs tasks on your behalf, with your permission, intuitively. That's what Gemini Spark is proposed to be. I'll definitely test this expense sharing hack with Spark once it launches to see whether we can achieve this in reality.

Until then, enjoy using your basic Gemini app to track and split shared group expenses. Of course, logging each expense and information like who paid for what, how much, and which persons are splitting said bill, can be rather tedious work. Until Spark arrives, you have to continue to do log this info manually.

Typically, when a company gives its products a UI overhaul, the new design focuses on fixing problems people complained about in the old version. Meta has been working on it for two years now, but the end result isn't exactly getting the reception Meta was hoping for.

Ever since the update started rolling out to everyone a few weeks ago, I've received countless messages from friends (and the parents of my son's friends) asking how to revert to the old UI. The answer is...you can't. The follow-up questions then usually revolve around how to do all the things they used to do every day, since many of the most common tasks now require several additional clicks or menu selections to find.

Meta designed this new Navigator UI, as it's called, to make it dead simple to jump into VR experiences in record time. It absolutely achieves that goal, but as is the case any time you prioritize one specific feature, everything else suffers because of it. If you're confounded by the new Meta Quest UI and can't figure out what to do, here are a few tips and tricks to get you going.

Get those floating windows out of my face

Meta's Navigator UI launched with a brand-new two-layer window system, which has become an immediate annoyance for many people. Pressing the Meta/home button on the right controller now always brings up the app launcher, but all other system windows and apps run in floating windows. The problem is that pressing that Meta/home button again doesn't hide the windows; it only hides the app launcher.

Meta also completely redesigned the universal menu bar at the bottom, which no longer lets you pin apps, quickly close floating windows, or use the virtual camera. Instead, you'll need to double-click the Meta/home button on the right controller to hide the floating windows. It's possible that Meta explained this in one of those pop-up tutorial windows, but many people don't read them, and hiding this kind of important functionality behind a weird gesture makes users very frustrated.

Some versions of the Navigator UI now include a virtual "hide windows" button on the app launcher hot bar, which is at least a moderate improvement to this awful dual-layer design, but it's still a lot of button presses to achieve what a single home button press used to do.

How to update, pin, or uninstall an app

In the old app launcher, every app or game's icon had a three-dot menu button in the top-right corner, letting you perform additional actions on that app. Things like pinning the app to the hotbar, updating it, checking permissions, or even uninstalling were in a pretty obvious place that's similar to smartphone UIs. The Navigator app launcher just shows a series of icons with no obvious additional actions.

To find this hidden menu, hover your cursor over the app or game's icon, then press and hold the trigger button on your controller until the menu appears. From here, you can pin an app to the top of the app drawer, lock it from changes, hide it (usually used for games you own but no longer play), update, adjust settings, go to the store page (see details), or uninstall it (remove from library).

This one is yet another UI change that hides common actions, and it's quite frankly puzzling how this one was ever green-lit from testing.

Closing an app

Believe it or not, I have to write a tutorial on how to close a running app. That's how bad this new UI is. While you were playing an immersive game in the previous UI, you could press the Meta/home button, then click Quit on the menu that appears. It was simple! It was easy! But Meta had to go and make it difficult.

In Navigator, pressing the Meta/home button just opens the app launcher. You could click on another immersive game or app, which will automatically close the open immersive app, but sometimes you don't want to jump from app to app.

Instead, you'll need to: press the Meta/home button on the right controller to open the app launcher, then look at the small row of icons located on the hotbar at the bottom of the app launcher. You should see the icon for the running app. Go ahead and click that, then click Quit on the menu that appears. Yet again, a common action that used to be a single click now needlessly requires additional steps.

How to take a screenshot, record a video, or cast to a TV

If you haven't figured out the theme by now, these three common Camera tasks now take several additional clicks to perform in the new Navigator UI. To save time, here are three ways you can take a screenshot, record a video, or cast to a TV:

1. Press the Meta/home button on the right controller to open the app launcher. Tap the pink/orange camera icon, then click the action you want to perform. This is the easiest way to cast to a TV.

2. If you can't find the camera in the app drawer, you can click on the Quick Settings icon, located on the hotbar at the bottom of the app launcher. Then, you'll click the camera icon in the row of icons to open the camera drawer. This is the second fastest way to cast to a TV.

3. To quickly take a screenshot in some games, press and hold the Meta/home button, then quickly press the trigger on the same controller.

4. To quickly record a video in some games, press and hold the Meta/home button, then press and hold the trigger on the same controller until you hear a "start recording" sound. Perform the same home button/trigger combo to stop the video.

I'm already exhausted, and I'm sure you are too. On the bright side, the new camera bar that appears when you follow steps 1 and 2 above offers much more functionality than the old menu. Try clicking camera settings in that menu and play around with the available options! You can default the recording camera to third-person view, make it Instagram-ready with a 9:16 aspect ratio, add image stability, and more.

Where did settings go?

Finding settings used to be a fairly simple task. You'd press the home button, then tap on quick settings, and a large, lovely Settings button would be right there. The new UI didn't change these steps much, but it made the settings button absolutely tiny and nearly impossible to see. I don't know why Meta wants to hide this so badly, but here's how to find it:

1. Press the Meta/home button on the right controller to open the app launcher.

2. Tap the quick settings icon on the hotbar below the app launcher.

3. When quick settings appears, look for the small gear icon to the left of the Wi-Fi icon, then click it to open settings.

It's just not good...

Look, I don't like to complain about updates or UI changes because, most of the time, even the most dramatic changes can be positive ones once you get used to them. But Navigator is something entirely different. While it makes launching apps quite a bit faster, it does so at the expense of nearly every other action Meta Quest gamers commonly do.

Meta received a lot of criticism for this update during the testing phase, including plenty of posts on social media, in their own forums, and feedback through the official process, but they still went through and pushed the new UI out to everyone without making fundamental changes.

Meta has had a huge problem with buggy updates in the past, and while this update isn't buggy, it's bad in a very different way. The only way to roll back the menu changes is to use Quest Games Optimizer, which you'll need to sideload, but the app also opens a ton of customization and performance options that aren't available otherwise. QGO is a truly great app that I use every time I play on my Quest, but even if you don't get it, you at least know how to get things done in the new Navigator UI.

Circle to Search grew to become one of Android's most essential features. Unlike other Google AI tools, Circle to Search isn't held back by system requirements or exclusivity. It's available on basically every Android phone running the latest software. In fact, Circle to Search is also available on iPhones via the Google and Chrome apps. Initially touted as a way to identify and search the content on your Android phone screen by searching it, the Circle to Search tool can now do much more than that.

One of the feature's more underrated capabilities is its ability to recognize music. Similar to third-party apps like Shazam, Circle to Search can identify songs playing in your environment. It can even detect and recognize songs playing directly from your device, or name the song you can only hum with basic chords. Here are the three ways to name that song using Circle to Search you probably haven't tried before.

Recognize songs playing on your device

The oval-shaped Circle to Search user interface now includes quite a few functions. As a refresher, touch and hold the navigation bar on your Android phone to surface it. Then, you'll have a search bar, a dictation button, a music note button, and a translation button. You can also tap or circle any area of your screen to search it. For this exercise, we're focusing on that music note.

Tapping the music note button lets you instantly identify songs using Google Search. However, you might not know that Circle to Search can also recognize music playing from your device. If you're hearing a song you don't recognize in a streaming or social app, you can activate Circle to Search and ask it to identify the name of the artist in that track.

Hum a song to identify it

More specifically, tapping the music note in Circle to Search surfaces a screen that tells you to Play, sing, or hum a song. That's right — you can sing or hum along to a song that's stuck in your head, and Circle to Search will try to figure out the name and artist. We've all had a song that we can't get out of our minds, yet somehow we can't remember a single thing about it or even just one lyric. This Circle to Search mode is the perfect solution.

Instead of using a Google Search query to try (and probably fail) to describe the song running around in your brain, just sing or hum along to the beat for Circle to Search. It works better than you think. I hummed along to the chords of AC/DC's Highway to Hell and Circle to Search figured out the name in a few seconds.

Recognize songs playing around you

Finally, you can still use Circle to Search to simply identify songs playing in your environment. If you hear a song playing in a cafe or restaurant that you like, tap the navigation bar to launch Circle to Search, press the music note, and wait for the magic to happen. It usually only takes a few seconds, and you'll see a Google Search page open with the artist and track name you were looking for.

With the page open, you can read the song's lyrics, play the track on YouTube, or learn more about the artist. It's much simpler than using Gemini or a third-party song recognition service like Shazam. Since only Pixels have access to the fan-favorite Now Playing app, Circle to Search is a great alternative for every Android user.

Circle to Search is one of my favorite Android features due to its versatility. It can use Google Lens to search the web for what's on your screen, scan QR codes and read barcodes, translate languages, and even identify songs. If you're only using Circle to Search for reverse image searches, you're missing out — it's so much more powerful than that.

Google has a new screenless fitness tracker that passively records health data while staying out of the way. It's called the Fitbit Air, and it's a Whoop challenger that only costs $99 with no required subscription. With no screen or physical buttons, you're relying on the Google Health (formerly Fitbit) app to change settings, start workouts, and set up features.

If you just got a Fitbit Air, these are the seven things to do first immediately after unboxing it. They'll help you learn the Fitbit Air's features and give you a quick tour of the redesigned and rebranded Google Health app. Let's dive in.

Set up morning alarms

The Fitbit Air is limited in hardware, so you won't get notifications or many smartwatch features from this fitness band. There is one feature worth calling out: alarms. With a vibration motor and other sensors inside, the Fitbit Air can vibrate as an alarm on your wrist and stop the alarm when the wearable is double-tapped. You can set up to eight alarms in the app when the Fitbit Air is close to your phone.

You'll need to open the Google Health app and tap the Connections button in the top-left corner of the app homepage. Then, press Fitbit Air in the devices list. Next, tap Alarms and then Add a new alarm to create one. You can set the alarm time and the days of the week that the alarm will be active.

There are two alarm settings to be aware of: Repeat alarm and Smart wake. Repeat alarm will automatically repeat an alarm nine minutes after it originally goes off if there isn't a double-tap from the user. Smart wake will try to wake you up to 30 minutes before the exact alarm time, optimizing the alarm for your sleep cycle.

The Fitbit Air's minimalist design makes it perfect for sleep tracking, and it's nice to see a built-in alarm that might wake you more gently than an audio-based one.

Choose a wrist preference

Part of setting up a new Fitbit Air is telling it your preferences. That includes letting the Google Health app know which wrist you're wearing the Fitbit Air on. Whether it's your left or right wrist doesn't matter, but the app wants to know if it's on your dominant or non-dominant wrist. I wear mine on my dominant wrist, so I can still use a traditional watch or a regular smartwatch on my non-dominant wrist.

You can update your preference by navigating through Google Health app > Connections > Fitbit Air to start — this goes for every Fitbit Air device setting or feature, but I'll keep highlighting these steps for simplicity. Then, press Device preferences. Tap Wrist preference and choose either dominant or non-dominant. You might be asking, why does the app need to know this data point?

It's because motion sensors inside the Fitbit Air are paired with a software algorithm to calculate daily steps and movement. You use your dominant hand much more throughout the day, even when you're not actively moving. This can lead fitness trackers to add false steps to your total, but telling the Google Health app which wrist is being used will improve accuracy across the board.

Set a vibration intensity

While you're inside the Device preferences settings page, you can adjust the Fitbit Air's vibration settings. To get there, navigate to Google Health app > Connections > Fitbit Air > Device preferences and tap Vibration. You can turn off vibration alerts entirely here by flipping the toggle, and this may be preferred if you don't need vibration alarms or similar haptic alerts.

If you do plan to keep using vibration alerts on your Fitbit Air, you can adjust their intensity. There are two options: High and Low. When you switch between the options by tapping them in the app, your Fitbit Air will buzz twice at the selected intensity. This will help you decide which one is right. You'll see a Settings updated banner appear when your Fitbit Air vibration intensity preference is saved.

Share heart rate with apps or gym equipment

Another Fitbit Air feature you might not know about is real-time heart rate data sharing. This lets you use the wearable's built-in heart rate monitor to share data with third-party apps and gym equipment. Fitbit Air will work with Peloton, Concept 2, Echelon, Hydrow, iFit (NordicTrack), Life Fitness, Matrix Fitness, Schwinn Fitness, Spinning, Strava, Tonal, Wahoo, and Zwift apps and hardware. Before you get started, you need to manually pair the fitness band with apps and devices.

Open your Fitbit Air device settings menu by navigating through the Google Health app > Connections > Fitbit Air. Then, tap Share heart rate. This will make your Fitbit Air visible to nearby equipment and apps over Bluetooth. Use the gym equipment or app to pair with the Fitbit Air. Follow the on-screen prompts to do so. You may need to confirm on your phone or match pairing codes.

If you use gym equipment frequently, you might want to keep your Fitbit Air visible to nearby apps and equipment all the time. You can do this by flipping the toggle beside Always visible on this page. However, Google warns that this may impact your Fitbit Air's battery life.

Choose a main fitness goal

The next section of the Fitbit Air device settings menu worth your time is called Google Health reminders and alerts. This collection of options is crucial if you care about background health monitoring and warning notifications. To get there, navigate through the Google Health app > Connections > Fitbit Air and press Google Health reminders and alerts.

The first option is called Main goal. You can set your main goal as steps, distance, calories, and active zone minutes. This will inform the notifications you get from the Google Health app as you achieve your selected goal.

Get high and low heart rate warnings

Next, you can set up high- and low-heart-rate warning notifications. These are sent to your smartphone if your heart rate is high or low while you are inactive for at least 10 minutes. Navigate through the Google Health app > Connections > Fitbit Air > Google Health reminders and alerts, and press High & low heart rate. Here, you can flip the toggles beside Notification for high heart rate and/or low heart rate notifications.

By default, the Google Health app will calculate a custom high and low heart rate threshold based on your age and typical resting heart rate. However, you can choose a custom one. To do so, tap your high or low heart rate threshold and flip the toggle beside Use default off. Then, you can set a custom threshold for one or both.

Set up irregular heart rhythm notifications

Similarly, your Fitbit Air can look out for irregular heart rhythm patterns that may be signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Navigate through the Google Health app > Connections > Fitbit Air > Google Health reminders and alerts, and tap Irregular rhythm. Then, press Set up. An onboarding page will appear explaining that Google's algorithm has been validated in a clinical study with a 98.2% positive predictive value. It'll also explain atrial fibrillation, its seriousness, and the symptoms.

If you want to continue, tap Get started. You need to verify your eligibility by entering your date of birth and disclosing whether you've already been diagnosed with AFib. The feature isn't available to those under 22 or with a prior AFib diagnosis. Tap Next to read the explainer and data collection policies, then tap Allow to continue. Press Next one more time after reading the page, and finally hit Turn on feature.

You'll then see a few very important warnings. You can still have AFib without receiving a notification, and some people with AFib don't have any symptoms. The feature doesn't check for heart attacks, strokes, or other heart conditions. It also reminds users to talk to healthcare providers about any notifications they receive.

By now, you've taken the Google Health app for a spin and set up critical Fitbit Air settings and features. You're ready to start tracking workouts, recording your sleep, and monitoring your health. If you don't have a Fitbit Air yet, maybe this walkthrough helped you figure out whether this $99 band is worth your money.

While Samsung may be lagging behind some other Android phone makers in pushing hardware boundaries, the company's ecosystem features are still what make Galaxy phones such a compelling option for many people. Samsung's latest Samsung Wallet integration, which now lets users add their passport digitally, might just become another standout feature.

You can now use a digitally stored passport inside Samsung Wallet at most TSA checkpoints across the U.S. And if you want to set up your passport in Samsung Wallet, here's how to get started.

How to add your passport to Samsung Wallet

The setup process is honestly pretty straightforward. All you need is a compatible Galaxy phone (running Android 9 or above) with the Samsung Wallet app installed and a valid U.S. passport. If you already have those, here's how to get started:

1. Open the Samsung Wallet app on your Galaxy phone.

2. In the app, tap the Quick Access tab (the middle tab) at the bottom.

3. Tap the + (plus) icon in the top-right corner.

4. Select Digital IDs.

5. Tap Samsung ID with CLEAR.

6. Select Get card and follow the on-screen instructions to add your passport to Samsung Wallet.

During the setup process, you'll likely be asked to scan your passport and complete a face verification process through CLEAR. Once everything is verified, your digital passport ID will be securely stored inside Samsung Wallet.

It is, however, worth noting that the feature is still rolling out gradually and doesn't seem to be available on all Samsung Galaxy phones in the U.S. just yet. My colleague Nicholas Sutrich, for example, still hadn't received the feature at the time of writing, so it likely seems to be a server-side rollout happening in phases behind the scenes.

What else you should know about Samsung Wallet's TSA-approved passport ID

Look, Samsung isn't the first company to add support for storing passports digitally. Google has offered similar functionality inside Google Wallet for a couple of years now. But if you want a digital ID solution on a Galaxy phone backed by Samsung Knox security, Samsung Wallet is probably the better fit.

Once you add your passport to Samsung Wallet, you can verify your identity at supported TSA checkpoints using your phone instead of handing over a physical document. Depending on the airport setup, you'll either tap your phone on a compatible TSA reader or scan a QR code.

Samsung says all IDs stored in the app are protected by Samsung Knox, and users will need to authenticate using a fingerprint or PIN before the ID can be accessed.

According to Samsung, Digital ID with CLEAR is currently supported at more than 250 airports across the U.S. You can also check whether your airport supports the feature through the TSA compatibility page.

Some limitations to keep in mind

Moreover, beyond airports, Samsung says the feature can be used for identity verification at select sports venues, including places like BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

There are still some important limitations, though. It's worth noting that this doesn't replace your actual passport, and TSA still recommends carrying a physical ID while traveling. In fact, you might even need a physical boarding pass, depending on the airport's requirements.

The feature is currently designed primarily for domestic identity verification at participating TSA checkpoints in the United States, and you'll still need your physical passport for international travel.

That said, this is honestly one of the most useful additions Samsung has made to Galaxy phones in years. Samsung Wallet already supports credit cards, gift cards, car keys, concert tickets, and driver's licenses, and it's great to see the company expanding its support to even more important forms of identification.

The Google Home and Nest ecosystems are excellent for building a capable, automated smart home, but automations are necessary to master them. Automations are simply preset commands that trigger actions when certain conditions are met. For example, instead of using your voice to tell Google to turn on the lights at sunset, an automation can execute that command at sunset daily without you having to lift a finger.

However, the process for building automations in the Google Home app might seem daunting at first. There are so many options, and the more smart home devices you own, the more options you'll see. Luckily, Google redesigned the automations editor in the Home app, and it's easier than ever to use. You can create your own smart home automations from scratch or use Gemini to generate them using AI. Whichever way you prefer, this is how to do it.

What's new about building automations in the Home app?

Google has been rebuilding the Home app from the ground up to fit the Gemini era for a while now. It first redesigned the UI and introduced Google Home Premium, a new AI-powered smart home subscription that replaced Nest Aware. Now, Google has a new automations editor. It gives the editor a facelift while adding new automation elements.

For example, there's expanded support for Security & Access control. You can add automation building blocks for arming or disarming security systems, door lock monitoring, and status-based starters for binary sensors. Additionally, you get better appliance support, such as start, stop, pause, and resume actions. Switches can now be used to trigger initial presses, long presses, and release events as starters. Robot vacuums can be instructed to dock, pause, or resume as part of an automation.

It's a big update with a new look and even better functional upgrades. If you haven't tried Google Home automations yet, now is the time to give them a shot.

How to build automations in the Home app

Your Google Home will work fine without any custom automations, but automations are what make your smart home truly feel "smart." With the redesigned automations editor in the Home app, it's easier than ever to start automating your smart home. You can either build them from scratch yourself or have Gemini create them for you. Here's how to get started.

1. Open the Google Home app. If you have more than one household, select the one you want to automate.

2. Switch to the Automations page to view all your current automations. Then, tap the + at the top of your screen to create a new one.

3. Press Automation in the list.

4. Now, you're greeted with the new Automation editor in the Google Home app. You can add a name and a description, then start building your automation with Starters, Conditions, and Actions.

5. Starters are a crucial part of your automation. They determine what will trigger the automation. You can choose a Device, Presence, "Hey Google", or Schedule as the starter for the automation.

6. Nest, move to Conditions. These are optional requirements that must be met for the automation to run, in addition to the Starter. You can set conditions using Presence, Date, Time, or a Device.

7. Finally, you need Actions. These dictate what the automation will do. You can select Broadcast, Device, Notify, Time Delay, or Ask Google as Actions.

8. When you're finished, tap Save to activate the automation.

Each type of Starter, Condition, or Action has a variety of options based on the smart devices in your home. If you only have smart lights, you won't be able to use the same building blocks as someone with Nest cameras, for instance. If you're overwhelmed by the automation builder, read on to learn how to create automations instantly with Gemini.

How Gemini can help you make smarter automations

Gemini offers a Help me create mode in the Google Home app. The way it works is simple — describe the automation you want to build, and Gemini will create it for you. You'll still have the option to manually edit or delete it before saving. It's a simpler way to build automations than using the manual blocks. You can take Gemini's suggestions or use them as a starting point for further refining your automation.

Here's how to do it:

1. Open the Google Home app. If you have more than one household, select the one you want to automate.

2. Switch to the Automations page to view all your current automations. Then, tap the + at the top of your screen to create a new one.

3. Press Automation in the list.

4. Now, you'll again see the new Automation editor in the Google Home app. This time, tap Help me create to start using Gemini.

5. Tap Describe what you want your home to do to give Gemini a natural-language prompt telling it what you want from your automation.

6. Alternatively, tap one of the suggestion chips to try having Gemini create a pre-generated automation.

7. After using dictation or typing to enter a prompt, hit the Send icon.

8. When Gemini creates your automation, either press Ask again or Continue.

9. Now, you'll see a preview of your AI-generated automation. You can add or edit the Starters, Conditions, or Actions. When finished, hit Save to finalize and activate the automation.

You now have a working automation created with Gemini, and you can repeat the process for any other automations your smart home needs.

Why you should use automations in Google Home

Automations take the burden off your shoulders of remembering to manually give your smart home commands. They start actions automatically based on pre-set conditions, saving you time and effort.

Now that the Google Home app supports more versatile automations, your smart home actions can be automated in new ways. With Gemini, AI can do the heavy lifting of building automations.

Motorola has a new big-screen foldable to challenge Google and Samsung, and it sports a feature fans long for — stylus support. Right after Samsung axed S Pen support on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Razr Fold brings stylus-compatible foldables back to the U.S. less than a year later.

In many ways, the Motorola Razr Fold and its optional Moto Pen Ultra companion are better than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and its S Pen. Unlike Samsung's foldable offerings, the Razr Fold uses an active Pen Ultra stylus with Bluetooth connectivity that works on both the cover and main displays.

Officially, the Moto Pen Ultra is a $99 add-on for the Razr Fold, but you can get the stylus for free right now when you buy a Razr Fold from Motorola. The accessory's separate nature is one drawback, and another is that the Pen Ultra has a somewhat bulky charging case and must be powered independently of the foldable. For those reasons, I expected to view the Pen Ultra as an unnecessary expense and another thing to lug around or charge.

As it turns out, Motorola thought of almost everything when it comes to the Pen Ultra. It can do so much more than simply help you draw, annotate, or write. If you have a Razr Fold or are planning to get one, the Pen Ultra is a must, and these are the six things you need to try with it.

Take a screenshot

The Moto Pen Ultra connects to the Razr Fold over Bluetooth, enabling features that otherwise wouldn't be possible. One of those features is called Knock Knock, and it lets you take a screenshot by hitting the bottom of your pen against a flat surface twice. It's a neat trick that, in my testing, works beyond flat surfaces — I can double-tap my arm with the Pen Ultra, and it'll capture what's on my screen using the Knock Knock tool.

To start using it, open the Settings app with the stylus connected and tap Smart Pen in the list. Then, tap Pen Controls and find Knock Knock listed under Gestures. Flip the toggle beside Knock Knock, and you're able to immediately start using your pen to take screenshots.

Remember that Motorola doesn't recommend using Knock Knock on either of your Razr Fold screens, as it can damage them.

Track your pen's location

With an active stylus that uses a separate charging case for storage, it's easy to worry about losing the pen, charging case, or both. One of the things I liked about Samsung's S Pen Fold Edition is that it slotted into a Galaxy Z Fold case for easy storage. However, Motorola did think of this and added a neat location tracking feature for the Pen Ultra. It's important to note that the Pen Ultra itself does not have a built-in tracker; instead, there are two Razr Fold features that help you keep track of your stylus.

You can receive reminders when your stylus is out of its case by navigating to Settings > Smart Pen > Out-of-Case Reminders. After flipping the toggle, you can get reminders either five minutes, 10 minutes, one hour, or one day after it is left outside the charging case. There's also a toggle next to Last known location that, when enabled, records the pen's location when you last removed it from its charging case.

In the settings app's Smart Pen page, under Last known location, you can view the exact coordinates of the location where you most recently took out the Pen Ultra. This might help you remember where you used it last, making it easier to track down if you ever lose it.

Draw in any text field to type

Another cool trick you can do with the Razr Fold and the Moto Pen Ultra is to use your stylus to draw in any text field. This one doesn't require changing any settings — simply take out your pen and start drawing in a text field, and Motorola's software will convert your handwriting into text in real time.

It's a handy feature that lets you quickly fill out a text field while in the process of using your stylus. Instead of putting it down and typing with your fingers, you can simply draw in the text field with the pen, allowing the software to handle the conversion.

Take a photo or start a video

By default, you can use the Moto Pen Ultra in certain Motorola apps, including the Camera. The toggle is called Use Pen Actions in Camera under the Smart Pen settings page and the Camera submenu. With the Camera app open, you can press the side button on the Pen Ultra once to take a photo or start or stop video recording, depending on the camera mode.

It's like having a remote control for your smartphone camera, and there's no better form factor to take advantage of one than a foldable. The Razr Fold is like a tripod, and you can prop it up somewhere while using the Pen Ultra to take pictures remotely and discreetly. This way, everyone can be in the group photo without having to use photo timers or AI editing features.

Customize the Moto Pen Ultra side button

Speaking of that side button, it's the key to maximizing your Moto Pen Ultra. With the pen connected, open the Pen Controls menu in the Settings app and look for Long-press button. Tap that menu, and you'll see a list of actions you can trigger with that shortcut. They include Annotate, New note, Hover to magnify, and Circle to Search. When you long-press the Pen Ultra side button, you'll be able to quickly jump into one of those features.

I love Circle to Search, so I've set the Pen Ultra to launch that experience when I long-press the side button. The Annotate option marks up your screen, and Hover to magnify enlarges certain parts of your screen as you hover over them with the stylus. Whichever option you prefer, you can select it in the stylus' settings.

Use the virtual Moto Pen Ultra toolbar

The other side button utility is the Toolbar, which opens when you short-press the Pen Ultra. Or, you can tap the pen's floating screen bubble to open the Toolbar. Either way, you'll get a quick button for the Pen Ultra's settings and access to four shortcuts when you open the Toolbar. Luckily, you can customize exactly what those shortcuts are in the Settings app.

To do so, go to Smart Pen and tap Toolbar. Then, select four features or apps to include in the Toolbar. The only four features available are the defaults: Hover to magnify, Screen record, Annotate, and Notes. However, you can replace any or all of those feature shortcuts with app shortcuts. This allows you to launch apps directly with the Pen Ultra's Toolbar.

I came into testing the Pen Ultra thinking the stylus was a gimmick, but I couldn't have been more wrong. The stylus is great for smooth drawing and excellent palm rejection on the Razr Fold, but it's also superb for other features like gesture control, shortcut activation, and more.

Meta isn't exactly known for keeping your data safe. Meta, like a handful of other tech companies, is primarily in the advertising business. It wants to sell personalized ads to other companies for placement on its social media platforms, tailored to you using the data it collects.

This is Meta's core business model, and it explains why the brand wants as much user data as it can get. That's without getting into the data privacy scandals Meta has been involved in over the years.

Naturally, putting a Meta camera and microphone on your face might raise some concerns. I admit, as a Meta skeptic, I had some qualms about buying into the Meta smart glasses ecosystem. But they're the best, and I got over my privacy fears as a result. However, I make sure as much of my Meta smart glasses data remains private as possible using these three simple settings in the Meta AI app. Here's how you can too.

Disable 'Hey Meta' to prevent accidental triggers

I bought Meta smart glasses — three pairs of them, in fact — for the "smart" features. By that, I mean the onboard camera, microphone, speaker, and Bluetooth capabilities. Although the brand heavily markets these wearables as "AI glasses," I'm really not interested in putting Meta's AI on my face. To a degree, AI is built directly into Meta smart glasses, but there are a few things you can do to avoid accidental interactions and unwanted data sharing.

Specifically, Meta glasses have "Hey Meta" and "OK Meta" wake words that activate the voice assistant when uttered. Any content captured or recorded during a Meta AI session may be used for training purposes or even be manually reviewed by humans. For this reason, you don't want Meta AI to be accidentally activated when your smart glasses think you've said "Hey Meta" or "OK Meta."

Luckily, you can deactivate the hands-free Meta AI mode in the app using these steps:

1. Open the Meta AI app.

2. Connect your Meta smart glasses, then tap the settings gear for your glasses.

3. Tap Meta AI.

4. Press "Hey Meta" preferences.

5. Flip the toggle beside "Hey Meta" off.

Now, you will still be able to activate Meta AI using the touchpad on the side of your smart glasses' right temple. However, voice-activated Meta AI will no longer be available, and that's great if you want to limit accidental triggers and reduce data sharing with Meta.

Disable cloud media to keep your photos and videos on-device

The goals of changing these settings are to keep as much data on your devices as possible and to avoid sharing unnecessary data with Meta. There's no better way to do this than by disabling the Cloud media feature on your smart glasses. When enabled, this setting shares your photos and videos to Meta servers for cloud processing. These are stored in the cloud for 30 days before being automatically deleted. You can also manually delete them from both your device and the cloud in the Meta AI app.

It's possible to avoid cloud processing and storage of the photos and videos you take with Meta smart glasses with a quick settings tweak. This keeps everything on your device, meaning your photos and videos won't be sent to Meta servers. Here's how to do it:

1. Open the Meta AI app.

2. Connect your Meta smart glasses, then tap the settings gear for your glasses.

3. Tap Glasses privacy.

4. Flip the toggle beside Cloud media off.

Cloud media processing might slightly improve the quality of your photos and videos recorded with Meta smart glasses, but I'd rather keep everything on-device for privacy reasons. You can always upload your captures to another cloud media service, like Google Photos, for storage, enhancements, and editing.

Disable additional data sharing with Meta

Every product and service wants you to share additional data, usually to identify bugs and improve features. This is a somewhat noble ask, but I'll always politely decline sharing data beyond what is absolutely necessary.

There is some data that Meta describes as "essential" and must be shared. The other category of data is called "additional data," and this is described as "information about how you use your AI Glasses and Wrist devices."

Thanks for asking, Meta, but no thanks. I disable additional data collection for my Meta wearables with these steps:

1. Open the Meta AI app.

2. Connect your Meta smart glasses, then tap the settings gear for your glasses.

3. Tap Glasses privacy.

4. Flip the toggle beside Share additional data off.

Now, only the data that is absolutely necessary will be collected by Meta. The details about how you use your devices, including how often you use them, won't be shared.

I wish Meta would do more to address the valid privacy concerns associated with its products and services, namely the ones you wear on your face. In the meantime, these three settings help you keep as much of your data private as you can, so you can keep wearing Meta glasses without the fear of sharing too much.

Many phones have a convenient "back tap" feature that lets you activate shortcuts without touching the screen. It's more useful on certain phone brands than others — iPhones and OnePlus phones have a dedicated physical button for shortcut mapping. Other phones, like Motorola devices, either have no spare button at all or an AI key that can't be easily mapped to other functions. That's why Motorola's back tap tool, branded as Quick Launch, really comes in handy on phones like the Razr or Razr Fold.

The default action for Quick Launch is to activate Moto AI, but luckily, the feature can be changed to do almost anything. You can launch any app on your phone after setting up Quick Launch, or use utilities to take screenshots, record your screen, or start recording a voice memo. It's the most versatile feature on your Motorola phone you probably aren't using, but you can start today with these steps.

Quick Launch is like an extra button for your phone

Modern smartphones are loaded with sensors, and that sensor suite includes an accelerometer. This sensor tracks device movement and orientation, while software algorithms look for vibration patterns. If the software notices two vibrations consistent with back taps in a row, it completes a shortcut. This explains how the Quick Launch shortcut feature works with surprising accuracy, even if there isn't a physical button on the back of your phone.

Quick Launch activates shortcuts when you double-tap the top third of the back of your phone. This is usually somewhere around the bottom of the camera bump. On my Razr Fold, that's just above the Motorola logo. With the feature enabled, this quick action launches trigger shortcuts without having to touch the screen or the side button. It's easier to access, particularly on bigger phones where maneuverability is poor.

How to enable Quick Launch on your Motorola phone

Quick Launch is easy to set up on a Motorola phone — you may have even encountered it by accident. When you double-tap the back of your handset with enough force, a pop-up appears telling users they've found Quick Launch, even if the feature hasn't been set up yet. You can try it now to walk through the on-screen prompts and start using Quick Launch.

Or, you can set up or modify the feature at any time in the Settings app. Here's how to do it:

1. Open the Settings app on your Motorola phone.

2. Scroll down to the Gestures tab and tap it.

3. Press Quick Launch to open the page.

4. Flip the toggle beside Use Quick Launch.

5. Tap Try it out to demo the force it takes to activate Quick Launch with a back tap at each strength setting.

6. Press Done when finished.

By default, the Quick Launch feature is mapped to activate Moto AI. You probably want to map it to something else that fits into your workflow, so let's go over how to change it.

Choosing the right action for Quick Launch

Before picking a Quick Launch action, you should choose a strength. Stay on the Quick Launch settings page, and tap the Tap strength tab. Then, choose between a Gentle tap, Moderate tap, or Hard tap strength setting. I usually leave the default of Gentle tap set, but if you're experiencing accidental activations, you can change to a higher strength setting to avoid those unnecessary interruptions.

Once you've picked a strength setting, go back to the Quick Launch settings page and look at the options under Choose what to launch. You can choose to launch Recorder, Open Smart Connect, Moto AI, Play/Pause Music, Take Screenshot, Screen Recorder, Back to Home, Switch to last app, or Open App.

I've experimented with all the options, but the one that's stuck with me is Take Screenshot. I take a lot of them, and fumbling with the volume rocker and power button is a hassle. Somehow, after years as a tech reviewer, I still can't put the screenshot button shortcut to memory. I usually end up accidentally locking my device or bringing up the power menu, but that's not an issue with Quick Launch set to Take Screenshot.

Instead, I can simply tap the back of my Motorola phone whenever I need to take a screenshot. After, I still have access to the screenshot editor and share card. It's the same workflow, with one simpler step. If you often multitask, you might want to use the app switcher shortcut, for example. It all depends on your workflow.

One thing's for sure — if you have a Motorola phone with an AI key, you shouldn't use Quick Launch for Moto AI. If you leave Quick Launch as the default setting, you'll have two buttons mapped to the same action.

When to use Quick Launch on your Motorola phone

Shortcuts are typically an easier way to launch apps and features on a smartphone than using a screen-based gesture or opening the Quick settings panel. Motorola phones have an excellent Quick Launch feature that works surprisingly well at performing actions when triggered and avoiding accidental detections. If there's an action you need to speed up — in my case, taking a screenshot — Quick Launch can save you time and effort.

If you have a premium Motorola phone with an AI key, like the Razr Fold I tested, it's absolutely worth changing the default Quick Launch feature to something other than Moto AI. It's bad enough that Motorola doesn't let us change the action of the AI key. At least the Quick Launch trigger can be set to (almost) anything you need!

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is arguably the most complete clamshell foldable on the market. It doesn't have the fastest chip or the most versatile software, but it nails the basics. The build quality, thickness, and weight are all top-notch, especially considering the relatively affordable $1,100 price point — that is, compared to the new $1,499 Motorola Razr Ultra 2026.

One thing the Razr lineup consistently does better than the Galaxy Z Flip series is the cover screen software. Motorola basically gives its users unrestricted access to the Razr cover screens, and that's how it should be. After all, flagship flip phones offer expansive outer displays with enough room to run most apps in a limited fashion. Although the out-of-the-box Samsung cover screen experience is lackluster, there are a few things you can do to make it better.

These are the three cover screen tips I use to get the most out of my Galaxy Z Flip 7 without opening it up.

Add widgets to your cover screen

The best way to make your Galaxy Z Flip 7 cover screen worth your time is to add widgets. Swipe left on your Samsung flip phone's external display, and you'll see extra pages for widgets. You can fit up to four widgets on a single cover screen page. This flexibility makes it possible to load up a Galaxy Z Flip 7 with handy widgets, putting glanceable information and key controls at your fingertips.

To get started, swipe left past the lock screen wallpaper to open a widget page. Enter your passcode if prompted, and hold down on the widget page you want to edit. Then, press the Edit button. Unfortunately, you can't add widgets to cover screen pages from the cover screen — follow the prompt to unfold your Galaxy Z Flip 7 to start editing. Next, ignore the lock screen, clock, and notifications options for now.

Instead, focus on the Widgets tab. You can see a list of all supported widgets on your phone, which varies depending on the apps you have installed. Third-party widgets are supported on the cover screen, but not all of them. Select the widgets you'd like to add to your cover screen, and save them. You can fit four 2x2 widgets or two 2x4 widgets on a Galaxy Z Flip 7's outer display home screen.

While you're here, you may want to go back and edit your lock screen, clock, and notifications preferences. You might be surprised to learn how many widgets you can fit on the Galaxy Z Flip 7's cover screen wallpaper alone, making data easier to view and act upon.

Enable cover screen apps

Since some of my favorite Android apps don't have supported cover screen widgets, being able to run them on my Galaxy Z Flip 7's outer display is crucial. This isn't supported by default either, but there is a workaround. Following the steps to add widgets we covered above, add the Apps widget to your cover screen. This widget essentially adds a small app launcher that you can use to run apps on the external display.

However, expect to find a limited set of basic apps available to add to the Apps widget. I see apps like Google Maps, Google Messages, and YouTube available for addition to the Galaxy Z Flip 7's default Apps widget in One UI 8.5. That doesn't really solve the limitation of not being able to run third-party apps on the cover screen, so we need to go one step further.

Open the Settings app with your Galaxy Z Flip 7 unfolded and look for the Apps allowed on cover screen setting. Once you've found it, tap Get MultiStar at the bottom of the page. This will prompt you to install Good Lock and then MultiStar via the Galaxy Store. For those out of the loop, Good Lock is Samsung's advanced feature suite for power users. Since the brand considers running apps on the cover screen an experimental feature, you'll need Good Lock and the MultiStar module.

After installing MultiStar, open the module and tap the Launcher Widget to add it to your Galaxy Z Flip 7 cover screen. This widget is similar to the main Apps widget, but the MultiStar version supports any Android app. You can add whatever apps you need to the MultiStar Launcher Widget and access them on your Galaxy Z Flip 7 cover screen by swiping left to the widget pages.

Use Gemini or Gemini Live on the cover screen

If you're frustrated by the lack of default cover screen options on Samsung flip phones, you might be happy to know that Gemini and Gemini Live are fully supported on the Galaxy Z Flip 7. Before, trying to access multimodal Gemini Live on the Galaxy Z Flip 6's cover screen would simply tell you to open the device up. Now, after initially setting up Gemini with the screen opened, you can use basic Gemini, voice-based Gemini Live, or multimodal camera-based Gemini Live on the cover screen.

Is this something Galaxy Z Flip users were asking for? Honestly, it was probably pretty low on the priority list, but we'll always welcome more cover screen functionality. To use it, hold down the power button and you'll see Gemini appear on the cover screen.

Even with these tweaks, Motorola takes the crown for the best flip phone cover screen experience. If you've chosen a Galaxy Z Flip 7 for its other perks, it's worth using the above tips to expand the functionality of the cover screen as much as possible.

Book-style folding phones are built for creativity and productivity. You get the best of a tablet and a traditional smartphone, all in one package, and the Razr Fold has some of the best multitasking features I've used on any foldable phone to date.

Surprisingly, though, several of the best multitasking features aren't enabled by default on the Motorola Razr Fold, but I've been using it for a few weeks now and have unearthed several phenomenal features that are letting me get tons of things done without having to use multiple devices.

From three-way split screen apps to the grid-based multitasking UI, floating windows, and even a desktop OS-like taskbar, there are tons of ways to do everything everywhere all at once on your Razr Fold.

Split it to win it

Book-style foldables like the Razr Fold are my favorite kind of smartphone. You get a normal screen on the outside for everyday tasks, and then you can open it up to reveal a massive tablet-sized screen that'll really let you get things done. I've worked from my Razr Fold on the go more than a few times, and that's all thanks to a handful of fantastic multitasking features that Motorola built into the phone.

The good news is that while many of my favorite foldable power features aren't enabled by default, many of them are located in a single section within the settings menu. Let's begin with the taskbar, which is the easiest way to treat this tablet like it's a proper tablet, letting you instantly launch apps and run them in split-screen without having to navigate back home or perform some annoyingly finicky gesture.

1. Open the settings menu by tapping Settings in the app drawer on your home screen, or swiping down on the status bar and tapping the gear icon.

2. Select Foldable display from the list.

3. Tap Task Bar.

4. Select Always show.

Now, when you unfold your Razr Fold, you'll see a dedicated taskbar at the bottom of the screen. This taskbar stays put while you have apps open and makes it easy to multitask. You can tap an icon to launch an app in full-screen mode, or press on an icon and drag it to a part of the screen to launch an action.

Try opening one app full-screen first, then tap and drag another app's icon to one of the following locations:

• The left or right half of the screen will split apps vertically, making them the same size as if you were running them on the outer display. This is perfect for apps that don't scale to tablet size very well.
• The top or bottom half of the screen will split apps horizontally. I've never found a good use for this one, but I'm sure someone will find an app combination where splitting them like this makes sense. Both apps will be short and extra wide, so this is definitely a specialized need.
• The middle of the screen will put the new app on a floating window, which can be moved around, resized, minimized, etc., just like windows on a Windows or Mac computer.

So far, all of this is pretty standard for any book-style foldable you can buy today, but Motorola has built in some truly special multitasking features for when you want to run three apps side by side or two full-screen apps at the same time.

1. Start by opening an app in full-screen.

2. Drag another app's icon to the left or right side of the screen to split the apps vertically.

3. Find a third app icon, then press and drag it to the Add button that appears in the middle of the screen toward the top.

Now, you should see two apps running in a two-way vertical split, with a third hanging just off the side of the screen. Any time you want to swap over to this third app, just tap the window to slide the carousel. The key here is to tap the window, don't swipe over.

Swap full-screen apps

You can also run two full-screen apps back-to-back, giving you access to two tablet-sized apps that you can switch between with a single tap. Here's how to do that:

1. Unfold your Razr Fold and use the large screen.

2. Open any app you want.

3. On the taskbar, press and drag an app's icon to the left or right side of the screen to run two apps side-by-side.

4. Press and hold the white bar in the middle of your screen that splits the apps, then drag it to the left or right until you see the window shape change, then let go.

5. The second app should now be stacked "behind" the foreground app. To switch to it, tap the app window on the side of the screen.

6. To go back to single-app fullscreen, press and hold the white bar on the side of the app, then drag it all the way to the side to make it fullscreen.

This 90:10 split, as it became known when the OnePlus Open debuted it in 2023, is the best and fastest way to multitask between two or three apps at a time, especially when using the Razr Fold's larger inner display. If you find yourself commonly using the same apps, you can tap on the white bar that splits each app's window, then tap Save app pair to create a custom pair on your taskbar.

You can use the same tactics to split apps horizontally on the outer screen, but it's less effective since that screen is smaller. Still, give it a try next time you need to run two apps at once, and you might be pleasantly surprised with how well it works!

A better Overview menu

Lastly, you'll want to swap out the massive tiles in the Overview menu for something that makes a lot more sense on a huge display. This feature only works on the large inner display, unfortunately, but it's still worth taking the time to do it.

1. If you use gesture navigation, open Overview by swiping up and holding on the home bar until the multitasking screen appears

Or, if you use navigation buttons, tap the multitasking square key to open Overview.

2. At the top of the screen, tap the grid icon to switch to grid view.

Now, you can quickly switch between several apps at once instead of just one or two. It's a lot more efficient and makes a lot more sense for a screen of this size. And that's everything you need to know about multitasking on the Motorola Razr Fold!

Google Search looks a lot different these days as the brand shoves AI into just about every facet of its business. In spite of AI Overviews not offering much in the way of tangible information, Google shoves these summaries at the top of any search query.

Thankfully, there's a workaround. Google has a Web filter mode that removes all the AI Overviews, Knowledge cards, and all the other extraneous features the search giant added to its results over the last decade. In this Web mode, you basically get ten blue links when you search, and it's such a difference that I now use this mode as my default in Chrome for Android as well as the web.

What is the Web mode in Google Search?

All you need to do is add &udm=14 to the end of a search query to trigger the Web mode in Google Search. Google introduced this mode a few years ago, and it's one of the tabs in the Search interface, alongside News, Images, and so on. Now, doing this manually to every query is going to be tedious, and the good folks at Tedium built a microsite that uses the URL parameter as default.

The Web mode is limited to links, so you don't see any additional features that Google built into Search. So when you search for a hotel or flight, you'll just get links to booking-related websites and not Google-injected hotel listings within the search results. Honestly, it's refreshing to use Google Search this way, and the best part is that you can set this as the default mode for search on your phone and desktop.

While udm=14 is a nifty URL parameter, there are others you can use with Google Search. This post does a good job breaking down all the udm parameters available with Search, but in my use case, I found the Web mode to make the most amount of difference.

How to set the Web mode as default in Google Search

The Web mode is the obvious choice if you don't want to see any AI cruft in your Google Search results. If you're using Chrome on Windows/macOS, it's pretty straightforward to switch to the Web filter mode and ensure the &udm=14 tag is being added to all your search queries. This is how to do it:

1. Paste this in your address bar: chrome://settings/searchEngines
2. Click on the Add button next to Site Search.
3. In the dialog box, add these details:
4. Name: Google Web Mode
5. Shortcut: @web
6. URL with %s in place of query: {google:baseURL}search?q=%s&udm=14
7. You will now see Google Web Mode as a search engine. Go to the menu (three vertical dots on the right), and select Make default.
8. You now have Google's Web mode as the default when using Google Search.

You can do the same on Android and iOS, and here's how to enable the Web mode when using Chrome for Android:

1. Go to TenBlueLinks.org
2. You'll need to now open a new tab and use Google Search. The query itself can be anything.
3. In the search results listings, go to the menu (three vertical dots located on the top right).
4. Go to Settings.
5. In Search engine, you should now see Google Web listed at the bottom.
6. Select it to make the Google Web filter mode the default search engine.

The TenBlueLinks site has an XML that basically instructs Google Search to add the &udm=14 filter to all search queries; your search results won't be visible to the site, nor does it play any additional part in how you use the search engine.

While it's good to be able to use the Web filter, there's no denying that the quality of Google Search has degraded by a sizable margin over the last decade. That becomes immediately evident when you don't have all of the fluff that Google added to Search in recent years and you just see a list of links. Even then, I found the Web filter to be objectively better than the AI-riddled mess that the regular Google Search has become.

If you haven't been paying attention lately, the Samsung Messages app on your Galaxy smartphone is going away. Samsung announced the discontinuation of the Samsung Messages app back in April 2026, saying the app would lose the ability to send and receive text messages starting in July 2026.

While the Samsung Messages app still does a few things better than the alternatives, like offering deeper chat customization and a cleaner experience without Gemini integrations everywhere, Samsung has clearly made up its mind. This means the app will effectively become useless later this year.

All of this also means that you'll eventually have to switch to another texting app on your phone. Thankfully, you won't need to start from scratch, as your chats and conversations can be transferred over pretty easily. Here's how it works.

Google Messages will automatically transfer your chats with a single step

With Samsung Messages being discontinued, Samsung is officially recommending that users switch to Google Messages as the default messaging app on their phone. Google has spent the past few years improving Google Messages, and at this point, it has become a fairly solid replacement for most Samsung users.

Thankfully, once you switch from Samsung Messages to Google Messages, your chats and existing conversations will transfer over automatically. You don't really need to do anything extra apart from setting Google Messages as your default messaging app.

Samsung says that depending on the version of One UI running on your Galaxy phone, you'll receive an in-app notification in the Samsung Messages app prompting you to move over to Google Messages. From there, you'll be asked to download Google Messages from the Play Store if it isn't already installed on your device.

Once you install and open Google Messages, you'll see a prompt asking you to make it your default SMS app. Just tap Set default SMS app, select Google Messages, and then tap Set as default again. And that's pretty much it.

Samsung says that once Google Messages is set as the default, all your conversations will automatically transfer over from Samsung Messages.

That said, depending on how many messages and media files you have, it might take some time for everything to fully appear. Samsung notes that some conversations may temporarily look missing while the app re-indexes your messages, and the process could take up to a full day.

What's nice is that Samsung is also trying to make the switch feel seamless. On newer Galaxy phones, the company will automatically replace the Samsung Messages icon on your home screen with the Google Messages icon, so you don't have to retrain your muscle memory.

However, users on Android 12 or Android 13 may have to manually add the Google Messages app to the home screen themselves.

What to do if your Samsung Messages chats don't transfer immediately

A few users have recently reported issues with messages temporarily disappearing after switching apps, but Samsung says those conversations aren't actually lost. The data and media still remain stored locally on the device while Google Messages re-indexes everything in the background.

Once the indexing process finishes, all your conversations should properly show up inside Google Messages. So if you don't see your messages being transferred over immediately, you should see them within 48 hours of transferring your chats.

It's also worth noting that even though Samsung Messages is being discontinued, Samsung says users will still be able to use the app for emergency communication, including contacting emergency services and emergency contacts.

Samsung also mentions that this discontinuation currently only applies to the U.S. region. There still isn't much clarity around other regions, so for now, the app may continue to work elsewhere.

That said, if you're in the U.S., you can still continue using Samsung Messages as your default app for a couple more months before the shutdown fully kicks in.

However, Google Messages has caught up in a lot of ways over the past few years, and if you don't want to wait until the deadline, you can simply download Google Messages from the Play Store and switch over right away.

What you need to know

• Samsung has started rolling out the stable One UI 8.5 update for Galaxy S25 phones in the U.S.
• One UI 8.5 brings Galaxy S26 features like call screening and AI image editing tools.
• Galaxy S25 users can now use Quick Share to send files directly to Apple devices.
• The update also adds a redesigned UI, upgraded DeX, and Perplexity-powered Bixby.

You've been hearing about it for months, but it's finally here, as Samsung has officially started rolling out One UI 8.5 for the Galaxy S25 series in the U.S.

Samsung has been developing One UI 8.5 for the past couple of months, and after a long beta cycle, the company first rolled out the update in South Korea and parts of Asia and Europe last week. Now, the update is finally making its way to users in the U.S. as well.

The U.S. One UI 8.5 build carries the version number S938USQU9CZDP and is around 4.4GB in size. It's also worth noting that the update still carries the April security patch, even though Samsung has already released the May patch for the Galaxy S26 series.

For now, the update appears to be limited to the Galaxy S25 lineup. However, Samsung has already started expanding One UI 8.5 to older Galaxy devices globally, including the Galaxy S24 series and foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip, so you can expect a wider rollout in the U.S. soon as well.

As for features, One UI 8.5 finally brings a number of Galaxy S26 features to the Galaxy S25 series. This includes things like call screening and AI-powered image editing using text prompts. Samsung has also added support for sharing files with Apple devices, meaning you can now use Quick Share to AirDrop files to iPhones on One UI 8.5.

On top of that, the update also brings several UI changes, including a customizable Quick Settings panel, improved lock screen features, redesigned first-party apps, and more. There's also the addition of Perplexity-powered Bixby, along with improvements to Samsung DeX.

If you still haven't received the update, keep checking the Software update section in Settings, as Samsung has already started the rollout. If you're using a carrier-locked Galaxy S25 device, the update may take a few extra days to arrive.

Android Central's Take

I've been using One UI 8.5 on the Galaxy S26 Ultra for a while now, and it genuinely feels like one of Samsung's most polished updates in years. It's great to see that Galaxy S25 users in the U.S. are also now getting some of the new features.

Android users typically flock to smartphone brands or traditional audio brands when choosing their next pair of earbuds or headphones. Products from Samsung, Google, Sony, or Bose are common among Android users. They usually don't grab AirPods because Apple's earbuds and headphones don't play nice with Android or Windows devices. Beats, being owned by Apple for over a decade, unfairly has a similar reputation.

Yes, Beats is an Apple company, but the brand's headphones and earbuds work superbly with Android phones. In fact, you'll find that most Beats products support more Google-exclusive features than some dedicated Android audio products. For example, there are Beats headphones and earbuds with Google Find Hub, Google Fast Pair, and Audio Switching support. The integration runs deep, and it makes Beats a joy to use on any Android device.

These are the four Android features you probably didn't know Beats products had, and how to use them.

Google Fast Pair

Google's Fast Pair system is one of the best parts of using a pair of Bluetooth headphones or earbuds within the Android ecosystem. Simply power on a set of supported wireless headphones or open the case of a pair of wireless earbuds, and they'll automatically enter Bluetooth pairing mode. Tap the pop-up on your Android device, and the headphones or earbuds will instantly connect.

Better yet, the Bluetooth device will be registered to your Google account. That means it'll automatically connect with any device signed in to your Google account using the Fast Pair feature. Sure enough, many Beats headphones and earbuds support Google Fast Pair. That list includes the Solo Buds, Studio Buds Plus, Solo 4, and Studio Pro.

All you need to do is open the case for supported Beats earbuds or turn on Beats headphones, and you'll be able to use Fast Pair to quickly connect and seamlessly switch between Android phones and tablets.

Find My Device (Find Hub)

The same list of Beats headphones and earbuds will work with Google's Find My Device network, now known as Find Hub. It's a unified way to locate lost devices within the Google ecosystem using crowdsourced location data.

When the Fast Pair pop-up opens for supported Beats audio products, you'll see a card asking you to add the headphones or earbuds to the Find Hub network. If you agree, you'll be able to track your Beats earbuds, headphones, or speaker in the Google Find Hub app.

Alternatively, you can download the Beats app for Android and navigate to the Locate My Beats button to start tracking your products.

Android Audio Switching

After you set up your Beats with Google Fast Pair, you can use Android's built-in audio switching feature to let the headphones or earbuds automatically move between devices signed in to your Google account. For example, your Beats can switch between your Android phone and tablet as the connected device based on which is currently playing audio.

To start using the feature with your Beats, open the Settings app on your Android phone and tap Connected devices. Then find your Beats product in the list and tap the Settings icon. Finally, tap Audio switch and flip the toggle beside Use audio switch. After that, your Beats headphones, earbuds, or speakers will automatically switch between Android devices signed in to your Google account.

Android widgets

Unfortunately, not every Beats product will work with the aforementioned features. The beloved Powerbeats Pro 2 and Powerbeats Fit are notable exceptions. However, even those earbuds offer great Android features through the Beats app. You can change settings and manage ANC modes with the Beats app for Android.

The app also supports Android home screen widgets, which are great for keeping tabs on battery life or changing modes. For instance, the Powerbeats Pro 2 widget shows the battery life, ANC modes, or heart-rate monitoring status. It also lets you change the ANC mode or activate the inbuilt HRM without leaving your Android home screen.

While it's a bummer that not every Beats product offers the same level of Google integration, it's nice to see many of them fully support Android features. I wish the Powerbeats Pro 2 and Powerbeats Fit had better Android support, but that seems to be a consequence of using Apple H-series chips rather than proprietary Beats chips.

Alas, it's neat that the overwhelming majority of Beats headphones and earbuds — including the Beats Solo Buds, Beats Studio Buds Plus, Beats Solo 4, and Beats Studio Pro — work with these Google exclusives.

Among the compelling options from Samsung, Google, and OnePlus, I went with the Galaxy Watch 8 as my Wear OS smartwatch of choice. The price was a big reason, since the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 starts at $350, and discounts and trade-ins further lower the cost. Another factor was the watch's design, which is much thinner and lower-profile than a Pixel Watch or OnePlus Watch. More than anything else, the Samsung Health suite won me over.

There are a handful of Samsung Health features that genuinely provide insight into your fitness and long-term health using the Galaxy Watch 8's sensors. I can glance at my watch a few times daily and get instant snapshots of how I'm feeling using underlying sensor data. You can too, using these five Galaxy Watch 8 features. They're also available on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and the Galaxy Watch Ultra.

Energy score

The best part of using the Galaxy Watch 8 regularly is getting an Energy score each day. It measures your readiness for the day ahead using the activity and sleep data from the day and night prior. It requires using the Samsung Health app with a Samsung account, but other than that, Energy scores are calculated automatically with no manual setup required. Samsung uses the following metrics to come up with your score, out of 100 possible points:

• Sleep time average
• Sleep time consistency
• Sleep regularity
• Sleep timing
• Previous day activity
• Activity consistency
• Sleeping heart rate
• Sleeping heart rate variability

As you can see, sleep is an important part of your Energy score. If you don't get good sleep, your score will be lower, and a midday nap may or may not help. That's because Samsung accounts for the time of day of your nap, knowing that later naps disrupt your circadian rhythm and reduce energy. There are four Energy score tiers: Excellent (85-100), Good (75-84), Fair (60-74), Needs attention (0-59).

So, to get the most insight from the Energy score on your Galaxy Watch 8, be sure to wear it during sleep and throughout daily activities. Then, check into the Samsung Health app on your phone or the smartwatch tile to see your daily score.

Sleep score

Since the Energy score takes so much of your sleep data into account, you might be wondering what the Sleep score does differently. Similar to the Energy score, the Sleep score is calculated automatically when your Galaxy Watch 8 is worn to bed. It also uses the same scale, but factors in different metrics to calculate it. Sleep score measures your actual sleep time, deep sleep, REM sleep, restfulness, and sleep latency to calculate the final score.

Samsung also compares your nightly Sleep score to the average scores for your age group. For example, one night I scored a 92, which was in the top 2% of my age group. The company adds that getting a sleep score of 85 or higher equals a healthy night's sleep. You can also view your blood oxygen levels, sleep stages, snoring, skin temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate data in the Samsung Health app.

I never felt like my Apple Watch offered enough detailed sleep data to justify wearing it to bed, and my Garmin is too bulky to wear the entire night. Samsung offers the perfect mix with a data-rich Sleep score experience and slim Galaxy Watch 8 hardware.

Gemini

Gemini is a worthy replacement for Google Assistant on your wrist, enabling quicker actions and time-saving automations. I use it on my Galaxy Watch 8 to set a handful of nightly alarms with a single command, avoiding the hassle of having to configure alarms on the small screen. You can also use it to get directions, start workouts, or suggest music. It'll even read out your live health and fitness stats during a workout for a hands-free experience.

To use it, all you need to do is hold down the side button or say "Hey Gemini." You can also enable Raise to Talk under Settings > Gestures > Raise To Talk to activate Gemini by lifting the Galaxy Watch 8 up to your mouth.

Running coach

Samsung's Running coach feature might not be replacing personal trainers anytime soon, but it's a cool Galaxy Watch 8 tool for beginners. The feature works by having the wearer complete a 12-minute lactate threshold test, which tells Samsung Health a lot about the wearer's running capabilities. Then, it'll build a training plan to help you reach your goals. Complete a "level test" for each numbered level, and you'll advance to the next one.

To try it for yourself, open the Samsung Health app on your watch and tap Exercise. Then, find Running coach in the list and tap it. You'll now complete the aforementioned running test by following the on-screen prompts. After finishing the test, your watch will come up with a personalized training plan based on your needs.

Vascular load

A lot of Samsung's best health features work in the background, and the same is true of Vascular load. It tries to track your cardiovascular wellness to prevent a picture of your overall health. To see it, swipe left to view the Tiles screen, and tap Add tiles. Find the Vitals tab, and select Vascular load. Next, press Show on phone.

From there, you'll be able to start tracking your Vascular load after establishing a baseline by wearing your watch to bed for three nights.

Software is only part of the story, and the Galaxy Watch 8's thin profile seals the deal. It's only 8.6mm thick (excluding the protruding sensors), and that means it'll be comfortable enough to wear during tough workouts and nightly sleep. The more you wear a smartwatch, the better the data it provides. That's why the Galaxy Watch 8's design deserves credit for how useful these five fitness and health features are.

There's no doubt that Samsung's latest smartphones perform incredibly well. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is an incredible chip, and I rarely run into issues with my Galaxy S26 Plus. However, not all Samsung phones are created equal, and I always take steps to keep my phone in tip-top shape.

One way I do this is by restarting my Galaxy S26 Plus every so often. To many of us millennials, turning off our phones for any amount of time may sound like a big ask, but it's good for our phones and can give us some peace of mind, especially if we're dealing with issues or our phones are feeling slow.

That said, remembering to turn off your phone can also be a problem. Fortunately, Samsung makes it easy for you with this buried setting.

Samsung's Device Care

Samsung Device Care may not seem like a big deal, but it's been one of my favorite Galaxy features for as long as I can remember. It's a suite of settings in every Galaxy phone that lets you optimize your phone to keep everything running smoothly. You can clear your memory used by apps running in the background, free up storage space from unused apps or duplicate files, manage your battery settings, run diagnostics, and more.

In fact, I find myself cleaning out my phone's memory so often that I've started using the Device Care widget to easily optimize my Galaxy S26 with a tap.

However, there's one feature in Device Care that isn't as obvious or as readily accessible: Auto Optimization. You may have to scroll down a bit to see it, but this feature further ensures your phone runs smoothly in the background, so you spend less time worrying about its performance.

One way it does this is with Auto restart, which lets you schedule days and times when your phone will automatically reboot itself, which Samsung notes can "keep your phone running in the best condition."

Why you should restart your phone

Being able to automatically restart your phone may not seem like a big deal, but this can help your phone's performance. In fact, experts say that rebooting your phone at least once a week can help in several ways, from closing background apps that are eating away at your phone's resources to addressing the occasional glitch (but not all).

The NSA has also noted that rebooting can help reduce the risk of malware, although this may be less of a concern these days with the various protections companies have put in place to safeguard our phones. Still, you can never be too safe.

Some may say that it's good to reboot your smartphone once a day, and there's definitely no harm in that. Once a week is also acceptable, so long as you're doing it fairly often and somewhat consistently. Doing so will clear bad data and free up memory from misbehaving apps, which can result in better battery life for you, since apps aren't sucking it up by doing things in the background you're unaware of or don't need.

How to schedule automatic reboots on your Galaxy S26

1. Open the Settings app, either from the pull-down Quick Settings menu or the app drawer.

2. Open Device care.

3. Tap Auto Optimization.

4. Tap Auto restart at the bottom.

5. Toggle on Restart when needed if you want your phone to automatically restart when it detects performance issues.

6. Toggle on Restart on schedule and set the day(s) and time when you want the phone to automatically reboot.

Keep your Galaxy S26 in top shape for as long as you can

Samsung's flagship smartphones, such as the Galaxy S26, receive software support for up to seven years, which includes OS upgrades and security patches. It's a nice gesture, assuming consumers will continue to hold onto their phones for as long as they're supported, and some of them actually might. That's why built-in tools such as this are a great way to help ensure phones are properly cared for and that battery health can be prolonged.

If you have a Samsung smartphone, I recommend checking out all the Device Care features to keep your device optimized and in tip-top shape.

This past weekend, I was playing Forefront with a large group of friends. The game finally made it out of beta and launched v1.0 a few days prior, so I needed to reinstall it to ensure I didn't run into any weird bugs. Oddly enough, this caused more strife; suddenly, no one in the game could hear me, and nothing I did seemed to fix it.

It wasn't until I quit the game that a friend reminded me about app permissions. Duh! The Meta Quest runs Android, which means each app has to request permission to sensitive information like location, cameras, and microphones. Sure enough, I went into Forefront's app permissions, and it had no permission to do anything other than run on my headset.

Unfortunately, this can easily happen if you accidentally click off a permissions box or click deny without realizing the importance of a permission. To make matters worse, there's nothing on the Quest that will tell you that this is the problem; you just have to figure it out all by yourself. If you find that your voice chat in a game isn't working, or something else is suddenly broken in a Meta Quest game, you might need to check the app's permissions.

Fixing permissions on a Meta Quest

Once you've realized that missing or incorrect permissions might be what's causing you strife in your Meta Quest game, you're halfway to solving the problem. Most apps on the Meta Quest will only need microphone permission to work properly, but some other apps and games, like mixed reality games, will also need spatial data and camera permissions.

No matter what permissions the game might need, you can fix them all in one convenient place. Meta's new Navigator UI makes it a little harder to find some settings, but, ironically, requires fewer steps to get to where you want than the old UI. Here's how to find them:

1. While wearing your Meta Quest, press the Meta button on the right controller to bring up the Navigator menu.

2. Find the app or game you want to change permissions for in the library.

3. Point your cursor to the app, then press and hold the trigger until a menu appears.

4. Click Settings from the pop-up menu.

5. Under the permissions tab, tap any toggle to enable permissions that are disabled.

After making the change, everything should start working normally. It's possible some apps or games might require you to quit and restart them, but permissions changes normally take effect immediately. If that still didn't fix your issue, make sure voice chat is enabled, and voice volume isn't turned all the way down in your game's settings menu.

It's annoying that the system doesn't tell you when an app is requesting permission, but you've previously denied it (or ignored it), but at least it's simple to find out if a permissions issue is what's causing the problem. Happy gaming!

Some things in life are so easy to lose. Think about the last time you couldn't find your car keys, your purse, or your wallet. I've long maintained the belief that a simple Bluetooth tracker or tag can fix this issue. Brands like Tile by Life360, Chipolo, and Pebblebee offer these trackers in various form factors.

Plenty of people buy Bluetooth trackers to find lost items. This isn't exactly a new concept, but Chipolo collaborated with Secrid to take it one step further: they've created a wallet designed to store a Bluetooth tracker.

The beauty of this solution is that you can store almost any Bluetooth tracker inside, as long as it's the card variety. I slipped the UAG Metropolis Tracker Card into the Miniwallet's tracker slot, and it fit easily. Most card trackers are more or less the same size, but of course, you'll want to stick with Chipolo's card for a number of reasons.

You can't lose something that's made to be found

The Chipolo x Secrid collaboration launched on April 21, 2026. You can buy the Chipolo x Secrid Trackable Miniwallet for $140. Available in two colors, Black and Blue, the Trackable Miniwallet is made of ethically sourced genuine leather and comes with the latest Chipolo CARD that supports magnetic wireless charging. The Miniwallet has a special slot to store the Chipolo CARD, as well as several other slots.

The Chipolo CARD has incredible specs, with support for magnetic Qi wireless charging, a two-hour charge time that delivers one year of uptime, and compatibility with both Apple Find My and Google Find Hub findability networks.

It also boasts an IP67 water and dust-resistance rating and a 400ft Bluetooth range. Ringing at 110dB, the Chipolo CARD is one of the loudest such trackers on the market.

Adding a Bluetooth tracker card to your regular wallet might muffle its ringer, or you might accidentally press the card and set it off. It can also be a headache trying to fit one of these into a regular wallet designed for thin credit cards.

The Chipolo x Secrid Trackable Miniwallet is designed to prevent accidental clicks of the Chipolo CARD. The designated slot for the tracker has a circular indent that aligns perfectly with the round button on the Chipolo CARD, so you can click it precisely when you mean to and not at other times.

Secrid further engineered the Trackable Miniwallet so that the tracker's ringer isn't buried by the wallet. In fact, it amplifies the Chipolo CARD’s sound by 3dB.

High-end pricing for a high-quality product

This minimalist Chipolo x Secrid Trackable Miniwallet also has a slot for cash, another standard leather slot for one or two credit cards, and a metal pocket that holds six credit cards at once. A little button at the bottom ejects all six cards out using a sliding mechanism.

For a wallet that has this much space, it is impressively compact. Of course, the metal card compartment adds some weight to it, but it's a nice little wallet that's lighter than your average wallet.

The price is a little steep, but you get the Chipolo CARD for free, as well as an incredibly high-quality, real leather wallet made with great care in the Netherlands. The look, feel, and workmanship are very classy. Personally, I feel it's worth the splurge, especially if you're due for an upgrade anyway.

So if you're prone to misplacing your wallet, just replace it with the sleek Chipolo x Secrid Trackable Miniwallet instead. You'll be able to find it through your phone, guided by the sound of the Chipolo CARD's loud ringer.

I remember a time when my cell phone carrier would not only charge me for every minute I was on the phone but also nickel-and-dime me for every text message I sent! Thankfully, those days are long gone, but that doesn't mean carriers don't still try to squeeze extra money out of you for small features every month.

Visual Voicemail is a great example of this, and it typically costs between $3 and $5 per line, per month, to enjoy what seems like a fairly standard feature. If you're rocking a family plan, this feature might be costing you $30-40 per month, but if you're using Samsung Galaxy phones, you might be able to save that money and let your phone do all the work instead.

That's all thanks to a new feature available in One UI 8.5, an update that launched with the Galaxy S26 series and is rolling out to Samsung phones worldwide this May. If you're reading this on a Galaxy S26, you're all set to enjoy Direct Voicemail out of the box. Users with older Samsung phones will just need to wait for the One UI 8.5 update, and then the feature should be available.

What is Direct Voicemail?

With Direct Voicemail, your phone will always answer incoming calls, but will use Galaxy AI to field and transcribe the call in realtime. Galaxy AI answers the phone with an automated voice that tells the caller you aren't available, then displays the transcribed call on your screen. You can also answer the call at any time during the process, giving this a distinct advantage over traditional voicemail.

Since the call and all the transcription happens on your phone, it never has to go to your carrier's voicemail system. Transcriptions are also only stored and processed locally, so the call goes to your phone and stays on your phone. Samsung also offers AI-powered background noise removal through Direct Voicemail, helping your voicemails sound clearer than you might be used to.

What are the downsides to Direct Voicemail?

While Direct Voicemail is a better version of your carrier's visual voicemail service in many ways, it has more limitations since it requires your phone to answer the call. If your phone is off or you have no network connection, for example, the call will still go to your carrier's voicemail system.

Direct Voicemail doesn't work while you're on another call since it has to answer the call in order to work. Video calls aren't supported, either, and there may be restrictions on Direct Voicemail while traveling to other countries. You'll also need to be mindful of storage space on your phone, although transcriptions barely take up any space, so this last point isn't a problem most people will ever encounter.

How to enable Samsung Direct Voicemail

Direct Voicemail is simple to set up, but many people might not know where to find the option. You could always just search for it in system settings, which is usually the best way to find anything you don't know the location of, but this is a quicker way to get to it:

1. Open the Phone app.

2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right, then tap Settings.

3. Select Direct Voicemail from the list.

4. Tap the toggle switch to turn it on.

Now that the feature is enabled, you'll want to ensure that all the settings are correct so you can get the most out of it. By default, automatic transcription isn't enabled, so Direct Voicemail will still work but won't give you a realtime transcript as the person speaks. For me, that's a key component to the feature and makes it a lot less useful without. Here's how to enable that:

1. Open the Phone app.

2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right, then tap Settings.

3. Select Direct Voicemail from the list.

4. Scroll down to and tap Transcript Assist.

5. Under the Call Recordings section of the next screen, turn on Auto transcribe recorded calls and Direct Voicemail.

How to use Direct Voicemail

By default, Direct Voicemail will automatically send calls to voicemail after ringing for 20 seconds. You can adjust that time to anything you want in Direct Voicemail settings (accessed in the steps above), or you can manually send a call to Direct Voicemail at any time. Here's how to do that.

1. When a call comes in, tap the More options button on the dialer or the pop-up call notification.

2. Select Direct Voicemail from the list to send the call to voicemail.

3. As the person talks, you'll see a live transcript appear on the screen.

4. To answer the call and interrupt Direct Voicemail, tap the Answer button.

How to find your Direct Voicemails

When someone leaves a Direct Voicemail, you can usually just tap the notification to open it, but there are plenty of times when I'll accidentally clear notifications and I imagine other people do this, too. Thankfully, Direct Voicemail is built into the Phone app, making it easy to find your voicemails.

Additionally, you can clean up background noise on voicemails if it's difficult to understand the written transcript, or if there's just a lot of background noise in the voicemail. Here's a quick tutorial:

1. Open the Phone app.

2. Tap the Recents button on the bottom navigation bar.

3. Any recent calls with a transcription will have a View recording and transcript button. Tap that.

4. You can read your transcription here or use the audio controls to listen to it.

5. Tap the Galaxy AI button in the bottom right to clean up the voicemail audio and eliminate background noise.

6. When you're done with the voicemail, tap the three-dot menu in the top right, then tap Delete transcription.

Now, you've mastered Direct Voicemail and can save some cash on your future phone bills by using it instead of your carrier's Visual Voicemail system. Direct Voicemail can't work if your phone is offline for some reason, in which case it'll route the voicemail back to your carrier's standard voicemail system, but it's unlikely that you'll have this problem most of the time.

Even with that limitation, I'd personally take the Direct Voicemail route just to save money every month. Visual Voicemail is great and all, but if I can get the feature for free most of the time, you'd better believe that's the route I'm going!

If you've followed any Google announcements recently or used its apps over the past couple of years, you've probably noticed one thing, everything is now about AI. From Gmail and Google Drive to Docs and even Messages, Gemini has made its way into almost every Google app, whether you asked for it or not.

For me, AI still feels like a bit of a buzzword. There are only a handful of use cases on my phone that I actually find useful. If you're in the same boat and want to cut down on Google AI features across your apps, this guide will walk you through how to do exactly that.

What you should know before disabling Google AI on your phone

As important as it sounds, there is unfortunately no single switch to disable AI across your Android phone. That's partly because different manufacturers have implemented AI features in their own way, but I still feel there should at least be a universal toggle to turn off Gemini across apps.

The good news is that you can still disable Gemini across multiple Google apps, along with some Pixel-specific AI features, if you know where to look in the settings. And if you change your mind later, you can always turn these features back on just as easily.

Below, I'll walk you through how to disable Google AI features across apps like Messages, Gmail, Google Photos, and even some Pixel-exclusive tools. I've used the Pixel 10 Pro for this, but the steps should be fairly similar on most Android phones.

Google Messages

If you've opened the Messages app on your Android phone and found the Gemini button sitting above the plus icon a bit annoying, you can easily turn it off. Personally, I also think it's better to keep Gemini out of the same space where you handle your personal conversations.

1. Open the Google Messages app.

2. Tap the Profile icon on the top right.

3. Select Messages settings.

4. Scroll down and tap Gemini in Messages.

5. Disable the toggle for Show Gemini button.

Gmail

Gemini has also slowly made its way into Gmail, whether it's showing updates for your online orders, tracking flights, suggesting ways to polish your emails, or more recently introducing an AI-powered inbox. Similar to Google Messages, you'll need to go into Gmail's settings to turn these features off.

1. Open the Gmail app on your phone.

2. Tap the hamburger menu in the top left and go to Settings.

3. In Settings, select your email account and then find Google Workspace smart features.

4. Open it and disable both Smart features in Google Workspace and Smart features in other Google products.

This will disable Gemini and AI features not just in Gmail, but across Workspace apps like Google Chat, Drive, and Meet. If you disable the second toggle as well, Gemini will also be removed from services like Google Wallet and some smart features in Google Maps

Google Photos

With the past couple of updates, Google has also replaced the normal search in Google Photos with Gemini-powered feature called Ask Photos. Other than that, there are also other AI features in Google Photos such as remixes, photo to video, memories, and much more. If you don't want Google's AI creeping into your personal photos, here is how you can disable:

1. Open the Google Photos app.

2. Tap the Profile icon from the top right and then select Photos settings.

3. Tap Preferences and then Gemini features in Photos. Disable the Gemini features that you don't need. If you don't need any of them, you can just disable the topmost Use Gemini in Photos toggle.

Phone app

If you own a Google Pixel smartphone, chances are Google has added a bunch of AI features into core apps, including the Phone app. While some of these features, like Call Screen and Hold for Me, can be useful, not everyone wants them enabled all the time. If you'd rather keep things simple, you can turn them off.

1. Head over to the Phone app on your phone.

2. Tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner and go to Settings.

3. Under the Call Assist section, you'll see all the AI-powered features. Tap on any feature and disable the toggle for it.

Pixel Screenshots

If you own a Google Pixel 9 or Pixel 10 series phone, your device comes with the Pixel Screenshots app that analyzes every screenshot you take to give you contextual info later. While this can be useful in some cases, like saving details or pulling info from an image, there's also a chance you don't want all your screenshots being analyzed:

1. Open the Pixel Screenshots app on your phone.

2. Tap the gear icon in the top right corner.

3. Disable the toggle for Search your screenshots with on-device AI.

Alternatively, you can go into the app info page and disable the Pixel Screenshots app entirely if you don't plan on using it.

These are some of the ways you can get rid of Google AI across apps on your phone. If you don't want to use Gemini at all, you can simply disable the app itself, which breaks its integrations across other apps and essentially turns off AI features on your device.

I've felt for a while that while some AI features are genuinely useful, most of them still have a pretty low hit rate and aren't as practical as companies make them sound. Personally, I prefer keeping things simple, and this is how I go about it.

Nothing phones are known for their stylish looks and smooth performance, and while some people may think Nothing OS is "barebones" or "stock Android," there are a ton of amazing features waiting for you to find.

I've been using the Nothing Phone 4a Pro for the past few weeks and have unearthed tons of features that you're absolutely going to want to check out. Whether you're new to Nothing Phones or have been using them for years, Nothing has been doing a ton of new stuff lately and has debuted several unique features on the Phone 4a Pro that you definitely haven't used before.

The top few features are all brand new things that Nothing introduced in 2026, including many AI-powered features using the Essential name. Here's how you can use them to get the most out of your Nothing Phone 4a Pro!

Make some Essential Space

Essential Space debuted last year with the Nothing Phone 3a series, including the Essential Key on the side of the phone. This year, the Essential Key has been moved to the left side, which is a better overall design, as I often confused the Essential Key and the power button on Nothing's 2025 phones.

When the keyboard is not on screen, pressing and holding the Essential Key will take a screenshot and allow you to make a note about what's on screen. If your keyboard is on screen, pressing and holding the Essential Key will involve Essential Voice, which you can read about below. Once you've captured a screenshot with the Essential Key, tapping the yellow arrow will then send the screenshot (and any notes you made) to Essential Space for organization.

Double-clicking the Essential Key opens Essential Space, a catch-all for your memories and notes throughout the day. Essential Space will automatically analyze the contents of anything sent to it, and you can search for anything via the hourglass icon in the bottom right. It's a great way to keep track of everyday thoughts and moments, complete with a clever event section that automatically parses any events captured in a screenshot.

Essential Voice to the rescue

Whenever the keyboard is on your phone's screen, pressing and holding the Essential Key on the left side of the phone will begin an Essential Voice recording. Essential Voice is designed to be a natural language voice dictation suite, meaning you can press and hold the key, then speak your mind for as long as you want without worrying about it turning all your "ums" and "uhs" into text.

I went hands-on with Essential Voice ahead of the feature's official launch and was impressed with how well it worked. It needs internet connectivity to function, so you can't use it offline, but Nothing's AI-powered voice-to-text feature works better than any other one I've tried, including Google's own version that's built into Android.

To use Essential Voice, you need to have the keyboard on screen. Just tap anywhere you want to type, then press and hold the Essential Key on the side of the phone. As you're holding it, a yellow icon will appear on screen (pictured above) showing that your voice is being recorded. Keep the button held for as long as you want to talk, and let go when you're done.

At that point, the yellow icon will change, showing that the message is being transcribed, and your text will appear the moment it's done. Alternatively, you can tap the Essential Voice button on the bottom left of the keyboard, speak what you want, then tap it again to stop recording.

Welcome to the Playground

Nothing Playground is one of the most unique features I've seen a smartphone company do in a while. In essence, Nothing is attempting to redefine the homescreen by replacing traditional widgets with ones you (and the community) build to serve a bespoke purpose. This new generation of widgets is called Essential Apps.

Nothing Playground (access it here) is the place where Essential Apps live. I can certainly relate to being annoyed by the widgets offered by certain apps, and now it's easy to build your own widget with zero coding knowledge.

To get started, head to the Essential Apps builder. Tap the plus button to start a new app, then write your app idea in the box provided. Nothing AI will take the reins from there, creating a tiny app that aims to do exactly what you need and nothing more. After it makes a version of the app, you can tell it to modify the app any way you want, or just start over from scratch. It's easy to make small changes and even revert them if you don't like them.

Once you've built an app and are happy with it, adding it to your homescreen is simple. Just publish the app using the publish button in the Essential Apps builder, then head to your phone's homescreen and follow these instructions:

1. Long-press on any blank area of the home screen, then tap Widgets on the pop-up menu.

2. Swipe over to the leftmost tab, which contains Essential Apps.

3. Tap the Essential App you want to add to your homescreen.

4. Tap Explore more to see all the apps the community has built.

Get hip with the Glyph

The Glyph Interface has been one of the key defining features of Nothing's phone designs over the years, but the shape and function have changed with each generation. This year's Glyph Interface is an evolved version of the Glyph Matrix "display" that debuted with the Nothing Phone 3, and it's substantially more powerful than the simple LED lights on the back of older Nothing Phones.

The Glyph Matrix is designed to give you glanceable information when your phone is turned over. Lots of people like to put their phones face down on a table when they sit, and the Matrix is a great way to still see things like notifications, phone calls, or other information without having to pick up your phone or turn the full screen on.

To get started, open system settings by finding settings in the app drawer, then tap Glyph Interface in the settings menu. Right at the top, you can control the brightness of the Glyph Matrix or even turn it off completely. Scrolling down gives you a bevy of options to choose from. I recommend focusing on these first:

Volume Indicator: The Glyph Matrix will give you a visual circular indicator of the volume level when pressing the volume buttons.

Glyph Timer: The Glyph Matrix turns into an hourglass that fills up as your timer counts down to zero.

Glyph Progress: The Glyph Matrix will display a progress bar that fills up as an event makes progress. My favorite use for this is calendar entries, as it'll give you a quick visual indicator for how long a scheduled event has left.

These are all great little utilities, but the start of the show this time around is Glyph Toys. In the Glyph Interface menu, tap Flip to Glyph, then select Always-on Glyph Toy from the list. Turn the feature on by selecting the toggle at the top of the screen, then select one of the nifty toys from the list.

Nothing provides just four toys by default, but the Nothing brand is all about community, and that means folks have made tons of additional toys that you can easily add to your phone. Just tap that little hourglass icon in the top right, and you'll be taken to the Glyph Toys section of Nothing Playground.

Glyph Toys are automatically sorted by the model phone you're using, and sorting by things like popularity helps surface the more exciting or useful options. The Glyph Leveler might just be my favorite one, but you can find lots of other fun toys in Playground. Just tap the one you want, then hit install. These additional toys can usually be found in the phone's quick toggles and are activated by placing the phone screen down to activate the Glyph Interface.

Nothing regularly updates and improves its phones, adds new features, and generally seems to be on the cutting edge of cool new AI toys for its phones. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks, and enjoy your Nothing Phone 4a Pro!

If you've ever been in charge of financial planning or tracking for a shared group expense, you know just how messy, confusing, and sometimes, downright chaotic, it can get.

Whether it's a birthday party you're planning or a road trip with friends, simple note-taking apps don't cut it. Splitwise takes a more organized approach, simplifying the entire experience and making it really easy to know who owes who, and how much.

I found the app to be extremely useful when planning longer trips with a group, especially when traveling abroad.

A straightforward group expense tracker for the gang

How many friend groups have you known that fell apart after a group holiday soured relations? I have seen it happen time and time again, and have had quite a few firsthand encounters myself. In my early 20s, I would often be tasked with creating the trip itinerary and creating a budget for everyone. There would almost always be a single person who'd be unhappy with the accounts, or say that the expenses didn't match their version of accounts.

Shared responsibility, accountability, and transparency prevent any kind of arguments or doubts from taking root. This is exactly why I love Splitwise so much. It leaves zero room for error, everyone involved can make edits to the accounts and access them any time, and it's on iOS and Android so there's no compatibility issue either.

Splitwise lets you create a group for every group expense, and you can label it accordingly too. Even people who aren't on the app can be added to a group via email or phone number. Every person in the group can see who paid for each expense, and an automatic tally tells everyone how much they owe or are owed and who needs to pay whom to settle up.

You don't really need to upgrade to the paid version of the app

The app has a paid "pro" version, but the basic "core" version is more than enough for the purpose of managing shared expenses. Here are the core features included with the free version of the app:

• Add groups and friends
• Split expenses, record debts
• Equal or unequal splits
• Split by % or shares
• Calculate total balances
• Simplify debts
• Recurring expenses
• Offline mode
• Cloud sync
• Spending totals
• Categorize expenses
• 7+ languages
• 100+ currencies
• Payment integrations

As you can tell, the app offers granular control over every transaction. Not only can you choose the currency, attach images, set the date, or add notes for each expense lodged in-app, but the way each expense is split can be highly customized too. You can even create a recurring expense.

Whether you want to share a single or multiple expenses equally, unequally, by shares, by percentages, or by adjustments, everything is possible within the Splitwise app.

Thanks to the "simplify debts" system employed by the app, it doesn't matter who paid for what, and how each bill was split. The app does the complex math for you based on how much each person chipped in and how each expense is to be shared.

A single group could have multiple currencies, and no one has to scratch their head over conversions because Splitwise does that for you too! This is incredibly useful for international travel. Unfortunately, conversion is a pro feature, though you can still record expenses in several different currencies under one group in the free version of the app.

Frequent international travelers benefit from the pro version the most

The app's pricing structure isn't too bad, and you can get a free one month trial to see if Splitwise Pro is worth your while. Paying $4.99/month or $39.99/year is well worth it considering the wealth of premium features it unlocks, including unlimited expenses, currency conversions, and more.

Here's a full list of the premium features:

• Unlimited expenses
• Transaction import
• Currency conversion
• Receipt scanning
• Itemization
• Charts and graphs
• Expense search
• Save default splits
• A totally ad-free experience
• Early access to new features

So far, I haven't felt the need to purchase Splitwise Pro. Whether on a weekend trip to Jakarta with friends, hitting the movies with my siblings, or planning date night with my partner, the free basic Splitwise has been sufficient for my needs so far.

Since the number of daily expenses it limited to just five right now, I don't think the day where I will need to upgrade is far off though. However, before investing in Splitwise Pro, I suggest looking into free alternatives, as that's exactly what I myself plan on doing when the time comes.

You never know what hidden gem of an app you might find. I might be late to the Splitwise party, but I can recommend a few free alternatives that I have heard good things about. Look into apps like AiMoola, Settle Up, MemoGo, and Cino if you like the idea of Splitwise but not the paywall. While I haven't tried these apps yet, the functions are similar, and some of them are entirely free to use too.

And if you would like me to test drive any one of these or other group expense tracking apps, let me know in the comments below.

If you read my Find X9 Ultra review, you'll know that I really like the phone. It has the best cameras of any flagship right now, I really like the camera-focused design, and the massive battery easily lasts two days. The software is also among the best on Android, and ColorOS 16 has plenty of useful features.

One feature I enjoy using is Mind Space; it basically collates an assortment of data and makes it actionable. You press the dedicated key on the left to add an item to Mind Space, and then the feature leverages AI to extract relevant information in that page. So if you bought movie tickets, you can just save the details to Mind Space, and it will create a calendar event easily. I used the feature to automatically add an upcoming flight to my Google Calendar, and it's pretty great to use.

A new addition on the Find X9 Ultra is an AI-assisted Bill Manager. As the name suggests, it tracks your transactions and creates a detailed view of where your money is going. I used a lot of budgeting apps, and while I used the SMS-based FinArt the longest, I didn't like that it had full access to my messages. With Bill Manager on the Find X9 Ultra, everything is opt-in; you manually add transactions by pressing the shortcut button on an order confirmation, and then the feature adds it to the list. It doesn't read your emails or messages, and I like that about the feature. Having used the feature on my Find X9 Ultra over the course of the month, I think it is a great addition to OPPO's software efforts.

What is AI Bill Manager in ColorOS 16?

As the name suggests, AI Bill Manager lets you easily manage your finances. You'll need to enter individual transactions, but it isn't as onerous as other budgeting apps that ask you to log amounts, what kind of transaction it is, and so on. With this feature, all you do is press the shortcut key on the left of the phone at an order confirmation page, and it does the rest.

It uses AI to analyze the contents of the mail or message and add the details. Where it stands out is its ability to categorizes expenses into categories, and I found this to be highly useful. I bought a pair of shoes this week, and I just took a screenshot of the Adidas confirmation mail, and it added the bill amount, tagged it under Clothing, and even noted the kind of shoes bought (Ultraboost 5).

Basically, the feature gives you a decent understanding of where your money is going, and there are useful metrics. It shows a breakdown of how much you've spent in each category, overall monthly expenses, and you can see daily or weekly spending habits.

Another positive is that the feature doesn't send any data to the cloud; it is entirely on-device, so you don't need to worry about your details sitting on an OPPO server somewhere. While it is debuting on the Find X9 Ultra, the feature will make its way to all other OPPO phones with the latest ColorOS 16.1 build.

How to set up and use AI Bill Manager

You don't have to do much to use AI Bill Manager. Just launch Mind Space and join the beta, and you can start adding transactions. This is how to do it:

1. Double press the shortcut key on the left to pull up Mind Space. If you didn't set it up, you can do so in the settings by going to the Snap Key menu.
2. Within Mind Space, go to the action menu (three vertical dots on the right).
3. Select Settings.
4. Toggle Beta version to On.

AI Bill Manager is just one of those features that makes sense. I'm using it as it's entirely on-device, and I like that it gives detailed metrics. It's an easy way to see where I'm spending my money (it's mostly shoes), and this is an AI-related use case I can actually get behind.

If you're an Android or iOS smartphone owner, you get at least one USB cable in the box. However, that one cable isn't going to cut it in every scenario. Every phone owner should have at least three types of cables in their arsenal, suitable for all occasions and needs.

USB cables are frighteningly confusing. While USB Type-C has taken over, it's almost impossible to discern the specs of one USB-C cable from another. So when you buy a cable, make sure you buy the right type with the appropriate specifications that match your device. That way, you know the exact specs of your cable from the get-go.

Here are the 3 most important USB cables everyone should have.

A reliable USB-C to USB-C cable

Even if you get a USB-C to USB-A cable in the box with your phone, you need a C-to-C cable for Power Delivery fast charging. Make sure it is a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 cable as that supports SuperSpeed+ USB 10 Gbps data transfer speeds and is backward compatible with other USB versions. You can use this cable to connect your phone to a myriad of devices including chargers, other phones, tablets, laptops, mobile game controllers, and more.

Make sure your USB-C cable is rated at least 60W, or 100W if it's in the budget, so it's future-proof. Plus, you can then use it to charge your laptop or Chromebook too. Unless your phone supports an ultra-fast charging speed, it's highly unlikely that the manufacturer will include such a cable in the box.

Thunderbolt support is an optional plus, but not a necessary spec to have in a USB-C cable unless you have other devices that support it, like a camera and a PC. That way you can buy one great USB-C cable with all the best specs in one go and use that one cable for all your Type-C devices.

A universal cable with USB-A, USB-C, and Lightning connectors

Say you're an iPhone user with a Lightning port, but you have USB-C accessories, or friends and family who use Android devices. Or maybe your partner has an iPhone with a USB-C port. Whether you're in a car, at the office, or in the comfort of your home just hanging out, a universal cable with USB-C, USB-A, and Lightning connectors is insanely handy.

There are plenty of brands that make these multi-functional USB cables. The one I've tested is the Raycon Magic Flex 6-in-1 Cable, but there are plenty of alternatives available such as the Anker Powerline II 3-in-1 and the Rolling Square inCharge 6.

Raycon's Magic Flex 6-in-1 Cable is the perfect example as it is rated 100W, is nylon braided so it's really durable, and it has a USB-C connector option on both ends. Most universal cables only offer USB-A on one end, which nerfs the capability of a universal cable. In addition to Type-C on both sides, it also has a Lightning connector on one end and a USB-A one on the other end. Whether I'm leaving my house for a few hours, days, or weeks, I take this one 6-in-1 cable and I'm good to go — and so are my travel companions!

A long USB-C to HDMI cable

Flagships from Samsung such as the Galaxy S26 series and the Galaxy Tab S11 series support Samsung DeX, which you can use via a USB-C to HDMI cable or a wireless connection. Nearly every other modern phone with a Type-C port can also connect to a wireless display, TV, or a monitor using such a cord, even if it doesn't have a desktop mode.

If you want to enjoy high quality audio and video output on external screens, you need to invest in a robust USB-C to HDMI cable for your phone. Ensure that the cable is long enough. I recommend 6ft or longer to prevent snags or the wire running short, leaving your phone hanging from the TV or monitor awkwardly.

The other factor that's important is the supported resolution and refresh rate. For example, the Anker 6ft 4K 60Hz USB-C to HDMI Cable supports a resolution of 4K at 60Hz, meaning it works with 60fps monitors that have a 4K resolution. So be sure to match the specs of your cable to the external display.

Those are the 3 most important cables that I believe every phone owner should possess.

Do you agree with me, or do you think one or two of the inclusions are unnecessary? Or perhaps you think I have left an important cable out of the conversation? Comment below to share your thoughts!

It's no secret that Samsung didn't give the Galaxy S26 or the Galaxy S26 Plus the camera upgrade these models desperately needed. Buyers of the base or midsize Galaxy S26 models are probably a bit envious of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which was already miles ahead and still received main and telephoto camera upgrades. Still, if you have any of the three Galaxy S26 variants, you get the benefit of exclusive camera software features you won't find anywhere else.

Since these tools are hidden out of the way, you might miss out on their functionality if you don't specifically seek them out. One requires the extra step of downloading the Camera Assistant app to unlock, and another is enabled by hitting an easy-to-miss button in the Camera app. To make the most of your Galaxy S26 phone, you need to use these three new camera features — and they'll work on every model.

Use the new 24MP camera mode

Samsung phones have high-resolution camera sensors — the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus offer a 50MP main camera, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra sports a 200MP primary shooter. However, none of these cameras capture photos in their highest possible resolutions by default. This is because using a technique called pixel binning can improve image quality at lower resolutions, like 12MP. As such, you can get a 12MP photo with better detail and a smaller file size than a full-resolution 50MP or 200MP capture.

For years, the options were 12MP, 50MP, or 200MP (on supported models). Starting with the Galaxy S26 series, there's a new option. You can opt to take photos in 24MP resolution to get the best of both worlds. It's closer to 50MP in terms of raw resolution, and also retains some of the aspects of 12MP shooting that makes it appealing, like fast shutter times and manageable file sizes.

It also maximizes Samsung's computational photography and image processing workflows. The new 24MP capture mode uses an AI Fusion process that "provides 12MP usability and 50MP quality through an AI-based convergence solution," as the company explains in a forum post.

The one catch is that it's not easy to enable, but it's worth going out of your way to take 24MP photos. To do so, download the Camera Assistant app from the Galaxy Store. This will add an extra settings page to the regular Camera app settings you can find in the Settings app. Open Settings, navigate to the Camera app settings, and tap Camera Assistant. Then, find Advanced resolution options and flip the toggle beside 24MP resolution.

Now, you'll be able to toggle between 12MP, 24MP, and 50MP/200MP in the viewfinder of the main Camera app. It's the best way to strike a balance between resolution, detail, speed, and efficiency while shooting with the Galaxy S26 series.

Try out the Horizontal Lock video mode

Perhaps the coolest Galaxy S26 camera feature is Horizontal Lock, and it's available on every model. It stabilizes video during recordings to allow for 360-degree rotations. Essentially, you can enable Horizon Lock in the video mode on your Galaxy S26 and start shooting. Then, you can rotate your phone in any direction — even upside down — and your video recording will still appear right side up, with the horizon locked.

In the real world, Horizontal Lock is ideal for action videos. If you want to record your daily jog or bike ride, use Horizontal Lock to keep a steady and stable shot throughout the entire activity. It's the evolution of Super Steady, the original Samsung camera stabilization feature.

To use it, open the Camera app and switch to the Video mode. Then, tap the Super Steady icon, which looks like a tiny person running and is located near the top-right corner of the screen. Then, tap Super Steady with Horizontal Lock in the new menu that appears. This icon appears as a tiny person running within a box. After enabling it, you can start recording and move your phone in any direction or angle while getting a stable shot.

Use the Photo Assist tool to edit photos

After you've taken a photo, you can edit it in the Samsung Gallery app using Photo Assist. It's a great way to overcome lighting or framing challenges that you can't solve with the Camera app in real time. Photo Assist works similarly to Help me edit and Ask Photos in Google Photos. You can use natural-language prompts to describe how you want to edit an image, and Samsung's generative AI will make the changes you want using the proper tools.

To use it, open a photo in the Samsung Gallery app and tap the Photo Assist icon. It's the button in the center of the toolbar with three AI sparkles. Then, tap the text box titled Describe what to change. Type out a prompt telling Photo Assist the things you want to change, and then hit Generate. Wait for the image to process, and you'll have a completely refreshed photo.

Photo Assist also works with multimodal guidance. In addition to text, you can add images or sketch on the original image to help it understand the changes you want to make. Finally, you can tap Save copy or Keep editing to continue editing the photo until you're happy with the results.

I still wish Samsung gave the base and Plus models more attention this year, especially where the cameras are concerned. However, the Galaxy S26 series does offer notable camera improvements that make the lack of upgrades sting a little less.

The 24MP shooting mode is a favorable middle ground in quality between the classic 12MP and 50MP/200MP modes, while Horizontal Lock is a video trick that feels too good to be true. Throw in Photo Assist for convenient edits after you've taken a photo, and the Galaxy S26 series has a surprisingly impressive camera software suite.

Over the years, TCL has positioned itself as a market leader in eye-friendly display technology, and that's all wrapped up in the company's impressive NXTPAPER technology. The latest phone from the company, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro, just launched in April 2026 and brings NXTPAPER 4.0 technology to the continent for the first time.

Along with that new tech comes a slew of exciting features you're going to love, and I'm here to break down the coolest ones you'll want to show your friends and family. Plus, I'm going to go over features that'll make your life easier and help you get the most out of this awesome phone.

From reading to getting the most out of TCL AI, removing annoying T-Mobile bloatware, and even optimizing performance of the NXTPAPER display, these are the 5 things you've got to do with your NXTPAPER 70 Pro right away!

Remove bloat

Bloatware is one of the most annoying things about any carrier-based phone and, unfortunately, the T-Mobile version of the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro is loaded with dozens of apps that you never asked for. You can uninstall them individually, but the trick here is to remove the source of the problem before it asks you to install even more garbage you don't want.

That offending app is called "App Selector," and T-Mobile cleverly chose to hide it from users to make it more difficult to remove. Thankfully, all you need to know is where to look, and I've got you covered.

Start off by opening System settings, either via the System app in your app tray or by tapping the settings cog on quick toggles. Scroll down to and tap Apps, then tap the All Apps button in the list. Click the three-dot menu on the top right, then select Show System. Scroll down and tap AppSelector, then tap the Disable button to turn it off.

If you've accidentally run AppSelector before, go one step further and clear data by tapping Storage & Cache, then tap Clear storage.

From here, you'll still need to manually uninstall any apps AppSelector installed, but that won't take long. The fastest way to uninstall apps on this phone is to swipe up on your home screen to open the app drawer, then long-press any app icon you don't want, and tap Uninstall.

It took me about 2 minutes to clear everything off this phone I didn't want installed, which isn't much considering how much nicer the app drawer looks without all that junk installed!

Make it truly flicker-free

TCL touts its NXTPAPER 4.0 technology as truly flicker-free, and while it does indeed dim without nasty PWM dimming flicker, the phone's pixels use another flickering tactic called temporal dithering to enhance the look of the display. Temporal dithering doesn't bother me, but it causes headaches and other pain for some users, so it's best to turn it off to be safe.

First, we'll want to turn off all the NXTVISION features. NXTVISION is essentially TCL taking those annoying TV settings (like motion smoothing) and putting them on your phone. I certainly don't want my phone doing this crap, and you probably don't want it either.

To disable these features, open System settings, either via the System app in your app tray or by tapping the settings cog on quick toggles, then scroll down to and tap Display. Scroll down and tap NXTVISION, then turn each of the toggles off.

Part one of three, done! Now, you'll want to navigate back to display settings, tap Color mode & temperature, then select Natural from the list. That'll give your display a much more eye-friendly warm hue and block some of the blue light that comes from the LCD backlight on this phone.

Lastly, I find that forcing 120Hz enhances the smoothness of this phone, and that can also be done within display settings. Just scroll down to and tap Refresh rate, then select 120Hz from the list. Now, the phone will stay locked at a liquid smooth 120Hz instead of constantly adjusting the refresh rate. This can use more battery in some instances, but I find the smoothness tradeoff to be worth it.

Read like a pro

NXTPAPER can't totally replace E Ink devices for reading comfort, but NXTPAPER is a lot more comfortable than a traditional LCD or OLED display. Out of the box, the display looks really good and features a gorgeous anti-glare matte layer.

First off, I don't recommend using a screen protector on this phone as it'll negate any advantages brought by TCL's textured display. Second, you don't have to worry about this display breaking like a traditional glass display. TCL designed this specialized glass to be more resistant to wear and tear than usual, and it even keeps oils and fingerprints away, too.

But how about the way the screen shows images? You might not have realized it, but there's a little slider on the right side of the phone called the NXTPAPER Key. Sliding this key up activates it and can put the phone into one of three specialized display settings:

Color Paper mode: Best for comics and manga reading. This mode softens colors and turns the palette decidedly more pastel, lending more authenticity to the look of graphical content.

Ink Paper mode: A good way to get rid of distractions without turning the world off. Ink Paper mode makes everything black & white, which makes the display less addictive to use.

Max Ink mode: When you just want to read and don't want the world to bother you. This one shuts off most apps and prolongs battery life, plus makes the display black & white to encourage you to keep your phone in your pocket more often.

In addition to selecting one of these Ink modes for the right situation, I find it helpful to enable ambient light alerts on the NXTPAPER 70 Pro. The phone will then monitor ambient light and warn you if you might be straining your eyes by looking at your phone too long.

Open System settings, then tap NXTPAPER zone from the list. Scroll down and tap Eye care, then enable the Rest your eyes feature to reduce screen time.

Enable the Bright environment and Dark environment alerts to receive alerts when ambient lighting could cause eye strain. In these situations, you'll want to normalize the ambient light to prevent your eyes from straining when looking at your phone.

Finally, enable Night light to receive notifications about low ambient light, encouraging you to turn on the Eye Comfort mode to further reduce blue light output from the display.

Get that true paper look

Just as with OLED, using Dark Mode on NXTPAPER displays is a game-changer. Since TCL outfitted the NXTPAPER 70 Pro's display with a matte anti-glare layer and a specialized light-filtering solution beneath it, dark mode looks absolutely exquisite in any light.

While it might seem like a backward concept, dark mode ends up looking more natural than light mode due to the lower light output from the screen. That means you're getting less eye strain in most lighting conditions, especially when reading for long periods on the phone. You may still want to enable light mode in direct sunlight, but I find the matte layer and 900-nit brightness output to be enough for most scenarios.

But TCL has a weird feature that further dims dark apps and can sometimes make it difficult to see while using dark mode. Thankfully, the company added a way to turn off this automatic adjustment, and it's separate from the normal automatic brightness adjustment option.

Open System settings, then in Display settings, scroll down and disable Intelligent scene brightness optimization. Now, you should find that your phone no longer dims arbitrarily when darker content is on the screen. TCL had this enabled by default to enhance contrast and overall aesthetics of the display, but what's the point of having a display if it's too dark to see? That's why I prefer to disable this setting.

Make the most of TCL AI

Modern phones are loaded with AI features, and while many of them can seem superfluous or border on bloatware, TCL has a few extremely clever concepts on the NXTPAPER 70 Pro that I think you'll love using.

The first is found when using gesture-based navigation. Normally, when you navigate back, you swipe inward from the side of the display and immediately let go. Instead of immediately letting go next time, try swiping inward and holding for a second or two. This will bring up the sidebar, which is full of great shortcuts and tools.

The sidebar is not a new concept, but front-loading the most useful AI tools into the sidebar makes it more useful than the usual app launcher. Personally, I've found the Smart Voice Memo tool to be the most useful option in the sidebar, followed by the Real-time Subtitles option.

Voice Memo is an extremely natural way to dictate ideas to your phone throughout the day and is both more convenient than text notes and more natural-feeling than using text-to-speech typing. Voice memo supports natural language input, so you can say those "ums" and "uhs" without worrying about that being converted into text or misunderstood by a virtual assistant.

And Real-time Subtitles is like enabling closed captions for every audio source on your phone, something that's more than just handy. There are plenty of situations in life where it's not appropriate for sound to come from your phone (or to wear earbuds), and it's this gap where Real-time Subtitles comes most in handy.

The third TCL AI feature I've found nearly invaluable is the text dragging feature. Next time you need to highlight text for any reason, press and hold on that block of text and then drag it to the bottom of the screen. You'll be presented with three buttons that the text can be dragged to: Translation, Explanation, and Rewrite.

You probably won't use the translation one every day, but the other two options can be incredibly useful in several different scenarios. Explanation is essentially a way to Google a block of text and get a detailed response, while Rewrite is a good way to draft a message to someone and then have TCL AI help you make it sound better.

Most of these kinds of functions are often hidden behind several layers of menus or in separate apps, but the TCL AI design makes it easy to use these features in a pinch.

The paper-like phone you'll love

TCL's NXTPAPER 4.0 technology is even better on the NXTPAPER 70 Pro thanks to its size and the new oleophobic layer. That new layer keeps smudges to a minimum and makes it the most fingerprint-resistant phone I've ever used. I legit haven't had to wipe the display off even once, and that's borderline a modern technological miracle.

The phone is also a much better size than the gargantuan TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra, which sports a nearly identical display but in a far more unwieldy size. Plus, the NXTPAPER 70 Pro is available in countries like the U.S., where the Ultra wasn't previously released, making it an easy choice for anyone wanting a modern smartphone that won't strain their eyes and still manages to look good.

The Google Pixel 10a features the same processor, camera system, and general design as its predecessor, and that means the bulk of the upgrades are on the software front. The Pixel 10a borrows a few software tricks from its mainline Pixel 10 counterparts that are a welcome addition to the A-series model. They include Macro Focus and Camera Coach, two incredible features that help you level up your photography game.

Of course, with so much dependent on software, the Pixel 10a is what you make of it. If you never tweak your settings or explore the latest Google features, you'll end up with a subpar experience. These are the features I used and the settings I changed immediately after unboxing my Pixel 10a — and why you should do the same.

Enable 120Hz refresh rates

The Google Pixel 10a offers a pretty outstanding display for the price point. It sports a 6.3-inch OLED panel with a 1080 x 2424 resolution and a 3,000-nit peak brightness rating. Like a few A-series phones before it, the Pixel 10a is equipped with a 120Hz display for smoother scrolling, but it's not enabled by default. If you aren't careful, you could buy a Pixel 10a for its 120Hz screen and accidentally use it in 60Hz mode the entire time.

The very first thing you should do after setting up your Pixel 10a is enable the Smooth display setting, which allows the screen to reach 120Hz refresh rates. It's disabled by default because it uses more battery, but it's worth turning on anyway for the more satisfying feedback and quicker responsiveness.

This toggle should probably be turned on automatically. After all, people go out of their way to avoid 60Hz phones. However, as long as it's disabled by default, Pixel 10a users will need to manually activate 120Hz refresh rates for their new midranger.

Try Macro Focus

Older A-series Pixel phones utilized the low-resolution ultrawide cameras for macro photography. The software feature was great for capturing close-up photos of a subject, but the 13MP ultrawide camera left much to be desired in terms of quality, and the wide-angle field of view caused visual distortion. Starting with the Google Pixel 10a, you can now use Macro Focus with the primary 48MP shooter to capture sharper, more detailed images.

The main camera enables a natural focal length and 2x sensor cropping for optical-quality zoom, even while using Macro Focus. In other words, it's a better way to take macro shots with the Pixel 10a than with the Pixel 9a and earlier models. To use it, open the Camera app and get close to your subject. Really close — about an inch away from your subject.

You only need to use the regular photo mode to trigger Macro Focus in the Camera app. When you get close enough, you'll see the style of your image preview change in the viewfinder. A flower icon will appear in the top-right corner of the screen, confirming you're using Macro Focus. A message might appear above the viewfinder instructing you how to move your camera to get the best results, like getting closer or further away.

When you've found the right composition for your Macro Focus shot, tap the shutter, and you'll have a macro shot in your Google Photos library.

Pick a display color mode

When I first set up my Pixel 10a review unit, the colors and brightness felt off. The display was rich towards the center, with blooming and low brightness toward the edges. Put simply, it wasn't a great viewing experience, but I was able to fix it by changing one setting.

Google Pixel phones ship with two color modes: Natural and Adaptive. The latter is enabled by default and displays colors in a rich, vibrant way that isn't true to life. While some might prefer the look of Adaptive colors, I thought it made my Pixel 10a screen quality worse. By switching to Natural, my Pixel 10a screen instantly looked better, as this viewing mode evened out the color vibrancy and brightness across the entire screen.

You can choose a color mode in the Settings app by tapping Display & touch, then selecting Colors. There, you'll be able to select Natural or Adaptive and watch the screen change in real time. Google provides three sample images that help you figure out which look is better for you. There's really no right or wrong option here, but it's worth taking the time to decide which color mode you prefer on your Pixel 10a.

Demo the Satellite SOS tool

The Google Pixel 10a features one chip upgrade, but it's not the main processor. Instead, the modem is new and now matches the rest of the Pixel 10 series. The Exynos 5400 modem inside the Pixel 10a, among other things, adds satellite connectivity support. As a result, this phone is the first A-series device to support Google's Satellite SOS feature. It's a tool that could end up saving your life.

The way it works is simple. When cellular service drops, say if you're on a remote hike, you're typically unable to contact emergency services for help. Features like Satellite SOS make it possible to use overhead satellites to contact emergency services in a pinch, even when you don't have cellular service. It's an incredible, potentially life-saving tool. But you want to know how to use it before a possible emergency situation.

Luckily, Google makes it easy for you to try out Satellite SOS in demo mode whenever you want. To do so, open the Settings app and tap the Safety & emergency tab. Then, tap Pixel Satellite SOS. Here, you can press Try a demo to take Satellite SOS for a spin — without actually contacting emergency services, of course. It's a no-risk way to test out the capabilities of your new device.

Try Camera Coach

Finally, there's Camera Coach, another feature that made its way to the Pixel 10a from the regular Pixel 10 series. I was initially somewhat apprehensive about bringing Gemini into my smartphone camera, but I've come away impressed by Camera Coach. It uses Gemini models to provide situational photography tips. It's an educational tool that doesn't use generative AI to change your image. Instead, it simply makes suggestions that you can then use to inform your photos.

To use it, tap the Camera Coach icon, which looks like a camera with a sparkle. From there, custom Gemini models analyze the viewfinder and suggest themes you can select. After you pick one, Camera Coach will briefly process the image and come up with a list of tips or suggestions to help you take a better shot. After you've completed the guided steps, you can take the photo and hopefully remember something you've learned for later.

It's one of the many great features on the Google Pixel 10a, and using them all helps you make the most of your new midrange Android phone.

Nothing launched its Ear 3 wireless earbuds with notable hardware upgrades, including larger drivers, LDAC support, and longer battery life. There's also the built-in case microphone that enables the "Super Mic" mode. With a higher price to match, the Nothing Ear 3 are a tougher sell at their full $179 price compared to mainstream options. However, there's one thing Nothing does better than almost any audio brand, and that's software.

The Nothing Ear 3 connect with your Android phone via the Nothing X app, and it's a dream for audio fans who want to personalize and customize their earbuds. There's an eight-band equalizer, personalized sound, and a bass enhancement mode to help you find the right sound signature. That's on top of classic features like ANC and spatial audio. These are the Ear 3 features in the Nothing X app that'll help you make the latest Nothing earbuds your own.

Personal sound

Everyone's hearing is different. There is a general audio frequency range for humans that gives us a general idea of what sounds people can actually hear. There's also something called the "Harman Curve," which shows the frequency response most people find enjoyable. However, these are just general guidelines rather than rules. To get a sound that someone will love, it needs to be personalized.

Nothing helps you do just that with a feature called Personal sound. It's an optional Nothing X feature that tests your hearing and automatically adjusts the Nothing Ear 3's sound profile accordingly. The test determines your ability to hear sounds at various frequencies along a distribution curve, and based on the results, the app applies an EQ setting to match your hearing profile.

To start, open the Nothing X app and tap Personal sound under your earbud's device settings. The personalization process takes roughly three minutes to complete. It works by playing tones intermittently. You have to tell the app whether you hear a tone or silence. By analyzing which tones you hear and which you miss, the app can identify the frequencies you can perceive. It then adjusts your earbuds' sound profile to match the results of the hearing test.

When you're finished, you get a Nothing Ear 3 sound signature personalized to your individual hearing capabilities.

Bass enhancement

Nothing headphones and earbuds are known to be on the bassy side, but there's a chance that's why you bought the Nothing Ear 3 in the first place. The rich, deep lows are what make the Ear 3 stand out in a crowded audio market. If you need even more bass than the earbuds provide by default, you can enable Bass enhancement in the Nothing X app. It'll place even greater emphasis on low frequencies to deliver the booming bass you're looking for.

To enable Bass enhancement, flip the toggle for it on in the Nothing X app with your earbuds connected. Then, tap it to choose a Bass enhancement level between one and five. The default setting is three, but you can move the slider up or down to make the enhancement more or less pronounced. To find the right setting, listen to your favorite songs — the ones you know the best — at various bass enhancement levels.

Find the one you like, and don't be afraid to keep the setting disabled if you think the Nothing Ear 3 sound better without it.

Low lag mode

This setting is simple, but it's important to keep it in your portfolio and pull it out when needed. It's called Low lag mode, and it reduces the amount of audio lag between the Nothing Ear 3 and your device. This is useful for certain applications, like gaming, where response times are crucial. While other earbuds hide this option behind gaming modes and experimental settings, it's right on the Nothing X home page when the Ear 3 are connected.

This option, when enabled, drops the input lag to under 120ms. It's turned on by default when Game Mode is active on a connected Nothing Phone. You should turn on Low lag mode when gaming or during other specialized tasks, but you can leave it off for daily listening.

Equalizer

For manual tweaks to the Nothing Ear 3, the Nothing X app offers an eight-band equalizer. Essentially, this means there are eight sections of the audio frequency spectrum that you can increase or decrease in volume. Instead of adjusting the earbud volume, you can pick specific sound ranges to limit or enhance individually, like bass or treble.

The Nothing X app equalizer is really robust, with three modes: Simple, Advanced, and Explore. Using the Simple mode gives you quick, self-explanatory EQ presets including Balanced, More Bass, More Treble, and Voice. There are also custom EQs you can build in the Simple mode using a graphic visualizer. The Advanced tab offers the more sophisticated toggles, with individual sliders for the eight bands listed across the frequency spectrum.

As one final trick, there's an Explore tab with EQ profiles curated by Nothing and created by experts. In other words, you can instantly download and apply a customized EQ profile made by an audiophile that takes the work out of your hands.

Dual connection

Finally, there's Dual connection, which helps you seamlessly switch your Nothing Ear 3 between devices. It works by letting your earbuds connect to multiple host devices. Then, in the Nothing X app, tap the Dual connection toggle and flip it on. Open the menu, and check the boxes beside the device names you want to use the Dual connection feature. For example, I chose my Nothing Phone 3a Pro and Google Pixel 10 Pro.

Then, the earbuds will automatically switch between audio sources while maintaining a connection to both phones. Nothing Ear 3 will prioritize the sources that are currently playing audio or are on a phone call. This feature saves you the hassle of manually switching Bluetooth connections between multiple devices.

It's one of the many Nothing Ear 3 features that help enhance your sound or improve daily device connection. The Nothing X companion app is one of the best parts of daily driving a pair of Nothing headphones or earbuds, so you'll want to start using it.

If you're reading this, you're likely in need of a 20,000mAh power bank. Before you do a quick search on Amazon or Best Buy, you need to know these four excellent high-capacity power banks within that range so you get the most value for your money.

A lot of people find it perfectly acceptable to buy any power bank, so long as it comes from a reputable name brand. Meanwhile, some people really only care about the price. But you can't go off these factors alone in your hunt for the right 20,000mAh power bank.

Price and trustworthiness of the manufacturer aside, International Air Transport Association (IATA) approval, size, weight, ports, charging speed, and inclusion of a good USB cable are all important factors to consider. My top four picks take all of these aspects into consideration, and all of them have a display. Let's start with the one that I prefer the most from INIU.

The most compact option: INIU Cougar P63-E1 100W 25,000mAh Power Bank

The INIU Cougar P63-E1 100W power bank is the most compact portable battery you will find that has a 25,000mAh capacity. It is the best power bank in the 20,000mAh range for multiple reasons. Small enough to fit in your pants pocket, the INIU Cougar P63-E1 is also impossibly lightweight at just 392.3 grams. For reference, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra weighs 214 grams. This is easily the lightest 20,000mAh+ power bank you will find.

In addition to its compact, pocketable nature, INIU assures compliance with most airline regulations around the world. Since it supports 100W output and 65W input charging speeds, you can charge phones and laptops on the go at full power and recharge the power bank itself at lightning-fast speeds. You get two USB-C and one USB-A ports, and as an added bonus, INIU includes a 100W cable that doubles as a lanyard.

Priced at about $67 to $70, depending on ongoing promotions or discounts, it doesn't cost too much either. A 100W cable for free is a neat deal.

The cheapest option: Baseus EnerCore CR11 Power Bank 20,000mAh 67W

The Baseus EnerCore CR11 Power Bank is a sleek 20,000mAh battery pack with 67W fast charging output. This option is almost as light as the one from INIU, but it only has two USB-C ports. Baseus added a tangle-free retractable USB-C cable to the EnerCore CR11, which means you don't have to worry about carrying a separate cable. This blocks the second port, though, and you can only recharge it with a power bank at 45W.

At just 394g, the flight-approved Baseus EnerCore CR11 is almost as light as the one from INIU, but not as small. It is, however, the slimmest of the lot. If you can find it in stock, this is also the cheapest option, priced at just $50.

The best for airplanes: UGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20,000mAh 165W with Retractable USB-C Cable

I'm not alone in my love for the UGREEN Nexode 20,000mAh 165W power bank that comes with a 100W retractable USB-C cable. My colleague Harish Jonnalagadda had an equally satisfying experience with this relatively compact 165W power bank.

Although this 550-gram unit is moderately heavy, it has official IATA approval. There's an additional USB-C port without the retractable cable, as well as a USB-A port. You can recharge it in just 1.9 hours thanks to its incredible 100W input charging speed.

Usually priced at $100, it goes on sale pretty frequently. You can get it right now for $80 or wait for an amazing deal during Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday to get it for even cheaper. All in all, a combination of fast charging and recharging, the right ports and cable, as well as the juicy price, makes this the ideal flight partner.

The wireless charging option: Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W)

Coming in at a hefty 665 grams, the Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W) is the heavyweight champion of 20,000mAh power banks. This isn't a luxury everyone can afford as it retails for a whopping $180. However, it has one unique feature that stands out from the other picks: wireless charging support.

The Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank supports a total 250W output and 100W input. If you buy the 100W magnetic wireless charging base, you can wirelessly recharge it in just 10 to 15 minutes, but it costs another $100.

It is TSA approved, has one USB-A and two USB-C ports, and comes with a 140W Type-C cable in the box. You can connect to the Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank via Bluetooth and monitor it on the Anker smartphone app.

When neither money nor bulk matters, this is the best possible 20,000mAh power bank to purchase.

The bottom line

Between these four 20,000mAh power banks, there's nothing amiss. Each one has a display that showcases the power bank's status, charging speed, input/output, and various other useful information.

Based on your most prioritized feature, you can pick any one of these excellent options worry-free. INIU, Baseus, UGREEN, and Anker are masterful accessory makers. There's no going wrong with any one option. Just make sure you pick something that matches your needs.

I've been there, you've been there, we've all been there. Most of us created our first Gmail account more than a decade ago, and since then, we've outgrown it. You walk up to a hotel desk, shop at a retailer, or sign up anywhere, and when you have to say your email address out loud, you're stuck spelling out something childish you made years ago.

Worse, you're stuck using that Gmail address only because it's been your primary address for years, and now it feels too late to switch to something new. We've been in the same boat for years, and we're pretty sure you've been too!

Thankfully, Google has finally added the option to change your Gmail username — the part before "@gmail.com" — without resetting or losing your account data. The feature simply updates your username, and you can continue using both the old and new addresses as is.

We've already used it to switch to something far less embarrassing, and here's how you can do it too.

How to change your Gmail username without losing any of your data

1. If you're using an Android phone, open any Google app on your phone, like Gmail, Drive, or Maps, and tap the profile icon on the top right, and select Manage your Google Account. If you're on iPhone or desktop, go to myaccount.google.com.

2. On the account settings page, tap Personal info.

3. Select Email, then tap Google Account email.

4. Here you'll see a new option called Change your Google Account email. Tap it.

5. You'll now be taken to a page where you can choose a new username. Enter your preferred username and check availability. If it's not available, Google will suggest alternatives you can use.

6. Once you're happy with your new username, tap Change email at the bottom right.

7. Google will show a confirmation dialog asking if you want to change your primary email address. Tap Yes, change email to confirm.

That's it. You've now changed your primary Gmail username. You'll see the new email address across all Google apps and services, while all your existing data remains intact. That said, there are a few things you should keep in mind before making the switch.

What you should know before changing your Gmail address

Google has made changing your Gmail username quite easy, but there are a few things you should keep in mind before making the switch. First, the feature is currently available only in India and the U.S. It also isn't rolling out to all accounts yet.

Some of my family members in India still don't see it in their settings, while most of my colleagues in the U.S. already have access. So there's a chance you might not see it yet, but once it becomes available, you'll be able to follow the same steps mentioned above.

Google also notes that there could be a few issues after you change your Gmail username. For example, if you're using a Chromebook, you'll need to remove your Google account from the device before making the change — otherwise, it could cause problems.

Similarly, changing your Gmail address might affect some apps and services where you use the Sign in with Google tool. There's a chance you'll be logged out of certain apps on your phone, and you'll need to sign back in using your new email.

Speaking of signing in, you'll be able to use both your old and new email addresses to access your Google account. Your old email won't disappear; it will continue to work as an alias, so if someone sends an email to your old address, you'll still receive it on your new email. All your data, including emails, Google Photos, and Drive, will also remain intact after the switch.

That said, you can switch back to your old email if you want. It's also worth noting that you can only change your Gmail address three times after the original, which means a total of four usernames per account. On top of that, you can only make this change once every twelve months.

This is something that feels long overdue, but I'm glad it finally exists now

Even with all these caveats, I'm still really happy Google has finally added the option to change your Gmail username. I remember a few years ago when I had to switch my primary account because of an embarrassing username I had picked back in school. I tried setting up a new Google account from scratch, but I never fully moved over since my main email was already tied to so many services.

Now, thankfully, you can switch to a new Gmail username without resetting everything, and that's a huge relief. I just hope Google rolls this out to everyone soon and doesn't keep it limited to select regions.