David Nield | The Verge

How to make the most of Google Keep

2025-06-05T14:51:24-04:00

As part of my job as a tech writer, and as part of my ongoing efforts to get organized at some point, I’ve tested a whole pile of note-taking apps through the years: the simple, the sophisticated, the quirky, the AI-powered, and on it goes. It’s a popular app category, and there’s no shortage of options.

Amid all these different choices, one of the apps that I find myself regularly coming back to is Google Keep. It’s fast and easy to get around, it works on just about any device, and once you dig a little deeper into its colorful sticky note interface, there are plenty of useful features to take advantage of.

Whether you’re a current Google Keep user looking to do more with the app or you’re wondering whether Google Keep has enough to tempt you away from whatever note-taking system you’re using at the moment, these are some of its most appealing features.

Change the look

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Right from the start, the colorful Post-it note look of Google Keep gives you a neat way of arranging your notes: yellow for to-dos and blue for shopping lists, for example, or whatever suits you.

There are 11 different pastel colors to pick from besides the default white, and on top of that, you’ve got nine background pictures you can use instead, covering themes like celebration, places, recipes, and music.

These backgrounds can be swapped around at any time by clicking on the paint palette icon at the bottom of every note.

Apply labels to notes

Google Keep borrows a trick from Gmail with labels: individual notes can have multiple labels, so something can be tagged with “family” and “urgent” or “ideas” and “vacation.” It’s a handy way of bringing order to your notes, even as their numbers grow into the dozens or hundreds.

Labels can help you with searches as well. As you would expect from a Google product, Google Keep has a search function that’s fast and accurate: click inside the search box at the top of the web interface, and you can limit your query to notes that match a certain label (or category or color).

On the web, your labels are listed to the left for easy access. To apply a label on an open note, click the three dots at the bottom of the note, then Add label (or Change labels).

Format your text

You can now format your text in both the Android and web versions of Keep. You can make it bold, italicized, underlined, or crossed out; you can also change the size to an H1 or H2 heading. Look for the icon with an underlined A at the bottom of the note. (Unfortunately, this isn’t yet available in the iOS version.)

Make a to-do list

If you want to be able to check off items in a list, it’s easy: in an open note, click the three dots (or the plus icon in the mobile app) at the bottom of the note and select Show checkboxes. (If you decide you don’t want them, you can go back and select Hide checkboxes.)

Collaborate

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Google Keep lets you collaborate on notes with other people, too, without the feature ever getting overly complicated. Click the collaborator icon on an open note (the figure with a plus next to it), then enter the email addresses of the contacts you want to share it with. (On the mobile app, you’ll find the icon by clicking on the three dots at the bottom of the screen.)

You don’t get to see who makes which edits like you do in Google Docs, but you do get updates when someone makes changes to a note, and you can see at the bottom of each note who your collaborators are.

Set reminders

As with collaboration, reminders are a genuinely useful feature implemented in a straightforward way. You can get notifications from the Google Keep app at a specific time or even when you reach a specific place (if you’ve got the mobile app installed). Reminders can be set to repeat, so you could set up a household chore list that gives you a nudge at the same time every week.

To set a reminder on the web version, just click on the little Remind me icon at the bottom of each note (which looks like a small bell), then set the options as needed. On the mobile version, the icon is at the top of the screen.

Pin your note

Sometimes, you create a note that you want to be able to find immediately. In that case, you can pin the note to the top of your list by tapping the pin icon at the top of the note. However, be careful about overusing this; I sometimes find that if I pin too many notes, they become just as difficult to find as if I didn’t pin them at all.

Grab text from images

You can not only add images to notes using the image icon at the bottom of the note but you can also extract the text from them as well. In the web version, just click the three dots, then Grab image text. In the mobile version, tap the image, then the three dots in the upper right and Grab image text. As long as the letters in the photo or in your drawing are legible enough, you get a copy of them printed underneath — something that can be very handy if you are, for example, taking a photo of a business card.

Scribble away

You can add hand-drawn scribbles. In the web version, click the three dots and then Add drawing; in the mobile version, click the plus icon and Drawing.

Turn a note into a Doc

Notes can be quickly converted into documents in Google Docs by clicking on the three dots at the bottom of a note and choosing Copy to Google Docs. (In the mobile app, click the three dots and select Send > Copy to Google Docs.)

Mobile app only

There are a couple of additional features that are available in Keep’s mobile apps for Android and iOS.

You can record voice notes by tapping on the plus icon at the bottom of the screen and then Audio (Android) or tapping the plus icon and then Recording (iOS). The created note will have both the audio file as an embed and the transcript of the audio as the accompanying text. This can be especially useful if you need to quickly record a thought for later use; if you have the Keep Quick capture widget on your homescreen, you can tap it or say “Google, take a note” to record your new note.

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You can also add a photo to an open note by tapping the plus icon and then Take photo. If you want to start a new note with a photo, just tap the plus icon at the bottom of the screen, tap Image, and select either Take photo (for a new photo) or Choose image (to select one from your photo gallery).

Update June 5th, 2025: This article was originally published on October 16th, 2019, and has been updated to account for changes in the OS and to add additional features.

Five apps that can help you arrange your new home

2025-06-05T12:22:32-04:00

The best apps are those that save you a significant amount of time or genuinely fire up your imagination. Room planners make a strong claim to do both. These tools are able to give you 2D or 3D visualizations of your new home quickly and easily, letting you dream about the sort of spaces you want to create while also making sure you don’t waste hours on furniture arrangements that don’t work.

If you’re already on the way to moving to a new home, or just thinking about it, these apps can help. They’re all different in terms of the exact features and customizations they offer, so you can pick something that suits the amount of time and learning you want to invest — from quick 2D floor plans done in minutes, to 3D fly-byes of your ideal living space that will look better but take you significantly longer.

RoomStyler 3D Home Planner

Roomstyler packs lots of features into an old-fashioned interface.

Pros	Cons
Really easy to get started Remix rooms from other users Lots of premade objects	Outdated interface Limited customization options No mobile apps

Where to Buy:

$1.1 at Roomstyler (credit)

RoomStyler gives you everything you need to put together a floor plan and then visualize it in 3D. There’s also a busy community that has built up around the app, so you can share your designs publicly if you want some feedback, or get inspiration from what other people are doing, if you want to. You can even use someone else’s design to start off your own with a couple of clicks.

It’s really easy to just jump in and get started. The web interface is a little-old fashioned and clunky, but not hard to understand. You’ve got lots of furniture and objects to pick from, though outside of the walls and floors the customization options in terms of sizes and colors are limited (and you can’t import your own objects into Roomstyler).

One of the clunky aspects is the process of taking a 3D rendering. Rather than getting real-time visuals as the camera moves, you have to place the camera, hope it’s pointed in the right direction, take a photo, repeat as needed. High-resolution versions of these snapshots are the only part of Roomstyler that isn’t free: If you want to go above 960 x 540 pixel images, you need to buy credits, which start at $1.10 for a single 1920 x 1080 pixel rendering.

Plan Your Room

If you just want the basics, Plan Your Room will appeal.

Pros	Cons
Get started quickly Simple click-and-drag interface Uses exact measurements	No 3D views Limited customizations Web only

Where to Buy:

Check price at Plan Your Room

Plan Your Room very much sticks to the basics, but it does them well — and maybe the basics are all you need to quickly get a floorplan together. You can use exact measurements in this web app, and move and resize objects to get them precisely where you want them, so it’s suitable for getting everything correct, down to the feet and inches.

It’s also incredibly straightforward to load up and use. You don’t need to pay anything, and you don’t even need to register an account (unless you want to save your floor plans and come back to them later). Choose your furniture type from the gallery on the left, then drag the elements into place, changing the sizes and cloning items as you need to.

There’s a lot that isn’t included though. You can’t create your own furniture, the available selection of items is relatively limited, you can’t change colors or styles of anything you drop in, and you can only go room by room (rather than create an entire living space). There are no 3D tools here either.

Sweet Home 3D

The best for detailed, long-term planning.

Pros	Cons
Comprehensive set of features Available across multiple platforms 2D and 3D features are well integrated	Interface could be simpler to understand You need to upgrade for a lot of the objects Will take some time to learn

Where to Buy:

$2.99 at Sweet Home 3D (1 week)

Built partly on open source software and free to use in its basic form, Sweet Home 3D is packed with features for imagining a home, and available across all platforms. You can go into an incredible level of detail in 2D and 3D, with every aspect of your layout editable, but it does mean you’ll need to invest more time in navigating it.

The software feels quite old-school in terms of its design and interface, but it’s not difficult to use — there’s just a lot of it. You can work in 2D and 3D by dragging in premade elements and customizations, or rolling up your sleeves up and sketching everything yourself (or a combination of the two). It’s flexible, versatile, and detailed.

Paying for the software gets you a lot more in the way of bundled resources — some 1,600 models (up from 100) and more than 400 textures (up from 26) — so you might want to consider investing if you find the software helpful. Pricing starts at $2.99 for a week’s access, and goes up from there (and you can pay a one-off $179.99 fee for lifetime access).

Live Home 3D

The best for advanced designs, accessible anywhere.

Pros	Cons
Lots of free templates 3D images and video tours Cross-platform support	The best features are not free No web app It can take a while to learn the ropes

Where to Buy:

If you want something serious for your floor planning, Live Home 3D fits the bill. The fact that it’s available for the Vision Pro as well as desktop and mobile platforms gives you an idea of what you’re dealing with. It also comes with a steep-ish learning curve, though there are plenty of tutorials and room templates.

Just about every aspect of your design can be customized, from the height of the tables to the color of the open brickwork. The app does a good job of helping you with your layouts, with tools for aligning different elements and snapping them to various guides, and you can get a 3D rendering or even a video walkthrough at any time.

You can try Live Home 3D for free, but a lot of features are locked behind a paywall, including most furniture models, a wider choice of materials, higher-resolution video walkthroughs, and terrain editing. A Standard plan will cost you $5.99 a month or $49.99 for life, with the top-tier Pro plan available for $14.99 a month or $99.99 for life.

Planner 5D

The best for start-to-finish home design.

Pros	Cons
Accessible editing in 2D and 3D Covers every aspect of home design Get started with template designs	Power users will need to pay It takes a while to explore everything Some screens can get cluttered

Where to Buy:

This is undoubtedly one of the most comprehensive floor plan and house plan apps out there, covering everything from basic plans to 3D tours. Planner 5D will even connect you with actual designers if you need more help. Despite how many features are packed in, though, the web and mobile apps never feel cluttered or difficult to use.

A wide variety of indoor and elements can be dragged into your designs, and moved, customized, and resized to suit. Colors, textures, and materials can be tweaked with a click or a tap, and you can make changes in both 2D and 3D views. Advanced options like object alignment and grouping are intuitive to use, even for beginners.

Most of this functionality comes with a cost, though there’s enough that’s free to give you an idea of whether or not the app suits you. A premium account (from $4.99 a month) gives you access to much more of everything: objects, materials, and extra customizations. You also get AI design tools to create layouts from prompts, and unlimited, hi-res 3D renders.

How to scan documents using your iPhone

2025-05-23T15:07:59-04:00

Converting paper documents into digital formats means you’ve got backups of your paperwork should you ever need them. It can also help you clear out a substantial amount of clutter from your home or office — perhaps a whole filing cabinet’s worth.

It’s now easier than ever to scan documents using today’s phones — a large flatbed scanner is no longer needed as it was in the past. Receipts, business cards, bills, and any other kind of printed material can be stored digitally.

If you’ve got an iPhone, you can do this straight from the built-in Notes or Files apps. If those don’t quite give you the features you need, there are third-party alternatives that will do the job as well.

Scan documents with Notes or Files

When you scan with Files or Notes, the camera will automatically line the image up.

| Screenshot: Apple" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Apple" /> Notes makes it simple to scan a document. | Screenshot: Apple" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Apple" />

The process of scanning a document is similar in both Notes and Files. To get started in Notes, open or create a note, then tap the paperclip icon at the bottom, then Scan Documents. In Files, tap the three dots (top right), then Scan Documents.

This gets you into the scanning interface. By default, you’ll be in auto mode — frame the document in the camera viewfinder, and when it’s lined up, a picture is automatically taken. Line up the next page, and after a moment, another capture is made.

Tap Auto (top right) to switch to manual mode, which lets you take each snap using the shutter button manually. The Auto button changes to read Manual, and you can tap it again to switch back to automatic mode.

You’ll see a couple of icons at the top. The lightning bolt lets you control the flash, while the three circles lets you switch between Color, Grayscale, Black & White, and Photo for the scanning mode.

When all the documents and pages have been captured, tap Save. In Notes, the pages you’ve scanned are then added to the current note, and in Files the pages are saved together as a PDF file (you may be asked where you want to save your file).

Scanning documents from a Mac

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Apple’s Continuity suite of features includes a useful little trick that lets you scan documents from your Mac using an iPhone. As with other Continuity features, you must be signed in to the same Apple account on both devices for this to work, and both devices need to have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.

This works in Finder, Mail, Messages, Notes, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and TextEdit on macOS. There are three options, depending on the app you’re in:

Ctrl+click where you want the scan to show, then choose Import from iPhone or iPad > Scan Documents.
From the File menu, choose Import from iPhone or iPad > Scan Documents.
From the Insert menu, choose Import from iPhone or iPad > Scan Documents.

All three methods will launch the document scanner on your iPhone — at which point you’re back to the interface we covered in the previous section. When you tap Save on your iPhone, the documents show up in your Mac app.

Third-party scanning apps

Dropbox lets you tweak the crop of the scan. | Screenshot: Dropbox" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Dropbox" /> Dropbox also gives you options for reducing the file size.

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The process in iOS and macOS is very straightforward, but plenty of other apps do document scanning too, if you need them. A couple that I use regularly are Google Drive and Dropbox, so you might find they suit you better if those apps are where you tend to keep your digital archives.

With Google Drive, tap the scan document icon in the lower right corner (it looks like a page with a frame around it). This takes you to a camera interface that matches the one you get in Notes and Files, but when you tap Save, you get to choose where in your Google Drive you want the scanned PDF uploaded to.

You get a few more options with Dropbox: Tap the blue + (plus) button at the bottom, then Scan files. There’s the Auto and Manual toggle switch again, but as soon as a page is captured, you get taken to a new screen where you can edit the borders of the scan or rotate it, and add further pages. When that’s sorted, you’re able to choose where in your Dropbox you want the scanned PDF to be saved, and how much compression to apply.

How to manage your bookmarks in Google Chrome

2025-05-19T11:48:53-04:00

There’s a lot to look at, watch, and listen to on the web. Fully utilizing the bookmarks feature in Google Chrome can be a real help in staying on top of everything.

Chrome is the browser I use most often, and I’ve got a huge number of bookmarked sites inside it: long reads I want to get back to once work is done, news updates to write up for work, gift ideas, apps I’d like to check out, important Slack channels, and content systems for my job… the list goes on. All synced between devices and available everywhere.

If you haven’t done a deep dive into Chrome’s bookmarks feature then you might not be aware of everything you can do with it, how it can save you time, and how you can bring some kind of order to your web browsing.

Saving bookmarks

You can edit bookmarks as soon as you've saved them. | Screenshot: Google" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Google" />

The star icon to the right of the address bar in Chrome on the desktop is for saving new bookmarks. Click it and the current page gets saved to the most recently used bookmarks folder. You can also press Ctrl+D (Windows) or Cmd+D (macOS), which is even easier. On mobile, tap the three dots at the top then the star icon (Android), or the three dots at the bottom then Add to bookmarks (iOS) to save the current page as a new bookmark.

As soon as a bookmark is saved, a small dialog pops up. You can use it to change the bookmark name and folder if you need to, or just click Done to move on.

More options can be found on the desktop by clicking the three dots (top right) then Bookmarks and lists. You’re able to add bookmarks from this menu, too, and there’s also a Bookmark all tabs option, which saves every open tab (which, like tab groups, is handy if you need to do something else but want to be able to get back to where you are).

On the same Bookmarks and lists menu you can toggle the bookmarks bar on and off. The bookmarks bar sits just below the address bar, and gives you another way to add bookmarks: drag the URL of the site you’re viewing down from the address bar to the bookmarks bar.

Organizing bookmarks

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Bookmarks become a lot more useful when they’re well organized. On the desktop you can launch the full bookmarks manager by clicking Bookmarks on the bookmarks bar, or by clicking the three dots (top right) and then Bookmarks and Lists > Bookmark Manager. You can search through your bookmarks here, and create new folders: Click the three dots (top right), then Add new folder — and yes, you can put folders inside other folders. (This is also where you’ll find the Export feature, and it’s a good idea to export your bookmarks occasionally as a backup.)

Folders are a key part of keeping your bookmarks organized, and they’re all accessible on the left of the bookmarks manager page. Click and drag bookmarks to change their order, or to move them into different folders. Right-click on a folder to rename or delete it, or drag it on top of another folder to put it inside that folder.

You can double-click any bookmark to open it. To edit it, click the three dots to the right: You’re able to rename your bookmarks and change their URLs, as well as put them in different folders. If you right-click on a bookmarks folder, you get the option to open all the links it contains in separate tabs — which may not do your computer much good if there are dozens or hundreds of bookmarks in the folder.

The bookmark manager can be accessed on mobile too, though you don’t get quite as many options to play around with. Tap the three dots at the top (Android) or bottom (iOS) of the interface, then choose Bookmarks to see the list. As long as you’re signed in with your Google account, bookmarks will sync between your devices.

Doing more with bookmarks

With some tweaks, you can get your bookmarks bar looking much more compact. | Screenshot: Google" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Google" />

There are other ways to work with your bookmarks in Chrome.

Here’s a clever trick for your desktop bookmarks bar: right-click on each bookmark in turn, remove the text in the Name field completely each time, and click Save. You’ll then have a compact row of bookmark icons showing only the favicons for each site (such as a purple V for The Verge). It’s a neat way to put more bookmarks within each reach, and you can still tell what each one is.
Something else you might want to try is to search through your bookmarks directly from the address bar. You may see some bookmark results suggested underneath as you type out your search query, and you can also force a bookmarks search by preceding your query with “@bookmarks” and a space.
If you want to keep bookmarks visible at all times, that’s possible too. Click the three dots in Chrome for the desktop, then choose Bookmarks and lists > Show all bookmarks. A side panel appears displaying all your bookmarks: You can search through them, create new folders, and edit your bookmarks from here (click the three dots to the side).
The icons in the top right corner, from left to right, let you change the order of the bookmark lists, switch between compact and visual views, and edit multiple bookmarks at once. You can shut down the panel with the X button, but if you click the pin button just next to it before you do, you get a dedicated bookmarks panel icon that stays permanently available on the Chrome toolbar, and will let you open it back up again.

This has hopefully given you some idea of what you can do with bookmarks in Google Chrome. And there’s more, so it might be worth it to take some time and look around. It’s not the most sophisticated of systems, but it does give you plenty of flexibility in terms of how you can use it and what’s possible, so you can get your folders and shortcuts set up in the ways that work best for you.

How to turn on Lockdown Mode for your iPhone and Mac

2025-05-09T12:09:27-04:00

Apple is known for prioritizing privacy and security, but there are additional measures you can turn to if you feel you need them. iPhones, iPads, and Macs have what’s known as a Lockdown Mode that takes protecting your data to a whole new level.

It’s clear that this isn’t for everyone: Apple describes it as being for those who feel they might be attacked by “the most sophisticated threats.” Think journalists working in dangerous regions, activists under threat from surveillance or censorship, or politicians with access to top secret information.

Anyone can turn it on and off as needed — you don’t need any special status or any particular kind of Apple account. It only takes a few taps or clicks, and you’ll have the highest level of security protection that Apple offers.

How Lockdown Mode protects you

Lockdown Mode is available on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. | Screenshot: Apple" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Apple" />

It’s worth bearing in mind that there are some tradeoffs when using Lockdown Mode. The software you use will be limited in some of its functionality to give would-be hackers fewer ways to get at you and your data.

You’ll find most attachments in Messages blocked, while FaceTime calls are only permitted with people you’ve had contact with in the last month. In Photos, you can’t create or even see shared albums, and Focus modes are disabled, too. New device connections are only allowed if your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is unlocked when the connection is made.

Certain parts of Safari get disabled, too, with many web technologies (that may be used to launch an attack) turned off. You’ll see missing images and fonts that don’t look right, and certain websites might load slowly or not work at all.

You won’t be able to install new configuration profiles (for testing apps, for example), and there’s no support for unsecured Wi-Fi networks. You’ll also lose the ability to access Game Center — sorry, gamers.

Lockdown Mode is enabled on a device-by-device basis, so enabling it on your Mac won’t automatically enable it on your iPhone. You will get a prompt across all the devices associated with your Apple account once you’ve turned the mode on for one device.

How to enable Lockdown Mode

Left: Lockdown Mode is under Privacy & Security in Settings. Right: You get plenty of info about Lockdown Mode before enabling it. | Screenshot: Apple" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Apple" />

Considering how dramatic Lockdown Mode is in terms of the changes it makes to your devices, it’s surprisingly easy to enable.

On an iPhone or iPad:

Open Settings in iOS or iPadOS.
Choose Privacy & Security.
Scroll down to and tap Lockdown Mode.
Select Turn On Lockdown Mode. You’ll get a summary of how it will affect your phone use. Tap Turn On Lockdown Mode again to confirm.
Select Turn On & Restart.

You’ll need to enter your phone or tablet passcode, and then your device will reboot. When you get back into the software, Lockdown Mode will be enabled.

On a Mac:

Open the Apple menu, then go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Lockdown Mode.
Select Turn On.
On the next dialog, click Turn On Lockdown Mode. As with iOS, you’ll get a summary of how it will affect your phone use. Click Turn On Lockdown Mode again to confirm.
Finally, choose Turn On & Restart.

You’ll need to enter the password associated with your Mac account, and then the computer will reboot, enabling Lockdown Mode along the way.

Once you enable Lockdown Mode, you'll need to restart your device. | Screenshot: Apple" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Apple" />

Customize and disable Lockdown Mode

There aren’t many ways to customize Lockdown Mode, but you can exclude certain websites from its restrictions in Safari, if you want to.

When you’re on a page in Safari on an iPhone or iPad, tap the menu button (to the left of the web URL), then the three dots, then disable Lockdown Mode.

On macOS, choose Safari > Settings for , and uncheck Enable Lockdown Mode.
Whatever device you’re using, you’ll see a confirmation dialog appear. Tap Turn Off to confirm.

You can exclude certain websites from Lockdown Mode restrictions. | Screenshot: Apple" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Apple" />

You can review and edit your website exclusion list, too.

From Settings on iOS and iPadOS, choose Privacy & Security > Lockdown Mode > Configure Web Browsing.
On macOS, open Safari then pick Safari > Settings > Websites > Lockdown Mode.

If you’re starting to feel safer (or just inconvenienced by the restrictions), getting out of Lockdown Mode is just as easy as enabling it: simply retrace your original steps to find the option. Again, you’ll need to have your passcode or password to hand and restart your device, and then you’ll be back to normal.

How to lock down your privacy in WhatsApp

2025-05-02T13:48:52-04:00

The end-to-end encryption (E2EE) available on the WhatsApp messaging app gets you off to a good start when it comes to privacy and security. It means no one else — hackers, law enforcement, or Meta staff — can see your chats. Your stuff stays just between you and the person or persons you’re chatting with.

On top of that, the app comes with a variety of other features for locking down your data as tightly as possible. Get all of these precautions in place, and you’re as well protected as you can be when it comes to keeping your conversations private.

Stop others from exporting your chats

If you want to export your chat, it’s easy to have it served up in a plain text file, complete with media attached, if requested.

On Android, tap the three dots (top right) in a chat, then More > Export chat.
On an iPhone, tap the header at the top of the chat, then Export chat.

The problem is that anyone you’re chatting to can export that chat somewhere else, just like you can. If you’d rather your contacts weren’t exporting your shared conversations, you can disable this for everyone in the chat. (This feature has only just been introduced, so you might not see it yet.)

Get to the chat info page by tapping the header at the top.
Choose Advanced chat privacy to turn on the block.

Lock and hide specific chats

Lock chats to add an extra layer of security. | Screenshots: WhatsApp" data-portal-copyright="Screenshots: WhatsApp" />

Many of WhatsApp’s security protections can be undone if someone else should gain access to your phone, which is why the chat lock feature can be useful. It puts specific conversations you select into their own folder, which can only be accessed with an additional password or biometric authentication method.

Locked chats can be found above all your other messages on the main chat list, and the unlock method currently in place for your phone (such as Face ID, for example) will be required for these chats.

To lock a chat:

Tap the header at the top of the conversation.
Choose Chat lock (Android) or Lock chat (iOS).

Put WhatsApp behind a biometric lock

As well as putting individual chats behind an extra layer of security, you can also do this for WhatsApp as a whole. If someone should somehow get into your phone, they won’t be able to get at anything inside WhatsApp without a face or fingerprint scan.

Assuming your Android or iOS phone already has biometric security set up for the lock screen, you can apply the same to WhatsApp.

On Android, from the main chat list, tap the three dots (top right), then Settings > Privacy > App lock.
On iOS, switch to the Settings tab, then choose Privacy > App lock.

You can also set how long WhatsApp waits before asking for biometric authentication again.

Make sure backups are fully encrypted

WhatsApp backups aren't encrypted by default. | Screenshot: WhatsApp" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: WhatsApp" />

Your WhatsApp chats are fully encrypted, but your chat backups aren’t — not by default, anyway. While hacking into these backups is very difficult, it’s even more difficult if they’re encrypted. Enabling this does mean you’ll need the encryption key or password WhatsApp gives you in order to restore backups, however.

Head to the app settings (the three dots then Settings on the Chats tab in Android, the Settings tab on iOS)
Pick Chats > Chat backup. From here you can manage backing up your conversations to your Google account or to iCloud, and enable encryption via the End-to-end encrypted backup option.

Turn on two-factor authentication

It’s a very good idea to turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) on every account that offers it, which is most of them these days. It means that an extra code is required whenever you log into an app on a new device. This code is typically delivered via an authenticator app, but with WhatsApp it’s a six-digit PIN you set yourself.

Open WhatsApp’s Settings on your phone,
On Android, head to the Chats tab, tap the three dots (top right), and pick Settings.
On iOS, switch to the Settings tab, then tap Account > Two-step verification to set up the feature.

You have the option of entering an email address you can use to reset the PIN if you ever forget it — otherwise WhatsApp makes you wait seven days before creating a new PIN.

Enable disappearing messages

Messages can be set to auto-delete after a certain time.. | Screenshot: WhatsApp" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: WhatsApp" />

You can turn on disappearing messages and make sure your chats get wiped over time — so even if someone else gains access to your phone, they won’t be able to see what you’ve been chatting about, because the conversations will have vanished.

To do this in any conversation:

Tap the header bar at the top, then choose Disappearing messages.
Your choices for the message timer, which starts as soon as all chat participants have seen the message, are 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days.
You can also set a default message timer for all new chats you start.

How to use Visual Intelligence on the iPhone

2025-04-25T13:27:28-04:00

One of the Apple Intelligence features that hasn’t been delayed is Visual Intelligence, which uses your iPhone’s camera to identify and answer questions on whatever’s around you in the world.

It lets you snap a pizza restaurant storefront and find out its opening hours, for example, or point your camera at a plant and find out what it’s called and how to care for it. If you’ve used Google Lens, you’ll get the idea.

This isn’t available to everyone, though. You have to be using iOS 18.2 on the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, or iPhone 16 Pro Max; iOS 18.3 on the iPhone 16E; or iOS 18.4 on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. You’ll also need to have Apple Intelligence turned on, via Apple Intelligence & Siri in Settings.

How to launch Visual Intelligence

Left: You can get Visual Intelligence to work with the Action Button. Right: If there’s a match, it’ll appear at the top of the screen. | Images: Apple" data-portal-copyright="Images: Apple" />

If you have an iPhone 16 with a Camera Control button on the right-hand side, you can tap and hold this button to bring up the camera and Visual Intelligence.

If you’ve got an iPhone 16E, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max, you’ve got a few different options to choose from:

You can customize the Action Button to launch Visual Intelligence: Go to Settings, tap Action Button, then swipe left or right to find Visual Intelligence.
You can launch it from the lockscreen. With your phone locked, tap and hold on the lockscreen, then choose Customize > Lock Screen. Tap the – (minus) symbol next to either icon in the bottom corner to clear the current shortcut, then tap + (plus) to select Visual Intelligence as the replacement.
You can launch it from the Control Center. Swipe down from the top right corner of the display. You should see a Visual Intelligence shortcut. If it’s not there, tap + (plus) in the top left corner, then Add a Control to add Visual Intelligence.

How to use Visual Intelligence

Left: You can ask ChatGPT about anything you’re looking at. Right: Google image search is integrated into Visual Intelligence. | Screenshots: Apple" data-portal-copyright="Screenshots: Apple" />

There are all kinds of ways to use Visual Intelligence. Most of the time, it’ll be able to recognize and respond to prompts about anything you show it, so try experimenting and see what you get.

Identify animals and plants. If you’re looking at an animal or plant, Visual Intelligence should recognize this, and tell you what you’re looking at without any further input. You can then tap the animal or plant name for more information.

Interact with businesses. Point your iPhone camera at a business location, and it should be identified in the same way that animals and plants are, with a label at the top. Tap this label to see your options, which will vary depending on what Apple’s AI can find. These options might include Schedule (to see opening times), Order (to order a delivery), Menu (to see food, drink, or services), and Reserve (to book a table). Tap the three dots to call the business, visit its website, or see more information about it.

Scan text: Visual Intelligence can do a lot with text. Tap the capture button (the large circle at the bottom) with text in view, and you get onscreen options to Summarize, Translate, or Read Aloud the text using AI.

Take action on text: Visual Intelligence will often pop up options for taking action on text it recognizes. It can call numbers, create calendar events from dates, message email addresses, and look up information on flight numbers.

Outside of those options, you’ve got two features you can use, which appear as buttons onscreen whenever Visual Intelligence is looking at something.

Tap Ask to get a ChatGPT prompt box. You can then ask what an object is, how to fix something, how to solve a math problem, how to make a dish from certain ingredients, or any other image-related query you can think of based on what’s onscreen.

Tap Search to get the standard list of Google search results for the image you’ve snapped. This can be helpful if you want to shop online for something that’s in front of you, but it also works for some of the same queries above as well (maybe identifying an actor from an image, or looking up a make of car).

To exit Visual Intelligence at any time, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

How to scan a QR code with your phone

2025-04-18T13:18:34-04:00

The humble QR (or Quick Response) code has become ubiquitous. Invented back in the 1990s to scan car parts, the barcodes got a popularity boost during the pandemic when touchless tech became prioritized, and they’re now a regular part of daily life.

You’ll find them deployed to help you order food, connect to Wi-Fi, shop online, access tickets, prove your identity, and much more besides. They can either store information (about 3KB’s worth), or redirect you somewhere (like a website or an app page).

If you come across a QR code you want to read, you’ve got everything you need right on your phone.

How QR codes work

Event tickets are one use of QR codes. | Screenshot: Ticketmaster" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Ticketmaster" />

QR codes contain a small amount of data, typically under a hundred alphanumeric characters for the codes you’ll most often see day to day — although QR codes can get larger and more complex if more information needs to be stored. They can also have error correction built in, which adds to the size but means they’ll still work if part of the code is obscured or damaged.

A phone camera or other scanning device can read the information in a QR code, with the help of the three finder patterns at the corners: They tell the scanner where the QR code is, how big it is, and how it’s rotated. (A geeky aside: the 1-1-3-1-1 layout of these finder patterns was chosen because it’s not often used in printed media.)

With just a few dozen characters to play with, there’s not enough room for an image or an essay, but QR codes can fit in website addresses, contact details, and login credentials for a Wi-Fi network. When it comes to such things as stadium tickets or boarding passes, the QR code can have an unique embedded token that’s checked against a database to prove you are who you say you are.

QR codes can also be used to try to scam you, often by directing you to a fraudulent website which will then attempt to trick you into revealing personal or payment information. Your phone browser’s built-in security should catch and block a good number of these phishing attacks, but be wary of QR codes stuck in random public places, on suspicious websites, or that seem to have been tampered with.

How to scan a QR code

Left: Scanning a QR code using Google Photos with Google Lens. Right: Scanning a QR code using Apple Photos. | Screenshots: Google / Apple" data-portal-copyright="Screenshots: Google / Apple" />

Native QR code scanning has been built into phone cameras since Android 8 and iOS 11 (both from 2017), so you’re not going to have any problem reading a QR code on a modern smartphone — no additional app required. All you need to do is open the camera app on your phone and point it at the QR code.

Assuming the lighting is good enough and the focus is clear enough (tapping on the code in the viewfinder may help here), you should see a link appear underneath the code. Tap this link to head to the website or app page the QR code is pointing to. What happens next will depend on the code: it might take you to a menu page for a restaurant, for example, or to a contact card.

If you think you might need a QR code again, you can save it by taking a photo of it. In Google Photos, you can read a QR code in a saved image by opening it and tapping the Google Lens button (the one that looks like a digital camera). In Apple Photos, open the saved image and tap the Live Text button (horizontal lines with a border around them). You can then tap on the QR code to head where it’s pointing.

A variety of third-party QR code scanner apps are available, but I wouldn’t recommend using one unless you specifically need extra functions. These apps offer features like the ability to scan different barcode types, to save QR codes you’ve scanned, or to create your own QR codes, but they’re often stuffed with ads, and usually pester you into buying a paid subscription. If you just want to create a QR code, a good (and relatively safe) place to start is Adobe’s free online QR code generator.

How to set up Do Not Disturb modes on your Android phone

2025-04-16T11:24:31-04:00

In recent years, Do Not Disturb has evolved on both iPhones and Android phones: it’s no longer just a simple block on notifications and distractions, but rather a selection of modes you can customize to suit all the different scenarios in your life (like driving, sleeping, working, or exercising at the gym).

This means you have more control over which apps and contacts can interrupt you and when. If you want Slack to be able to send you alerts during office hours but not family time, for example, you can set this up with just a few taps.

It’s worth spending a few minutes getting these various modes configured to suit you and your schedule, as it’ll make your phone less distracting without causing you to miss anything important.

Android being Android, the exact details for Do Not Disturb vary by manufacturer, but you’ll find instructions below for a Pixel 9 running Android 15 and a Galaxy S25 running One UI 7 — if you’re using anything else, the process should be similar. If you’re on an iPhone, you can try Focus modes.

Do Not Disturb on Pixel phones

Left: You'll find some modes already in place on your Pixel. Right: You can set contacts and apps that override each mode. | Screenshots: Google" data-portal-copyright="Screenshots: Google" />

In previous versions of Android, Do Not Disturb had its own category in Settings. However, starting from Android 15, you can find Do Not Disturb by heading to Settings and choosing Modes.

Besides Do Not Disturb, which you can use for most occasions, there will also be preset ones for Bedtime and Driving. There are also links for the Game Dashboard (which manages notifications and other settings when you’re gaming) and Create your own mode. (Note: if you’ve already played around with Do Not Disturb or other modes, the presets may not be there — you can usually find them again in Create your own mode.)

Tap this last option, then Custom, to build a new Do Not Disturb mode from scratch. Here’s how:

Give your new mode a name and choose an icon for it.
Tap Done to create the mode and open its configuration page.
Choose Set a schedule to set times when the mode should turn on and off automatically. You can also enable and disable it manually by tapping Turn on now and Turn off.
Tap People to set which contacts are exempt from this Do Not Disturb mode — this will apply to calls and messages sent via Google Messages, and you can have different contact lists for each.
Tap Apps to choose which apps can interrupt this Do Not Disturb mode. Tap the gear icon next to Selected apps to pick specific apps.
Tap Alarms and other interruptions to set how this Do Not Disturb mode handles alarms, media, reminders, keyboard sounds, and calendar events.

You also have Display settings on this screen, which lets you set how allowed notifications show up, such as whether or not they wake up the screen or appear in the status bar. There are options for dimming the screen, turning it grayscale, or switching to dark mode whenever a specific mode is enabled.

Once a mode has been added to the main list, tap on it to make changes, or to enable or disable it manually. You can also rename a mode or delete it via the three dots (top right). Android’s preset Bedtime and Driving modes can be changed or deleted, too, if you wish.

Bear in mind that you can use these modes in combination with settings inside apps. For example, you could allow WhatsApp to send notifications through your Do Not Disturb modes, but mute conversations inside WhatsApp itself so you’re only hearing from specific people.

Your configured modes can be launched from the Quick Settings panel, too, as well as manually or on a schedule. Swipe down with two fingers from the top of the display, then choose Modes.

Do Not Disturb on Galaxy phones

Left: Your modes can have custom names, colors, and icons. Right: You're able to specify apps that can break through each mode. | Screenshots: Samsung" data-portal-copyright="Screenshots: Samsung" />

When it comes to Samsung Galaxy phones, you can find similar options by choosing Modes and Routines from Settings. Routines are automations you can set up on your Galaxy phone, like turning on the lights in the morning as you wake up, and tie into modes if needed.

Both Modes and Routines can be found via tabs at the bottom of the screen. Using the Modes tab, you’ll see Samsung has already created plenty to get you started, including Sleep, Exercise, and Work. To start building your own mode and see the options available, tap Add mode:

You get to pick a name, an icon, and a color for your mode.
Tap Done to confirm, create the mode, and get to the settings screen.
Tap on When to start this mode to have it run on a schedule. You can also tap Turn on to enable it manually and Turn off to disable it.
Choose Ways to avoid distractions to configure the mode in detail.
The Do not disturb option is where you set the contacts who can trigger alerts with calls and messages (through the default text message app), and the apps that are allowed to trigger notifications.
The Restrict app usage option lets you go even further and block certain apps from being used while the mode is active.

Back on the settings screen for your new mode, you can choose More actions for this mode to expand it further. There are options for turning the display gray, enabling dark mode, controlling the volume, and enabling power saving. Finally, there are Lock screen and Home screen options for each mode, too — you can set different wallpapers, if needed, when a mode is active.

You can tap on any mode in the main list to edit it at any time. If you need to rename a mode, just tap on its name. Tap the three dots in the top right corner, and you can delete a mode, as well as set how long it should stay active for when you turn it on manually.

As on Pixel phones, remember there are notification settings within individual apps, as well. In Gmail, for example, you can choose to only get alerts about high priority emails, rather than everything coming to your inbox.

In addition to enabling modes from the Modes and Routines screen or on a schedule, you’ll find them in the Quick Settings panel, too. Swipe down from the top right of the screen, then choose Modes.

How to use your phone as a hotspot

2025-04-04T12:53:03-04:00

If you’re taking your laptop away from the safe environs of your home or office desk and still want to stay online, you’ve got a couple of choices (assuming it doesn’t have cellular connectivity built in): hunt around for a Wi-Fi network you can connect to or run a Wi-Fi hotspot from your phone.

Running a hotspot from your phone comes with advantages and disadvantages. It’s more secure than a public Wi-Fi network, as you’re in charge, and you may well get better upload and download speeds, too — though this will, of course, depend on the 4G and 5G coverage in your part of the world. On the downside, you may be limited in terms of your data allowance, and battery life on your phone will take a hit.

If you want to take the mobile hotspot route, here’s how to do it.

Set up a hotspot on a Pixel

With Android devices, as always, the exact steps vary depending on the manufacturer. These are the steps for using a Pixel device with Android 15:

Open Settings on Android.
Choose Network & Internet > Hotspot & tethering.
You can toggle Wi-Fi hotspot from here to enable it, but if you’ve never used the hotspot before, tap on it to set your options.
You’ll see options to set the Wi-Fi name and password, which other devices need to connect. You can also set the hotspot to turn itself off automatically if it’s no longer being used and use Instant Hotspot to automatically sign in other devices on your account.
Enable the Use Wi-Fi hotspot toggle switch.

Note: if you use Android’s Data Saver, which stops some apps from sending or receiving data in the background, you’ll have to turn it off in order to use the hotspot.

Set up a hotspot on a Samsung Galaxy

The steps are slightly different for a Samsung Galaxy device loaded with One UI 7:

Open Settings.
Select Connections > Mobile Hotspot and Tethering.
Again, you can toggle Mobile Hotspot on from here, but you may want to tap on it instead to check the network name and password. There’s also an Auto Hotspot feature so you can automatically share with other devices signed in to the same Samsung account and info on how much mobile data has already been shared.
When you’re ready, toggle Mobile Hotspot on.

Hotspot options on a Pixel phone. | Screenshot: Google" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Google" /> Hotspot options on a Galaxy phone. | Screenshot: Samsung" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Samsung" /> Hotspot options on an iPhone.

| Screenshot: Apple" data-portal-copyright="Screenshot: Apple" />

Set up a hotspot on an iPhone

If you’re using an iPhone with iOS 18:

Open Settings in iOS.
Tap Personal Hotspot.
Turn on the Allow Others to Join toggle switch.
Enable Maximize Compatibility if you want to use 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (rather than 5GHz) for the hotspot. It’s slower, but it ensures compatibility with older devices.

The name of the Wi-Fi hotspot will be the name of your iPhone (set in General > About > Name in Settings). The password will be shown on the Personal Hotspot screen, and you can tap on the entry to change it.

Apple also offers a feature called Instant Hotspot. If the hotspot is enabled on your iPhone, you can connect to it with a tap from iPads, Macs, and other Apple devices using the same Apple account — you won’t need to enter the password.

The cost of hotspots

It’s now the norm for carriers to offer unlimited or very generous amounts of data in their plans, but most of the time, hotspot data will be handled separately. If you’re going to be using your phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot, you need to check what’s included in your plan.

For example, Verizon’s $40 per month Unlimited Plus plan gives you 30GB of high-speed hotspot data per month, while you get the same amount with the $41 per month Unlimited Extra EL plan from AT&T. In both cases, once you go over that limit, you’ll be restricted to much slower speeds for the rest of the month.

There is another option, which is to buy a dedicated hotspot device, like these sold by T-Mobile. You’ll need to pay for an extra SIM with its own data plan to use with the device, so it can be an expensive option — but you’ll usually get better performance than you would from a phone hotspot (especially if you’re connecting multiple gadgets), and you don’t have to worry about draining your phone’s battery).

Something like the Netgear Nighthawk M6, which varies in cost from about $500 to $600, will deliver Wi-Fi 6 speeds to up to 32 devices when supplied with a SIM card. Definitely not cheap, but it’ll offer better range and speeds than your phone, and it’s good enough to be used as a backup home router if your broadband goes out.