Streaming Mobile Apps (Stock)
There are a whole host of features built into smartphones that most people don’t know about. Tap or click here for my favourites, to see where a plane will fly overhead to quickly delete your recent searches.
Some of the most valuable tips are hiding in your phone’s accessibility menu. These features make things easier for people with visual, hearing and motor impairments. Tap or click to access 10 handy accessibility settings anyone can use.
There are also many great apps and features that you won’t find front and center on your phone’s home screen. I wonder why smartphone engineers keep them secret. Here are some hidden apps that you will use again and again.
Use your phone as a magnifying glass
Let’s start with an incredibly simple and very functional hidden application: the magnifying glass. I recently used it to read the super tiny text of my pasta maker’s model number.
The next time you don’t have your readers handy or need to see something small swipe right on your iPhone’s home screen. In the search box at the top, type “Magnifier”. It’s simple to use. Tap, hold and drag the slider to adjust the magnification.
There is also a flashlight icon near the bottom of the Magnifier app. Having an extra touch of light really helps you see better. And good news for iPad users, you also have the secret magnifying glass app.
This image courtesy of TEDMED shows a medical student preparing to photograph the inside of someone’s eye using a special tool that harnesses a smartphone camera during a recent lecture TEDMED in Washington. Companies are developing a variety of miniature medical tools that attach to smartphones to provide a near-complete medical examination. The hope is that this mobile medicine will help doctors treat patients in new ways, and also help people better monitor their own health. (AP Photo/TEDMED)
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An app to quickly scan QR codes
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: don’t download a third-party QR code scanner app. At worst, it will charge you money or even inject some malicious code into your phone. At best, it takes up space. QR code scanning is already built into your phone.
On an iPhone, open the camera app to scan a QR code. It works, but here’s a pro tip.
Your iPhone has a hidden Code Scanner application. You can find it by swiping right on your iPhone’s home screen and searching for “Code Scanner”.
Here’s why it matters. If you scan QR codes several times a week, add Code Scanner to your phone’s control center. It’s the list of icons that you can quickly access by swiping down from the top of your screen.
- Open the Settings app, then scroll down and select Control center.
- Press the plus icon next to Code Scanner.
Now when you swipe down from the top of your home screen, you’ll see Code Scanner in your control center. Tap it to open and scan a QR code.
By the way, if the Magnifier app is useful to you, follow the steps above to add it to your control center as well.
On an Android, open your camera app, point it at a QR code, and hold.
The man is holding his smart mobile phone. (Stock)
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BYE: 5 apps you should remove from your smartphone right now
Control your printer from your phone or tablet
Yes, you can print just about anything on your iPhone or iPad. You just need a printer that supports AirPrint. You can see the full list here.
First, make sure your printer and phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. To print, tap the share icon on a document, note, photo, or anything else you want to print . Choose your printer, then Print.
Now here is how you can use App Switcher secret. While printing, you can view or cancel jobs by opening App Switcher.
- On iPhone X or later: Swipe up from the bottom up toward the middle of your screen. Hold your finger until you see App Switcher and the Print Center app.
- On an iPhone 8 or earlier: Double-click the Home button.
Get subtitles on everything you watch
One of the best Android accessibility features that almost no one knows about is Live Caption. It automatically captions any speech played on your phone, including podcasts, video calls, audio messages, phone calls, and videos. It’s amazing.
Live Caption works on Pixel 2 and up and other select Android phones. To enable and disable it:
- Press the volume up or down button.
- Under the volume controls, tap Live Legend.
Google says captions are processed locally, not stored, and never leave your phone.
Not in Google? These are the five best browsers not named Chrome to use on your Android phone.
This Tuesday, October 8, 2019, photo shows the Netflix app on an iPhone in New York City. Netflix releases its financial results on Wednesday, October 16. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Check your cell service
Your phone’s signal strength will vary depending on many factors, from interference to how far you are from a cell tower. It is measured in decibels (dBm)
If the dBm approaches -120, you are in a “dead zone”. Anything above -100 is considered a usable signal. A strong signal is -40 or better. The closer this number is to zero, the better the phone signal.
You can check the signal strength of your iPhone using Field Test secret mode.
- Open the Phone app and dial *3001#12345#* on the keyboard. Within seconds, you’ll see a hodgepodge of numbers.
There is a menu that varies by carrier and phone in the top right. Cycle through each option until you see an entry containing rsrp. This is your phone’s signal strength.
If yours isn’t up to snuff, try this list of ways to improve your reception when calls and messages aren’t going through..
One of Google’s Best Hidden Features
Have you heard of Google Keep? This secret note-taking app is built into Gmail and Android phones. It’s similar to Apple Notes, one of my favorite iPhone apps. Tap or click here for hidden uses of Notes.
You will find Google Keep Notes in your list of apps on Android. Here are some tips to help you get started.
- To add a new note, tap the plus icon in the lower right corner.
- To add a list, tap the icon that looks like a tick in a box.
- To draw something on your phone screen, tap the marker icon.
- To record a voice note, press the microphone icon. Keep will transcribe what you say and save the audio file.
- Press the picture icon to take or choose an image from your gallery. You can edit, save and share from here
Bonus Tip: How advertisers collect your data and target you with ads
Male, 38, married, two children under 5, watched lawn care YouTube video, visited home improvement store in past 10 days, listened to lawn care podcast, won $68,000 a year in a management position and lives in a certain zip code. This is how specific advertising can be today. In this episode, I sit down with Freestar’s Technical Advertising Manager Premesh Purayil to find out how it works and how to opt out of data tracking.
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