Cell Phones Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-28-2022

Your Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone allows you to do many of the same things as previous versions of the Galaxy. You can change the font size for texting conversations and take selfies. You can also access Galaxy applications while you’re talking on the S10. Use this Cheat Sheet as a handy reference for some of its popular functions.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-28-2022

Your Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone allows you to do many of the same things as previous versions of the Galaxy. You can change the font size for texting conversations and take selfies. You can also access Galaxy applications while you’re talking on the S22. Navigating your Samsung Galaxy S22 doesn’t have to be difficult. This Cheat Sheet will help you remember some of the most popular functions.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-25-2022

Your Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphone allows you to do many of the same things as previous versions of the Galaxy. You can change the font size for texting conversations and take selfies. You can also access Galaxy applications while you’re talking on the S20. Navigating your Samsung Galaxy S20 doesn’t have to be difficult.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-24-2022

Believe it or not, most of the technical and creative innovation in photography today is coming not from the big DSLR manufacturers but rather from mobile phone makers. Your Apple iPhone is a brilliant mixture of art and science, and its camera is ready and able to help you capture your next stunning photo. Discover how to create bold, strong compositions that hold your viewer’s attention. Master the technical side of iPhone photography. And as the word photography literally means light-writing, immerse yourself in the exciting possibilities for manipulating light. The future is bright for iPhone photographers such as you.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-15-2022

It's not always obvious how you can modify how your iPhone works. For example, you can use Settings to change how the Safari browser protects you from being tracked online or which online calendar's events are shown in iPhone's Calendar app. This Cheat Sheet gives you a rundown of some of the most useful features and apps so that you can find what you need to customize your iPhone's behavior.

Article / Updated 01-14-2022

Before iOS 11 came out, long-time iPhone users pined for a way to browse files stored on their devices, as opposed to being limited to finding documents and other files only within the apps they’re intended for or created by. When iOS 11 came out, it introduced a new app called Files, which allows you to browse not only for files stored on your iPhone, but also see stuff you stored on other online (cloud) services, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and others. How to use the Files app You’ll find the Files app on the second home screen, by default. Tap the Files icon to open the app. On the Browse screen: Tap the Search field to search for items by title. Tap a source in the Locations or Favorites sections to browse a particular service or your iPhone. Tap colors under Tags to search for files you’ve tagged according to categories. Once in a source, you may tap files to open or preview them, and you may tap folders to open them and view their contents. Tap Select in the upper-right corner of the screen and then tap items to select them for an action. Available actions, found at the bottom of the screen, include Duplicating files: Make copies of selected items. Moving files: Move files to other sources. Sharing files: Share files with other people in a variety of ways (Messages and Mail, for example). You can even invite them to make edits, if you like. Deleting files: Trash files you no longer need. Should you like to retrieve a file you’ve deleted, go the Browse screen (tap Browse at the bottom of the screen if you’re not already there) and tap Recently Deleted. Tap Select in the upper-right corner, tap the file you’d like to retrieve, and tap the Recover button at the bottom of the screen. The file will be placed back in the location it was originally deleted from. Please note that some services may not allow you to retrieve a file you’ve deleted; if you don’t see the file you’re looking for, contact that particular service.

Article / Updated 01-14-2022

The word roam takes on an entirely new meaning when applied to an Android phone. It means that your phone receives a cell signal whenever you’re outside your cell phone carrier’s operating area. In that case, your phone is roaming. Roaming sounds handy, but there’s a catch: It almost always involves a surcharge for using another cellular service — an unpleasant surcharge. Relax: Your Android phone alerts you whenever it’s roaming. A Roaming icon appears at the top of the screen, in the status area, whenever you’re outside your cellular provider’s signal area. The icon differs from phone to phone, but generally the letter R figures in it somewhere, similar to what’s shown in the image. How to turn off data roaming on your phone There’s little you can do to avoid incurring roaming surcharges when making or receiving phone calls. Well, yes, you could wait until you’re back in an area serviced by your primary cellular provider. You can, however, altogether avoid using the other network’s data services while roaming. Follow these steps: Open the Settings app. In the Wireless & Networks section, touch the More item. Choose Mobile Networks. On some Android phones, you may have to choose Battery & Data Manager and then Data Delivery. Remove the check mark by the Data Roaming option. On some phones the option is titled Global Data Roaming Access. Choose it and then choose the Deny Data Roaming Access option. Your phone can still access the Internet over the Wi-Fi connection when it roams. Setting up a Wi-Fi connection doesn’t make you incur extra charges, unless you have to pay to get on the wireless network. How to avoid texting surcharges Another network service you might want to disable while roaming has to do with multimedia, or MMS, text messages. To avoid surcharges from another cellular network for downloading an MMS message, follow these steps: Open the phone’s text messaging app. Ensure that you’re viewing the apps’ main screen, the one that lists all the conversations. Touch the Back icon or the app icon in the upper-left corner of the screen until the app’s main screen is displayed. Touch the Action Overflow icon or Menu icon. Choose the Settings or the Messaging Settings command. Remove the check mark by the Auto-Retrieve or Roaming Auto-Retrieve command. Or if the item isn’t selected, you’re good to go — literally. The lock screen may also announce that the phone is roaming. You might see the name of the other cellular network displayed. The text Emergency Calls Only might also appear.

Article / Updated 11-08-2021

If you are an iPhone user who has visual challenges, the black-and-white screen option offers a black background with white lettering that some people find easier to use when reading text. The White on Black accessibility setting reverses colors on your screen so that backgrounds are black and text is white. To turn on this feature, tap the Settings icon on the Home screen. Tap General and then scroll down and tap Accessibility. In the Accessibility dialog, tap the White on Black On/Off button to turn on this feature. The colors on the screen reverse. Tap the Home button to leave Settings. The White on Black feature works well in some places and not so well in others. For example, in the Photos application, pictures appear almost as photo negatives. Your Home screen image will likewise look a bit strange. And don’t even think of playing a video with this feature turned on! However, if you need help reading text, White on Black can be useful in several applications. For more help on iPhone accessibility features, check out iPhone Accessibility Options for Easier iPhone Operation.

Article / Updated 10-15-2021

One way to share the Android phone’s digital cellular connection is to connect the phone directly to a computer and activate the tethering feature. Not every Android phone has this capability. Tethering is a solid way to provide Internet access to another gizmo, such as a laptop or a desktop computer. Follow these steps to set up Internet tethering: Connect the phone to a computer or laptop by using the USB cable. The best success with this operation is when the computer is a PC running Windows. Open the Settings app. Choose More, and then choose Tethering & Mobile Hotspot. Place a check mark by the USB Tethering item. Internet tethering is activated. The other device should instantly recognize the phone as a “modem” with Internet access. Further configuration may be required, which depends on the computer using the tethered connection. For example, you may have to accept the installation of new software when prompted by Windows. When tethering is active, a Tethering or Hotspot Active notification icon appears. Choose that notification to further configure tethering. Unlike creating a Wi-Fi hotspot, you don’t need to disable the Wi-Fi radio to activate USB tethering. Sharing the digital network connection incurs data usage charges against your cellular data plan. Be careful with your data usage when you’re sharing a connection.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 10-12-2021

Your iPhone can be so much more than a communication tool to talk into. Aside from making calls and creating your contacts, you should make yourself familiar with the many options available on the iPhone touchscreen. You'll also want to be able to handle troubleshooting when your Apple device acts strangely or stops working. When you need a bit of levity, check out our 10 ways to have fun with Siri. And finally, if you have an iPhone with Face ID, you’ll discover Face ID–specific tips for creating animoji and putting your iPhone into recovery mode.